Lowest cost for a very needed new kitchen?

Question

I live in a very large house. It is like living in a bingo hall. My current kitchen is just horrible. I already bought the new refrigerator and stove. I want to move my kitchen into the next room but I now am being told that the $8000 that I was originally told that would cover the new kitchen, is not enough. Please help. I am a single mother who became a widow in 2014, I need all the help I can get.

Janet Pizaro · Answer

I Am truly sorry for your loss. There may be a way to reach out to Habitat for Humanity services. They sell closeout materials at a lot less money. That would be the first idea. Secondly If that does not work for you many Home Improvement stores have closeouts on Cabinets, Flooring etc. Then I would research your local penny saver and see if there is any experienced carpenter that perhaps need work to do and will offer you a better rate.(Just make sure they are Liscensed)

William · Answer

Janet has good suggestions. If you choose to reach out to Habitat for Humanity, you can also ask if here is any way they help. Moving a kitchen from one room to another also involves electrical and plumbing, so the costs would be more. Otherwise you will have to evaluate your needs and wants based on your budget.

B Juliana Leo · Answer

Are you open to painting the cabinets? I know a Gallon of SETCOAT paint can go a long way. www.fauxmarketplace.com have this paint. It really is durable (I have even painted countertops with it). Let me know, I could give you directions on how to do this. Juliana@thefauxchateau.com What state are you living in? Juliana www.thefauxchateau.com I may know some folks that might be able to contribute leftover paint?

B Juliana Leo · Answer

You live in Philly...I live down in South Jersey!

Poppy · Answer

is there a vocational training college near you? sometimes the students can be hired to do this kind of work, they are supervised and it is good work experience.

Kathfz · Answer

Depending on your style, I would paint the cabinets.  Change out cabinet hardware.  Replace counter with butcher block from lumber liquidators for $3-4 hundred or home depot has typhoon ice laminate that is beautiful at $141 for 10 feet.   There are so many inexpensive options and handyman that you can hire.  I also saw this brick paneling at home depot or lowes (can't remember which) that you could cut down for backsplash and paint it white.  It would mimic subway tile.  It would brighten up your kitchen considerably and I think painted brick is so stylish.

Sharon · Answer

Paint the cupboards and units white. Keep the blue work surface and have a seaside theme! Or, go on line and see if anybody is selling an ex-display kitchen.

CeCe813 · Answer

philadelphia.diggerslist.com has lots of supplies (surplus, salvage, etc.) for home improvements. If you are painting, be sure to use a good primer to help the paint adhere and take your time letting them dry thoroughly. Perhaps include the freestanding cabinet in the painting fest. My parents painted the cabinets in my kitchen almost 16 years ago. Cleaned them first with Simple Green, then primer, two coats of acrylic paint and one coat of Aqua Zar poly and new hardware from Ikea. The cabinets are still beautiful. I would also suggest some ledge shelves in those narrow spaces (like at the end of the cabinets, by the doorway and also over the cabinet where your microwave is). It would keep the space 'open' visually but give you some room to free up your counter space. I also have very little counter space and use the walls and inside of cabinet doors to store lots.

Cindy Hagemann · Answer

Didn't you ask about moving your kitchen, not fixing it up? If you want to move your kitchen - here are some considerations: what is your house on: a slab, crawlspace, basement? That determines a lot of the cost - slab is very expensive to drill through concrete to move waterlines, gas lines and power. We moved our kitchen in our former house but it had a basement underneath and we could move everything easily.

Linda · Answer

paint, paint , paint. will do wonders. Will make everything fresher and brighter.

Sam Phillips Beckerman · Answer

we'd need to see a floor plan to give any meaningful advice.

Jhmarie · Answer

Gina, I am sorry for your loss - that is a tough road. Moving a kitchen can be expensive because of the cost of moving plumbing and electrical and or gas lines. If there is a way to keep those where they are and extend the kitchen into another room, that might be less expensive. I am presently working on a basement kitchenette which I have managed so far for less than $1000 - there are no appliances involved, but the electrical and plumbing are already there and I have some DIY skills. I refinished some older cabinets I had in storage and am using shelves for uppers. Most areas have a ReStore Habitat for Humanity store that people donate their gently used cabinets. Home center stores have 'stock laminate' - laminate counters that they keep in stock and are very inexpensive. The downside is that each home center store only has about 10 styles so they turn up often in apartments and flips because of their low cost, so might not be as individual as you want - but then some quartz keeps showing up over and over so even high end surfaces can lack originality:) There are some kitchen pros and some great non-pro designers over at the Houzz forum and the gardenweb kitchen forum. If you post some clear pictures and if possible a drawing of the layout of your kitchen with where you can extend it to, you may get some help. Warning - there are some who will be rude - just ignore them. Also, look to your church and friends and family for some help with skilled labor. Here is a link to a guest house kitchen that was done very inexpensively. They used a few cabinets from a home center store, built some shelving off the sink base and used curtains and crates as part of the lower cabinetry. They also used salvaged upper cabinets and some open shelving: http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/2012/09/building-vintage-farmhouse-kitchen.html

