Our new kitchen drives me batty. The dishwasher needs replaced, but it's smaller than standard. I found one that fits but all the reviews talk about how small it is (which is part of my current gripe). The countertops need replaced, and the cabinets could use it too, but its not as critical. I also hate the prego floors.
I feel like the plan to redo the kitchen is moving up, but I don't want to spend a fortune. I'm particularly interested in those who went more of the low end of the spectrum. I care less about fancy than I do a functional kitchen.
Post by peachdragon on Apr 26, 2015 15:42:24 GMT -5
We did everything ourselves and it cost us $13k in the early 2000s. It's not top end, but it's higher end. Granite, cherry cabinets, wood floor, custom tile work (I did it). It probably would've been double the cost if we had hired people.
We did most of it ourselves and spent around $13K two years ago. The end result doesn't feel low-end but we saved a lot by not hiring things out. For that price we kept our lower cabinets and replaced the uppers with 42'' ones with everything painted white after getting rid of the soffit and also added an island. We replaced the stove, dishwasher and microwave with stainless high-isn end models. The counters are mid-level granite with a custom edge around the island. We hired out the electrical and had everything rewired to be more functional and added two pendant lights. We replaced our sink with a Blanco Silgranit one in white and got a new faucet and garbage disposal. I got our backsplash tile (white subway tile) on craigslist for $40 and installed it myself.
Post by fortnightlily on Apr 26, 2015 17:29:28 GMT -5
I guess I should add it was basically a gut job, and we used a contractor for everything other than what DH did. We paid him $12k and the rest was appliances and materials.
We did a partial kitchen renovation last summer. New counters, backsplash, sink, faucets (regular and hot water), and garbage disposal cost about $10,000 when all was done. Floor is in good shape, as are the cabinet bases, we just need to replace the doors in the future. Appliances probably need to be replaced in the next year or so....
I suspect if we did everything we needed to do at once, it probably would have run us about $20K.
Post by buckeyegirl on Apr 26, 2015 17:53:34 GMT -5
I did my last kitchen in 2011 and spent about $10,000. That included cherry cabinets from Home Depot, granite counters, and slate floors. It was a smaller kitchen. I did my current houses kitchen in 2014 and spent about $40,000. That was much higher end; custom cabinets, granite counters, nicer appliances, hardwood floors and much larger than the first.
Post by buckeyegirl on Apr 26, 2015 17:53:32 GMT -5
I did my last kitchen in 2011 and spent about $10,000. That included cherry cabinets from Home Depot, granite counters, and slate floors. It was a smaller kitchen. I did my current houses kitchen in 2014 and spent about $40,000. That was much higher end; custom cabinets, granite counters, nicer appliances, hardwood floors and much larger than the first.
We have a suburban Texas size kitchen (ridiculously large). My H and I spent three months sanding and painting the existing cabinets ourselves for a few hundred dollars. We replaced appliances with ss for $6K (bought fridge used, but expensive induction cooktop and wall oven). Then we hired contractors to demo and re-tile the backsplash and replace counters. That was $15k for an inexpensive white subway tile and Cambria Quartz counters (I didn't realize how pricey Quartz can be when I got my heart set on it, and we needed a lot of square footage). That price also included new ss sink, faucet ($200) filtered water faucet ($500 for some reason), and garbage disposal.
Post by dr.girlfriend on Apr 26, 2015 18:46:27 GMT -5
we redid ours recently -- knocked down the wall between the kitchen and dining room, and everything in the kitchen was pretty much new. The kitchen was mostly low-end, but with some high-end touches (faucet, nice appliances, etc.) I was aiming for about $20k for the whole thing -- it probably came in closer to $25k. The kitchen was small, though...I think 9 x 11"?
We did ours this fall - new tile backsplash, granite counters, and removal of awkward counter bump out/breakfast bar, under-counter lighting, recessed lighting in the ceiling, crown molding and framed the window, new sink, moved hinges from external to internal, and professionally sprayed existing cabinets. I think we spent $11-12,000? The appliances were already replaced as was the hardware and faucet.
