Creating a budget for your upcoming kitchen renovation will help you decide and prioritize what to include in your final design plan. Keep in mind that the age of your house will largely impact the amount of work, time, and money spent on your renovation. Below, we’ll discuss how to budget for a kitchen reno for older vs newer homes and how our team at Peak Improvements can help finalize your budget and plans.

Why Home Age Impacts Kitchen Renovation Costs

Relatively new, builder-grade dwellings built after the early ‘00s usually only require cosmetic changes. These homes are built according to modern standards that feature updated electrical hookups, insulation, plumbing, and other necessities. Any updates homeowners would make to a newer kitchen would be focused on aesthetic improvements, such as replacing the countertops or updating the cabinetry.

However, if you live in a pre-twenty-first-century home, your kitchen likely requires more extensive work to update both its appearance and functionality. Older homes generally boast much smaller kitchens, so you may need to expand into another room for more space. If your home hasn’t been renovated before, you may also need to upgrade your electrical and plumbing systems.

Overall, the more outdated your kitchen is, the more materials and labour are required to have it function as a modern kitchen would. This is all in addition to making your chosen aesthetic changes.

Budget Considerations for Older vs Newer Kitchens

The age of your home will impact the different costs associated with your renovation. Older homes generally focus a large portion of the budget on functional changes, whereas newer homes will direct the budget towards cosmetic upgrades. Let’s break down a few of the costs associated with older vs newer kitchens below:

Vintage/Retro Kitchen Costs

Renovating a pre-twenty-first-century kitchen will be more expensive than a newer build. In addition to implementing design changes like new cabinets and an updated colour scheme, some more baseline changes include:

Updating functionality: If your home hasn’t been renovated in recent years, its overall build is likely outdated. Older kitchens can incur higher energy bills and can create safety hazards such as overloaded electrical. Our team at Peak Improvements will update your kitchen to current building standards, allowing you to install and work modern appliances while achieving a savings in energy costs.

Expanding the layout: Small kitchens aren’t usually functional for the modern family home. Expanding the layout will give you more storage and provide added options for your choice of countertops, cabinets, seating and overall use. This work will generally involve removing walls and reshaping the space, which leads to additional labour and material costs.

Newer Kitchen Costs

If you’re renovating a newer kitchen, your budget will likely be much smaller than an older kitchen, or will simply stretch further. While a vintage kitchen requires functional upgrades, you can focus this budget on aesthetic and cosmetic improvements. Here are some cost parameters for you to consider when renovating a newer kitchen:

Essential vs optional upgrades: Homeowners renovating newer kitchens should consider whether all the changes they want are essential and/or if they have room in their budget for optional upgrades. For instance, instead of buying pre-fabricated cabinets from a hardware store, you may opt for custom-built cabinets. Just be aware that more custom work will increase your renovation costs.

Refinishing, refacing, and/or purchasing new materials: If you’re upgrading your kitchen, you need to decide whether you want to refinish, reface, or purchase entirely new cabinets. For instance, you can refinish your cabinets by sanding them down and repainting or staining them. Refacing goes a step further by replacing elements like drawer fronts while maintaining the original cabinet box. Finally, if you choose to purchase new, you’ll have the most flexibility with the design and layout, but it is also the most costly of the options.

Budget for Your Kitchen Renovation Cost in Edmonton with Peak Improvements

Budgeting for kitchen renovation costs in Edmonton comes down to the type of renovations you want and the kind that you need. If you have an older house model, consider the amount of preliminary work that will need to be done in addition to updating the style and aesthetic. If you’re renovating a newer home, consider which elements require a change in functionality and which are cosmetic to determine what you can reasonably afford.

You can use our Budget Calculator from Peak Improvements to find the right price range for your renovation. Once you have a general idea of the changes you would like, contact our team to get started on your design plan.