7 Tips to Save Money on a Kitchen Remodel

If only money was no object, we’d all have the kitchen of our dreams.  Well, guess what?  I got mine anyway, on a pretty tight budget.  And since I learned a few things along the way, I thought I’d share 7 Tips to Save Money on a Kitchen Remodel.

 

Tip #1 Know where to splurge

Replacing everything is costly, so choose one or two things you can change for the greatest impact, and spend your money there.  Deciding where I wanted to splurge in my kitchen remodel was actually quite easy.  I’ll show you a Before picture of my kitchen so you can see for yourself.

I could live with my existing cabinetry, my laminate flooring, and most of my appliances… but the island HAD TO GO!  I hated how tall it was, AND the fact it was positioned diagonally in my kitchen.  It was a two-tiered, formica-topped, giant ship that took up so much space!  So, I decided to splurge on a new island.  And even though my husband wanted to build it himself, with his crazy work schedule, time was an issue.  So, I convinced him to hire a contractor.  Besides there would be plenty of other work for us to get our D-I-Y on.

 

Tip #2 Source your own materials

 

A reputable contractor shouldn’t mind if you choose to source your own materials.  After getting quotes for everything, we knew we could get many of the needed items much cheaper ourselves.  My husband and I have a long history of shopping discount warehouses, so we got everything, including the kitchen sink, ourselves!

We bought a new pull-out microwave at Lowe’s that was discounted because it was the floor model.  And guess what my husband did?  He asked to speak to the manager, and then proceeded to ask, “is that the best you can do?”  I almost died of embarrassment.  But just as I was about to walk away and pretend I didn’t know him, the manager knocked off an additional $225!!! Ka-ching!!!  Now, we could afford to get a new range hood built over the stove!

(If you live in the Phoenix, Arizona area, check out The Handyman’s Candy Store at 2902 E. Elwood St. Phoenix, for discounted cabinetry, granite and quartz counter tops, faucets, hardware, etc.)

 

Tip #3 Do your own demo

 

After getting a quote for the island from a contractor, we knew we could save money by doing our own demolition.  Besides, we know how much fun it can be!  But unlike those HGTV shows, we didn’t want to destroy things.  We wanted to carefully dismantle and salvage the usable pieces.  Believe me, no matter how ugly you think it is, there’s always someone out there less fortunate who needs it.  So donate it to Habitat for Humanity or post it on Craigslist as free to bless someone.

 

Tip #4 Enhance existing cabinetry

 

Because we couldn’t afford to get all new cabinetry, we decided to paint our existing cabinets and add crown moulding to the top to make them look more custom.  If you do this, be sure to take your time and do it right.  Remove all the doors and hardware, then sand and prime before you paint. I took it a step further and sprayed a clear coat of polyurethane to give it a protective finish.

We ordered new satin-finish hardware online through Amazon.  It was delivered in two days, free shipping, and we saved a bundle!

My husband, meantime, did such a great job adding the crown moulding to the top of the cabinetry, we decided to add a little trim to the bottom of the cabinets as well.  All totalled, we spent about $75 on the moulding, but the look is high dollar.

 

Tip #5 Install your own soft-close feature on existing cabinet doors & drawers.

 

Soft-close doors & drawers are awesome, but who can afford them?!  Certainly, we couldn’t.  But we found a far less expensive version of soft-close adaptors and drawer slides on Amazon.  Installation is easy enough for a novice.

 

Tip #6 Keep existing appliances, but consider changing the face

 

There was absolutely nothing wrong with our stove top, or our dishwasher, so we kept them.  But, we did change the face of our dishwasher.  You can find stainless steel front panels for your dishwasher online.  We ordered ours through Amazon, and within minutes of it being delivered to our door, it suddenly looked as if we got a new stainless steel dishwasher.  Cost was around $45.

 

Tip #7 Take on a D-I-Y project

 

With every remodel my husband and I take on, we try to build on our DIY repertoire.  In this case, we decided to put in our own tile back splash and saved quite a bit of money in the process.  We went with a more affordable, classic white, subway tile.

Installation proved to be fairly easy, so we decided to get a little fancy with a herringbone pattern inset over the stove.  It all worked out in the end, but let’s just say, there were some very unpleasant moments in between.  Lesson to be learned:  If you get fancy on your first time laying tile, what should take one afternoon, may end up taking three very long days!

It all came together beautifully in the end.  Our cabinets are now white with dark gray quartz counter tops, while the island is blue with a white carrera quartz counter top.

We could not be more pleased with our kitchen remodel.  We finished it just in time to host my daughter’s High School graduation party and the kitchen feels so much bigger, brighter, and welcoming.  It more than makes up for the weeks of washing dishes in the laundry room, and microwaving frozen burritos in the garage.  It’s the kitchen of my dreams.  By using these 7 Tips to Save Money on a Kitchen Remodel, yours may be within reach, too.

Thanks for checking out my blog.  Be sure to check out my Living Room Makeover, too.

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