The granite was not low-end or basic grade, I'd say mid-level. The tile was more expensive than I thought. The spraying of the cabinets was the most expensive part. It was twice as expensive to have them sprayed vs. hand-painted. Luckily for us our handyman/contractor works very inexpensively so labor was not that much, outside of the cabinets.
we spent about 10k over Christmas - new cabinets, granite, backsplash and appliances. We also did the floor but did all the floor in the main living area at the same time so took that out of a separate budget. I wouldn't say it was high end - stock cabinets from a middle of the line designer and 2cm granite.
Post by imojoebunny on Apr 26, 2015 20:19:04 GMT -5
Get some quotes (and ideas). I have done complete, including flooring and new cabinets, countertops, and some appliances for $6k and others for much more, like our current kitchen were just the appliances are over $6k. Functionally, there is not a lot of difference, all have about the same amount of counter space a person actually will use, and the appliances and the amount of cabinet storage are the big differences, unless you are really creating a social space.
Post by thatgirl2478 on Apr 26, 2015 20:19:31 GMT -5
Around 10k, maybe closer to 13k. We did all but the electric and the counters ourselves. 2011, cliqstudio cabinets, corian counters, tile backsplash, stainless appliances, minimal electric work, no wall changes.
Post by barefootcontessa on Apr 26, 2015 20:30:03 GMT -5
Hard to parce it out exactly since we did a whole house remodel. I would say probably $40-45K with some higher end appliances, custom cabinets, walkin pantry with custom shelving. I have two sinks, two dishwashers so extra plumbing work.
Ours cost about $45k but it included all new electrical, gas conversion, water hookup for the refrigerator, cable/computer wiring, custom cabinets in the old laundry room, new powder room sink and window, and all new flooring and paint throughout the kitchen, family room, and powder room.
I should talk to Home Depot about a basic remodel and see what it would run for a low end price option. I really don't want to spend more than 20k. The good news is, the current kitchen is small and it would be tough to do much with. Of course, if you spend the money, somebody will find a way to make it more functional.
Post by justkeepswimming on Apr 26, 2015 22:01:43 GMT -5
We did a decent "spruce" ourselves for about $1,500. This obviously didn't include any appliances. It did include replacing a laminate floor with tile, sanding and painting the existing cabinets, new cabinet hardware, replacing a 1970's laminate countertop with with a moderately less ugly laminate countertop, new sink and faucets, new tile backsplash, and paint. We did all of the work ourselves. It may not be my dream kitchen, but it is waaay better than before. I would have LOVED granite countertops, but our budget was minuscule. Even a small amount of money with a lot of elbow grease can make a big difference!
Counters are quartz (Pental quartz Azul Aran) and the backsplash is limestone. We have a huge island, that they were able to do in a single piece of quartz,
The sink was the largest problem. We needed the EXACT configuration because it is in the island and there are switches underneath that would have interfered with the way the sink was set. The current sink has a shallow, small sink on the left nd a very large deep sink on the right. Had we changed the sink to a deep left sink, we would have had to move th garbage disposal switch.....which was cut into a piece of solid maple cabinetry. That would have required the services of an electrician and a carpenter.
It turned out that the sink was discontinued and there was nothing on the market tat was shallow enough on the left to avoid needing to move the electrical box. We wound up finding the same sink on Amazon. The designer I worked with mentioned this to me, that I needed to look under the sink before purchasing any sort of sink to determine any conflicts. I'm really glad she gave me the head's up about this.
We did ours three years ago. We did a pretty big renovation and moved the kitchen to a new area of the house, so we had to reroute plumbing, take out walls and add a support beam in. We also knocked out a portion of the exterior brick to add in a large picture window.
The room is about 400 sq. ft, with about 1/3 seating and 2/3 kitchen cabinets and island.
We put in granite countertops that look like marble, I've never seen another granite slab like this one. and did all new custom cabinets.
