Design and Renovation Tips

Kitchen Design Tips

Bench Tops

Selecting the right bench top can be a great challenge. The first step is to choose a material that suits you best. Laminate bench tops are the most affordable product and the modern laminates are far better looking and wearing than their older counterparts. Stone bench tops are by far the most popular these days. Reconstituted stones like Caesarstone and Essastone are designed specifically for kitchen use and are the most hardy, best wearing, longest lasting and have the most diverse ranges. Granite is another favourite stone bench top selection. Granites come in a variety of grades and colours and, surprisingly are the same price as the reconstituted stones. The true beauty of granite is the complexity of the features and their history, with many having been formed over 600 million years. Then, for those that love a hardy bench top, but with seamless form, acrylic benchtops are the bees knees. Not as durable as the stones but far more maleable, you won't see the joins in your top and you can even seamlessly integrate the sink. Not for the feint hearted this is one of the more expensive options available. 

Renovation Tips

Planning Your Layout For Your Lifestyle

Consider how the layout of the new home will suit your lifestyle. The image below, by Davis & Park, illustrates four common themes that we see in new home and renovation layouts. Ranging from the most private kitchen arrangement to the most open.

How Much To Budget For Trades?

For your average kitchen renovation, you might need to move some plumbing and electrical. Allow for some new parts and some beautiful new power points and light switches in the process.You should allow $900-1,100 for the plumber and $900-1,100 for the electrician. If you are putting in new lights, allow an extra $500 for installation, this will cover most lighting arrangements.