Save Money on your Kitchen Renovation
If you are looking for ways to have that dream kitchen for less - think do-it-yourself!
31/05/2019
Being in the throes of ripping out my old (DIY) kitchen in favour of a brand new do-it-myself kitchen, made me think about how you can save a lot of money with a few DIY tips for renovating a kitchen, particularly measuring up to fit new kitchen cabinets.
Whether you decide to go with flat-pack unassembled RTA cabinets or make your own kitchen cabinets from scratch, there are a few tips that will help you along the way.
Measure Right
Taking measurements should be a quick and easy task... right? But you would be surprised at how many people actually get this step wrong!
kaboodle
It is important to not only accurately measure the length of the walls, but also the height and a few other spots as well. Kaboodle.com compiled a list of what should be measured if you want to do an overhaul of your kitchen cabinets.
GOOD TO KNOW: Have a notepad on hand to make a note of the measurements and drawing up a basic plan will make it easier for you to see how everything will fit into the space.
Here are the points in a kitchen that need to be accurately measured:
- Height of the kitchen
Measure floor-to-ceiling along different locations in the kitchen, especially since not all floors or ceilings are absolutely straight. By taking accurate measurements you will be able to make allowances for any skew areas.
- Length and width of the kitchen
Take down the length and width of the kitchen walls, as well as from any walls to doorways. As with the height, you should measure the walls at the top and bottom in case walls are not perfectly aligned at the corners.
- Measure openings
Don't forget to take down the height from the floor to windows and between walls and windows, as this is important if you want to ensure that wall and floor cabinets and countertops fit.
- Include fittings
If there are any power outlets or light fittings on the walls, be sure to include these. And don't forget to add existing plumbing connections or new points for electrical or plumbing.
- Add fixtures
If there are any additional fixtures on the walls, floor or ceiling, don't overlook these.
- Check for level
Checking that walls and floors are plumb is an important element of cabinet installation, whether you are installing floor or wall units. These components need to be installed level so that the doors open and close properly and we know that not all houses are built level.
A practical way to check that walls and floors are level is to invest in a laser-level like the Bosch Quigo. These digital tools make it easy to install your kitchen cabinets, whether wall or floor, and you can use it for plenty of other projects as well. Simply set the Bosch Quigo according to the height of the base or wall cabinets.
