Homemakers debate
Kitchen vs Bathroom Renovation?
Making the difficult choice
Spa bathroom or designer kitchen…This is an almost impossible question! In the ideal world budget is never an issue when it comes to homemaking. There are no annoying first day of the month debit orders that eat away at your renovating funds. In the real world, that is not the case, and school fees and car payments get president over marble countertops and brushed steel fittings.
So – let’s take the guesswork out of your home improvement planning.
It is 2025, and you have some cash saved up or just got your approval for a bit of credit. Now the tricky part is deciding where best to spend your “fortune”?
Kitchen or Bathroom?
It’s common knowledge that these are the two rooms that make the biggest difference in your quality of life, but can also, if done right, add significantly to the re-sell value of your home.
Benefits of redoing the kitchen
- It is one of the first rooms guests see. (This includes potential buyers)
- If you enjoy entertaining or hosting it will give you immediate joy and greatly improve your quality of life.
- You can update your appliances to be more energy efficient.
- You can create dedicated spaces for your most used appliances, which the previous century didn’t cater for. (Think a sliding panel for your air fryer and espresso machine, or direct USB connections for your device chargers.)
Downsides of redoing the kitchen
- Notoriously one of the most expensive home projects by far.
- Takes much longer than a bathroom due to specialized plumbing and custom work.
- Homes usually only have one kitchen, which means a renovation can be a major disruption for weeks, or even months.
Benefits of a bathroom remodel
- You can customize your bathroom to your needs. Seamless floor to shower entry, his and hers basins, bidet, extra storage space, dedicated childproof medicine cabinet? The options are endless.
- Less expensive and invasive than a total kitchen overhaul
- If you are lucky, you have more than one bathroom so delays in the project won’t immediately ruin your mood.
Downsides of a bathroom remodel
- You most likely have more than one bathroom and will have to think about upgrading both to keep a cohesive vibe in your home, possibly doubling the cost.
- Unless your guests stay the night, the impact of a new bathroom is limited to your family only. (Not a bad thing, as you are the people who will benefit most from a bathroom upgrade.)
Conclusion?
According to the experts an overhauled kitchen will immediately draw interest and is one of the main things potential buyers look at and compare when house-shopping.
Bathrooms, while less expensive and quicker remodels, do however still have an impact. In a quick office poll (WhatsApp group chat) nearly 40% of our Homemaker team said that they chose their homes based on the bathrooms, while the remaining 60% picked the house for the kitchen. (For the purposes of this debate we are ignoring the one teammate who simply wanted a space at least 100km from their in-laws…)
Top Tip: If re-sale is the biggest thing on your mind, contact your local real estate agent, who understands the market, and ask them to come and do a walk through to point out spaces in your home that mind need some attention to make your house irresistible.
The big issues to consider:
- The likelihood of having to sell your home in the near future.
- Your lifestyle (Are you a chef and entertainer who loves cooking and hosting or a recluse who craves alone time in your spa-bathroom?)
- Your budget.
- Your appetite for disruption.
- The current state of your kitchen and bathroom. If one is obviously in need of some serious TLC and the other one is still serviceable, we’re sorry, but then the decision is kind of made for you.
The golden rule of homemaking remains: Your home, Your way. If you are craving that 8-burner Scandinavian gas stove in fire engine red, and you couldn’t care less about a bubble bath, then you do you. If you are happy to order Uber Eats form the comfort of your spa bath while the water jets massage away your stress, then order that heated towel rack and call your plumber ASAP.
If you do it well, it won’t be a waste, either way.
In the end a well-managed, properly budgeted and thoughtfully done remodel, that doesn’t come down to gross over-capitalization, will never be a waste. You are not only improving your property investment but also upgrading your quality of life.
Still on the fence? Let the experts weigh in:
