I get questions all about timelines and budget in regards to our renovations. Did we have a budget? Did it take longer than expected? Did we tackle it all at once or a piece at a time? Did we wanna quit? Yes. Yes. In pieces. And absolutely. Frankly, you guys sure are interested in sprucing up your place and doing it for cheap! And nothing helps encourage DIYers than a little cost comparison and time line breakdown. So I thought it might be a good idea to go through room by room of our house and give you all the details. Sound good?
Well, I thought it would be the best bet to start with the most expensive room in our house…the kitchen.
Our kitchen is like every other room in the house, a work-in-progress. The original footprint of the kitchen was actually quite small. It had a wall separating it from the den (which I demolished two weeks after closing). And we knew that the space would be like a Kardashian (it would require new everything). So going into closing, we bargained for an appliance allowance of $3000 instead of having the previous owners install stuff we wouldn’t like anyway. They took the bait & we bought new stainless appliances when the right time came. Now that you got a little background info, let’s take a look at our kitchen timeline and the budget:
2007
March – Started demolition
April – Stained cabinetry
June – Installed hardwood flooring
July – Removed wallpaper
August – Installed cabinetry
October – Installed granite countertops
November – Installed dishwasher
2008
March – Installed lighting
December – Purchased Ventilation Hood, Tiled backsplash, Installed vent & painted trim, Repainted
2009
February – Bought golden rug
March – Installed undersink rack, Replaced golden rug with green rug, Replaced stools
April – Created art
December – Installed new hardware
Budget
Flooring – $2000 (that extends into foyer) $700
Dishwasher/Fridge/Stove/Microwave – free (included an allowance for appliances with our purchase price)
Cabinetry & hardware- $1300
Hood – $375
Granite/Sink/Faucet – $2600
Backsplash – $300
Paint & Trim – $100
TOTAL – $6,675 $5,375
***CORRECTION*** Jeremy just called and told me that the flooring cost I quoted above is incorrect. When I asked him the total, he gave me the total for the flooring in our basement…not our kitchen. Sorry for the confusion!
We definitely splurged on the countertops…and on the wood flooring which we extended from the kitchen into the foyer and into the small hall that leads from the kitchen into the dining room. But seeing as how we did all the work ourselves, and I mean ALL of it….everything from the electrical to the flooring to the tiling we did with our own four hands. For a little more of our kitchen before & afters, you can check out this oldie but a goodie.
So there you have it…the first of many timeline/budget breakdowns. Anybody else start a project two years ago and still workin on it? Or maybe you think we didn’t get our money’s worth? Did we overspend? I mean, $6000 is like a fishing dingy filled with one dollar bills. And that my friends is a whole boatload of money 🙂 Have you ever redone your kitchen? How much did you spend? Spill those breakdown beans ya’ll.
My husband and I redid our Kitchen, down to the studs. We started last Spring, and I was just thinking about how I still have things left to do. It is fully functional, but trim work, etc. I think we spent about $5500. Luckily we had replaced most of the appliances when we first moved in so they wern’t included in that budget. There were many times where I thought we would never finish, and can I say thank god for google and ikeafans.com. We went with cabinets from Ikea, which I love. . but didn’t always know what to do with when we were installing and found so much help on the website. Now that its nearly finished I love love love it! And would do it again in a heart beat!
Wow I think that’s an amazing deal. Having just redone our kitchen I know how things add up… we splurged on soapstone countertops and appliances but saved on cork flooring!
Wow! You really didn’t have a kitchen for quite a while. Did you get out of cooking that long?
Hi Tracie,
Well actually, we bought the house before Jeremy & I tied the knot…so neither of us lived here. It made cooking a little less of a priority. Let’s just say that we kept Taco Bell in business while we spent a lot of time there renovating.
XO – KB
Did you go to a home improvement store for the granite or did you go through a granite yard? Thanks for posting this. We are in the process and based on budget and time (that we can actually dedicate to this project) I think it should take us a year+.
LuckyJayne –
First of all…awesome name. Secondly, we went through a discount granite supplier. They had a showroom with samples and we haggled our top-tier granite price (the black galaxy granite is usually around $30 per square foot) until it was closer to that of the lower-tier granites plus we got the edging, sink, and faucet. So we did not get to pick our slabs from a granite yard but the black galaxy doesn’t have veining that normal granites have…so we didn’t sweat it.
