According to a recent BMO economics survey, Canadians are expected to spend close to $46 billion on home renovations this year.

Kitchen renovations will give you a good return on your investment, unless you make some costly mistakes.

The dream-kitchen you've cooked up in your mind can turn into a nightmare in reality, if you're not careful.

Incorrectly measuring out appliances is just one potentially costly mistake.

CTV spoke to one Winnipeg kitchen designer who says it doesn't take long for a simple mistake to cost you thousands of dollars.

"Depending on the slab of granite it was coming from, you could be spending $3,000 to $4,000 just for a sink cut-out mistake," said Lorne Klassen of Jake Klassen's Kitchen Gallery.

Another problem is misjudging storage. Experts say dishes and glasses need four to six linear feet (122 to 183 cm) of cabinet space.

"Carefully plan how much storage you'll need and where to put it," warned Bob Markovitz of Consumer Reports.

And it's possible to have too much of a good thing.

"If they want to fit an island into a kitchen that does not have room for an island, that would be a mistake that will cost them down the road," said Klassen.

If you can do it, kitchen designers recommend aiming for centre islands to be three to 10 feet wide (91 – 304 cm) and at least 26 to 48 inches (66 to 122 cm) deep.

And when you're picking hardware for doors, make sure you're happy with them.

"Once hardware is on, holes have been drilled, and if you change all of sudden, you're going to be looking at new hardware and probably new doors, because no one wants to have a new kitchen with extra holes in it," said Klassen.

Cabinet doors can account for a third of the cost of a kitchen.

On average, a kitchen with new plumbing, electrical and flooring could run you about $35,000.

But, according to the Appraisal Institute of Canada, the return on that investment is between 75 and 100 per cent.

It's money well spent, if it's done right.

The Appraisal Institute of Canada has a renovation and rate of return calculator. To find out if your next renovation will actually improve the value of your home, visit http://component.aicanada.ca/e/resourcecenter_renova.cfm