Vusumuzi Dube
Real Estate Issues with Jonathan Thompson
THE kitchen is a very central part of every home. In a new construction, the kitchen is usually the most expensive room in the house.
Besides having plumbing and electrical outlets, there are sewage connections, appliances, tiling, and built-in cupboards. Kitchens need to have surface areas for food preparation, sinks for washing, and storage for food, dishes, and pots.
Let us look at the different components of a kitchens. First you have the sinks. Sinks can be a single basin or a double basin. In Zimbabwe, kitchen sinks are often made of stainless steel. Sinks may also be ceramic, porcelain, china, granite, quartz, copper, enamelled, cast iron, or brass.
The sink may have one basin or two, and often will have a draining board, which is place to put clean dishes. Many families will put a drying rack for dishes on the draining board, because the water that drains from the clean dishes falls on to the draining board and goes back into the sink.
The sink has a drain, which will connect to a soak-away, a septic tank, or to the sewer. Water comes into the sink through the taps. There may be two taps, one for hot water and one for cold.
Other sinks make use of a mixer, which mixes the hot and cold together, before the water comes out a single tap.
The surfaces in a kitchen need to be designed with kitchen use in mind. The materials need to be able to resist heat, water, germs, and cutting. Many kitchens will have ceramic tiles on the floor. They may also have tiles on the areas behind the sink and/or the stove.
These are referred to as a “back-splash”. Other kitchens will use tiles on the walls, either part way up or all the way to the ceiling. The other major surface of a kitchen is the countertops. Countertops may be built out of wood, stone, quartz, granite, or Formica.
Formica was a name brand countertop company that invented laminated countertops, but the word now has come to refer to any Formica-type countertop. Formica is a laminated material that has a core of re-formed wood, encased with sheets of resin or plastic. The core is generally made of melamine or Superboard. These cores are reconstituted wood sheets.
Superboard has better durability and is slightly more expensive. These countertops are made to look like granite or stone countertops, but are much lighter and cheaper. The major drawback to laminated countertops is that they are easier to damage with water, heat, or cutting. Granite and quartz countertops are beautiful, durable, heavy, and expensive.
Laminated countertops may cost about US$40 per square meter, where granite countertops will cost 9 to 10 times that.
The cabinets and cupboards of a kitchen may be built from melamine, Superboard, natural woods, or metal. The cabinets may be on the floor, under the countertops or hung from the wall. They may contain drawers, and different sized shelves. Some kitchens have a countertop and cabinets in the center of the room, this is called an island.
The major appliances of a kitchen are the refrigerator, stove, oven, and freezer. There may also be dishwashers, coffee machines, kettles, toasters, microwaves, toasters, blenders, mixers, and others.
Kitchens may also have a breakfast nook, a scullery, a pantry, or a laundry included.
The cost of a basic new kitchen may range from a couple thousand dollars up to US $20,000 or more.
Many of us have wonderful memories in the kitchen.
The smells of fresh food cooking, something baking in the oven, or of family members gathered around preparing for a big dinner.
The kitchen is considered by some to be the heart of a home. Money and effort put into building a kitchen generally have great return. It creates a wonderful place to work, and increases the overall value of the home.
Jonathan Thompson is a Registered Real Estate Agent who works in Bulawayo. He has 9 years’ of experience in Real Estate in the USA, and another 13 years’ experience in Bulawayo. He is the founder and the Managing Director of Thompson Properties (Pvt) Ltd.
Online Reporter