How to save money on kitchen remodels
Posted by Mhauser on December 4, 2012
One of the most expensive rooms in your house is the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean you cant save some money without sacrificing your dream kitchen. Here are some ways to shrink your kitchen remodel budget:
Do it yourself… well, some of it at least
You’re no professional contractor, but that doesn’t mean you can’t handle some of the hard work. Save yourself days of paid labor by handling demolition work yourself. Tearing down old cabinets and flooring yourself before the hired hands get to your kitchen can save thousands. Handling the clean up, dump runs, and painting yourself will save money as well. Shop for the materials yourself to find even more of a bargain.
Keep your old appliances or buy floor models
Appliances can cost serious money. If your appliances are not ancient think about keeping them. If you are set on new appliances, try looking at floor models, which can save you half the price. Also, forget about the pro chef-style ranges. Tests have not shown they perform better, and most of the time they leave out common features of normal ranges and have a much higher repair cost.
Choose neutral colors that will stand the test of time
What may be the hot new fashionable kitchen trend today could end up being more expensive now and later. Use colors that won’t need to be updated in the next few years. Also, neutral colors are not likely to turn buyers off when going to sell your house.
Mix countertop materials
Most people have their hearts set on expensive granite, soapstone, or marble countertops. While durable, they are certainly expensive, so consider cost effective alternatives. Try looking at tiles rather than slab, or highlighting the material in one part of the kitchen (say the island) and accenting with ceramic tile.
Don’t move your sink
If your thinking about moving your sink, chances are it will the plumbing costs will be very, very high. Leave it.
Sell or donate appliances and old materials
If you decide to upgrade appliances, try selling the old ones if they are working shape. You may not make much money on it, but the costs it will save you on taking them to the dump or having them disposed of is zero. Habitat for Humanity and some other charities offer the service of picking up old kitchen cabinets, appliances, and other items. On top of saving you cost of trashing these things, they can even get you a tax write-off.
Plan your remodel carefully and keep ‘while we’re at it’ projects off the list
Give yourself time to find out what you really want, and the cheapest way to go about it. Getting the right materials and contractor can absolutely save you money. It may seem like a good idea to add smaller projects on the list since you already have a contractor at your house, but those small projects are still additional money and can add up.
Not sure where to start? New Pioneer Woodshop can help you out, contact to today for a free estimate.
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