Kitchen Renovations on a Budget

The holidays are over, decorations have been packed away, the kids are back in school and daily life is back to normal.  At this time of year, many people turn their attention to addressing interior improvements to their homes before they are distracted with outside chores when spring arrives.

  As a REALTOR®, people ask my opinion all the time about what they should do to their home or condo to make it more attractive and or more salable.  While some of their ideas have merit, not all are good investments.  Read any home improvement magazine or simple Google "Top 10 Renos for Your Home" and it is almost guaranteed that kitchen and bathroom makeovers will be the top two projects that homeowners can do which will have the greatest impact while adding value.

  Unfortunately, these areas of a home are also about the most expensive to address especially if you lack the skills to do much of the work yourself.  Renovating a kitchen or bath however need not break the bank.  With a little imagination and effort you can get some fairly dramatic results without the need of a second mortgage or depleting the kids college fund.

These pictures illustrate what can be done on a limited budget with a reasonable level of home improvement skills.  This happens to be my own kitchen and I wanted to share with you what I've did. The 20 year cabinets were painted with a different palette for the uppers and lowers.  New hardware in a brushed nickle finish was added.  In order to dress up what are typical builder-grade cabinets, I added a crown moulding to the uppers giving them a more expensive
 look.  I also added a valance below along with some
LED under cabinet lights.

Once the painting  was complete I replaced the counters with a very distinctive Formica pattern called Petrified Wood and finished behind with a Travertine marble back splash.  Lastly I installed a new sink with a brushed nickle finished faucet to match the cabinet hardware.

None of this work was particularly difficult and it
is certainly within the skill level of anyone with
some basic home improvement skills.  I will caution
you however, this is not a one weekend project.  The cabinet doors and drawers must be sanded down for
good paint adhesion, I also washed mine with TSP.  A coat of primer was then applied followed by three coats of the final paint colour.  With over two dozen
doors and drawers this took some time.  Also, I can
not stress the importance of using a good quality paint, mine was Benjamin Moore's trim and cabinet paint purchased from Robinson's Paint in Collingwood.

So, you make be asking what was the cost?   Here is a breakdown of what I spent (excluding my labour of
course).

Paint                                  210.00
New Counters                   544.00
Stainless Steel Sink          170.00
New Faucet (50% off)      112.00
Marble Tiles                     190.00
Cabinet Hardware              60.00
LED Cabinet Lights            40.00
Miscellaneous Supplies    120.00

TOTAL                        $1,446.00

   I think you will agree that for less than $1,500.00 and with some effort on your part, you can obtain some fairly significant results.  The money I saved by not replacing the cabinets will be used to purchase new appliances and the transformation will then be complete.

  I'd really like to hear your comments.  Also if you have any questions please do not hesitate to Contact Me and I would be happy to share my knowledge and experience with you.  Not sure what to do with your kitchen?  Email some photos of what you have or if you live in the general Collingwood area, I'd be happy to drop by to discuss any changes you make be contemplating to your home or condo.