Property development: the kitchen

What people want
Different target markets want different things from their kitchens - but all buyers want a nice kitchen: smart, clean and well-designed with plenty of storage. Ask yourself whether you'd like to cook a meal in this space. If you wouldn't, your buyers won't either.

Buyers accept that smaller properties mean smaller kitchens but that doesn't mean you can get away with a low-quality or ill-thought-out design. Pay extra attention to imaginative storage and space-saving ideas to make sure your kitchen stands out from the rest. And smart worktops work wonders for a spatially challenged kitchen!

The kitchen-diner, especially a generously proportioned one, is a sure-fire hit with young couples and families but it also has appeal beyond these markets. If your property offers this feature - or has the potential to offer this feature - make the most of it.

Open-plan kitchens are popular with young professionals but remember: they'll want a cutting-edge (i.e. expensive and sometimes a little way-out) design. This style can put off others, so you must be sure of your potential buyers before going down this route.

Whatever your target market, match your investment in the kitchen to the project as a whole. Don't spend more than you can afford without cutting into your profit margin. You'll have to spend more if you're developing a swish designer property but still be mindful of the bottom line.

Strategies
Before you start waving your chequebook around in the local kitchen showroom, ask yourself whether you could re-vamp the existing set-up. If the basic units are sound, you can revitalise what's there already by replacing any or all of the following: doors, handles, taps, electrical sockets (chrome or brushed steel work well), kickboards and worktops. A new floor works wonders in a tired kitchen, as does a smart granite worktop. There's a huge choice of lighting for kitchens these days, so there's no excuse for fobbing buyers off with a 1970s fluorescent tube. Spotlights on tracks look sleek and allow you to direct light where it's needed. Lamps fitted under wall cabinets are great for illuminating work surfaces. Avoid dark colour schemes and the result will be a light, airy kitchen your buyers will feel comfortable in. In smaller kitchens, choose slimline appliances. An enormous range cooker just can't be shoehorned into a tiny space! Avoid eye-level cabinets along both long walls of a galley kitchen. Instead, open shelving along one wall will make the room seem less narrow. In very narrow spaces, you can use shallower base and wall units (300mm rather than 600mm) to create a greater sense of space.