Show us your 'under $20K' kitchens!
ccoombs1
15 years ago
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janie-k
15 years agordsso
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Nearly done under 20k kitchen
Comments (14)It is all diy except we will pay someone to cut through the roof for the vent. My husband has been at it a long time and works full time so that is why we started a year ago and are not done. We did pay a builder to do the roof and a sun porch next to the kitchen though. I have to look up some of the details since some purchases were a while ago : ) Wilsonart oiled soap stone laminate counter top $600 Shenandoah Brekenridge Cherry Spice Cabinets from Lowes about $7000.. my husband thinks it was 6,000. Smasung frig $1,600 Pegasus sink - home depot - love having it in the corner! Vinatta faucet bought off of ebay for under $300 hardware is from target the vent we just got from some discount web site but it is fabkya it was around $400 I think... very much discounted and although we felt it was a risky move it seems to be fine. my husband put it on to test the motor and such. stove is ge... i would love to have gas but don't want to have a tank so we stuck with electric but I went with coil because it is durable... I cook with cast iron and for about $600 we got stainless : ) children - priceless of course! Some items were garden web finds for sure and I changed my layout a bit after some critique. I had already placed the cabinet order but it was not too late to change it. Where the stove is there was a door to the yard that we closed up so that we could put the stove closer to the sink and eliminate the need for a pot filler and extra footsteps. We really should be done in the next month or so and I will post the specific details with the final pics. Reading on here about all of your kitchens and research has really made my kitchen!...See MoreShow your DIY or less than 20K renovations
Comments (16)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 :)...See MoreShow us your under $20K kitchen, part 2
Comments (30)***CROSSPOST from Finished Kitchen: Circa 1840 Farmhouse*** Hi all, Well, we've finally got a (mostly) finished kitchen! This kitchen's been in the planning stages for 8 years and I've been in and out of this forum for just about that long-- wow, time flies! Whether I've posted or just lurked, the information I've gotten here has been INVALUABLE. I can unequivocally say that my kitchen would not look anything like what it does without this Forum, and for that I offer my profound gratitude-- there is, quite literally, no way I could have done it without all of you, past and present. So, here are the photos of the finished result: For the entire album with detailed photos, just click on the link below any of the photos above! Here are the details: Cabinetry: IKEA Lidingo White (with glass uppers) for the perimeter, Tidaholm Brown/Black for the island Island Knobs & Pulls: Anne at Home Farm Collection and Lewis Dolin Glass Cup Pulls (from Myknobs.com) Perimeter Knobs and Pulls: Anne at Home Horse Collection, generic polished chrome knobs, cup pulls, and bar pulls (from Myknobs.com) Wall Paint: BM Revere Pewter Trim, Hood, and Fireplace Paint: Valspar Bright White (from Lowes) Perimeter Counters: IKEA Butcher Block, stained Black with India Ink and sealed with Waterlox Island Counter: IKEA Butcher Block, sealed with Watco food safe butcher block sealer Main Sink: Whitehaus 36" farm sink (from Vintagetub.com) Island Sink: IKEA single Domsjo, undermounted instead of the usual overmount installation Faucets: IKEA Hjuvik Refrigerator: Because we grow a lot of what we eat (so we don't need to store much) and have a large fridge in an adjacent laundry room, we chose a generic small undercounter fridge (Home Depot, off the shelf) Wine chiller: Sunbeam (Home Depot, off the shelf) Dishwashers: Kenmore and Hotpoint, both existing and 5-7 years old Microwaves: 8 year old Kenmores Island Oven: IKEA Datid 30" Hood: ProLine 36" range hood (from eBay) Range: IKEA Praktfull Pro A50 Backsplash Behind Range: Handthrown Williamsburg brick (local brickyard, left over from another project) Flooring: Lumber Liquidators, Hand Scraped Teak Island and Sink Pendants: IKEA Ottava Cabinet lights: IKEA Grundtal single puck lights Chandelier over the Table: Progress lighting, black 5-light chandelier (Home Depot, off the shelf) Fireplace: Style Selections 36" Vent Free LP fireplace (LoweÂs, off the shelf) A few notes about the remodel, just to hit some discussion points I see come up a lot in this Forum: Our kitchen lives in a big old 1840 farmhouse, which has been part of a working farm since the day it was built. Originally it was soybeans, but now it's part of a gentleman's farm (horses, heritage gardens and poultry), so everything has to be hard wearing and practical. It needs to stand up to heavy traffic, mud, hay, tools, and the occasional chicken (though usually when they wander in, they don't go much further than the family room, because they like the television). That definitely informed our choices for surfaces-- they needed to be hard cleanable, and ultimately easily refinished or replaced down the line. Because the entire house already has strong architectural elements (huge moldings and built-ins), we worked within the style we already had-- all the kitchen moldings, mantels, panels and cabinets match (or are closely styled after) what already exists in the house. We definitely didn't do a period kitchen (we wanted a 2010 layout with all the conveniences), but we wanted the kitchen to look like it belonged in the house. The big thing for us was budget-- believe it or not, the entire kitchen was done for UNDER $20K. Four big things contributed to that: 1/ We DIY'ed the ENTIRE project, start to finish. The only thing we hired out was the gas line install for the fireplace and range, because state law requires it. Other than that, all planning, demo, sourcing, and construction was on us. Might be why it took us 8 years. . . 