Remodeling your kitchen doesn’t always have to be an expensive affair. With the right kitchen remodel ideas, you can have the kitchen of your dreams and do so in a cost-effective way. Our budget kitchen remodel ideas guide is here to show you the way towards your dream kitchen!
Kitchen Remodel Ideas on a Budget
Be Prepared for the Kitchen Remodel
Remodeling your kitchen is a huge undertaking. You’ll be investing a lot of time, money, and effort into this process. Hence, you want to make sure that you’re doing it right from the beginning.
In the world of remodeling, there is no such thing as being too prepared. You have to do your research before you begin remodeling your kitchen. Why? This helps you avoid any surprises later on.
We recommend researching and planning your remodel at least 6 to 8 months before the process begins. Doing so will help you get a clear understand of what you want, and it can save you from making common remodeling mistakes as well.
Consider Sweat Equity While Setting the Kitchen Remodel Budget
Your kitchen is a reasonably complicated space, even more so than it seems. There are plumbing and electrical work that more or less dictates how your remodeling process will go. For instance, it decides that you will need the help of a contractor for remodeling your kitchen.
Contractors and labor charges make up around 20% of your overall kitchen remodel budget. You’ll be spending money on plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc. throughout your remodel. However, this is also where you have to consider sweat equity.
Even though you can’t carry out electrical or plumbing work, many tasks can help you save money. You can do the tiling work, light demolition, painting, backsplash installation (especially vinyl), installing lights, etc. These may not seem much, but they account for considerable sweat equity and help keep your budget kitchen remodel in check.
Refurbish Not Replace
A great budget kitchen remodel idea is to refurbish instead of replacing items. Allow us to explain. When you’re remodeling your kitchen, you’ll come across many functional yet dated things.
For instance, your kitchen cabinets play an essential role in your kitchen design. However, kitchen cabinets see a considerable amount of wear and tear. Since they occupy the most real estate in your kitchen, they can also make your kitchen look dated. In such a scenario, your first thought might be to replace them.
However, they are also considered to be the most expensive part of a kitchen remodel. The cost to replace cabinets can range anywhere between $4,000 to $20,000. With such extravagant costs, how do you save money? Simple, you can repaint the cabinets or change the doors.
You can use the same refurbishment principle for various fixtures like sink, faucets, handles, etc. throughout your kitchen and save a considerable sum of money.
Don’t Mess With the Layout
One of the easiest ways to increase the overall kitchen remodel budget is to make changes to your kitchen layout. Behind those beautiful cabinets and designer backsplash is a complex layout of electrical and plumbing work.
This means that any change to the layout will result in a thorough demolition and restructuring of the intricate work. For instance, changing your kitchen sink position will call for a complete overhaul of your plumbing and drainage system. This essentially translates to a lot of added labor hours and added expenditure on your part.
The best way to remodel your kitchen on a budget is to keep the layout as-is and focus on other changes.
Don’t Move the Appliances
Your kitchen is full of appliances. The most common and prominent ones include your gas/oven, freezer, refrigerator, and dishwasher. These are your heavy-duty appliances that require a dedicated electrical outlet, gas line, or plumbing. As it is with the layout, moving such appliances would also result in added costs.
One of the best ideas to have a budget kitchen remodel is not to touch the appliances and upgrade them if needed. This method goes hand-in-hand with the earlier point regarding the kitchen layout as both of them would significantly improve your overall kitchen remodel costs.
Focus on the Hardware
With so many significant aspects to pay attention to while remodeling your kitchen, it is easy to skip over small details. However, if you want to remodel your kitchen on a budget, that’s where you need to focus.
Even though it may not seem like it, the hardware in your kitchen contributes significantly to the overall appearance. From faucets, knobs, and handles, all of these have their role to play.
This role is highlighted when you’re looking for budget kitchen remodel ideas. Believe it or not, small changes can have the most significant impact. If you don’t want to spend a ton of money upgrading your cabinets or sink, change the hardware.
For instance, brass knobs and handles on cabinets will take the focus away from your old cabinets. You can easily do this on your own and save money on those labor costs. Simple tricks like these will help you remodel your kitchen on a budget.
Let There be Light
You’ll be surprised by the impact of a well-lit kitchen. Most homeowners tend to overlook the importance of lighting in your kitchen. You could have a well-designed kitchen, but with inadequate lighting, it might look dull and dreary.
However, if you have the perfect combination of natural and artificial lighting, you have a winner. Natural lighting aside, make it a point to include several artificial light sources instead of just one focal light.
Improving the lighting of your kitchen is an easy and affordable fix as it doesn’t require any major changes/demolition and can be executed on your own (for the most part).
Use the Magic of Remnants for Your Kitchen Remodel
Anyone who’s ever remodeled their kitchen or home can tell you that products like countertop material and backsplash material are expensive. For instance, a marble countertop can cost anywhere between $80 to $300 per sq.ft. Similarly, granite costs $40 to $200, and quartz countertop costs $50 to $150 per sq.ft,
However, there is a way to get them for a better price. All you have to do is go to a supply yard and inquire about the remnant pieces. Remnant pieces are the unused slabs that have minor imperfections or are the extra pieces. You can easily get them for cheaper, and they don’t affect the quality or sturdiness in any way.
