4 Tips For A Kitchen Remodel On A Budget

1. Hire A Professional Remodeling Company

On the surface, renovating the kitchen yourself seems like it would save money. However, for most people it’s the opposite: they tend to underestimate the cost of materials and overestimate their own building expertise. As a result, many do-it-yourselfers end up with unfinished kitchens that require more money to finish than it would have taken to hire professionals in the first place.

It matters which remodeling company you choose. You could pull out your phone and just ask Siri to call a “home remodeling company near me.” But that’d be little more than a gamble. Instead, take time to review several companies online until you find the right company. Ultimately, you’re looking for an experienced team of designers and builders who can bring your creative vision to life on time and on budget.

Quality DesignWorks is known for kitchen remodeling in Gainesville. We’ve completed a wide range of both low-cost to high-end projects, each with custom touches. Feel free to check out our project gallery, where we let our work speak for itself!

2. Instead Of Replacing Cabinets, Repaint Them

Deciding what to do with cabinets is one of the most financially consequential decisions you’ll make during a kitchen renovation. Depending on the size of your kitchen, it could have lots of cabinets in multiple variations: base, tall, and wall cabinets, as well as cabinet doors and drawers. Replacing all that cabinetry is a tall order: the existing cabinets must be removed, and then the new cabinets must be sized and installed. However, there is an inexpensive workaround: don’t replace the cabinets; repaint them!

For stained cabinets, you can conceal the wood grain with a couple of fresh coats of white paint. Going from a natural wood color to a glossy or flat white gives a totally different look to the space. Better still, white currently is one of the hottest color schemes for kitchens in Gainesville (and across much of the country).

Transforming painted cabinets into stained ones is a more labor-intensive task. The paint must be carefully stripped off and the underlying wood sanded clean. And if the cabinets were painted to begin with, it’s hard to be certain whether the wood grain underneath still looks attractive. But, if you feel the juice is worth the squeeze, you can strip the cabinets and inspect the wood. If you don’t like the appearance of the wood, you can just exchange the stain you bought and swap it out for paint. Repainting old cabinets a different color still gives a fresh vibe to your favorite cooking area.

3. Make A Design Plan And Stick To It

Have you ever watched a home remodeling show on TV? If you have, then you may recall the most common budget mistake committed by participants — which is making design changes midway through a project. This happens in non-TV remodels, too.

After construction begins, people tend to get inspired and start tossing out ideas for new design features. But such ad hoc changes can sink a budget. Experienced builders advise clients to set aside a cushion in their budgets. This accounts for unexpected setbacks like having to replace old electrical wiring that was held together with paper clips and chewing gum (clearly, not up to the building code).

If, fingers crossed, no problems occur during your remodel, any surplus cash in the budget can be reinvested, such as by upgrading the kitchen cabinets, countertops, or appliances. In contrast, making unaffordable design changes can be bad news not just for your project timeline but also the total cost. Your best course of action is to work closely with the design-build company to create a thorough design plan up front, and then stick to it throughout the build.

4. Avoid Modifications To The Plumbing

As a guideline: the more contractors and building specialists you involve in a remodeling project, the higher the costs will climb. Relocating the kitchen, or even rearranging the layout, opens up a Pandora’s box of new construction tasks. One of them is to overhaul the plumbing system — which isn’t cheap.

In fact, while remodeling on a budget, plumbing bills are one of the last things you want to contend with on top of current building costs. So to avoid needing a plumber, refrain from any design ideas that require modifications to pipes. If the initial design calls for relocating the sink, for instance, you can save money and still achieve a nice look by leaving the sink where it is but upgrading its fixtures.

You also want to avoid moving any appliances that connect to the kitchen’s plumbing system. These include the dishwasher and the fridge if it has an ice maker or water dispenser. Meanwhile, if you’re upgrading the appliances, it’s smart not to buy models that hook up to the plumbing (such as an ice-and-water-dispensing fridge) unless the previous models had the same capabilities.

These are just a few ways to keep the costs low as you transform your drab kitchen into a dream space. For even more creative design ideas, contact Quality DesignWorks to schedule a kitchen remodel consultation today!