After a ‘steady as she goes’ budget that means the financial squeeze still has a firm grip on most pockets, there are still a few optimistic souls around who predict that the housing market might just start to make a tentative recovery this year. However, caution is still the better part of valour for most householders when it comes to spending money. And pundits predict that despite the cautious optimism, it is still going to take a significant financial boost to get people buying houses again.

So rather than paying out on a move, most homeowners are choosing to make the most of what they already have and invest in expanding and improving their current property. This includes radical but cost-effective redesigns of that heart of any home – the kitchen.

Ask anyone about their ‘dream home’ and pretty high if not top of the list will be the kitchen. If the kitchen is wrong, the whole house is too, especially when we’re continually confronted with pictures of ideal kitchens in magazines and on makeover programmes. But there is a way to refresh a tired looking kitchen – and on a budget too.

Reuse, recycle, replace

Unless the entire kitchen is falling apart at the seams, refurbishing rather than replacing is a viable option, and one that won’t cost the earth either. And while we’re on the subject, recycling your old kitchen by replacing drawers, doors and worktops instead of ripping the whole thing out and sending it to landfill is a far more environmentally friendly thing to do as well. That means a refurbished kitchen sticks to the ‘reuse, recycle, replace’ mantra that the eco-movement has adopted.

The principle of ‘working with what you’ve already got’ is growing in popularity and has become distinctly fashionable amongst designers during this time of financial belt-tightening. But that doesn’t mean that it has to be low end or less glamorous than a complete replacement. By using the skills of an experienced design team who specialise in refurbishing kitchens, you can transform a very ordinary space into a unique, original and chic kitchen that Cinderella would be proud of! And the best bit? You can do it for a fraction of what it would cost you to replace the whole thing.

Watching your budget

This is the real clincher that convinces many homeowners to refurbish rather than replace – it’ll cost less! And it won’t be a small saving either – a refurbishment can slash the cost of your decorating budget; particularly important if you’re trying to sell your property. It also gives you a bit of extra cash to spend on other areas of the house or to upgrade white goods like washing machines, dishwashers or fridge-freezers.

But don’t for a moment think that with a refurbishment you’re going to get anything less than complete professionalism. Refurbishment teams call on a range of experts to help you create your dream kitchen, including designers, specialist installers and craftsmen who take real pride in producing something beautiful. They can suggest fixtures and fittings that can really finish off the look for a lot less, and give your kitchen a flourish that reflects your personality too.

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