Check out our list of cost-effective techniques to acquire the kitchen of your dreams—within your means—before you start your redesign.
The price to renovate a kitchen is more than any other room’s, and even little improvements like painting the sink, faucet, and hardware, installing pendant lighting, painting the cabinets and walls, and modernizing the electrical system may cost $5,000 or more. The price of redesigning your kitchen is $40,000 or $50,000 or more if you remove walls, alter the layout, and buy new cabinets, worktops, and appliances.
Before you hire a professional or get started on the project yourself, read our spend-smart suggestions to help you obtain the kitchen of your dreams while staying within your price range. They might be little adjustments or a whole makeover.
Budget-Friendly Techniques for Your Kitchen Renovation
Paint and Save on Cabinets
New cabinets account for 30% to 40% of the cost of redesigning your kitchen. Therefore, if their finish is dark or dull, but you are happy with their location and function, consider painting them rather than replacing them. Even though it needs some effort, your wallet will thank you for finishing this do-it-yourself job. Even expert painting jobs will cost less than newly made custom cabinetry.
Style Tip: Remove the doors from a few uppers to create open shelves for a bright, airy look.
Invest in a High-Quality Faucet
The kitchen faucet is the most used component, so choose a high-end model with a single handle for simplicity and quality. If your sink is next to a window, be sure the clearances between the faucet and handle are sufficient, so you won’t crack your knuckles on the sill. The ideal sink to go with it is simple: Use a single bowl. It is as deep as 10 inches and as large as possible. To prevent having to stoop to wash the dishes.
Prep Before You Paint
Whether you’re painting it yourself or want to supervise the painter, these tips will help you do the job effectively.
The finish’s sheen (or shine) determines how easily a surface can be cleaned; choose semi-gloss for eggshell for all wall trim and satin for painted cabinets.
- Prepare yourself before picking up a paintbrush. Paint or primer won’t conceal nail holes in the frame or broken fences. Caulk seams, fill nail holes, and level off uneven surfaces. Make sure your contractor makes it clear who is in charge of carrying out that duty if you’ve hired a team and additional.
- Unlike what many people think, the best time to paint your kitchen is earlier: By painting the cabinets and backsplash before they are connected to the wall, you may prevent paint drips on the tiles and cabinets, save labor costs (even with additional touch-ups later), and preserve a straight line where the cabinets and backsplash meet the wall.
When selecting a backsplash, keep both personality and functionality in mind.
Think of the wall space between the counter and the cabinets as a canvas to express your personality. Subway tiles provide a traditional look unless they are huge, are arranged vertically, or are laid out in a herringbone pattern. Even while little mosaic patterns are lovely, it could be challenging to clean the grout lines.
Of course, there are various options, including metal ceiling tiles and beadboard paneling, as well as tile materials made of mosaic, embossed ceramic, glass, metal, and other materials. To avoid alienating potential buyers if you decide to put your property on the market in the future, choose a design that you like but is also widely admired and easy to maintain.
Consider Quartz
According to the National Kitchen & Bath Association, quartz has supplanted granite as the most preferred material for countertops. Quartz is a synthetic material that resembles stone. Quartz doesn’t need sealing and is almost impervious to chips, stains, and scratches.
Numerous quartz aesthetics effectively mimic the natural variety of marble and limestone, whose real equivalents are particularly high-maintenance solutions for kitchen worktops. Quartz is offered in a broad spectrum of aesthetics.
Don’t Scrimp on Lighting
Three distinct types of lighting fixtures are available for your kitchen. (Hint: You want all of them.)
- Install recessed ceiling fixtures and open floors to provide ambient lighting where people will stand and work.
- To give task illumination over the counters, use under-cabinet lighting.
- Highlight the countertop, backsplash, and cabinets when the only light is on.
- Hanging pendants and ceiling fixtures To avoid creating shadows, illuminate work spaces like islands, peninsulas, and sinks with attractive pendant lights that provide diffuse light.
Think About Wood-Look Flooring Alternatives
Although wood has a timeless, natural beauty, the kitchen may be rough and cause dents, scratches, and wear.
Simple-to-clean porcelain tile comes in a broad range of designs, including actual stone and wood looks, but most things that fall on porcelain will shatter.
Therefore, it’s essential to consider these milder choices: The luxury vinyl and laminate flooring on exhibit here is robust, soft, and forgiving in places and comes in various wood looks that most people would mistake for the real thing.
Budget Guidelines for a Major Kitchen Remodel
You should consider the following three considerations when determining how much to spend on your kitchen renovation:
- How much you can afford to invest in the kitchen of your dreams?
- The quality of the kitchens in the nearby houses.
- How long do you plan to stay at your home? The value of that room as a percentage of the value of your whole property will decide how much you should be willing to spend on any significant upgrades if you want to be reimbursed at resale.
Get Out Your Wallet for a Gut Job
Pulling the building down to the frame makes it straightforward to add, move, or remove walls, install new electrical, plumbing, and heating/cooling lines, find and repair any rot or insect damage, and insulate.
The labor required for demolition, removing outdated materials, and replacing the wallboard and trim will significantly raise the cost of your project. With your contractor, go through the benefits and drawbacks of your unique project.
Insulate Well Before Putting Up Walls
Spray foam provides the finest insulation against outside temperatures and drafts. Stone wool or fiberglass batt insulation may be better if your kitchen has undergone a complete makeover. Doing so might save you thousands of dollars.
Ensure your contractor furls out the ceiling to make it altogether level (if the joists aren’t straight) and uses only screws (not nails) to install the wallboard to limit the chance of nail pops during the last stage before the drywall is up.
Get the Look of High-End Cabinets for Less
You may have the cabinet look (door style, wood type, finish) you want without having to shell out a lot of money for custom cabinets, which are made to order according to your precise design and size requirements unless you’re looking for something bizarre.
Consider these two logical choices: Stock cabinets are the fastest and least expensive to produce; each manufacturer offers a restricted range of styles and finishes in three-inch width increments. The Goldilocks solution is semi-custom cabinets made to order in one-inch size increments from a company’s stock of designs and finishes.
Invest in New Windows
Even while you don’t have to entirely rebuild and replace the windows and doors in your kitchen, doing so will require ripping the area down to the studs, at least where the new windows and doors will be placed.
New windows may tilt in for easy cleaning, and the removal of the unsightly storm windows popular in many houses with the original single-pane windows boosting your home’s energy efficiency. Refrain from replacing pricey wood windows with cheap plastic ones, especially in a stately building with plenty of old-house character.
Do you have any further questions about your kitchen remodel? Please contact Hackensack Contractor Service; we are happy to help!
