6 Tips to Remodel Your Kitchen on a Budget

When you decide to take on a kitchen remodeling project, it can feel intimidating. Your kitchen is probably your home’s most utilized space, so it’s essential to your everyday life, but remodeling it is a big project. 

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No matter your budget, it is a good idea to work with professionals on kitchen remodels. Otherwise, it can be tough to organize your plans and your design.

Even if you are working with a professional design company, you can still find ways to save money on your remodel.

There are things you can do to to make sure you get a luxurious outcome and the kitchen of your dreams, no matter your budget.

1. Refresh Your Cabinets Rather Than Replacing Them

If you’re going to tear everything out during a kitchen remodel, it’s going to be more expensive than if you can keep some of your existing items. Kitchen cabinets can be incredibly expensive, especially if you want or need custom pieces.

There are ways you can refresh cabinets without replacing them, and along with being more cost-effective, it’s also the more eco-friendly option.

There are actually quite a few ways you can refresh cabinets instead of replacing them. You can paint them, or you can go with the more expensive option, which is refacing them.

When you reface your cabinets, you’re adding a new veneer to the outside boxes and completely replacing your doors and drawer fronts. You probably won’t be able to do this on your own, but it’s still less expensive than fully replacing the cabinets.

2. Keep Your Layout

You can give your kitchen a major facelift but maintain the same layout. If you keep the same layout, then you aren’t going to have to hire plumbers for your dishwasher, refrigerator, and sink. You can update the elements within your existing framework, and you also won’t have to add electrical for the most part.

You may even decide to keep the flooring you have currently, but then you can still make the changes that are most important to you.

3. Do Some of the Work On Your Own

If there are certain aspects of the work that you feel comfortable doing, then go for it. If you can do things like tearing out existing elements, that’s going to save you on demo costs. Other things you might be able to do on your own include painting, tiling, and the installation of flooring.

4. Hire a Designer

We mentioned this above, but hiring a designer is actually something that’s going to end up saving you money in almost all cases, so don’t cut corners here. You might not want to pay for design services, but if you don’t, you’re going to end up spending a lot of money and time on problems that arise.

You need a designer who helps you avoid making costly errors and who can keep your project on budget and on the timeline you expect.

Once you have a professional you’re going to work with, you need to be prepared and have a solid plan. You should decide on every single component you want in your kitchen and have it on-site before you start the demo.

One of the things that can send your budget into the abyss is picking products for your kitchen during the project. If something is back ordered that you want, then you have to often choose a different item that’s more expensive or wait for the item you originally wanted. This will drag your project out longer, and the people you’re working with may charge you more too.

5. Think About Remnant Stone

You can get solid surface and granite countertops but still, stay on budget. If you go to a granite or stone supply yard, ask to see their remnants.

A remnant is the portion of a stone slab that’s already been cut into countertop pieces. What’s leftover is the remnant, and it can’t be used with the next lot of the same color because the stones are natural, so there’s inherent variation.

6. Be Strategic with Your Splurges

Finally, if you’re going to remodel your kitchen, there are inevitably going to be places you want to splurge. These are going to be the places that are most important to you, but you can’t splurge on everything. Think carefully about what you’re willing to spend more on and what you’re okay with saving money on.

For example, maybe you want to splurge on your countertops, but you’re willing to use a pretty basic backsplash tile. You might choose cheap light fixtures but more expensive flooring.