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White kitchen that won't sell- $308 Update with tons of pics

15 years ago

You spoke and I listened....I was serious about not having the money to update so I very carefully and selectively shopped. Over a period of 2 months we DIY'd a few minor changes that I hope will make the difference. The total cost of our updates...$308! Even I am surprised that we were able to make such a dramatic change for such little money. My Ebay and internet bargains include: 1.5 inch brushed nickel knobs for $0.80 each, two light fixtures for $30 each (including shipping), main sink pull down faucet $80 and prep sink $30 (again including shipping), and then the rest was spent on paint and accessories. I also removed one of the bar stools, the bird clock, all of the blue accessories, and neutralized the glass front cabinet to display only clear glass, pewter, and mostly white china. The color we painted was a deeper gold than what was there previously and it does make the molding pop plus it blends well with the gold tones that we have in the adjoining living room. If I had another $40-50 I would get another picture for over the little wooden chest, but for now I've used something I already had. Although it is an original piece of art, it is intended as a nursery piece, but what the heck...it was the right colors and I already had it. I think it looks better there than the "formal" bird print that was previously there. Plus the bird print had too much blue in it. So here it is folks....my $308 update!!!!

Before:

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Comments (74)

raehelen
15 years ago
Good job!

It must have been a fair amount of work to do all that painting- but Wow! What a difference it makes!

FYI- for those looking for iron pieces similar to that above the window- Michaels has lots like that. I even scored one that had an artificial arrangement glued to it (took that off)on a reduced table that was marked 90% off last clearance price. Supposedly regular $120, and I paid $5.
lascatx
15 years ago
Very well done.
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I love the fact that you got so many responses on modest and (relatively) cheap fixes including doing nothing but wait. Also great advice to look at the whole house again with an eye to, not so much how much you could spend on it, but just noting any little details now that you are more "detached" as an owner and trying to see it as a buyer. I would be attracted to darker neutral paint EVEN though I would likely re-paint all over again), and the new knobs. But, no buyer is likely to keep everything as-is so it would be a crapshoot to replace counter, appliances. Anyone who has any sort of interest in the house will know that they can change counters, paint and so forth themselvs. Some of the real issues are not whether you will get your $$ back in price, but more whether you are in a real bind to sell quick, or can wait a few months. For some people, $$ is leaking out fast each month and therefore a quicker sale is most important. I had hired an agent to sell my dad's house after he died. I lived in another city and had no interest in trying to do updates, even though it needed a lot of them--we were definitely into right-pricing, because once we would have started on one update, everything would follow, and we still could not justify an increase in price. So we tried to concentrate on necessary improvements like roof, etc. The agent kept telling us things like, how about new siding? great ceramic tile in the kitchen? etc etc. When we knew we were looking for a buyer who was okay with making his own updates. After more than several months of this, we fired her and hired someone else with a different attitude. The house sold in less than a month. Okay, that might not be relevant to your situation, because certainly your home is way more up to date than that and there's also no comparison with the housing markets. The point is just, I now pay a lot more attention to what I hear an agent saying, to see if we are on the same wavelength and that they are truly working for my benefit. So I am more alert to whether the agent is sending poor-mouth signals to buyers or not. Also as many said, sometimes folks are "pressed" for a reason and so you can't always rely on what reasons they give, nor can you blow with the wind on the latest comments from lookers. When you read the real estate sections now, it's all about how we the homeowners ought to invest a brazillian dollars prior to selling. Because remember the agents don't really care so much about the actual sale prices--they are into volume, and want to move stuff quickly.
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pcjs
15 years ago
Lovely!
jejvtr
15 years ago
nc
You should be proud - your hard work, perseverence really paid off in a BIG way - Wish you best of luck w/sale now
Great job!
iris16
15 years ago
Necessity is the mother of invention! Good job.
stiles
15 years ago
Looks so rich and warm! Keep us posted on the sell job! You belong on HGTV designed to sell.
sundownr
15 years ago
You should be very pleased! Your changes made such a huge difference. While your original kitchen wasn't bad, it was a little tired. Only $308 and it's not tired now! Very, very impressive.

~Cindy
ourfixerup
15 years ago
WOW What a great job. I love yellow kitchens and yours is
so warm. My husband is not a fan of white cabinets but he
said your kitchen is wonderful and warm. I love the piece over the window, what a great idea.
User
15 years ago
Kudos to a great job. I loved your kitchen before, but I can see that this really helps for the resale.
zenamidievel
15 years ago
Fantastic job! AMazing what that small amount of $$ did! Looks great.
atlgirl
15 years ago
I think you should have your own show on HGTV. In these lean economic times, what you have done shows no one needs to live in a dated room. Congratulations!
pbrisjar
15 years ago
I see you found a way to keep some of the blue pieces visible (in that hutch). Got a chuckle out of that.
deegw
15 years ago
Great job Amy. I've been wondering about you. I was afraid you might have gotten a little too much "tough love" the last time you posted. I'm so glad you were able to make dramatic, inexpensive changes with the forum's suggestions. Best of luck trying to sell your home.

