Kitchen Remodel, where to begin?

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

We are thinking about doing a small kitchen remodel, and I was looking for some resources on where to start. The budget is as low as possible, around $5,000 but could be bumped up to $10,000 if possible. A few wants are a new dishwasher, sink, counter tops and possibly refacing the cabinets. We moved into the house about 18 years ago, and the dishwasher, oven and stove are dated from then. We got a new fridge 2 years ago, but the cabinets are so ugly as are the counter tops. I was thinking about having someone come out and help us price out a few different choices for a remodel, and give us some ideas for organization.

Mods, If this should be in a different section please feel free to move it, I just wanted to put it in a visible location to get more ideas.

Thanks

Ilana, aka Nana to my sweet nephew Avi

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[galvjen]

Not any help on appliances. Cabinet refacing is on our list for this winter. New countertops came to our home this spring.

I posted this on another remodel thread awhile ago.
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=37&topic_id=438654&mesg_id=438719&page=

As an FYI for your budget planning, countertops for my small kitchen (44 sq ft countertop and 27 sq ft slate tile backsplash from counter to cabinets) were more than $5K once all the extras were added into the equation.

Have plenty of patience once you get started. Allow extra time & money too. It adds up quickly.

Jen

[megulis]

Whatever else you get, this is one of the best features of my kitchen!

Franke Satin Nickel Little Butler Water Dispenser

http://www.abtelectronics.com/product/16386.html

I would recommend this one over the one at Home Depot which my friend has. Prices do go up very quickly. Price out everything from many different sources, and stick with a simple design.

Have fun!

[BeachBum]

My mom did a basic kitchen update last summer that I helped with. They decided that the kitchen cabinets were in good enough shape to keep, but just looked dated--they were the 80's oak look. So they decided to paint them white. My mom priced it out and it was upwards of $4K,so she did it herself. It was very time consuming and lots of hard work.

They kept all the appliances in the same location (a must for a budget remodel), but bought all new appliances. They got a new sink and faucet and installed under cabinet lighting.

They put in silestone countertops, and a DIY backsplace behind the stove.

Of course they painted and added other decorative touches.

My parents did as much of it as they could themselves. There was no structural work to be done, but of course a pro did the countertops. My dad is pretty handy so he put in the new sink, hooked up the dishwasher and I'm not sure about the stove. My dad did the under cabinet lights too.

I think their project cost about $8K. The hardest part of the project was figuring out what order to do stuff. It was also a big decision on to replace the cabinets or not. I mean do you really want to put expensive counters on crappy cabinets? But they couldn't have done that and the other stuff (which they really needed) so it was the right choice for them.

[momofjandl]

We remodeled a kitchen in our old house 3 or so years ago. We did all the work ourselves. We got new cabinets from Home Depot (American Woodmark I believe) they were solid maple. We stuck to basic pieces with only a few add ons like roll out trays. We did a laminate counter in black that was stock..meaning not spec order. We did our own tile backsplash. We got a new basic electric stove in black and stainless.

All in all we did the entire thing for I want to say under $10K. Definitely under $15k. If you are willing to put in the sweat equity you can save thousands. And we are in MA..which is very expensive.

Debbie Travis has a great book on updating or remodeling kitchens. She shows all these paints techniques for paiting cabinets.

If you stick to your current layout without moving water, cabinets, etc. you can def do it on the cheap. You just have to see where you can cut corners. Tiling a countertop can look great and save tons. You can even tile with large granite tiles and get the granite look for less.

Also you save a ton doing it yourself if at all possible. It is a ton of work though so be forewarned. Our kitchen would have been $30-$40k + if we hired it out. Be careful who you have come in. A kitchen design center will signifigantly upcharge you on cabinets vs. a contractor who may give them to you ar cost or slightly above.

Just keep researching and do your homework. You may find that you can get new cabinets for not much more than refinishing. Home Depot and Lowes also have stock cabinets. Meaning boxes of cabinets that you just install yourself. They are often plain and simple but a fraction of the cost.

HTH! And Good Luck!
RUth

[birdie75]

We did a major remodel involving removing a wall last spring but I did a lot of research on everything.

Appliances - Lowes, Home Depot and Sears (Great Indoors) are always running specials like buy 2 applicances and get 10% off or free financing so take advantage of these deals. Dishwasher, pay the extra for something quiet. You might also have a local place that can get you a good deal. We went with Kitchaid applicance except for the stovetop which is Electrolux since we wanted an induction stovetop.

Cabinets - We had to go with new and choose decora solid cherry, but several places do refacing. Start asking around in your area and looking online Home Depot and Sears both do refacing but it is cheaper at other places. Home Depot would be a good place to start however and get some quotes and ideas. We found a great kitchen designer at the Great Indoors that we used for everything. The price of refacing is similar to the price of low end cabinets (Home Depot / Lowes) so you might want to consider that option as well if you want to change any of the configuration. Don't forget to include the price of pulls / knobs.

Counters - determine how many square feet of counter you have and then go to Lowes/Home Depot for pricing as a way to estimate. The Granite stores have better selection then the big box stores and better / similar pricing depending on what you choose.

Sink - you will be required to get a new sink for new counters. Remember to count the cost of a new faucet.

I know it is adding to your budget but you may want to consider any lighting changes and electrical updates at the same time.