Is it worth revamping our tatty kitchen?

[tattykitchen]

Sorry in advance if this is long...

We bought a fairly big Victorian house a few years back as our forever home.
Sadly this is now looking unlikely...

We have done lots of repair work so far (new roof, wiring, new boiler and cylinder, new shower room, redecoration of bedrooms, landscaped the garden etc etc) all of which was expensive.

But we never got round to the kitchen, which the previous owner with zero taste installed, think pine units, varnished pine ceiling, beige worktop, cheap vinyl floor and cream plastic sink and tap - lovely! It has very little worktop space making it hard to cook family meals in.

I don't think we can face replacing it now and am not sure it's worthwhile either as we may well end up selling up. But if we do want to sell I think the state of the current kitchen would seriously limit the value of the house.

We did have the house valued last year basically we'd lose money on it as it is, given what we paid for it in 2007 and how much we have spent.

So is it worth doing a revamp job on the kitchen? Have put a pic on my profile.

My thoughts:
paint the units and trim a neutral F&B colour (they are solid pine but not great quaility)
put a cheapish range cooker in the chimney breast,
move the base units under the hob to the alcove where the current cooker is (remove oven and housing) and add worktop over
new posh sink/tap
new wooden worktops
new wall unit in each alcove
paint pine ceiling and all pine skirting
new flooring, though am unsure of how to get a decent floor for minimum cost.

Is this worth doing? Would the existing kitchen put you off?

If so I would be very grateful for suggestions for cheap but smart flooring and any other thoughts/tips...

TIA

[jamaisjedors]

I agree that the out-of-date kitchen won't put off buyers.

By all means change the tap if you want, but most people wouldn't want someone else's oven I think, and judging by my SIL and brother, who have just put an offer in on a house with a brand-new kitchen, which they are going to rip out, I think it won't be a factor in buying a big house.

In a small flat, where people are not going to stay long, they won't want to invest in a kitchen, but for a bigger, family house, people want to put their mark on it and will be looking at the bigger picture - location, room size etc.

[tattykitchen]

Thanks Silly, nice to have a bit of sympathy!

[Sillyoldbagpus]

Sorry to hear about the difficult situation you are in. I hope it all goes well. I think best to get several quotes from an estate agent.

I'm sure you won't have any problems. Most people think it is a sellers market. It might depend where you are, but where we live its the opposite. There is so little out there that it is actually very competitive and the nice period homes sell within days and weeks.

There are however a lot of other properties which have been hanging around for months and years. These are the ones that are over price and then once they have hung around a few months, people start to assume there is something wrong with them.

So be optimistic but also realistic about what you might get. Unfortunately, gone are the days of making profit on houses. I suspect your house is lovely and has massive potential. I promise you a slightly out of date kitchen won't put off a serious buyer, just view it as a great opportunity and make sure the estate agent sells that point.

[tattykitchen]

Silly it is quite hard to know exactly what its worth as it is an unusual house with some good selling points, in a lovely road and nice area.

But its an unfinished renovation and the kitchen is a real let down. The things you list have all been dealt with, not that you can see where the money has gone (replacing the large roof and chinmneys was esp costly)

We wouldnt put it on for a silly price no, but would like to try and break even on what we have spent. It was bought as a forever home so we werent thinking of profit while we did the work, all quite sad really...

[FannyFifer]

We have an old property & had dark pine units, we painted them cream & changed the handles, made a HUGE difference.
Can't afford to replace kitchen anytime soon as had to do complete rewire & replace central heating, boiler etc, nightmare.

We are hopefully going to replace the worktops & sink in next year or so.

B&Q is great for floor tiles at really good prices as well so will be doing that at some point also.

[Sillyoldbagpus]

I have been to view a house with a lovely new aga and appliances that seemed to be good working order. Despite this I offered under asking price because it was over priced. Are you thinking about putting it on for a bit more than its worth?

A red flag for me is a massive crack, windows that need replacing, blocked drains, dodgy roof etc. a 'tatty kitchen' is not a deal breaker if the house is in good condition.

[tattykitchen]

Thanks for the last comments.
I hadnt intended to put in a new kitchen, my plan was to make the current one more workable (ie non leaking tap/sink, a cooker which isnt broken and more worktop). At least thay way it wouldnt be an immediate red flag and an opening for negotiation on price.

I think I will get some agents round to see what they say and take it from there.

[Sillyoldbagpus]

Agree with the others who are put off by a new kitchen. Don't waste your money on someone else's house. Only someone really stupid will be fooled by some crappy cupboards painted in farrow and ball paint.

[mrsH1974]

PETALPINK: "If anything a brand new/revamped kitchen or bathroom puts me off. I much prefer to have it in a condition that won't make me feel guilty for ripping it out."

I completely agree with this. I want to make a home of my own, not be stuck with someone else's taste for a decade and pay a premium for it just because it's new.

Give it a really good clean and tidy and all but the most OCD people will be able to live with it.

[tattykitchen]

Thats a good point re the DIY sheds, thanks green for all suggestions.

