How Much Does an Updated Kitchen Increase Home Value?

A DIY enthusiast is always looking for creative ways to increase home value.  Your DIY projects should also help make your life easier. One of the rooms that we spend the most time in is, of course, the kitchen. So, when you are thinking about DIY projects that will increase your home’s value, it makes sense that you would start in the kitchen.  Even small updates like paint, tile and small appliances can make a tremendous difference.  We are in our kitchen everyday and we need it to not only function efficiently, but be beautiful as well. In this article, we are going to look at a some easy ways to improve your kitchen and how an updated kitchen can increase home value.

{kitchen from lindsay_hill_interiors}

The Benefit of an Updated Kitchen

Before we get to the fun part, actually doing the project, it is important to highlight the benefit of updating your kitchen.  An updated kitchen can increase home value. It is estimated that the cost of a completely remodeled kitchen will increase the value of your home by slightly less than the cost of the remodel, but that is not the entire story.  You do not have to remodel your entire kitchen to increase your home’s value. Incremental updates to your kitchen as simple as paint or new lighting can improve your home value for significantly less money.

Update by update, your kitchen can take on a new life.   A refreshed kitchen will help your home sell faster.  This will get your home off of the market faster and money into your pocket sooner. Additionally, an old kitchen will be one less thing a potential buyer can use to whittle down an offer which leaves you with more money in the end.  Incremental DIY kitchen updates can cost much less than full remodels and still give you the benefit of increasing your home’s value. Let’s look at some options.

New Paint in the Kitchen

The fastest and easiest kitchen update is a fresh coat of wall paint for your kitchen.  A coat of paint for your kitchen can take a weekend or less. New paint can make your kitchen look a decade younger than it is. Think of it as a spa day for your kitchen.  Just a little bit of care picking a color and some elbow grease. Your kitchen will take on a new, fresh look. Be sure to pick a neutral color if you are ready to sell. Neutral colors will appeal to most buyers.

First, clean your kitchen walls.  Kitchen walls are dirtier than you think. Then, make sure to prime it with a quality primer and be prepared to apply a few coats of paint if the surface was dark before. If you have to scrape wallpaper beforehand, it will be a little more time consuming of course, but well worth it in the end.  New wall paint for your kitchen can literally shed a new light on the room. Buyers will look at your kitchen in a whole new way.

Update Your Cabinets

If your cabinets are still in good shape, you can give your kitchen cabinets a facelift fairly easily with some paint and new hardware. Shaker style door fronts are not going out of style any time soon, so why throw them away?  Even non shaker style door fronts can be made to look more modern. You can remove the old hardware and replace it with new more modern cabinet hardware.  You will be surprised how much of a difference new kitchen cabinet hardware will make. 

Also, you can also give your cabinets a fresh coat of paint. All you will need to do is carefully sand the doors to prep the surface, prime them and paint.  Assuming that you also desire a color change, you will also need to repaint the frames of the cabinets to match the doors.  Picking a light color, especially white, can take years off of your kitchen. Finish the job with some brushed nickel hardware and your kitchen will look new for hundreds, not thousands, of dollars.

Are your cabinets looking a little dated, but still structurally sound?  If so, then consider a little more ambitious project. You can replace the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Cabinet sizing is largely standardized and has been for years. So, if you’re handy with a tape measure and don’t mind some drilling for new hinges, you can totally update the look of your kitchen with new cabinet doors and drawers over a couple of weekends.

Drawer fronts often screw off of the boxes themselves. So, you can swap them out and get professional results if you measure carefully.  As far as finish, you may be better off purchasing unfinished doors and drawer fronts and painting everything. Painting everything will take more time, but the results will be more uniform. Top things off with some new hardware and you will be in great shape for resale.

New Appliances for the Kitchen

A quick update that has a huge impact in the kitchen is replacing old appliances.  New appliances big or small can take years off of a kitchen. You can go with any range of appliance price.  It just depends on your situation and how much money you would like to spend. Going with stainless is always a great choice for resale rather than white.  Stainless add a touch of timeless class to a kitchen of any age. Small appliances your can do on your own. 

Larger appliances can also be done in a day with the help of delivery personnel who deliver and install daily.  The most difficult part of purchasing new appliances is the measurements. Measure the height, width and depth of every slot that you need an appliance for.  Double and triple check the measurements and bring them with you to the appliance store.  The sales people can help you determine what will fit with your current counters and cabinets.  If you order online, just be sure you are confident in your measurements. This update is not only beautiful and great for resale, but you will be so glad you did it when you start using the new appliances. 

New Lighting for the Kitchen

New kitchen lighting is also very important when updating your kitchen.  Kitchen lighting is often very trendy and can date a kitchen immediately. You can install new lights where there were none or just update your current lighting.

Something as simple as new pendant light shades can be dramatic. Check out our article KITCHEN LIGHTING: PENDANT LIGHTS, CABINET OR APPLIANCE LIGHTING? For some great options.  Believe me, we just did this in our kitchen and wondered why we waited so long! 

Tile Backsplash in the Kitchen

Another project that adds a great deal of value, but doesn’t necessarily cost a great deal is a tile backsplash in your kitchen. This one takes a little bit of skill, but can be done by anyone with some patience.  If you are doing it yourself and you are inexperienced, choose a simple, clean layout and take your time. You can even choose one of the self-adhesive tile mats that are on the market. The tile mats take a lot of the mess and guesswork out of tile work.  

If you don’t want to tackle this one on your own, even a skilled tile person is relatively inexpensive. If you are tiling to update the kitchen to increase home value, choose a tile that will be appreciated by most people.  White subway tile is a great choice. Tiling will add great function to your kitchen, while adding some visual impact as well.  Read about some tiling options in our article KITCHEN BACKSPLASHES: FIND A GREAT ONE TO UPDATE YOUR KITCHEN article. A kitchen tile backsplash is a great update to help increase your home value.

Kitchen Floor Update

Speaking of tile, don’t forget about the floors!  If your floors are looking dated, consider replacing the tile or refinishing the hardwood.  You could choose a modern, chic dark stain that will really make your cabinets pop. The tile offered today is so beautiful that really the sky is really the limit.  If your floor needs to be redone, a skilled DIYer can certainly handle some of the manufactured wood or tile products on the market today. The stone look tile on the market today is incredible.  Replacing your kitchen floor can make such a significant difference in a kitchen.

Kitchen Updates Add Value and Function

You can choose to complete one or many kitchen updates to increase your home value.  Take a good look at your kitchen and start with what strikes you as the most outdated.  Outline a plan to incrementally update the entire thing if you would like. Invest in new paint, a tile backsplash, painted cabinets or a  refinished floor and you will not regret the update. Not only will it increase the value of your home, but you will thoroughly enjoy the update and wonder why you waited so long to improve a room that you are in the most.  A little sweat equity can help you sell your home faster and for more than you expected.

If you take your time and make use of online resources and trusted advisors, you can have a kitchen that really speaks to you and potential buyers without shelling out tens of thousands of dollars.