Dee
plansrus
15 years ago
Wow, nice job, definitely an inspiration to us all. Good luck with selling the house.
PRO
Window Accents by Vanessa Downs
15 years ago
I totally agree that the changes you made have given the room a dramatic makeover.

I am so happy that you posted the after photos so we could see the difference that a little money and elbow grease can make!

I'm praying for the right person to come along and buy your home!
tkln
15 years ago
I agree with everything that's been posted so far....what an amazing transformation for such a small price. I really really hope you sell your house soon...but if you don't, it's definitely NOT because of the kitchen!!!
cotehele
15 years ago
It looks so good! The walls are warm and the contrast with the white cabinets, which along with the hardware, gives the room a lot of depth.
busybme
15 years ago
Holy Cow! It looks great!! Definately 'the look for less'! : )

So glad you stopped back by, amy, to give us the update and to share your pictures. I am amazed at how much you did for so little $.

btw, I've been hooked on stockblowout . com eversince you first posted about finding that lighting fixture there! Thank you for that tip.

Sandy
evilbunnie
15 years ago
What an excellent job! I particularly like the branches and berries piece over the sink window, and I like how it brings that warm reddish brownish color up there -- it makes the small wood cabinet and the barstools make sense now. It's especially cool that it sits under that recessed light, like you planned it to be that way. Much better than the clock face that just reflected that light, the metal scuplture lets the light play down the wall. I know you did this in a hurry up and sell, love it and leave it kinda way, but I think I love that little piece -- It's perfect right there!

Great job with those changes, you listened to the important comments and ditched others. Kudos to you and your budget shopping skills!
tradewind_64
15 years ago
You did great. I am very impressed.

Joanna
pfmastin
15 years ago
Thanks for the info on the metal art above the range!
Pam
chefnewbie
15 years ago
I doubt there's another word of praise left to use in the english language! Brava! I don't think I've seen such an amazing transformation for such a small budget anywhere!
terezosa / terriks
15 years ago
What a big change for the money! The color really warms up the space. I would suggest that you add a few accessories to bring the wall color to the counters. Maybe some pottery pieces similar to this one:
marybeth1
15 years ago
I know this sounds redundant but WOW! You have shown how with just a little money you can transform a room from nice to FANTASTIC! I'd buy it in a minute!
robynpa
15 years ago
What they said - fantastic job. You have the knack!
tetrazzini
15 years ago
Wow, I can't get over it!! I have to go back to your original post and read people's suggestions. Whoever suggested painting the room darker and removing the border to make the trim pop knew their stuff. I'm really impressed by the choices you made and the bargains you found. You did a great job!
bevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
15 years ago
I almost never comment on finished kitchen remodels but I just HAD to this time because I am so totally impressed with the changes!

I remember your original posts and how tough people were in telling you to get rid of the border along the top of the walls which you so clearly loved. I felt downright sorry for you because it had to have seemed like people were attacking your personal tastes. I know I would have felt that way. When you're decorating to sell however, you have to look at things with other peoples' tastes in mind rather than your own. Kudos for having the courage to that!

You've created a very warm, inviting kitchen that I think 999 out of 1000 people would like very very much. The darker gold walls make all the white "pop" so much that even the appliances all look "brand new"... which is a perfect thing for a potential buyer to be thinking. LOL! And the decorative touches you've added are absolutely perfect. Just enough to keep the space from looking bland and unfinished, not enough to get in the way of potential buyer's own "vision" about how they could add their own decorative touches.

An absolutely marvelous transformation... and to have done it on such a tiny budget is almost unbelievable. I suspect people will be pointing to your kitchen make over constantly in the future whenever someone posts that they really need to makeover their kitchen but "can't afford to do much."