After everything was over, we spent close to $60,000 on the renovation. I absolutely love the kitchen.
Post by fortnightlily on Apr 27, 2015 7:59:04 GMT -5
I forgot to mention our reno was in 2013, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to break it down further. We took a teeny kitchen (9.9x9) and dining room and knocked down the walls to open it into one larger kitchen that still isn't huge (9.9x17).
$12k to the general contractor for demolition, rebuilding the walls/ceilings, cabinet assembly and hanging, plumbing, and electrical $14.6k for materials -- IKEA cabinets, quartz countertops, frosted glass subway tile backsplash, basic Lowes faucet and light fixtures $5k on appliances - new stainless steel mid-range LG gas stove, microwave, refrigerator and Bosch dishwasher.
Again, this excludes painting and floors. The new kitchen opens right into the living area and we ended up replacing the hardwood floors throughout the entire first floor. Here's a pic right after it was finished, before our real dining chairs had come in
Ours was sandwiched in a major renovation - but adding tile/cabinets/appliances/countertops & lighting (not including framing, electrical, plumbing or windows b/c that was whole house) was around $25k give-or-take a few thousand.
We will be doing a gut job and plan on spending around $40K (and that is with us doing as much of the work as we can). But we will be moving electrical and gas as well as adding a water line and redoing the insulation with foam, too.
I should talk to Home Depot about a basic remodel and see what it would run for a low end price option. I really don't want to spend more than 20k. The good news is, the current kitchen is small and it would be tough to do much with. Of course, if you spend the money, somebody will find a way to make it more functional.
We are just starting to plan a kitchen remodel and have started getting quotes. While our plans for layout/details might change, I think we're looking at about $29K for custom cabinets, silestone (quartz) counters, backsplash, sink, faucet, moving gas, electrical, and plumbing for a smallish u-shaped kitchen. We're thinking we'll keep the appliances a bit longer, since they're in good condition still (just white, rather than the stainless we'll eventually switch to). We're also holding off for a bit on flooring. We are not particularly handy, so we wouldn't be planning on doing anything other than painting ourselves. I think we're going to hold off for a year or so, so I'm sure the project will evolve (i.e. likely get more $$) while we have time to really decide what we want.
Anyway, re the bolded. I have had the most frustrating time with Home Depot lately. I called them to schedule a time for them to come to my house and give us a quote for refacing our current cabinets (wanted to evaluate all of our options). They asked me all kinds of very detailed questions about the project over the phone when I called to schedule the appointment. Okay, I totally get that they want their consultant to be prepared when they arrive, not waste anyone's time, etc... Then, the day before the appointment I get two messages just an hour apart from someone wanting to confirm. Okay, I call them back and they want to go through all the same questions I had already been asked. I tell them I don't have time to do this again, and that I am sure I'll have the chance to discuss all of this in person with the consultant when they arrive the next day.
Fast forward to the day of the appointment. I get a message about three hours before the appointment from the guy saying he was driving from 2 hours away and wanted to make sure we'd be there before he left. He also informs me that he had looked our house up on Zillow (this totally weirded me out), has thoughts he wants to discuss, etc... By now I'm really annoyed. I just want the guy to come, look at our kitchen in person, and get an estimate. I do not want to spend anymore time discussing on the phone when really, someone needs to come and look at the space. I had been at the Dr. when he called so, I call him back, and leave a message saying that we'll be home and will look forward to discussing in person.
Then, I get home and find my husband on the phone with the guy. Mind, you I had not given H's number to Home Depot, so this guy had somehow found it (maybe had been in Home Depot's system from an equipment rental or something? Either way, it was not provided to them for this project, we have a very common last name, and I felt this was a huge, weird invasion of privacy). Anyway, he ends up telling H that based on our square footage on Zillow it would be about $22k to reface the cabinets. He wanted us to take measurements ourselves and text him pics of the kitchen for a more exact quote. Then he wouldn't have to make the drive out to our house. L-O-F-ing-L. By then I was so pissed about the way they run this portion of their business that H agreed that the guy didn't need to come, basically to save him from my wrath that I would have been unable to contain.