XO – KB
Your kitchen is gorgeous now! Wow! What a change
Wow! I’m super-impressed… $6000 really isn’t that much for a whole brand new kitchen! We recently fixed up some of the unattractive bits in our kitchen for around $250 ( http://homeinthecountry.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/knobs-make-all-the-difference/ ), and I was pretty psyched about that, but I’ll be even more excited when we start replacing countertops & appliances!
I love your kitchen! Quick question…what kind/color of stain did you use on your cabinets? I love how they turned out and would like to do something similar in my kitchen. Thanks!
My hubby and I redid our first house. Everything! IT was a 1890 duplex. We gutted the bathroom, completely redid the kitchen including moving all the appliances around, new wiring (it had knob and tube) and new plumbing. We got new windows, siding, did new landscaping, had a new driveway put in, made the basement less freaky…then did the kitchen and bathroom for the other floor. Of course, this was all while planning a wedding, getting married and during our first year of marriage. Then we sold it 2 years almost to the date that we bought it and bought a MUCH newer house where we only had to finish the basement. That was a piece of cake. Now we are in our 3rd house, before hitting 30 and are in NO hurry to finish this basement! 🙂
I have tons of pictures I would be happy to share if you are interested. Sadly, I don’t even WANT to know how much the first house cost us in renovations. But it was worth it!
I dream of your kitchen. Is that okay?
We’ve been working on our first floor bathroom for 2+ years. It’s fully functional except for the tub/shower (we’ve been using the upstairs bathroom for showers). The tile around the tub is going to be the last thing up but I’m thinking (hoping, praying) it will be done completely by the end of February. (I’m posting about it little by little over on The Purple Peach).
-Emily
My husband and I did a quick kitchen facelift back in June. We added crown molding and painted all the cabinets, and switched out the hardware. (we got many tips from your blog and Sherry’s!)
We posted some in-progresss pictures on the blog: http://sarahandjasonmatthews.blogspot.com/2009/06/kitchen-update.html
We’re still planning on getting new countertops and appliances, but our first kitchen updates came in at only $250. It’s a work-in-progress, but we’re much happier with it now then when we moved in.
We did a gut reno of our kitchen this past fall (broken pipe under sink plus my birthday month = I wanted a whole new kitchen!).
My husband is pretty handy and we already had all stainless steel appliances. Our grand total came in just under $3000.
I LOVE my new kitchen.
Nice to see that Rome wasn’t built in a day at your house either! Your kitchen is gorgeous! Gives me some inspiration, though we’ll never have that much space . . . this food-blogger can dream, right?
If you want to look at our tiny room, check out the tour I posted yesterday. http://neverhomemaker.blogspot.com/2010/01/never-homemaker-kitchen-tour.html
<3
You were a couple of smart eggs to start with the kitchen! I am regretting leaving it until the end. You guys did a wonderful job and it looks like you spent 10 times as much (which I am afraid I might!) keep sending the cheap diy ideas our way, we need all the help we can get~
Hey! Quit playin with your dingy! (name that movie!)
Katie, you’re pictures have just inspired me to rework our kitchen remodel! As it is right now we have almost no counterspace but I’m thinking we can lower our bar height counter so its level with the rest of the countertops. Duh. Why didn’t I think of it before?! Thanks for the inspiration!!!!
I love love love your kitchen!!! Just sent you an insanely long email about my own kitchen redo – lots of fun and lots of budgeting! Thanks for another great post.
We just redid our kitchen. A General Contractor was a total waste of money. Without him I think we would saved tons, with him we spent about 20K. extra cabinets, painted existing, quartz countertops, painting, new sink, knock out half a wall
Link to pictures here:http://www.thegrizasonline.com/2009/12/grand-reveal-finally-finished-kitchen.html
Your before cabinets were the exact same as our before cabinets, but ours weren’t painted. I started remodeling our kitchen (with some help from the hubby) on 12/26/08 because I had a week off and I just knew if I worked from the time I woke up till bedtime I could get it done in a week! 🙂 I was only planning on painting the cabinets and sprucing up the doors with some trim. Now I think we are on plan G (since A-F failed!) and making new doors. We only have 4 doors put back on now, and part of the new countertop isn’t exactly secured into place! But I hope to have it finished by the end of March!
