Faced with the prospect of a hugely expensive full-scale kitchen remodel project, lots of homeowners are wondering if it is even possible to cut costs. Yes, you can freshen up your kitchen for a much smaller budget than you might expect. You can do this by using simple methods that have worked for homeowners for years.
Retain The Footprint in The Kitchen
Most kitchens come in one of several predetermined shapes. Few kitchen designers ever do anything different, mainly because these shapes work so well, but also because kitchens normally have so little space.
Whether it's the one-wall kitchen, the hallway or galley, the L-shape, or the U-shape, your existing kitchen probably works better than you might think, and the problem may lie in the arrangement of your services within that shape rather than in the shape itself.
If Possible, Keep Equipment in Place
Any remodeling of a house that requires the laying of plumbing, gas, or power lines increases your budget and timeline.
The concept of keeping appliances as far away as possible often goes hand in hand with the concept of keeping the footprint of the kitchen, but not always. You can keep the footprint but still move the appliances everywhere.
One way around this is to move appliances intelligently; as long as you don't move their connectors, you can move the appliances more easily.
For example, homeowners often want to change the dishwasher. Normally, a dishwasher can be moved to the other side of a sink because the washing machine's plumbing lines actually come from that central point under the sink, so it doesn't importance whether they are on the left or right side.
Laying Functional Floor Coverings
A less attractive resilient or ceramic tile that does the job well could be a compromise to an impractical, high-quality solid hardwood that absorbs overflow water and drains your budget.
Vinyl sheet, luxury vinyl planks, and ceramic tiles are the lighter end for most do-it-yourselfers. Above all, make sure that the floor is water-resistant, although it does not necessarily have to be waterproof. Laminate floors can often be laid over existing floors, eliminating the need for demolition.
Install Stock or RTA Cabinets
Stock kitchen cabinets are getting better and better. You are no longer forced to choose between three particleboards with melamine foil. It is easy and simple to find kitchen cabinets from your local home center. These cabinets are much cheaper than custom-made ones, and almost any general contractor or handyman can install them.
Another shortcut that saves money is the cabinet lining. As long as the cabinet boxes or carcasses are in good condition, they can be recladded. Technicians come to your home and veneer the sides and fronts of the cabinet boxes. As a rule, the doors are completely replaced, the drawer fronts are also replaced and new fittings added.
Ready-to-Assembly (RTA) cabinets are an increasingly famous way for homeowners to cut their kitchen remodeling budgets. RTA cabinets come flat-packed and ready-to-assemble to your home by freight. Since most RTA cabinets use a cam lock assembly system, few tools are required to assemble the cabinets.
Choose Practical Countertops
Kitchen countertops can blow your budget. Concrete, stainless steel, natural stone, and quartz are all high-quality materials, very desirable, but expensive.
Consider cheaper options such as laminate, solid surface, or ceramic tiles. All these materials are usable, cost-effective, and easy to maintain.
Permits To Use As A Warning of High Costs
Never avoid permits. Drawing permits must be issued when permits are needed. Use permits are proof that the expected kitchen remodels may cost you a lot.
It is not that the permits alone cost a lot of money; rather, everything that a permit requires is a signal that this work has pushed up your costs.
Normally no permit is required to lay a tile floor, but the addition of radiant heat under the tile triggers approval and creates a domino effect. Unless you are a confident amateur electrician who is duly certified by your jurisdiction for amateur repairs, adding radiant heat usually requires a licensed installer.
Painting work, floor coverings, cabinet installation, and one-to-one installation of appliances are examples of renovation work in the kitchen, for which no permit often does require.
