Kitchen Relocation - The Pros, Cons, and Costs
Relocating your kitchen is more economical than moving house. Find out more about the pros and cons of a kitchen relocation, plus the costs involved, inside.
Article by Jude Kamal, Founder & Registered Interior Designer of Sansa Interiors
The kitchen is the heart of the family home. More than just a room where you prepare food, it’s a place for people to come together, to share meals and memories. Or at least, it should be. If you’re not happy with your kitchen layout design or the location of your kitchen, you’re less likely to spend time there, and your house will lack the cozy quality of a home with a well-loved kitchen. If this is the case, have you considered a kitchen relocation?
Of course, you could always try renovating your kitchen first (if you’ve got the budget for it). But that won’t do anything about its position in the house. If you’re finding your current space is overlooked, gloomy, or not fit for purpose, but you don’t have the funds to move, you might want to think about moving just your kitchen instead.
But is that practical? How easy or difficult is it to move a kitchen to a different room? How much does a kitchen relocation cost, and is it worth it?
You can make your kitchen a room you want to live in, rather than live with, by moving it to a different space within your home. But while relocating your kitchen is certainly more economical than moving, there are still a lot of costs involved. You also need to make sure you can do everything you want with the space that you’ve got. It’s important to come up with a solid design plan and establish a budget before you give the green light to contractors.
In this blog, we’ll take you through everything you need to know - including the best place to put your kitchen and how much a kitchen relocation will cost you.
Open Concept Kitchen From Our Project Transforming a Nunnery to a Family Home.
Where Should a Kitchen Be Placed in a House?
There’s no rule that says the kitchen must be placed at the front or back of your house. It all comes down to personal preferences. And the beauty of designing your own home is that the kitchen can go wherever you want it to. However, if you’re moving into an existing build, what you’ll find is that, most often, kitchens are placed in the back or the side of a house.
There are several advantages to this, including:
Privacy. The back of the house is a more private area, making it the ideal location for kitchens and downstairs bathrooms.
Natural Lighting. Front-facing kitchens tend to get the best of the light in the early morning. But kitchens that are placed at the back of the house get more sunlight throughout the day.
Hosting. Kitchens placed at the back of the house make hosting a breeze. Instead of a traffic jam in the front hallway, having your kitchen on the south side of your house will create an easy flow from front to back, so you can mingle and maneuver with plates without any hassle.
Family-Friendly. If your kitchen is placed at the back of your house, it likely overlooks a backyard. This is another pro for hosting get-togethers in the summer. It also means, if you have kids, you can keep an eye on them out there while you’re cooking, working, and relaxing.
So, if you’ve moved into a home with a dim, front-facing kitchen, or the layout doesn’t work when you’ve got a full house, you might want to consider a kitchen relocation, to make the best of the space you’ve got.
From Nunnery to Family Home - Full House Renovation
How Difficult Is It to Move a Kitchen to a Different Room?
With a strong design concept and the right team behind you, it’s entirely possible to move your kitchen into a different room. This gives you the opportunity to transform the space into something functional, modern and fresh, full of natural lighting. And by adding features like a centre island, you can create a hub that will draw all your family or guests together.
Whether you’re envisioning a cozy kitchen/living space for you and the kids or a chic, modern room in which to entertain friends, the most important thing is to start with a plan. You need to think about the space, the design elements, and most importantly, your budget.
How Much Does It Cost to Relocate a Kitchen?
The average cost of a kitchen relocation is $50,000 - $90,000. But ultimately, the price of your kitchen relocation will depend on the scope and size of your project.
During a kitchen relocation, there are three main things you need to plan and budget for:
Design & Layout
The most important thing to consider when you’re planning a kitchen relocation is, where else are you going to put it? Moving the kitchen from one room to another could mean remodelling more of your downstairs than you were expecting.
Only once you’ve settled on your new layout can you start to think about the kitchen itself. What kinds of features do you want your new kitchen to have? How can you incorporate them into the space that you’ve got? Make sure you’re happy with your design before you start moving things around to ensure you have enough room for all the elements.
You’ll also want to sort out necessary permits and source your materials ahead of time to make sure the kitchen relocation process runs as smoothly as possible.
Licenses
Depending on the project specifics, you’re likely to require a number of permits from the city for your kitchen relocation. Jobs like removing or replacing cabinets can be done without a license. However, if you’re making any changes to structural, plumbing, electrical or mechanical works, you will need a permit.
There are lots of different types of permits, including trade-specific permits (for electrical, plumbing or mechanical work) and building permits (for wall removals, etc.). The cost and application process for different permits will vary. If you are not sure what type of permit you need for your kitchen relocation, check with your contractors or local jurisdiction. They will be able to give you all the information you need.
Plumbing
When you are looking to relocate your kitchen, it’s important to check whether the new space can be plumbed, how your skin drain will be vented, and whether you can get both water and gas lines directed to your new kitchen. The cost of moving kitchen plumbing on its own can be expensive. On top of your plumber’s rates, which can be up to $150/hour, it will cost you between $500 - $1,000 for each appliance you want to move. The specific cost will depend on each type of appliance and its size. Once you have established a plan, been granted all of the relevant permits, and you’re comfortable with all the costs, you can finally get underway with your kitchen relocation project!
Final Note
Kitchen relocations are the perfect compromise between renovating and moving house. They can help breathe new life into old spaces and flood the most important room in your home with light.
We love how moving the kitchen can feel like moving house. Your relocated kitchen can modernize your interior and transform the feel of your home by creating a new centre point for people to move towards.
If you’re ready to see how a kitchen relocation could change your house into a real home, our interior design team at Sansa Interiors is here to support you.
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