I began my Real Estate sales career after running my own building and remodeling busniess for 15 years.
Kitchens have been are and will be the place where most of us will spend the most time while home when we are awake. So, it is really the one room that deserves some attention when buying or selling a home.
Does a kitchen remodel have to cost 25,-50,000 $$$$$? I say NO.
I recently did some work on my own kitchen and spent a total of around 6,000.00.
Ok, so what all did I get for my money?
New Granite counter tops including an 11 ft Island and an 8 ft. counter using Absolute Black, which is not one of the base price Granites. Point being I could have gone with cheaper Granite which by the way does not in any way mean that it is inferior. My understanding is that good old supply and demand dictate the prices on Granite materials. Uba Tuba is a beautiful granite with deep Green and Gold which is a base price granite. It just happens there is an abundant supply of that material from many sources. Ok I also dropped a new Stainless sink and faucet, excluding the faucet in which most granite installers will include in the price if you ask. I did not put a fancy edge on the granite but went with a 1/4 in round over which was included at no extra charge. This is where a lot of extra money can disappear quickly if you decide to put a fany edge on the granite like an Ogee. Economy says to me stick with the basic edge if money is a factor for you. Well I did add a curve to the overhang on the Island which gives it some sex appeal, yes that was extra but I thought worth the 150.00 cost.
We had white cabinets but they were looking tired and worn after 15 years but I did not tear them out, NO Way! I installed all new hinges, and knobs and self closing drawer slides, and repainted them using a styrofoam roller and the best Paint possible. Hey the paint was 1 Gallon it does not get any better. Yes you can do it yourself if you do your homework and are carefull.So with the paint and rollers and cleaner and supplies you can spend like 130.00 and get a new look on the cabinets. What do you think all new cabinets would cost? Probably 6-12,000. Now the drawere slides were about 300.00 and they were a bit of trouble to install not a do it yourself job for most.
New Stainless steel LG Dishwasher, A GE stainless convection oven and GE Microwave wee also installed along with a Jenn Air Black Gas cook top with stainless rim and downdraft duct work. I did the install on the appliances which saved about 600-900$.
Anything else? Oh yeah, I installed a triple layer crown molding around the ceiling and repainted the walls with a creamy off white color. Caulking this molding and painting it are more work than putting it up I think but paint is cheap. Like I said the whole thing added up to about $6,000.00. I did not change the floor because the tile looks good and the electric and plumbing stayed as is which is another place that a lot of money will disappear if you change locations on that stuff.
So, if you want to create a fresh new look and you are on a tight budget there are a lot of good options for you.
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