Kitchen Renovation or Construction in Toronto: How to Plan?

The kitchen is a special room in every home. So, kitchens in Toronto are no exception. And, a time can come when you will need to build a new kitchen or renovate your existing one. In both cases, you will need to have a proper plan, without which, you will neither be able to construct a proper kitchen nor renovate your kitchen properly.

If you proceed without a well-crafted plan, you might undergo an expensive, stressful, or time-consuming experience. Therefore, ensure that you plan out things carefully before you proceed.

During your planning stage, what you need is the right guidance. And that is what this article is all about.

The following set of guidelines can help you formulate the best kitchen construction or renovation plan:

Have the Complete Picture in Mind

First, determine what you want in your new kitchen, and what you do not. To proceed, clear all the unused items in your existing kitchen. Then, make a list of the things you dislike about the kitchen. The list can include storage capacity, positioning, etc. It will help you know what you do not need in the new kitchen.

Next, you should figure out what you need in the new kitchen. So, make another list of the things in need in the new kitchen. But, keep in mind the space in the new kitchen, and ensure that it does not get congested.

Decide the Kitchen Design

Next, finalize the design of your new kitchen. You can choose from some of the popular designs used worldwide. You can impart your new kitchen with a beautiful look and render its functioning convenient with the designs.

You can choose a design from the following popular kitchen designs:

• Single wall—having all the appliances, cabinets, and countertop installed along one wall
• Galley—comprise two parallel lines of units forming a central corridor
• L-shaped—features two walls forming a perpendicular angle, maximizing corner spaces while eliminating traffic
• U-shaped—having three sides or walls
• L-shaped or Linear with the Island—having units around a perimeter

You need to have a clear visualization of everything about your new kitchen. And failure to do so will lead to disappointing results.

Get Ideas

Explore new ideas for your new kitchen. You can get many useful ideas for renovating or constructing your kitchen in magazines or the internet. Make it a point to save pictures of items for your kitchen you come across while searching the internet. Subsequently, you can show them to a designer who can recommend whether the items are a good fit for your kitchen or not.

Fix a Budget

As your kitchen renovation or construction involves a significant expenditure, you need to fix a budget as that will help you to manage your expenditures effectively.

So, list all the items you are going to buy for the new kitchen. Then, search for their prices online. As a result, you will get an idea of the expenditure you will incur.

It can also happen that the eventual expenditure you will incur in renovating or constructing your kitchen will overshoot your budget figures. Therefore, you should choose the items carefully in the budgeting phase, especially if your budget is tight.

Plan the Kitchen Space

Planning what items to keep in what space in your new kitchen is essential. It will contribute to the beauty of the kitchen apart from keeping it in order.

If your kitchen is messy, it can make you feel as if something is wrong or missing. Therefore, ensure that you place your kitchen items properly.

But, you need to manage the kitchen space first. And, to do that, you should empty the kitchen and then start putting the items one by one. For example, you can place the refrigerator in a more accessible position.

Plan the Work Triangle

A kitchen’s work triangle involves the sink, refrigerator, and the primary cooking area. It is an intelligent design concept that makes a kitchen easy to use.

When you minimize the distance between the three entities, you can enable quick movements within the kitchen.

It will help if you ensure that the sum of the distance between the three kitchen entities should not exceed 26 feet.

If your kitchen floor plan is small, ensure that each stretch of the triangle should not exceed 9 feet maximum.

If two or more cooks will simultaneously work in your kitchen, ensure that each cook has a separate triangle. So, you need to plan out the triangle accordingly. Also, be careful while planning two triangles. Ensure that the triangles do not cross each other as that can make cooks often come in each other’s way.

Lighting

Plan out the lighting thoughtfully as that has a lot to do with a kitchen’s functioning. Do not go for a single lighting system. Instead, use a combination of lighting systems, such as above the cooking and preparation areas.

It is a good idea to include bright and shadow-free lights that are light in color.

You can install small lights in cabinets to enable your cooks to see everything inside.

Sink and Dishwasher

Sinks are essential for any kitchen. And, you should plan to install them thoughtfully. It will help if you install a sink with landing areas of at least 24 inches on one side and 18 inches on the other side.

If you want a secondary sink, ensure that you allow at least 3 inches of countertop on one side and 18 inches on the other.

Also, take adequate care to install dishwashers, which should be within 36 inches of the nearest edge of a sink.

Moreover, there has to be a space of at least 21 inches between the dishwasher and any adjacent appliances.

Flooring

The floors have a lot to do with your new kitchen. And, they will withstand all the foot traffic. Therefore, you should ensure that the floors should be robust and durable.

With the availability of many materials, colors, and textures, you can have many flooring options to choose from for your new kitchen. And, you can regard marble and granite as the best kitchen flooring options.

The Final Say

Renovating or constructing your kitchen is not a straightforward affair. And, you might not be an expert in that. So, it can be a good idea to engage a professional design-build firm in Toronto, such as Orana, that will execute the task to the best of your satisfaction.