I think that is an amazing price for a kitchen that had everything changed. Mind you, anyone else would have to add the $3000 (for the appliances) on to the cost. I’m impressed that you even did the granite, as that isn’t something that most DIY can do. Your kitchen looks fab.
We did start our bathroom two years ago and we just finished it last week! Phase one was a new shower surround, new vanity and sink, bead board instead of ugly mauve tile, and a new medicine cabinet instead of the gross metal one. Phase two, which we finished last week, was a new toilet, tile floor instead of the laminate and crown molding! I love it! We didn’t DIY it all our selves, we had lots of help from my brother and my cousin’s husband. Good luck on your own bathroom re-do – you’ll love it when it’s done!
In progress right now (and trying not to take 2 years!)
-replace vinyl with Hardwood flooring $1400
-replace formica counters with granite $1300
-tile the backsplash $300
-primed and painted cabinets $40
-new cabinet hardware $60
-craigslist stainless refrigerator, stove, dishwasher $850 (yes, really, 2 years old)
Total: $3950
We remodeled our kitchen a year and a half ago and it is still 90% done which is slightly embarrassing. We spent about the same as you guys did but painted instead of replacing the cabinets. Love how you broke the whole project down!
I think you guys did a GREAT job of investing wisely on the kitchen… they say that the Kitchen is one of those spaces that really sells the house! I redid the kitchen in my first house for about 800 bucks (it was all I could afford- after all I was a single homeowner of 25). Ended up buying new counter tops (and installing them myself with help from Dad), new sink, faucet, dishwasher (open box sale at HHGregg…super awesome)and stove (lowes’ sale!). Then just painted the old cabinets white, installed some brushed silver hardware and voila, new kitchen! Hubby and I met when I was in the middle of the renovations, and I’m convinced to this day that my ability to wield power tools impressed him so much that he just HAD to marry me -at least that is what I tell myself 🙂 The house we purchased together is brand new so sadly, no neato renovations for the kitchen…just lots of ideas for painting walls and decorating (and I’ve got some great ones thanks to your blogs).
Again, LOVE the kitchen re-do you guys did- you really have an eye for interior design!
Thank you for the help. So one more question…sorry to be so needy! How did you find the discount granite supplier?
Thanks for the compliment. I think the name would make a nice name for a future daughter – you know, first and middle. 🙂
Thanks for the breakdown, I’m trying to plan a low-budget kitchen remodel and that really is a big help. How the heck did you figure out the new layout of the cabinets and appliances? That’s where I am stuck and I don’t know where to get started. I’d like to refrain from having to move plumbing so the sink will probably stay-put but is it easy to relocate a stove and fridge? Help!!
Luckyjayne,
Actually it was a flyer we got in the mail…we saw this ad for something completely unrelated (it could have been duct cleaning?) and on the drive to the demonstration, we saw this little building that was tucked away that just said DISCOUNT STONE on the storefront. We walked in and asked if they sold only commercially – they said no and the rest is history. There are many places that are listed in the phone book – or you could always google too.
Let me know how it works out!
XO – KB
Sarah – The only issue with relocating a stove & a fridge is the electrical work. The stove will require a heavy duty plug in spot in accordance with it’s make & model (ex: 110V grounded 3 prong electrical outlet)…and that’s if you have an electric range. A gas version will require a propane or gas line…which I would recommend be installed by a licensed professional. Now a fridge is simple…just a standard plug will work. Maybe you can pick out your appliances first, put them in your kitchen and then measure the space availability with your appliances in place & fit cabinets where there’s a gap? It worked for us 🙂
XO – KB
we’ve been tossing numbers around for our kitchen. when you add in the $3000 for appliances … this sounds about right! can’t wait/dread getting started … thanks for the breakdown!
Okay How did you get new cabinetry for only 1300? We are pricing much higher than that and our kitchen is not that big? Thanks for the help.
I think you all did a great job! 🙂 I really love your kitchen. The flooring, cabinets, and granite look amazing.
My husband and I are saving up to redo our kitchen. Where did you get you cabinets? I have been looking at the oak ones that you finish yourself at Lowes. This seems to be one of the cheaper options.
I would love to see more info on you guys staining the cabinets. That sounds like such a money saver.
Hello from another Katie! Where did you get the hood for that great price? The ones we find always cost 4x that much! Thanks!