Shopping around for materials and labor is key to modernizing your kitchen on the cheap.
We always hear that remodeling a kitchen is one of the most expensive home improvements. And it can be.
The Remodeling 2014 Cost vs. Value Report listed the average cost of a major kitchen remodel at $54,909, and even a minor remodel came in at $18,856.
But kitchen remodeling doesn't have to be that expensive. "If you take it piece by piece, you can do something good on a budget," says Aimee Grove, a communications and marketing specialist in the San Francisco area. She and her husband have remodeled two kitchens on a budget. "I have my dream kitchen now," she says. "I wouldn’t change a thing."
The choice of materials makes a big difference in how much you'll spend. Custom-made, solid-wood cabinets with a premium finish and decorative molding can easily cost $1,200 or more per linear foot, which is the way cabinets are normally priced. But you can get attractive cabinets at Ikea or even a local shop for a quarter of that cost if you shop around.
And while granite countertops definitely cost more than laminate, if you visit enough stores, you’ll learn that granite itself varies widely in price. "We went to 10 different marble places until we found the slab we wanted at the right price," Grove says.
She and her husband remodeled the kitchen of their cottage-style home for about $12,000 after getting a quote from a contractor for $32,000. They chose to paint rather than replace their existing cabinets, but added a marble countertop and a subway tile backsplash, plus two new stainless steel appliances.
They found that it really pays to shop for materials and labor. For example, the price of the marble they wanted varied from $80 to $13 per square foot, and the fabrication quotes ranged from $3,200 to $6,000. Quotes to paint their cabinets ranged from $1,500 to $7,000. Tile, both for flooring and backsplashes, can run $1 to $15 per square foot. You may find the cabinet hardware you liked most in the store for half the price online.
Danielle Colding, who runs Danielle Colding Design in Brooklyn, New York, recently redid her kitchen with sleek, ultramodern gray lacquer cabinets from Ikea. "They’re really affordable," she says. "You can do a normal kitchen for $4,000 to $5,000."
Colding, who won HGTV’s "Design Star" competition in 2012 and also hosted "Shop This Room" on the network, says local shops can also be an excellent option when remodeling on a budget.
Grove and her husband chose to act as their own contractors, hiring separate painters, marble fabricators and tile installers. They gathered names from a contractor friend and the marble yard, and then asked those companies for bids and references.
Being your own contractor creates more work because you're screening multiple contractors rather than just one general contractor for the entire project. Plus, you have to be available during the day to supervise, and you have to shop around to find the best price on supplies.
But for someone whose remodel doesn't include knocking down walls, reconfiguring the layout or dealing with city permits, appointing yourself contractor can be a way to cut costs. "If you have the capabilities to be the general contractor yourself, you can definitely save some money," says Jason Kloesel, owner of VK Construction and Remodeling in Austin, Texas. "If you don’t have the smallest construction knowledge, I would not recommend this at all."
Whether you hire a general contractor or individual companies, make sure the contract is very specific about what is included when it comes to labor and materials.
Here are 14 tips for remodeling your kitchen on a budget.
Know what look you want before you start interviewing contractors. Drop by local showrooms to see cabinets, countertop options and combinations. This will help you get a sense of costs for different options, too.
Keep your plumbing and gas lines in the same place. A kitchen remodel costs considerately less when you don't change the layout.
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