Let us get right into it. You should be spending at last 50% of your car’s value on your kitchen because you spend more time there as well as a lot more activity is being done in that space. Now the amount that you will spend on it will be logically broken down.
We spend on an average 2 to 3 hours in the kitchen, prepping, cooking, storing and packing food. This task can be made significantly easier and more comfortable if you have a well made and durable kitchen. If you have empathy for anyone who is doing this task 365 days a year and 21 hours a week you should make sure that the cooking utensils and equipment are more accessible, the kitchen is not infested with termite or pests and last but not the least is ergonomically comfortable to cook in.
So lets talk basics about the durability of your kitchen. We will be talking about it in great detail hence I am taking the example size of a 10 feet straight line kitchen. At Ideas Modular Kitchens, we generally recommend ply-wood as the material to be used since it has great screw-holding capacity (box structure explanation), is termite and water resistant and hence will last for 10 years or more easily. The plywood should be 18mm thick water resistant and termite resistant wood with alternate core.
Now lets move on to the sink box of your kitchen. This is the area that goes through the roughest use, is always unclean and moist. Make sure that this area is made in a different way than the rest of the kitchen. Ideas kitchens makes the frame of the sink box with aluminium, the base and back is made of waterproof material and the sides are lined with aluminium sheets. This ensures that if there is any water seepage the sink or the boxes beside it are not effected.
Then comes the outer finish of your shutter. Matt finish gives you amazing options in colours, grains and design possibility. But do not fret too much about it because this decision will effect the aesthetics more than the durability of your kitchen. If you want a deeper understanding of each shutter finish we have explained it in the article “Different kinds of shutter finishes”. Thus the laminate finish is one of the most durable and economical finish that you can choose. Add to the fact that there are more than 200 different types of designs and finishes that one can choose from, you are not compromising on design either.
Lets get on with the numbers then shall we? Depending on the finish of shutters that you choose and wether or not you choose to take the water-resistant sink area your cabinetry should cost you anywhere from
Rs 55,000/- to Rs 65,000/-. The more exclusive shutters you take the more the costing will increase. This investment will make sure that the structure of your kitchen is sturdy and durable.
The cabinetry cost is something that is comparatively straight forward. The discussion of hardware gets a little more complicated because that is based on your preference. We will divide this based on hardware that is needed and preference hardware. Lets begin with the basic or need based accessories. This includes accessories on which your kitchen will be functioning like soft close hinges, innotech drawers, corner fittings, etc. This is the hardware on which you should not try to save money because they will be used everyday multiple number of times. If this hardware is not of a good quality then you would have to keep on replacing or repairing it. Hence if you take minimum accessories that are soft close hinges, three innotech drawers, dish rack, ABS cutlery tray, long handles and LED spotlights, they will cost you anything from Rs 23,000 to Rs 43,000 depending on the brands you choose. If you want a deeper understanding of different kinds of fittings and which brands you should choose read our article “Different Kinds of Modular Kitchen Fittings”
Are you still with us or have you decided to take a break from this slightly daunting part of constructing your new home? Its okay you, are almost there. The next step is choosing the sink. This one is surprisingly easy. The quality depends on the thickness of the the material. Make sure that is it of a rust proof material and the material is at least 1mm thick. Through customer feed back we have figured out that a single bowl with drainer is a better choice as compared to double bowl or double bowl with drainer. So a good 3 feet sink should cost you anywhere from Rs 8000/- to Rs12,000/-
The last step to complete your kitchen is to choose your counter-top. This is one of the most important ones while constructing your kitchen. We recommend either the the good old granite, which is a natural non-porous material or quartz which is a man made non porous material. The disadvantage of granite is that there are not many colour choices in lighter shades. This can be a challenge if you wanted to have dark coloured cabinets. When it comes to quartz the positive is that you can find multitude number of colour in it. The disadvantage is that it is close to 20% more expensive than Indian granite. Thus your counter-top will cost you anything from Rs 25000/- to Rs 30,000 inclusive of cartage and installation.
If you have the super power of mental math you would have figured out that your cost has come somewhere up to Rs 1,30,000 depending on the different choices that you have made. Add to this the installation, cartage and GST (which is 18%, do not cringe it could have been 27%) and you should have an amount of Rs 1,70,000/-
This is the kind of investment you need to make to ensure that you have a kitchen that is hygienic, water resistant, organised, that you enjoy working in and will last you for close to a decade.