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Deciding Which Household Items to Keep During Home Improvement

Renovators Place Columnist
Oct 08, 2009

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During a kitchen remodeling, you might be tempted to throw away the previous owner's stainless steel sink and brass kitchen faucet. Before ripping out all the old products, consider whether they can work in your new kitchen design or another room

Look Carefully at Kitchen Appliances

Before you tear apart a room, examine each component to see how well it works. Then decide whether it is worth your while to move it to another location. An old kitchen faucet may fall apart when you dismantle it, for example. When evaluating your kitchen appliances, consider:

The age of the appliances--most last 10 to 20 years.
Safety issues--an old gas oven might be a concern.
The color/style of the appliances--do they fit your kitchen design?

Move Older Appliances to Basement

If you decide to buy kitchen appliances, consider moving older kitchen appliances to another room. In the basement or garage, the old refrigerator might make a good storage unit for beverages and parties.

Kitchen Cabinets Add Good Storage in Any Room

Some older kitchen cabinets do not have the durability and style of today's cabinet designs. When looking at the viability of your existing kitchen cabinets, consider:

The condition of the cabinet boxes, doors, and drawers.
The wood style and tone.
The storage capacity.

Move Kitchen Cabinets to Garage

When replacing kitchen cabinets, look for ways to reuse the older cabinets. If the cabinets are sturdy enough for storing tools or paint supplies, move them to the garage or basement.

Kitchen Countertop Can Work in the Laundry Room

The kitchen countertop also can have a new life in another part of the house. When buying a new granite countertop, move the old scratched countertop to the laundry room or basement. Then you can enjoy your new granite countertop in the kitchen.