10 Easy Ways a Kitchen Can Add Value to Your Home

According to Wren Kitchens, 87% of property experts say that a new, modern kitchen adds considerable value to your home. But there are a number of things at play when it comes to exactly how much value a new kitchen would add to your property. 

Where some believe it adds 15%, there are others who believe a new kitchen will only add 5% to the value of your house, claims Chancellors. But regardless of how much it’s worth, it’s clear that you’ll still be able to boost the value of your home with a brand new kitchen.

Can a new kitchen add value to your home?

Usually, the kitchen is considered to be the heart of the house. In fact, it could almost be considered as multi-functional. Despite it being the only place we prepare food, you might also eat the food in there or use the kitchen as a place for your children to do their homework or where you’re working from home. 

It might be where you usually sit to do all of your online Christmas shopping or have a catchup with friends. A kitchen has multiple uses, so it’s important that it’s comfortable, clean and inviting, which can be hard when you have a kitchen that’s run down or outdated. This is something you should particularly bear in mind if you’re looking to sell your house. 

Prospective buyers will base their decision on first impressions alone. This could be the difference between a sale and a rejection. You want your kitchen to be light and attractive, especially if you want to add some more money to the price tag. As already touched upon, 87% of estate agents will add to the cost of your home based on the kitchen you have.

Kitchen fitting: DIY vs professional

If you’re looking to make some serious cash as a result of having a new kitchen fitted, then you’ll want to budget around 10% of the value of the house. However, no matter how much you spend on the units, tiles and other things, bad workmanship can really bring the value down. 

This is why it’s important that you have your kitchen fitted by a team of professionals, such as those at Vivid. Vivid are able to provide exceptional kitchen design and fitting services, ensuring immaculate, seamless results every single time. Having your kitchen installed by the experts is also far more convenient and timely than doing it yourself.

Don’t overspend when renovating your kitchen

In order to make as much money from your kitchen renovation as possible, it’s imperative that you don’t overspend when it comes to purchasing your kitchen. Don’t go for top end kitchen units and solid marble worktops. Sometimes, the most stunning kitchens on the market are mid-range when it comes to its price tag. 

Where you don’t want to spend too much on upgrading your kitchen, you also don’t want to buy a kitchen that is exceptionally cheap. The lower quality units and worktops will stand out to estate agents vaping your home and, more importantly, it’ll also be obvious to prospective homebuyers.  

What about a kitchen extension?

When thinking about extending your kitchen, you should consider the previous point about not over spending. If you extend your kitchen, which won’t be cheap, then think about compromising on other things, like not opting for granite worktops or changing the doors of your cabinets rather than your units entirely.

If you want to stick to a modest budget, whilst still increasing the value of your home, then perhaps stick with the kitchen space you already have, unless it’s particularly small or if its size makes it impractical.

Top 10 kitchen features that’ll add value to your home

There are several things you can do to either upgrade your existing kitchen or to incorporate into your new kitchen. According to SHF, modern kitchen units would be the most likely thing to boost the value of your home, with 72% property experts voting it the number one thing they would look for when it comes to valuing the overall cost of a house. 

This was closely followed by efficient, contemporary kitchen appliances, with 66% of property experts choosing this as something they’d consider most when putting a price on a home. Worktops, sturdy fixtures, quality wall and floor tiles, striking splashbacks, excellent lighting and paint colour were other things that were taken into consideration when valuing a property. So with that in mind, what should you do to bump up the value of your home focusing on just the kitchen alone?

1. A smart-yet-functional layout

The layout of your kitchen needs to look great but also be highly-practical. Getting this particular combination right to begin with is paramount to ensure that guests and potential house buyers can see that your kitchen area is both contemporary and enjoyable to utilise. You’ll be able to rely on the experts at Vivid to design your kitchen space for you, taking into account each individual aspect of the room, making it a highly-bespoke service.

2. Replacing old kitchen cabinets

Your kitchen units need to be functional, as a priority, but they also need to look the part. A prospective property buyer could knock you down on the price of your house as a result of outdated kitchen cabinets. This is because the new homeowner will have to fork out their own money to replace the kitchen. 

If you make sure the kitchen space is already modern, functional and fresh, then that’s one less thing that someone could mark the price down on. Unfortunately, the kitchen cabinets will be one of the first things that someone will notice when walking into the room, so replace these as a priority.

