Q&A: Cheap makeovers for bad kitchens

Q. My kitchen looks like it threw up all over itself - there are tiles from the 1970s on the splashbacks, '60s timber cabinets and a laminate benchtop circa 1992. Help!

A. 
Long-term rental properties are notorious for containing bitsy, piecey renovations - perhaps due to landlords being able to deduct the improvements as "repairs" rather than capitalise renovation costs? Whatever, tenants either have to shut their eyes or do something to make it bearable. You don't want to spend a lot of money but there's plenty you can do. Shiny new accessories can brighten a bad room instantly - a new dish drainer, tool storage and tea towels in the kitchen; or try getting creative with the overhead cabinets. If they are timber, unscrew the doors and openly display your nice things to draw the eye away from the rest of the kitchen. The backs of the cupboards may be unfinished timber or plywood, so buy cheap, sturdy paper or decorative card to tape over the top of the cupboard backs. Hanging a pot rack or pegboard is usually within renters' rights and will give you more storage. You'll need to keep the doors (and screws) somewhere safe to reattach when you move out.


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Laminex: more eco than you think

Well blow me down with some melamine, Laminex has become the first Australian company to achieve Chain of Custody certification from the oh-so-eco Forest Stewardship Council. Essentially, that means the wood fibres in those white panel doors pictured above are legally sourced and traded. The Forest Stewardship Council is a super strict independent body which offers certifications to encourage responsible management of the world’s forests. Its trademark provides international recognition to organisations that support responsible forest management. The low  pressure melamine board is available in 15 decorator colours and can even have a FSC-certified timber veneer over the top if required.

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Home hint: Save time, read about streamlining your kitchen

My kitchen is annoying me, and not just because it has mirrored glass splashbacks that get splattered every five minutes (but are desperately needed to add light and love to a small room). It's because I can't get the bloody room organised. I'm hopeless. No time. I'm too busy writing about saving time to act on my good wishes. Read THIS STORY about streamlining your kitchen to save the bother of renovating.

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Oh, now that's a clever idea for cooking

How useful is this new Trudeau Pot Clip Spoon Rest? Designed to help avoid those annoying spills, the Pot Clip simply clips to your pots edge and balances your utensils so that spooning, measuring and adding is just right, time after time. How clever is that? The Pot Clip features a stainless steel body, and silicone grips that are fully resistant to high temperatures. It also eliminates the need for using a counter top spoon rest when cooking, which equals no more mess on your counter and stove tops

 

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Creating your dream kitchen: Step Six

Understanding the sequence of a renovation is the key to saving bucks - knowing when to organise tradies and materials to come on site is all part of keeping costs down. Here is the usual sequence for a kitchen renovation:

1. THE STRIP: Remove cabinets, appliances and fittings, ideally taking what can be salvaged to a yard that can re-sell materials or using a rubbish removal company that recycles.

2. THE REBUILD (if necessary): Relocating windows, walls and doors takes place after the strip.

3. ROUGH IN: Basic plumbing and electrics will be 'roughed in' until everything else is installed and taps can be completed and switches screwed in.

4. FLOORING: Install any new flooring if you want the floor material to be installed underneath new cabinets.

5. INSTALLATION: The cupboard carcasses tend to go in first, then doors and drawers will be installed. Levelling the base cabinets is the most important thing to get right. benchtops need to go in next, followed by splashbacks.

6. ELECTRICS FIT-OUT: Lighting and appliances can now be wired in and finished off.

7. FINAL PLUMBING AND ELECTRICS: Switches can be installed on tiled splashbacks, the dishwasher can be plumbed in and other details finished off.

8. PAINTING AND DECORATING: The last stage is making sure the room has gaps and cracks sealed (with the all-important silicone behind the kitchen sink) and painting.

Make sure you organise trades  in the correct order otherwise there may be revisits, extra work and additional costs. Be clear on what each tradesperson is doing an ideally provide them with plans that have details of the position of existing and new services (plumbing, gas and electrics), details of appliances, sinks and taps. Good luck!

