Adding Value to Your Home - Updating Your Kitchen (Part 4...

The kitchen is undoubtedly one of the most important and most used rooms in your home. You spend much of your day in the kitchen preparing, cooking and sharing meals with family and entertaining friends. As the world of work and education are changing, we often use our kitchen table to work from home or even remote learning for our children. There will come a day when you realize that the heart of your home is in need of an update. Whether you have a small budget, a healthy budget or no budget at all, a kitchen update will do wonders.

Updating Your Kitchen with a Small Budget

If you are handy, you can make impactful updates to your kitchen yourself on a small budget. If your budget allows, consider a trusted handyman as well. According to trulia.com, there are seven kitchen upgrades that will boost your home value.

1) Paint your cabinets and add or change out hardware.
Use a semigloss paint to paint your cabinets with a trendy, yet timeless, color. Changing or adding hardware on your cabinets can make all the difference in making an out-of-date kitchen look and feel more modern.

2) Replace or add a backsplash.
Renovate your tired-looking backsplash with a modern backsplash. White subway tile is a classic. Glass or mosaic tile are on-trend.

3) Paint the hardwood floors.
Use an enamel paint like Benjamin Moore's Floor and Patio Latex enamel. A simple floor color change, such as going from a brown hue to a trendy gray will drastically update your kitchen.

4) Replace the light fixtures.
There are affordable options for changing out the light fixtures in your kitchen. Pendant lighting is trending right now. Consider adding a few canned lights. Adding inexpensive undercabinet lighting will give your kitchen a high-end look.

5) Change your countertops.
You don't have to spend a fortune updating your countertops. You can buy a butcher-block or install concrete countertops which can be stained to match your kitchen color theme. Search for remnant granite, which are pieces left over from other projects. Or simply replace the countertop on your island, the focal point of your kitchen, with a more expensive product such as granite or quartz.

6) Change your kitchen sink.
Choose a kitchen sink that will double as a centerpiece. Farmhouse sinks are very popular right now.

7) Add a stainless-steel hood.
Oversized, stainless-steel hoods are found in many luxury kitchens. Adding an inexpensive hood can create the look of a chef's kitchen.

Updating Your Kitchen on a Healthy Budget

According to an article on homelight.com, a healthy kitchen remodel will recover approximately 77.6% of your investment. You can perform this healthy, yet still minor, remodel of a 200-square-foot kitchen for about $21,000. For example, replacing cabinet fronts with trending shaker cabinet fronts, while leaving the cabinet boxes in place, will change the entire look of your kitchen. Replace all your kitchen appliances with midrange brands. Replace your kitchen countertops with lower-tier granite or quartz. Refinish your hardwood floors with a trending color or replace your floors with a luxury vinyl plank flooring.

Updating Your Kitchen with an Open Budget

If you're lucky enough to spend as much money as you want on updating your kitchen, you can create the kitchen of your dreams. For this major overhaul it may be best to hire a designer who will coordinate the entire project with all the tradespeople. Your best bet may be to gut the entire kitchen and start from scratch.
Regardless of your budget, you can make some updates to your kitchen that will be sure to please you and increase your home value at the same time.