Over the years, kitchen islands have become popular amongst many homeowners. This influence seems to be coming from the property magazines since almost all of the pictures show kitchens with islands. This being the trend, therefore, you should first learn and understand the advantages and disadvantages that come with having a kitchen island in your home. This is because a kitchen island will not just work for any kitchen layout. Factors like the size of the kitchen, budget, taste, and preference will play an important role when installing an island.
Pros of a Kitchen Island
Increased Counter Space
Regardless of the size of your kitchen, sometimes the countertop space is just not enough. At one point in time, you will need the extra space to do your baking, preparing food, placing your dishes as well as placing some other light appliances such as the toaster, blender among many others. A kitchen island will offer this much needed extra countertop space in your kitchen. Even in a small kitchen, with this extra countertop space, your kitchen will feel bigger, and sometimes space will be doubled.
Enhanced Home Value
Since kitchen islands seem to be the new trend, most prospecting homebuyers will be looking out for a property with one. It, therefore, means that when you have a kitchen island in your home, a potential homebuyer is more likely to choose yours as their dream home and will most likely meet your asking price.
A Unifying Setting for Family
Kitchen islands provide an aesthetic setting where families gather around, chat, and sip on some wine as the meal is being prepared. Such family moments are hard to find and anyone will give anything to have such times. Such moments also inspire people to try out their favorite recipes.
Additional Storage Space
As we had previously noted, sometimes the space available is never enough. A kitchen island brings in some additional storage space. This is most evident when the island comes with some cabinets and storage units. You can use this space to store some utensils, light appliances, and other kitchen supplies.
Cons of a Kitchen Island
Appliance Placement Problems
We all have at one point in time experienced difficulty moving in some bulky appliance into a room of a new home. The flip side of having a kitchen island is that it reduces the open space. Since the open floor space is not just meant for aesthetic beauty, it becomes very hectic to move in a new bulky appliance into the kitchen. This, therefore, means that you have to weigh your options before installing one in your kitchen.
Budget Engaging
Adding a kitchen island into a home that did not previously have one is quite budget engaging. You need to hire a contractor, buy some tools, building materials and sometimes you have to change the drainage and wiring systems. All these are some additional costs that you had not prepared for.
Disruption of Open Floor Space
As much as kitchen islands have slowly become the new trend, some people still value their space. Kitchen islands increase the countertop and storage space while at the same time reducing the open floor space. A small kitchen looks and feels crowded when a kitchen island is installed. A smaller kitchen without a kitchen island, on the other hand, feels bigger, something made possible by the open floor space. This space plays an important role by allowing easy access when cleaning the floor. You want to consider these two options before installing a kitchen island in your home.
Longer Installation Period
Due to the complexity of the structure, the installation of a kitchen island takes quite some time. A contractor must come in and conduct an assessment, get approval for the new wiring and drainage layout from the relevant authorities before diving into the construction itself. This will hold the completion work of the whole house if you are building a new one.
The question of whether you do or do not need a kitchen island is greatly determined by your unique taste and preference. If you decide to install one, you must have enough open floor space so that your kitchen does not feel caved in. installation of a kitchen island is not a DIY work, call in a contractor to do the job. I order to land the best contractor who will do some excellent work, sample a few of them and put into consideration their customer reviews and ratings. This may also help you negotiate for reduced prices.
