Remodel Your Kitchen On A Budget
As you cook up a storm this holiday season, the yearning for a new kitchen probably feels stronger than ever.
How long have you dreamt of a pristine, sparkly, inspiring kitchen? If only it weren’t for that silly little obstacle: money.
The good news: you don’t have to deplete your bank account to get what you want! There are simple ways to keep your costs low and your satisfaction high.
1. Plumbing and Structure
Leave appliances, plumbing fixtures, and walls where they are. When you have to dig into the floors or walls to move utility lines, the cost increases quickly. And once you open things up, there’s no telling what you’ll find. So just keep everything under wraps and limit your remodel to finishes and upgrades.
2. Cabinetry
Millwork is expensive. There are pre-manufactured options but it can be hard to make those work in an existing kitchen. If your cabinets are in fair shape, you have a couple options. You could repaint everything and switch out the knobs and pulls. Or you could go a step further and replace the cabinet doors with a style that fits your new look.
Either way, enlist a professional for this. Painting cabinets is a time consuming and tricky job. And if you’re replacing doors, you need to know that the cabinet box is strong enough to handle the change.
3. Appliances
Modern appliances are an exciting investment. It’s incredible what you get for your money nowadays. For a reasonable price you can buy an energy-efficient, spacious, and beautiful product. Retrofitting with new appliances will create space and save money on your energy bills.
4. Tile and Countertop
Flooring, backsplash, and countertop take up huge real estate in your kitchen; finding the right colors and textures is important. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend big bucks. Visit local building companies to ask about sales. Peruse online distributors to find overstock products. Remember to think about clean-ability and durability when picking these finishes.
5. Lighting
Like appliances, lighting fixtures have improved exponentially in the last decade. Spruce things up with fun new LED pendants, wall sconces, or track lighting. You can also retrofit recessed can lights with an LED kit, saving even more money on energy bills.
To avoid the “cold” look of LEDs, shop for a color temperature between 2700K and 3000K and a color rendering index between 80 CRI and 90CRI. It sounds confusing but these specifications should be noted right on the box.
6. Wall Paint
There’s nothing easier than a coat of paint to make a space feel new. Pick up a couple sample sizes, paint small swatches in different areas of the kitchen, and observe them at different times of day. Don’t rush the process. Painting kitchen walls can be labor intensive, you don’t want to have to do it twice.
Now comes the challenge of making it all work together.
There are so many choices, it can be extremely overwhelming. Gather your thoughts by creating a concept board. Don’t worry, it sounds more sophisticated than it is. Basically, gather your swatches and samples in one place. This can be on the computer or at your kitchen table. Arrange the samples in the locations and proportions they’ll show up in your kitchen. For example, the cabinet color and new door style should be largest and should sit at the center of the concept board. The new appliances and plumbing fixtures skirt the sides, lighting floats at the top, and the new flooring sits at the bottom. This will give you an idea of the overall look and makes it easy when you want to explore different options.
Oh and one more thing, it’s a good idea to get your builder or contractor involved early in the process. They likely have a roster of suppliers and showrooms and can help with realistic prices to keep you on budget.
So as you prepare those delicious holiday meals, keep dreaming of that kitchen. As 2019 dawns you may just find the funds to bring the dream to life.
ps. I'm now scheduling my free consults for the week of Jan 7. TWO SPOTS left. Click here to grab one.