[greenfolder]

it is also worth doing a plan and knowing your measurements well. its amazing once you know this how those couple of left over boxes of tiles in the reduced corner of homebase will fit or that sink on ebay for a tenner and is round the corner makes sense. also, make the most of the diy sheds 20% off days- they often do them around bank holidays, you could make a real difference to that kitchen for not a lot of money!

[tattykitchen]

Thanks green, I think you have hit the nail on the head. I would like prospective buyers to be able to live with it for a while and this affects the asking price I reckon.
Shelving is a good idea to save on wall units and I agree re the flooring, I think lino/vinyl would work best.

Now I just need to find a good handy man to help me with all the above!

[greenfolder]

oh, and i also painted over all the orange pine in one kitchen in one day. it got rid of my suicidal tendencies at once!

[greenfolder]

i knew what your kitchen would look like before i saw the picture!

i have painted kitchen doors like that on several kitchens. i painted them cream (not farrow and ball- cream is cream to me) and taken out eye level cupboards and replaced with shelving. i replaced manky worktops with laminated ones, and replaced the sink (cost about £150). i also retiled over old tiles. i would then consider the floor- you might even do fine in just replacing the lino (it is allowed you know!). get professional in to clean the oven (£50)

what you want to do is cheer it up without spending a fortune. the last house i did this in, the purchasers lived with my spruced up kitchen for another 3 years while they saved up to buy a spectacular one! people need to see something they can live with happily when they move in, but feel able to change.

[tattykitchen]

Thanks, though you might not agree if you saw a close up of the oven and sink! Both a bit minging!

[allotmentgirl82]

i quite like your kitchen.
i'd leave it as it is, the next buyer can change it to their taste

[LillianGish]

I don't think it looks that bad - I could easily live with that (which is always my test when judging a house!). Lots of people rip out the kitchen when they move in anyway - however swanky and newly installed someone else's kitchen is rarely the kitchen of your dreams. Half the battle is making sure it is clear of clutter and spotless when you have viewings.

[tattykitchen]

Thanks all.
It is a bit hard to explain about the house but I just want to make sure we dont lose out just because the kitchen lets it down, hence the revamp plan, There arent that many properties like this which come on the market where we live so it's quite hard to compare.

I think I would probably pay a decorator to paint the doors as I am not very patient! I like the checquer board vinly floor idea as well as painting the ceiling and walls and getting a big table and chairs. Am sure that would make it more appealing.

Am going to see if I can find a cheap range cooker on ebay or gumtree as I think that would give instant wow factor and we could probably sell it if we move.

[nilbyname]

You need to sand back, prime, undercoat, the at least 2 layers of top coat to make the cupboards look good. It's a big job!

Checker board vinyl flooring will be lovely.

Look for auction house by estate agents for sets of country pine chairs. You can pick up a bargain.

[GrendelsMum]

I think from what the OP said on another thread that she's worried that a lot of the house looks gorgeous, and then the kitchen is terrible, so it's a very odd mix, and might cut down buyers. I think her idea was that the kitchen ought to look at least okay, rather than as though it needs doing immediately.

[SolomanDaisy]

I'd definitely paint the cupboards and add new handles. Solid pine will paint well easily and it will make a huge difference. Then paint the pine ceiling and the rest of the room. I don't think it's worth doing much else.

[Petalpink]

Buyers will only knock 20k off if its 20k over priced. Get some estate agents valuations and do lots of your own research about similar properties in the area.

Ultimately, your buyers will dictate the value of your house. Not sure what area you live in? But round here it's a sellers market because so few people going into the market and there is more demand from buyers.

I think the biggest thing to be aware of it not putting your house on for a price that you need to sell. It will only put people off/encourage low offers if its above market value. Best of luck

[25catsnameSam]

If money and other things are a worry, I'd leave it the cupboards, they are expensive to paint well. Paint ceilings/ walls to refresh, Do the table as another poster suggested, dress it nicely, leave the rest as Potential. I'd even be wary of asking the EA to state it's a doer upper. Your current kitchen might be your next buyer's taste, it might not. That's the same with any changes you make and pay for. Unless the flooring is minging I'd leave that as well. It's gutting you may not make your money back but you could be throwing good money after bad.

[specialknickers]

I love your kitchen! I think it would look fab if you painted the cupboards, though. I once got a decorator to do mine (over melamine, couldn't afford to change them) in a duck egg blue, then retailed with large white mosaic tiles (grey grouting)... Looked amazing when it was finished. I love tongue and groove ceilings as well - painted white they're very scandi chic. If you want to make a kitchen look more modern, get rid of some eye level shelves and replace with simple wooden shelves. Costs virtually nothing.

I would however spend spend some money on lighting and a new floor. This will make it look much cleaner - chrome fitting with halgens would be cheap and chrisp looking. Cheapest flooring would be more vinyl (not environmentally friendly infortuantely) - black and white chequer board to make the most of a vintage feel.

You could do the lot for under a grand and would defo make that money back on the sale.

[GrendelsMum]

cross posted!