My kitchen is a DIY renovation. I have all my pictures posted in the topic "Espresso Maple kitchen". Dunno if it's overkill to post them here, so I will leave them unless someone requests.

Mine came in around 16K IIRC. I did hire out the backsplash tile installation and flooring install, but I did everything else. Even sold my old cabinets for $800!

Love those yellow cabinets! I can't believe those beautful floors were covered up with vinyl. Nice job.

Mine is going to be DIY and waaaaay under $20k. About $7k for everything, including new cabinets and Electrolux gas range. We're keeping DW and refrigerator as they are only a few years old. We've *just* started demo though, but most everything is already purchased and here waiting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen album so far

Mine is completely DIY, but, for $20k, I can't even show you half of it! ;-) Congrats to you two, and I mean it. They each look lovely.

Here's an older thread with links to the famous Under 20K kitchen remodels threads from the past:

Here is a link that might be useful: under 20K kitchen remodels

Curious when you figure the price of the kitchen, do you include new appliences? I'm almost finished, and will post pictures B and A soon ( I hope!)

This is the kitchen in the house we sold last year, well under 20k, lots of DIY but not everything. Cabs and counters are Ikea, floor is floating cork, pendants from Target, pot rack from Pier 1.

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ratem, I'm very impressed by the glass panel innovation in your upper cabs. Nice job and the result is very interesting--the eye keeps coming back to those wonderful curved glass panels. Yours is a kitchen to bookmark!

Ours was under $20,000. Probably around $15,000 when you add up everything. We paid $0 for labor, otherwise who knows what it would have cost.

Here is the way "before" picture.

This is the most recent picture I have that sort of shows the whole kitchen - I was scraping down the ceiling as we decided to remove the texture DH had put up four years earlier - it has not been patched and repainted yet.

And the baking center wall, (the one in the first picture).
while we were working on the window seat (that is a temporary cushion)

And just a few weeks ago we finally got the sides done on those cabinets, still have lots of touch up painting to do - after the ceiling is finished.

And the kitchen table - a few more coats and it will be ready to set up.

This is the fabric for the window seat -

Though the work is not all done, I think I'm done spending money on the kitchen.

We spent about 3K(including new appliances!) updating the kitchen at our lake house.

Before it was wood everything... walls, cabs, counters, floor.. even the light was brown!

We painted the walls, replaced the doors on the cabs and painted them & added crown molding. We took a little space away from a bedroom to recess the refrig on the opposite wall and added a pantry. New countertop(it's laminate), sink, lighting, etc. Replaced the old brown vinyl tiles with stone look laminate(throughout the entire house). We are very pleased with the results.. moving the refrig gave us much needed extra counterspace and opened the space to the rest of the house.

After:

Wow I am so impressed by these kitchens. Especially by those that gutted or replaced cabinets and stayed under. I did calculate appliances as part of the money toward renovation.
Macy that is certainly a huge project, wow. Can't believe you stayed under budget. Were you able to reuse cabinets or purchase new?

Ours was some DIY, and some not. It was under 12K. We were able to put the flooring in the kitchen, morning room, family room, foyer, hall closet, and 1/2 bath as well. Cabinets were repainted, rather than replaced.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0419104530744.html?47

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen redo

ratrem, when I said we paid $0 labor, that includes labor to make the cabinets. The lumber/hardware for all the cabinets was under $3,000. I expect the cost would have been 10x that if we paid someone else to make them, as every single one was custom fit.

The disclaimer is that amount does not include that DH already had a well stocked shop of tools that we used.

We never had a budget, it's been a "pay as you go, work as you have funds" project. Kind of scary when I sat down and added everything up.

Ours broke down to $3,000 for cabinets, $5,000 for cooktop, hood and double ovens (used existing for rest) $2,000 for countertop $2,000 for flooring (entire floor, not just tile) and an estimate of $3,000 for the rest - sheetrock, electric and plumbing supplies, insulation, studs . . .) The last is probably high for just the kitchen as we did the whole house.

On the whole house, I think we are up around $70,000 but that included an addition too. Averages to putting about $10,000 a year out of pocket into the house. Gonna feel good not to be spending money like that, may have funds for something like a vacation in the future!

Wow Macy your DH must be one talented wood worker, and DIY. We are so not that as handy. We are moving for a lower mortgage and I can't wait to free up some fund for things such as vacation. Can't wait.

I found one of when the kitchen was all white before the soapstone. I do think I like the white better than the yellow, but it was fun trying different things out:

We're only halfway through as well, but our budget will come in shy of 11K for the whole kitchen.

Before, from the home inspection in 2007:

That includes all new cabinets (RTA, assembled and installed by us), new Thermador gas cooktop, double ovens, and hood, and a sharp microwave drawer ($900 worth of craigslist scores), bringing in pros to move the electric outlets and to plumb the gas line from the garage to the kitchen. We did drywall patching and painting ourselves. Using existing dishwasher (only a year old) and fridge (one day that thing will die!). Kept existing tile floor.

Gearing up for phase II next month! *Squee* I can't wait!

I'm a sporadic poster here, but my husband and I do renovate houses semi-regularly, and when I see "cheap kithcen reno" threads I'm always inclined to post to encourage those who don't have huge budgets to improve what they've got. I've posted about the following kitchen before (this is the house we're currently living in) and the before pictures, which were taken before we bought the house, are certainly not hideous; we had a GREAT starting point here.

Anyway, this "reno" was about $400:

We painted cabinets, put in a cheap subway tile backsplash, replaced lights with ikea pendants, and changed out the micro hood with something more functional, and hung fabric behind the glass cabs (because I'm not neat enough to keep that kind of thing looking good.) Later, we also changed out that oddly tiny sink for a 33" silgranite with better faucet, but I don't have a pic of that on this computer.

Anyway, the reason I always post in these threads is to cheerlead those who don't have 50K to drop on a kitchen: you can still have an awesome kitchen on a budget! DIY is NOT as hard as you probably think! I find it much easier to do things myself than to supervise contractors, for instance :) A little paint and tile can go a long way.

I've been lurking here the past few days because we're looking at a new project, by the way: An 1810 New Hampshire Cape in need of full renovation! I can hardly wait! If the sellers cooperate, I'll get to get my hands on this kitchen (with it's huge, original pantry):

If we get this house (we are haggling over minor price issues right now, so we probably will) I have about $6000 budgeted for a full kitchen reno. Keep your fingers crossed for us! This house is going to be awesome :)