Remodeling your kitchen is pretty much top of every homeowner’s wish list. Whether we want a spacious open plan kitchen that the whole family can congregate in or if your kitchen is outdated and badly in need of a facelift, the time comes when you will have to carry out a kitchen remodel. The biggest obstacle homeowners face is usually the cost: but don’t worry – we have a few helpful tips for remodeling your kitchen for less!
Decide what you want versus what you need: once you start collection those kitchen design ideas, there’s no end to the amount of gadgets and design gimmicks you’d want to include in your new kitchen! But decide realistically what’s vital and what’s a luxury in your new kitchen; if the stove doesn’t work too well and there’s no room for your dishwasher, then those will be immediate concerns, but a state of the art coffee machine will definitely be more of a luxury!
Do you need to enlarge the kitchen? If you decide to build an addition or move interior walls then your costs will be significantly higher than remodeling the existing space you have. If you have a smaller kitchen and want to create an open plan layout, then by all means go ahead! However if you’re happy with the size, then you can save money by not carrying out extensive building work.
Reface your cabinets and appliances instead of replacing them. If they’re in good working order but look tired or dated, you’d be surprised at the difference some minor cosmetic touches can make to them for an instantly freshened look – at minimal cost! Using pre-built cabinets instead of bespoke, custom made ones will also instantly save you some cash.
How much work can you realistically do yourself? Okay, so most of us aren’t qualified to do wiring or plumbing, but if you can prepare the space yourself by tearing out the old kitchen, or if you’re a dab hand with a paintbrush and can handle the painting and other finishing touches, then you’ll be able to save yourself money.
Finally, the materials: this is usually the biggest bone of contention when homeowners remodel their kitchens. Sure, we all want gleaming marble countertops, but can we really afford it? The quality of the tile, backsplash, flooring and countertop materials can greatly affect the cost of your remodel, but there are plenty of lower-cost materials you can use that won’t break the bank and will still look beautiful.
To help you work out your budget taking all these things into account, you can try the free and easy to use online kitchen remodel calculator for an accurate estimate of your remodeling costs.