Expert advice on renovating your kitchen for profit

Author: Georgia Madden on Houzz

The kitchen can be a make-or-break room for potential buyers, so if yours is looking a little worse for wear and you plan to sell in the near future, a renovation might be a smart move. But which upgrades will make you a profit and which won’t? We’ve asked a panel of four experts to reveal all.

What’s good to know when renovating a kitchen?
“There are two simple rules when renovating a kitchen,” says architect Steffen Welsch of Melbourne firm Steffen Welsch Architects. “Don’t half do it and don’t do it on the cheap. A kitchen is an important space – it needs to be cohesive and everyone appreciates quality.”

Jenefer Macleod, principal designer at eat.bathe.live, concurs, adding: “Potential buyers are pretty savvy and will notice if the kitchen is poorly planned and bad quality”.

What are buyers really looking for?
“Kitchens today are about so much more than just cooking,” says Welsch. “They’re multi-functional spaces for entertaining, working, eating and more. Buyers are looking for well-thought-through designs with lots of clever inclusions. They want a functional layout and easy-to-clean materials that will save them time every day,” he says.

“A kitchen design that opens onto living spaces with an island bench at the centre is really appealing to buyers,” says Macleod. “The island bench is very important – it’s the hub of the home where people will dine, entertain, socialise, and where the kids will do their homework.”

“Design-wise, think sleek and timeless styling and finishes,” says Macleod.

“And don’t forget to keep the area light, bright and welcoming,” she adds. “People want to imagine how they will use the space and how they’ll spend time there with friends and family. Remember, you’re selling them a lifestyle.”

The key elements of a practical kitchen layout
To create a functional layout, Welsch says:
Remember little upgrades can make a big difference: if you can make your benchtop 100 millimetres deeper than a standard 600 millimetre depth, you’ll gain oodles more prep space. Shorten travel distances between cooking and prep zones as much as possible. Allow sequential activities to happen side by side. Allow for multi-tasking, such as keeping an eye on the stovetop while you’re loading the dishwasher. Store what you need close to the activity, such as pots and pans near the stove, and kettle near the sink. Include features that make cooking, cleaning and entertaining easy, such as a pull-out compost bin next to where you chop vegetables. Allow people to work in the kitchen without having to cross paths.

Indoor-outdoor connection
“It also helps if there is direct access to an outdoor area as this immediately creates the illusion of more space,” adds Zah Azmi, CEO of property investment firm Luxland Investments.

Update your benchtop
The benchtop is one of the first things buyers see when they walk into a kitchen, so it’s well worth splashing out on. “Replacing a cheap laminate benchtop with another laminate benchtop is not a value add,” says Daniel Briffa, director and principal building designer at Adan Creative Designs. “Even if the old benchtop was in poor condition, at the end of the day the kitchen still has a laminate benchtop.”

“Upgrading to a better-quality material will add instant appeal to your kitchen, and natural stone is a great choice,” says Azmi.

“Splashing out on a decent benchtop and adding in an appealing splashback means you could then potentially choose more cost-efficient cupboards and still achieve a very appealing look,” adds Welsch.”

“Any stone benchtop more than 20 millimetres thick is going to look luxurious, and will add real value to your kitchen,” says Azmi. Welsch concurs, adding; “I prefer a honed finish for natural stone over a glossy one. It feels softer and won’t mark as much.”

Focus on noticeable areas

Don’t have the budget for a full kitchen overhaul? Focus on improving an area that buyers will see the moment they walk in, such as a splashback, says Azmi. “Retiling your splashback can make a huge difference to the look and feel of your kitchen, and can cost as little as $20 per square metre.”