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Do let us know what kinds of comments you get about the kitchen from future lookers...tho I expect there won't be very many more lookers before someone puts in a bid on the house and takes it off the market.
stretchad
15 years ago
This is INCREDIBLE! I think this goes to show how you don't need a big budget to improve upon a kitchen.
boringmama
15 years ago
I know you really don't need another comment, but I have to say....I thought everyone was very hard on your 'original' kitchen. I rather liked it. (I happen to love blue and yellow anyway), but the transformation is amazing. Love it, love it, love it.
rhome410
15 years ago
Wonderful job. It's so rich and classy looking. Your accessory selections seem just perfect to show off the room.
remodelmom
15 years ago
If I walked in to your kitchen, I would want to buy that house! It looks warm and welcoming, and I believe many people could picture themselves in it - just what you want a potential buyer to do, right? Love your barstools - where did they come from? My current ones won't last long with 3 little ones....
Good luck to you on your sale!
gigib_08
15 years ago
Wow! I am sooo impressed! Your kitchen looks Fantastic! What an inspiration to show what you can do on a limited budget! You did a great job!!
queenofmycastle0221
15 years ago
Impressive! Enough Said!
susanlynn2012
15 years ago
I am so happy you painted over that border and now your beautiful crown molding really adds to your kitchen. I love your kitchen now with the changes you made. Your kitchen should definitely be in the HGTV show "Designed to Sell"! I know your kitchen will be now an asset to your home. Thank you for sharing and listening to some of our advice. You deserve an A+ for such a great job in transforming your kitchen and making it look gorgeous and updated.
amck2
15 years ago
What a great attitude you have to have taken all those comments and executed such a great transformation. Your kitchen is lovely, fresh and classic. I'm sure your hard work will lead to a sale soon! Congrats!
phoggie
15 years ago
WOW!!!!
I really did enjoy seeing your "new kitchen".....you did a wonderful job of decorating on a shoestring. I wish we would see more things like this. Have you done any more rooms?....love to see them.

I know you will sell your home quickly.....or it won't be the kitchen's fault~~~~
neesie
15 years ago
Wow, you certainly created a kitchen with universal appeal! I have to admit that I am one that liked it before, with the exception of the white faucet. Now, I have to admit....it rocks! Congratulations, and I hope you are successful finding a buyer.
Buehl
15 years ago
It looks wonderful! I especially like the leaves over the sink! I'm looking for something similar....thanks for tip about Michael's Raehelen!
bodiCA
15 years ago
Excellent educational study you have exceedingly executed. Wish my eye was pulled to the wonderful triple doors and view beyond rather than sticking on the bold striped valance. Fascinating how the richness of this color compliments the cabinets where the lighter with the cabinets seem to simply reflect off each other. This is very well done! Simple and clean yet very inviting and warm. Love what you created!
moonkat99
15 years ago
For only $300???? Fabulous transformation on a serious budget!

Congratulations on a job very well done. You have every right to be proud of what you've accomplished.

And best wishes for finding the right people to call it home :)
lowspark
15 years ago
You did a fantastic job! What a difference a few key touches can make. You know, it wasn't so much that the border was bad, it was more that it was too personal. It was almost like if you'd painted "Ncamy's Kitchen" on the wall. Nothing wrong with it for when it is your kitchen, but of course, I wouldn't want my kitchen to say that.

Best thing about it is all the bargains you got for the knobs, lights & faucets. This could have easily cost you three times as much if you hadn't done your homework.

Congratulations on a job well done. I hope your house sells quickly. Please come back and tell us when it does!
mamadadapaige
15 years ago
did it sell yet?
biochem101
15 years ago
Amazing!!! If I was in the market I'd definitely buy your house. In fact, I really want your kitchen now!

Saving these pics to my 'Decor' folder to remind myself how it's done. Even that picture change over the little dresser makes a difference. Not that the other one was 'bad', but this one is cheerier. This is amazing.
Happyladi
15 years ago
Wow. I thought your kitchen was okay before but the small changes really have an impact. I love the new wall color, I didn't even notice the crown molding before. And the new faucets really make a difference, too. It all looks great.
momto4boys
15 years ago
jaw dropping!
celticmoon
15 years ago
I don't know what is most impressive:
-that you listened and ran with so many (well intentioned but hard to hear) suggestions
-that you did some killer bargain hunting
-that the result is so flat out smashing

No way this kitchen will impede a sale.

Best of luck in this tough market. We are rooting for you. Come back and post when you get your offer(s)!
sue_ct
15 years ago
THANK YOU for including us in the final product, you knocked it out of the park! Please let us know when you sell. It looks fabulous. How do YOU like it? Would you still want to cook in it, or is it a case of, yes it is better for selling, but I wouldn't want to live with it?

Sue
THOR, Son of ODIN
15 years ago
bumping this amazing transformation!

-Lena
chloe_s_mom
15 years ago
Wow! Now people will be able to see the kitchen for what it truly is - a fabulously huge kitchen, with lots of counter space, and lots of important , useful upgraded features! Good for you!
susanlynn2012
12 years ago
Glad the kitchen finally sold a few years later. I feel it was also the market since the changes in the kitchen really made a difference.

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