Jeannie · Answer

Paint and new handles will do a lot! You can also stain the cupboards. We just had ours stained and it looks great, also new handles. It makes a difference.

Johnchip · Answer

It can be done for your $8K budget. Get creative and think of just flipping the services (water, gas) into the next room by taking down part or all the wall. Use the original as a larder, dish room or pantry area, opening the kitchen service into the other room. B 8, BINGO!

Trish Hope · Answer

Visit Habitat for Humanity and see about getting new cupboards.

Linda Johnson · Answer

I would go to http://www.justserve.org and contact the Church of Latter Day Saints. (I don't belong to this church.) Some of these churches do quarterly community service projects. (They helped our elderly neighbors in Rainier.) If I had to do it myself - I'd texture and paint the walls myself. (Inexpensive to do.) My daughters helped me and left hand prints and swirls in the texture in an office. They loved the look. Your cabinets look solid, but might need new hinges and handles on the lower doors. I'd just paint the cabinets white. (A blue and white kitchen would look darling!) Put the balance of the $8K towards a college fund for your children, or keep it for an emergency fund.

JoAnn Dibeler · Answer

I know how you feel - my new addition that replaced a leaking, falling apart one stalled unfinished when the friend who was doing the work became disabled. I can't afford to pay a professional to wire the room for electricity so I've been living for 3 years with bare stud walls because electric is the one thing I can't do myself; I'm running 2 construction grade extension cords from the shed and carport. The suggestion of help from the churches is a good one, just not something I'd feel comfortable doing.

Linda Mason · Answer

I did my (much smaller) kitchen for about $3200. Home Depo's cheapest 4 lg cabinets $1492, sink & faucet $220, counter top $212 (Wilsonart in store), handyman to install @ $25 per hour, etc. DO YOUR HOMEWORK - it should all work out.

Liz · Answer

I agree with the comment about painting the cabinets, put some pretty knobs on them, and maybe even redo those blue counter tops with a counter top redo kit (amazon). You could make room dividers with inexpensive old shutters hinged together, or old doors hinged together. Painted or wallpapered hinged plywood makes nice room dividers. For safety, to keep your little boy from knocking them over, use L-Brackets to attach the room dividers to the floor. (Room dividers will help it not to look like a bingo hall.) Paint the walls, or use paintable beadboard wallpaper. As a former single mom, I agree, save that money for emergencies. Just think of everything that you can do yourself inexpensively. Good luck!

Pauliegirl1 · Answer

I have not looked at IKEA....but I have heard they are very reasonable?? Also, ReStore have a LOT of things...cabinets, lighting, tiles and even flooring. You may be able to talk them into a 'better' discount due to your situation. If I lived close....I would help you!!!

Heidi · Answer

Cabinets appear to be real wood, I would prime them and paint them. Since cost is an issue, leave the blue countertop and pick a color that complements the existing countertop. Paint the kitchen and add new towels or small rug. It will make a big difference and not cost a lot. Be blessed with what you do have.