2/ We reused what we could, and scrounged a lot, especially construction materials (which could have been buckets of money, considering all the custom work we did in the space), and kept what appliances we could. It was also a great way to be environmentally responsible on a project that, let's face it, has a lot of non-necessities involved. 3/ IKEA, IKEA, IKEA. If you're anywhere reasonably close to an IKEA, and you're on anything approaching a budget, go check it out. The cabinet quality for the price can't be beat (except for a few pockets of custom cabinet makers), and there are a lot of great accessories, appliances, lighting and other things to be had for a terrific price. As always, you have to pick and choose your items for quality and value, but at least in our experience, it is definitely there to be had for the buyer with a good eye. 4/ We didn't go for major appliance upgrades. Our whole family LOVES to cook (and eat!), and we wanted a great looking, functional space to do it all in, but we just weren't convinced that we needed more than the basics right now. If we want to upgrade down the line, it's easy enough to do, but right now our Wolf budget is standing in our barn eating hay, and our LaCanche budget is steered towards this Show Hunter prospect I have my eye on . . . So there's our formula for a great kitchen that works for us considering the (kind of odd!) parameters we had. Hope you all can take at least something useful away from our experience. I've submitted the kitchen to the FKB, and I'll answer whatever questions you've got. . . Thanks again, everyone!...See MoreHow to update kitchen on a budget
Comments (29)[First, I read the posts through about 4pm (ET) yesterday, but only skimmed the rest (I started this response yesterday around 4pm as well!), so if I'm repeating what someone else has said, consider it a second opinion!] Yes, your kitchen is nice but I do understand you want to put "your" stamp on it. Cosmetic changes with accessories, wall paint, etc. are one way...as well as the least expensive and easiest. The real question for you is this... Does this kitchen (layout, cabinet configurations, cabinet types, and workspace size/location) work for you functionally as it is now and are the cabinets in as good a shape as they look in the picture? What most of us don't want to do is put major $$ (and $20K is major) into a kitchen that functionally does not work for us. We'd rather wait and save up to do it right...to not only make it "ours" but to also make it more functional all around. If the answer to either part of the above question is "no", then I would either do a budget-friendly new cabinet/layout change or wait until you have enough $$ to do it the way you picture your ideal kitchen. Looking at the kitchen as it is now, the layout isn't too bad...the only 3 thing that I would want to change are: (1) Increase the amount of space there is for the Prep Zone (probably b/w the range & sink since the island has no water and, therefore, does not make it ideal for prepping anything that needs rinsing/cleaning/peeling) (2) Increase the amount of work and landing space on both sides of the range (as a side note, the counter behind the island is pretty much wasted space as anything more than a "junk collector". It's too far away from the sink, range, and refrigerator to be of much use.) (3) Get rid of the OTR MW and replace it with a true range hood and full-size MW that's located more conveniently and safely (maybe move the refrigerator & MW to the other wall and make it a "snack center" and then center the range on its current wall). Yes, the island is workspace, but, as I mentioned before, it has no water so isn't really convenient for prepping. If you used the island, your workflow would be: Refrigerator to sink, then sink to island, then island to range or MW, crossing aisles each time. If you used the area b/w the range & sink for prepping, your workflow would be: Refrigerator to sink and then directly to the range, the last w/o having to cross aisles...so one less trip and less aisle crossing ... All that is well and good, but if you want to use the same cabinets, none of those changes are possible without rearranging the existing cabinets and changing the countertop. So, based on your ideas, here are some thoughts: >Cabinets/Soffits/Refrigerator Refacing cabinets...It's a well-guarded secret by the refacing companies that refacing is not as inexpensive as the commercials imply. As someone has already pointed out, refacing can often cost as much as replacing cabinets or even more. Even at 50% the cost of new cabinets, it seems like a waste of $$ to me b/c new cabinets would give you more useful cabinets…more drawers, a trash pullout, etc. Painting can also get expensive unless you do it yourself. Painting cabinets is not as easy as painting walls…you have remove the doors, prep the surface (the amount of prepping depends on the condition of the surfaces (both cabinet doors & drawer fronts as well as cabinet boxes), true material