Aside from the fact that $22K (although I'm sure this is high because had the guy actually come to our house he would have seen that our kitchen is on the small side for a house of our size) is insane for slapping on some new low grade doors and applying a veneer to the sides, there is no way I'd want to work with these people. They've actually made the quote from the local contractor (who has stellar reviews on Angie's List and Houzz) for custom cabinets and everything else look like an amazing deal.
Sorry for the long ramble. I get so infuriated just thinking about this. My point is that you might want to avoid using the services arm of Home Depot. But, I'm sure you can get cabinets there by have your own contractor install.
I think we spent around $18,000 but it's hard to break out kitchen only expenses from some things since we were doing a big part of the house at once. We diy'ed everything but countertops and have semi-custom cabinets from a local cabinet maker.
We redid plumbing and converted it to Pex, redid some electrical to get up to code, drywalled and painted which some costs couldn't be allocated specifically to the kitchen.
Countertops & sink: $3000; cabinets $5800; flooring (tile, grout and subfloor) $1600; appliances $3300; $4k - misc - paint, drywall, plumbing, electrical, lights, cabinet knobs and pulls, dumpster fees, baseboards, all misc trips to Lowe's, etc. (just all the little things that add up)
In our old house in 2004, $16K I think...we did some DIY
Mid range solid maple cabinets with a few upgrades & mid range appliances Lower end floors & counters Some new lighting & tile backsplash Also included building a closet with French doors to enclose our laundry area.
Here is crappy pic of main part & good pic of laundry closet we had enclosed & eat in area.
I forgot to mention our reno was in 2013, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to break it down further. We took a teeny kitchen (9.9x9) and dining room and knocked down the walls to open it into one larger kitchen that still isn't huge (9.9x17).
$12k to the general contractor for demolition, rebuilding the walls/ceilings, cabinet assembly and hanging, plumbing, and electrical $14.6k for materials -- IKEA cabinets, quartz countertops, frosted glass subway tile backsplash, basic Lowes faucet and light fixtures $5k on appliances - new stainless steel mid-range LG gas stove, microwave, refrigerator and Bosch dishwasher.
Again, this excludes painting and floors. The new kitchen opens right into the living area and we ended up replacing the hardwood floors throughout the entire first floor. Here's a pic right after it was finished, before our real dining chairs had come in
Your kitchen is beautiful! How do you like the IKEA cabinets? I think it might be a good option for us. Just wondering how they have held up. I've heard a lot of good things about them.
Post by fortnightlily on Apr 27, 2015 12:55:11 GMT -5
Thanks! It's only been 2 years, but so far they've held up just fine. They don't feel super shabby or anything. We get compliments on them, and I loved all options for configuration, glass doors, different drawer inserts, etc. Obviously they're not the quality you're going to get from pricey custom all-wood cabinetry, but I definitely don't think the baseline Home Depot ones that were quoted a few thousand more would've been appreciably better.
Plus I kind of feel like kitchens always go out of style eventually, and I think these will certainly last until then. My parents have good quality custom cabinets from their own reno maybe 20-25 years ago, but now feel kind of stuck because the look is outdated (blonde oak) but refinishing them would be pricey and they also want to reconfigure some things anyway (like a corner sink, and too-small boxed in area for today's newer fridges) which they couldn't do and reuse the existing cabinets.
IKEA changed their kitchen line earlier this year, but I've seen the new displays in the store and like them just as much. If you look at IKEA hacks or some other sites, some people opt to buy the IKEA bases but then get custom doors made, which can be best of both worlds.
The estimate from the first contractor was $19,200. That's to replace 1/3 of the cabinets, redo the floor with tile, and replace the mid-tier quartz (?) countertops.
I'm hoping the second estimate will come in lower. Getting down to double the insurance check would be amazing at this point. Related: is 11:37am too early to start drinking?