Mandy Brown · Answer

I too am so sorry for your loss. I've been a single mom (by choice) for the past 16+ years so I know how difficult it can be. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family of builders/contractors so I had a lot of DIY knowledge and do quite a bit of my own remodeling. Have you thought about chalk painting and waxing your cabinets? Pre-made chalk paints can be quite pricey, but you can purchase regular latex paint and add water and unsanded grout and make your own. The best thing about chalk paint is you don't have to use primer and it covers quite well so you don't use as much as you would with primer, paint and poly. The wax is relatively inexpensive and doesn't take a lot to cover the cabinets. If you'd like to add a little texture to the cabinet faces like a beadboard, there's a great Hometalk tutorial on here where one woman found beadboard wallpaper at Lowe's and glued it to the cabinet face (inside the recessed area) then caulked the seams well and painted over everything and it looked fabulous! There are products out there that you can use to transform your countertops if you can't afford to switch them out right now. There are products you can use to paint them to look like granite or marble and seal them to a high-gloss finish or check into the newer Formica counters. They've come a long way and come in some beautiful patterns/styles. Check Lowe's or Home Depot, they have several new products out to make backsplashes sooo much easier now. One product is a double-sided foam-like heavy duty adhesive that you just unroll and apply to the existing wall/backsplash then stick your new tile directly on top. You can use the groutless tile or grout over it. The adhesive is super strong and once your tiles are up you'll never see it. They also have tiles with adhesive already on the backs so all you have to do is peel the backing off and stick them on! A good source of information is right at your fingertips. Use the internet and read, read, read. Don't be afraid to try a project yourself before hiring it out. Don't do anything beyond your expertise; however. If you're not familiar with electrical, DON'T attempt it. Same with plumbing. I've been messing around with remodeling for over 30 years and you wouldn't believe the crazy things I've seen people do with wiring and plumbing trying to do it themselves. I think you have a good budget, just sit down and figure out where you NEED to spend your money and where you can possibly do things yourself. If you have to get outside help, get multiple quotes and ask for references. Good luck!!

Karen Demma Angeles · Answer

So sorry for your loss. Moving the kitchen to another room is very expensive, because the electricity and plumbing will need to be reconfigured for the appliances and sink. You may need to leave the sink and appliances where they currently are to minimize costs. I didn't see a dishwasher--this saves water and time. If you can put a dishwasher next to the sink, the existing plumbing with be easier to tap into. If the wall separating the two rooms can be removed or minimized with a header, you can expand your cabinets and maybe an island and table into the other room to make an eat-in kitchen.

Talk to other moms where your kids go to school. Find a reliable, reasonable handyman this way. Don't pay anyone more than 1/2 the cost of the job before the job is done. You can save money by buying furnishings yourself, but talk to the handyman beforehand so you get appropriate items.

Deborah · Answer

Choose 3 colors to use throughout the area. One could be the blue of the counter, if you choose to keep it Differing pieces of furniture look pulled together if the color matches. I would paint out the wallpaper and maybe put in a chair rail throughout  the area. This is also a unifying feature. You need a primary area color, a minor color and an accent color. Look at some things done with blocks of color to assign areas and still have unity without dividers. Better Homes and Gardens website is great.  If you want dividers, they can be made with fabric and suspended from the ceiling on a dowel rod that can be cut to your fit. Unify your colors further with fabrics that have your color scheme. You can sew with an iron and fusible tape, if you need to. Plants, curtains you're good to go Good luck and very best wishes.

Marilyn · Answer

I would put my money on new countertops. Laminate is not expensive and there are a lot to choose from. Also a backsplash if you can afford it. If you are able to spend the $8000., you could possibly afford to have new cabinet doors put on your current cabinet boxes. I would go with a white and paint the cabinet boxes to match. With careful planning I think you could do all of this for the $8000. If you don't want to spend all of that, do the countertop and backsplash and paint the cabinets.

Jean Myles · Answer

If you could keep the utilities in the same place doing the Reno would not be overly costly. Closing off one end of the room and opening up into the next room might be the answer to making your money go farther.good luck

Kayo Frazier · Answer

I think the most expensive part & most of your budget should go to moving the water lines, electricity, etc. all of it needs to be done by a professional. The rest can be done DIY by you. The current cabinets look like they are in good shape I would keep them. I would then piece meal the rest of your cabinets together...There seems to be a trend of mix & match cabinets (kinda a bohemian style) then painting all of them the same color to bring a cohesive look. Below are 3 links on Pinterest to give you an idea of what might look good until you can do a better renovation. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/198299189820010153/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/127719339406402144/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/508132770427277883/ I would then do a mix of counter top materials based on your needs. For example, if you decide to have an island & you do a lot of baking...I would make 2/3 of the island marble & 1/3 copper. For counters under cabinets I would pick a cheaper material like butcher block, quartz, soapstone, paperstone, or stainless steel. It really depends on the look you are going for. Hope this helps.

Lowest cost for a very needed new kitchen?

Kitchen Cabinet Refacing: Using Wall Paper!

Suggested Project Book

30 Address Signs That'll Make Your Neighbors Stop in Admiration

Other

More

Lowest cost for a very needed new kitchen?

Kitchen Cabinet Refacing: Using Wall Paper!

Suggested Project Book