Do-It-Yourself projects can often seem like a good idea at the time. You may either think you are qualified, might enjoy it, think it’s easy or just plain want to save the money – all are valid reasons. But when it comes to kitchens especially, then the downsides of things going wrong can be a nightmare. Let’s look at the things a pro kitchen renovation company can do easily compared to even a competent DIY enthusiast.
Budget
Kitchen companies will not only have more experience (overall and in all areas) than you in this regard, but they also have more accurate pricing on services, fittings and fixtures. Those who have estimated a budget compared to what their trade has quoted will tell you that you can be way off. What you won’t be factoring in when your budget is the time and cost if things go wrong. This is also true for professionals except they are way more likely to be accurate, have almost nothing go wrong or fix it for free without any extra cost to you.
Specific Skills and Works
There can be a multitude of different types of skills and works required for a renovation that all require planning and the right tools necessary. Think about these and ask yourself if you are qualified enough to tackle them, you may find it quite daunting.
- Building work – like knocking down walls
- Plumbing – knowing the best way to solve a problem
- Electrics – this should only ever be left to a qualified electrician yet many don’t
- Tiling – seems easy but why do tilers exist?
- Cabinetry – We all like to assemble and install an IKEA unit, but a whole kitchen?
- Project management and workflow – coordinating all the above and accurately calculating timeframes
- Not to mention ensuring the certification of all of the above!
There are plenty of mistakes to avoid just when planning a kitchen renovation, but imagine the ones to avoid when actually attempting to build it on your own? Let alone the actual measurable cost of money, time and huge inconvenience when things go wrong, and there’s no real way of measuring the stress this can create.
Design
All the above is exclusive of having a kitchen design and layout that is either possible, or that actually works. There are numerous layout pitfalls to avoid and other things like structural issues that a poor design will create.
Demolishing walls, moving doors and plumbing will not only add more cost and time but also might impact how everything works let alone the perils of mistakes in these important areas. Things like airflow, light, damp, walkways, storage etc all need to be factored in.
Summary
You really have to ask yourself if you are ready to attempt this? The perceived cost of a professional kitchen renovator is always infinitely lower than the cost of getting it all wrong. When working with a professional, they have the advantage of knowing what you can and can’t do with your budget and they don’t attempt the impossible, dangerous or impractical.
