Many people have a second house by a lake, near the beach, or in the mountains to give themselves a place to get away from the rigors of day-to-day life. The owners may even consider this vacation home as a future retirement home.

Just like any other house, a vacation home needs to be kept up. If it is in an area to which others flock to during certain times of the month, the vacation home will often serve as a short term rental for others vacationing in the area.

When to Remodel Your Vacation Home

People who purchase a second home often rent their property out during the prime tourist season to pay the mortgage. Ideally, only one week’s rental can cover mortgage expenses for the month, so that the property will pay for itself. Therefore, planning when to remodel a kitchen in a vacation home typically involves doing so in the off season, when there are no tenants in the home.

So, if you own a cabin in the mountains near a ski area, the best time to remodel a kitchen would be in the summer. For vacation homes on the beach or by a lake, summer time is generally the season for rentals, so a winter kitchen remodel would make more sense. Always plan enough time, and get assurances from the contractor that the project will be completed before vacationers arrive.

What Tenants Want in a Kitchen

Even though kitchen remodels for vacation homes may seem less important than those of the primary residence, they can make a major difference. If the oven does not work, the countertops are rotting, the cabinet doors are falling off, the refrigerator leaks, or there are problems with the plumbing, your tenants will not return next year, and you will probably also have trouble renting out the house.

Tenants want a kitchen that works. They want a kitchen sink that does not leak, a stove that works (the oven and all of the elements), a refrigerator that will keep things cold, and other fundamentals. They may not be so concerned with cabinet space or if you have the newest appliances. They just want things to work and be clean. This is particularly important for vacation homes, since renters often opt for a home over a hotel for the sole reason that it has a kitchen in which they can cook.

Keeping Costs Down

You can easily salvage a number of things from other people’s kitchens, or even your own, if you want to save money. This is especially true of the more rustic vacation homes. Finding a used kitchen sink or antique cabinets that someone has removed from their first home may be just the thing that you want in your second home. If you are renovating your kitchen at home, consider using some of the materials from your old kitchen to upgrade your vacation home.