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Home hint: cheap kitchen fixes

Hate your kitchen but can’t afford a new one? Splash out on shiny new door and drawer handles for the cheapest quick fix. If you need to go further, think about replacing only the cupboard doors and drawer-fronts for less than half the cost of a new kitchen.

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Gwyneth Paltrow's sexy black kitchen (just not sure about the pants)

I realise I have an unhealthy obsession with Gwyneth Paltrow. HerGoop newsletter just taught me how to make turkey meatballs, steamed peas and garlic bread. How can a fabulous celebrity with a child-named-after-fruit make a meal seem more housewifely and dull than the stuff I serve my own kids? And now I want to tell her that she looks plain silly on the cover of the new UK version of Elle. Or is it just me? Her Hamptons house is still noice, though ...

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Install your own kitchen and save!

Installing your own kitchen is all about details. So many it will make your head spin. But it's worth coming to grips with the hassle of installing your own kitchen if you want a swanky-looking room for a fraction of the price.

Yes, we all adore those sleek Leicht and Poggenpohl kitchens (why are the Germans so good at kitchens?) but you can get a similarly schmick kitchen by shopping around and having a willing screwdriver operator to install it. What you save on the installation, you can spend on the pull-out pantry or the stone benchtop.

Installing cabinets and benchtops yourself will save about 15 to 20 per cent of the cost of a kitchen, says Michael Caminer, the chief executive of Alsa Manufacturing, which makes Smartpack Kitchens. Design-and-install kitchen companies rarely specify the exact cost of installation, but you pay a premium to the company that has the headache of overseeing and scheduling tradespeople.

"We have had people say they were quoted $25,000 or $30,000 for a kitchen that we can offer to them for $10,000 or $12,000 if they install it themselves," Caminer says.

That's a big enough saving to allow you to line up at David Jones for the Chloe instead of making do with Witchery. Now comes the bad part: all the things you have to remember. It's not worth bothering with this self-installing caper unless you can juggle details, deal with tradespeople and remain calm during the dust, mess and chaos of a renovation.

Oh, and you can't oversee the entire kitchen renovation with only a screwdriver. You'll probably need a drill, too. And a level. And a tape measure. If you are the kind of person who can't assemble an Ikea bookshelf, please don't attempt this.

Each kitchen renovation has different requirements but the basics of scheduling the job are as follows

1. Plumbing The bits that make the dishwasher do its job and allow the gas cooktop to light up can only be overseen by a licensed plumber. And the plumber needs to visit twice - once in the early stage to rough-in, then again after stage 4 to finish off and/or install the appliances and taps.
2. Electricals As with the plumber, the sparky may have to come twice, first to rough-in and later to install light fittings, power switches and appliances. If you don't already have an electric oven installed, you may need a new circuit to run the appliance.
3. Cabinetry Base and wall cabinets need to be ordered weeks or even months in advance of the installation date. These are assembled first and lined up in position, waiting to be topped by ...
4. Benchtops Customised stone benchtops can take a long, long time to arrive after ordering. It's best to order and schedule the benchtop to coincide with the arrival of the cabinets.
5. Splashbacks Whether you choose tiles, coloured glass, timber or stone, the splashbacks make the kitchen look finished. And don't forget the silicone seal between the splashback and the benchtop.
6. Flooring This can be done now or before the cabinets are in, depending on the type of flooring you need and whether you want it to continue underneath the cabinets.
7. Painting-finishing The final touch. You can sigh with relief when the dust is gone and the doorhandles are on. And invest in a drill jig to get the cupboard door handles in the right position.

Tips

• There are plenty of companies selling flatpack kitchens, which renovators can install themselves. For starters look at Ikea, A-Plan Kitchens and Smartpack.
• Self-assemble kitchens are often on sale at auction houses such as Laws Auctions, sometimes in fixed U- or L-shapes. Keep an eye out for ex-display kitchens or kitchens for sale in the Trading Post or on eBay.
• Not all kitchen-supply companies have a self-installation option. Many insist on providing a full installation service (and charging the mark-up) to retain quality control. Check the fine print of contracts before committing to anything.
• Not all flatpack kitchens are created equal - check the material used in the cabinets, the type of hinges and drawer runners used and the edging on the doors.