3. Choosing the right worktops

Along with kitchen units being the first thing that someone will see when they enter the room, the counter tops will be the next thing, because of their size, mainly. Make sure that the worktop complements the wall and floor tiles, the cabinet doors, the splashback and the colour of the room. Worktops come in a variety of materials and colours, so be sure to choose one that’s hardwearing and looks sleek and, above all, timeless.

4. Making sure the lighting is bright

Making the room look bright and airy is all part of ensuring the kitchen looks inviting and enjoyable to spend time in, even at night. When it comes to natural light, make sure there are plenty of windows and/or French doors or even bi-fold doors (depending on your budget and the size of the room) to allow as much light in as possible from the outside. 

Artificial lighting should be bright and also energy-efficient. Opt for LED lightbulbs and choose a light fitting that allows for multiple bulbs to be used. Going for cooler colours as opposed to yellow lighting would also be beneficial.

5. Adding a fresh coat of paint to the walls & ceiling

If your paint work looks a little rough around the edges, whether it be scrape marks or general scuffs here and there from when you replaced the fridge, then either give the room a fresh coat of the same paint or use it as an opportunity to completely change the look and feel of your kitchen. If you’re going to get a new kitchen, it’s likely that your existing room colour won’t suit your new cabinets. As such, you might as well change everything so it’s in-keeping with your new decor.

6. Optimising storage throughout the kitchen

Storage is something that people will be looking for when it comes to kitchen space, especially if they have a family that needs to be catered for. If your kitchen is small, then where are people going to put their twelve plates and bowls? Where are they going to store their selection of saucepans, enough for a family of seven? 

Make sure to use all available space when it comes to kitchen units. Corner cabinets are extremely beneficial. They’re deep and come with a wide range of contraptions to make retrieving items from the back far easier. Discuss these options with your kitchen supplier and/or designer to make sure that you have as much storage as possible, even in the smallest of kitchens.

7. Upgrade fixtures & fittings, where possible

Upgrading fixtures and fittings is one of the easiest, most inexpensive ways of changing the look and feel of your kitchen. Door handles, for example, can simply be unscrewed from the back of the cabinet and replaced with new, modern ones. You’ll also be able to change the taps and even the plugholes in your kitchen sink, if you fancy an upgrade without the cost of installing a brand new kitchen.

8. Update your white goods & kitchen appliances

White goods need to be efficient and cost-effective these days. If you have an old washing machine on view in a sparkling new, contemporary kitchen, then an estate agent might not pass on the full value of your contemporary kitchen. 

Where you shouldn’t just replace white goods and appliances for the sake of it, a modern machine will scream cost-saving and robustness. The new owner won’t have to worry about replacing a new washing machine as soon as they move in. The house can be lived in almost straight away, which will bump up the value of your home in itself.

9. Lay some new, modern flooring

If your tiles are twenty years old, then rip them up and lay down some new flooring. A new kitchen will look odd against grubby old floor tiles, especially if you have matching plinths. There are plenty of options available when it comes to fitting a new floor. 

Whether you tile it again with sleek, classic tiles or lay laminate boards instead, the floor will make a huge impact when someone first walks into the room and you want it to complement every aspect of your newly-renovated kitchen. 

How disappointed would you be if you didn’t receive the full value of the kitchen because the flooring let it all down? Vivid have a team of tilers who can lay wall and floor tiles alike. Take the stress out of your kitchen renovation by asking Vivid for help.

10. Have a striking, effective splashback fitted

Vivid can help you when it comes to tiling you splashbacks. However, you’ll still have free reign over colour, size, patterns and designs. Make sure your splashbacks complement your new kitchen units but that they stand out from anything else you have seen.

Your house needs to set itself apart from every other house a potential buyer has seen, and a good way to make that sort of statement is with your kitchen splashbacks.

Vivid are experts in kitchen designs and installations, as well as floor and wall tiling. If you’re looking to upgrade your kitchen in Nottingham or the surrounding areas, then look no further than our dedicated team of experts. We have an extensive workforce with varied skills and specialisms to ensure you’re provided with a kitchen that’s been designed and installed to the best possible standards.

For more information, get in touch with a member of Vivid’s friendly, knowledgeable team today -we’re always pleased to hear from you.