of cabs & doors, etc.), paint two or more coats, etc. See the Painting Forum (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/paint/) for more information). If you're going to pay to paint or reface, look into the cost of new cabinets before you commit to anything (and remember…the advantage of new cabinets is you can get closer to an "ideal" layout, more useful workspace (and better located), and more functional cabinets. [BTW…are those builder-grade cabinets that just have a single fixed shelf in the base cabinets (maybe even a half-shelf) or were they "upgraded" to at least have roll out tray shelves (ROTS)? Drawers are even better than ROTS.] FWIW, I agree w/you on the cabinets…I'm not fond of them either, especially against the floor. Refrigerator...Even if you're not getting new cabinets, there's no reason why you cannot "build in" your refrigerator. All you need to do is surround it w/panels and pull the cabinet over forward so it looks like it is full depth. Finish the end panels in whatever you do to the rest of the cabinets. However, the soffit above it is an issue… Soffit...If you do remove the soffit, then you have a couple of possibilities: add crown molding to give the overall kitchen a more "finished" look or perhaps get some short cabinets to "stack" above the current cabinets…that, of course, would be more $$$. If you go the crown molding route, I would not go to the ceiling b/c the crown will overwhelm the cabinets. With the soffit removed, building in the refrigerator is easy! "…consider bumping the cabinets to the ceiling and adding shelf underneath …" The problem w/this idea is that it will make the cabinets inaccessible to anyone under 6' or so. The other thing to think about is that anything stored on open shelves will collect dust and, since you don't have a real range hood, grease/steam/etc. from cooking. (Even if that OTR MW is vented outside, they're usually not very good at venting and notice that it does not cover the front burners at all…so that means the grease, steam, odors, smoke, etc. will stay in your kitchen, not vented to the outside.) >Island Island w/bookcase..."...(we) want to change up the island as well - maybe with storage for books at the end..." Do you intend to change it completely? As it is right now, there appears to barely be enough room for the table with the island as long as it is. If you increase the length of the island, it will seriously encroach on the table space and the aisle b/w them. That aisle will be well-used as it is the main way to get to the refrigerator, MW, and into the kitchen to prepare a meal. (The refrigerator and MW are the items that are used the most by those not working tin the kitchen...well, the sink may also be in that camp if there's no other sink conveniently located on the same floor as the kitchen.) Now, if you get rid of the table and maybe use the DR for all your meals OR put in a banquette (they need less space than a table & chairs), then the possibilities open way up! If you intend to replace the island in whole or in part, then be careful how long you make it. Island w/seating...How wide is your kitchen? You need to be very careful here. If you add seating, you need to have room for (1) sufficient overhang so your guests will be comfortable sitting at the island and (2) for traffic to pass behind & between those sitting at the island as well as anyone working at the counter behind the island. Ideally, you should have (1) 15" seating overhang (the minimum the NKBA recommends for counter-height seating) and (2) 54" to 60" b/w the edge of the island's counter and the edge of the counter on the other side (against the wall). The aisle width becomes even more important b/c it appears there will be traffic coming in from the outside directly into the kitchen and passing through to get to the rest of the house. [We cannot see all views of the kitchen, so this is based on what we can see.] So, my question is, do you intend to remove the entire island and replace it with all new cabinets? If so, I think you can fit seating. It looks like the current island is 3 or 4 feet wide. Simply replace them with 24" deep cabinets facing the range wall and use the "leftover" for the seating overhang. If the current island is 3' wide, add another 3" and you have the overhang you need. If the current island is 4' wide, then subtract 6" or so and have an 18" overhang or 9" and have a 15" overhang. "…Island - too big for me - prefer to make it longer but slimmer…" If you want seating at the island, you will need the island to be at least 40.5" deep (1.5" counter overhang on cabinet side + 24" cabinet + 15" seating overhang). What do you plan to do about the counter? (I may have missed that part!) >Countertops Countertops…I would not replace the counters unless you replace the cabinets. If you get stone counters, they are usually two to four thousand dollars (or more) and unless you plan on keeping the cabinets for 10, 15, or more years, I think it's a waste of money. If, OTOH, you plan to replace them less expensively (laminate, butcher block), then you might consider it to get a "color" you like…but wait until after you've painted or refaced the cabinets. Once you redo the cabinets, you may find that you actually like the counters…especially if you go with a very light color…dark counters and light cabinets (like white, cream, pale yellow) look great…at least IMHO! Hope all this helps! Welcome and good luck!...See Moreboxerpups
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