I keep saying that the last kitchen and bathroom renovation was IT! If it can’t be painted, tiled or recycled, I am no longer interested. We have completely renovated a small 18th century French townhouse, two kitchens in different houses and a major bathroom renovation and all were stressful, had good moments and mistakes. But, we keep doing it!

Key Tips to Start

  • Decide on your budget and don’t forget labour costs – ask yourself if it’s a cosmetic makeover, a partial renovation or whether things need ripping out and stating again.
  • Kitchens and bathrooms will always cost more than you think so have some ‘stretch’ money or areas you can cut
  • Focus on what the wow factor/luxury items are that you are willing to spend on and what you could let go
  • Look for specials, there are some great deals out there and look for medium prices rather than cheap and cheerful
  • A friend always says to spend money on finishings such as lighting, door handles, knobs and light switches
  • Visit show rooms even if they are expensive and get ideas on style, colour and placement of furniture
  • Mix inexpensive with expensive, we have had an expensive shower base but saved on a retro looking IKEA sink and cabinet
  • Check electrical, plumbing and any major building needs – these are likely to be the most costly

A Tiny Budget

Most of us have had to do a cosmetic makeover with little money at least once. Our first kitchen renovation was in a tiny cottage. The cupboards and bench tops were pine, the floor, an ugly red small tile and there was a strange pole at one end that basically held up the back roof. We painted everything white, replaced door knobs for stainless steel pulls and replaced the bench tops with an aqua and blue mix laminate that had a ripple effect. The old hotplates were replaced and the pole was enclosed in a wall like structure as part of the cupboard.The tiles were painted with a grey cement paint. Our most expensive part was the pull out narrow food cupboard and it was worth it. Lesson learnt, if you start painting a floor, you will be doing it constantly!

Look for ways to save money. Can you paint it, sand it back and stain, replace door handles and light fittings? If you can do this without major labour costs, that is a bonus. When we were waiting for our Berlin kitchen, we lived with three DIY benches that where fun and we sold them afterwards. We bought an induction free-standing cooktop which was fine for two months.

Medium Money

This is actually harder and the same as getting a $30 gift card which is lovely but not enough but too much for something small! Take care here as a budget needs to be carefully managed. Our Berlin bathroom has a curved wall and had a sad bath/shower and basic wood cupboard and sink. There was a big bar wall heater and masses of ugly, hospital white tiles. We also needed somewhere to put the laundry and were going to need to extend plumbing in to a cupboard space next to the bathroom. We found tiles on special and chose not to tile right up to the ceiling and only around the shower and wet areas. We kept the heater as it looked fine in the overall look and style. This saved us money as did finding a great IKEA cupboard and sink. However, the plumbing ended up costing more, the toilet system had to be replaced and the budget blew out. Fortunately, I had anticipated this and the kitchen had cost less so it balanced out in the end.

Money No Problem

Our Ferney Voltaire house had no windows, birds flying through, no kitchen or bathroom but all new electrics and plumbing. We went to town on the kitchen. All white with a lovely white marble bench top with a silica that glittered in the light. Lots of storage and new appliances. We were still cautious as we went for middle range prices but spent money on the overall look and it was beautiful. Our Berlin kitchen had a reasonable budget and we chose to go to a large kitchen design store called Küche Aktuell and it was worth it. We had a great consultant who advised on white goods and not necessarily the most expensive, helped us choose cabinets and it was my husband’s – the chef of the house – favourite kitchen.