Designing an open plan kitchen

When you bought your house you loved it, but two or three children down the track and it's a bit cramped. You've seen brilliant home makeovers in magazines but you're on a limited budget, so what could an open plan kitchen do for you?

"There's no such thing as a simple open-plan renovation," says Will Hegarty of A.D. Practique. "A lot of people let their imaginations run away with the design process. A lot of my work is trying to restrain them so they don't go overboard on costly ideas."

It's always useful to refer to renovations in magazines before starting, but this can also have a downside. "Most houses that are featured in magazines have half-million or million-dollar budgets," Will says.

Patience is a renovation virtue

"Everyone wants to try to create their perfect home in one renovation, when they actually need to accept that it may take 20 to 30 years before they're in the position they need to be."

A lot of people start having problems at the end of their renovation when their money is running out. To avoid this, it's best to plan well.

"Firstly you need to work out how much you have to spend. Then you have to take off 10 per cent for GST."

Kitchen renovation costs

The next thing to think about is your kitchen costs. "How much do you realistically want to spend on your kitchen?"

There are a few things that you can do to limit your overall costs. "Try to limit the amount of demolition you do - the less, the better," Will suggests.

This can be difficult when opening up your home, because if you're knocking down walls, you'll usually need to redesign your roof as well. "Almost invariably, opening up the living areas includes redesigning the roof. This can benefit the house, mind you, because it can bring light and a greater sense of space, especially if you lift the height."

Kitchen renovation redesigns

If your redesigns absolutely require a major change to the roof, then it might be worth thinking about keeping your kitchen and bathroom in the same places. Moving plumbing and other services can be an expensive process.

"If you do change the rooms around, try moving the bathroom to where the kitchen was so you can use the plumbing there," Will says.

"Just always be mindful of your budget, because you don't want to be forced to sell your property once the renovations are finished, simply because you went over budget."

Contact a kitchen designer in your area today to discover the world of an open plan kitchen: