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Do-it-Yourself Kitchens
There is a great choice of flat pack DIY kitchens at the big sheds now, which the reasonably competent handyperson can use to make a very respectable kitchen. This is proving to be an increasingly popular way of going about a kitchen renovation. However there are some important points to bear in mind before you rush out and buy your cupboards.
Quality
You will not add value to your home, and you might well devalue it, if you have a cheap-looking, poorly installed kitchen. Check carefully that the kitchen cabinets you choose are of a quality that suits your home. Ensure that you do only those things that you are fully competent to do. Get professional help with things like plumbing, electrical fittings and anything that provides a finish that must look perfect.
Quality problems at the cheap end of kitset kitchens include the use of cheap particle board (known in the trade as Weetbix). Thin paper and PVC edging. Cheap-looking benchtop blanks that are just cut to size and often have jointing strips.
Fortunately high quality DIY systems are starting to appear, kitchens that don’t have that cheap shed-kitchen look. Look for moisture resistant carcases, high quality doors and panels, and custom made benchtops. Great Deals Direct have one of the best systems and would certainly be worth considering. This system even includes help with planning and design. So now it is possible to have a budget DIY kitchen without having to sacrifice quality.
Building Codes
Ensure that your new kitchen conforms to the building regulations and requirements for your area. An illegal installation could be dangerous to you and your family. It could well jeopardize the eventual sale of your home.
Resale
Bear in mind that everybody has different ideas about how a kitchen should be laid out and what should be in it. Colour is another area of personal choice. If you ever plan to sell your home you need to be mindful of ensuring that it has broad appeal rather than be too quirky.
Remember that your choice of Purple Haze might be someone else’s idea of a nightmare colour. Also remember that today’s fashionable, must have colours (battleship grey say) are tomorrows dated has-beens. Choose carefully with maximum and enduring appeal in mind.
Remember too that you should not sacrifice quality for a budget kitchen.
Painting tips
Glass splashbacks
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