Kitchen remodel can be expensive, but doesn’t have to be with any remodel, there are likely going to be notable expenses. Costs are direct and indirect. For example, a direct cost of remodel are materials. An indirect cost is the inability to use your kitchen as you would until the remodeling is complete. Also, with contractors, sometimes a one day job stretches into a month; and so you’ve got a bill percolating until the job is done.
If you don’t use contractors, you’ll likely be courting a DIY approach, and that can certainly save you cash—at the expense of fatigue and time. DIY fixes take longer, and if mistakes are made, you’ve got nobody to blame but yourself. Still, the workforce can be 15% to 30% of the total cost, sometimes more. If you can avoid that, you’ve cut out the lion’s share of expenses.
Certainly, it depends on your situation, but there are ways to save substantial amounts of money during remodeling. Also, even if you can’t keep on the front end, you might very well save on the back end. For example, if you’ve got a remodel that costs you $10k, but produces $15k to $20k of property value, then you’ve saved money in the long run.
So though the costs may be direct, and the profit indirect, if you’re able to effect remodel that increases your home’s value, you’re technically within your budget. The question becomes: do you have enough resources to take that sort of financial hit directly for a higher profit later on?
Getting The Most Savings From A Kitchen Remodel
So firstly, if you want to save money on remodelling, do as much of the work yourself as you can. This isn’t feasible for everybody. However, you would be surprised what you’re capable of if you simply give it a shot. Demolition, installation, painting, applying protective coats of polyurethane to a wood floor you’ve just stained—for most homeowners, this is doable.
With that in mind, one of your wisest moves will be focusing specifically on parts of the kitchen that will be more affordable to remodel than others. A great place to start is your kitchen cabinets. Style, functionality, and architecture will play a part in cabinet value. Thankfully, there aren’t a lot of complicated parts with cabinets.
Generally, you can install the majority of cabinetry with a hammer, a screwdriver, and patience. You might need an Allen wrench or something of the sort. However, for the most part, the operation in question isn’t too tricky. If you get cabinets that are already completed, you pull out the old cabinets and install the new.
Getting The Most Value From Associated Cabinetry Options
One of the best options, as regards cabinetry, involves going the “RTA” route. Ready To Assemble cabinetry is generally less expensive than traditional options. Also, you can commission it to order. That means you can specially design cabinetry, so it exactly fits the needs of your kitchen, and then put it together yourself, saving thousands in contractor fees.
The question becomes: where do you find cabinets that can most efficiently fit your kitchen space? There are quite a variety of options out there. You can find some top-tier kitchen cabinets online by following the hyperlink—sites like these have a lot of options and can help you find that which best fits your home and your budget.
You’ll want to do a little research here, and consider how extensive the cabinet remodel should be. It may be that increasing available cabinet space is the best move. It may be that you want to replace older cabinets with larger, better ones, and remove some furniture from the area.
An excellent way to go about this is to have someone give you a little direction. You might have a realtor look at the space and see what they think would increase home value. Friends or family can also be of help. Look at the kitchen from multiple angles, and “imagine” a few different remodel scenarios.
Determining What Fits Your Kitchen Affordably
Sometimes it’s best to have floor-to-ceiling cabinetry. Sometimes you want cabinets above the sink, and below the sink, and a space between them. Pantry cabinet space can be worthwhile. You might install an “island” in the center of the kitchen where you have a countertop on top of varying cabinets and seating behind them.
You can get a granite countertop large enough to cover a few cabinets and act as a table for between $100 and $300, depending on the exact sort of countertop you purchase. For under $1,000, you could install a whole new component in your kitchen that manifests $3k or $4k in property value. That’s remodeling on a budget and something you can afford to consider.
So what makes the most sense is determining your budget beforehand, looking at the options you have available, and figuring out which of those you can afford to install yourself. Going the DIY route with RTA cabinets seems to be one of the least expensive options right now, barring the purchase of second-hand furniture, or building your cabinets.
Kitchen remodel can do much to add value to your home, but if you’re not careful, it can get expensive real quick; so whatever you do, design a realistic budget and stick to it. It can be wise to “overshoot”, estimating costs slightly higher than you expect them to be. Get the balance right.
