Countertop.

I don't think you can budget in a vacuum. It's a lot different to cut back a $5,000 stove budget than a $1,000 stove budget. If you have a big "splurge" item and you need to cut back - well, you know where to look.

"I'd wait until I had the money for each element and then reno."

Depending on the situation, that could be a decent plan or a giant money hole. It is pretty rare that someone gets to put in everything on their "wish list." Even if you have money to spare, you shouldn't over-improve a home compared to the neighborhood.

I would not skimp on the cabinets.
I would put in decent appliances.
I would go with a laminate counter top and start saving to replace it with stone at a later date.

Don't forget that you also need a $$$ cushion for the unexpected.

Countertop, though I am not sure I would go with granite over soapstone. I would look into the least expensive counter I could find and use that until I could afford what I really wanted.

chip away: can you after market some of the stuff in your cabs?do with one less drawer cabinet?? a less fancy finish, but keep the overall cabinet construction up to your needs?? cabinets have a lot of priced elements to the final package price-work on that-definitely. Yeah-get granite-skip the fancy edge as well. appliances? don't go too much below mid grade or upper midgrade, but do you need hi end appliances??

I think it might depend on my alternatives. For example, I wouldn't want to skimp on the quality of cabinets, but I might leave out some of the extra features (spice pullouts, cobels, etc) or live with semi-custom instead of custom. Similarly, I might choose a good quality but not top of the line appliance instead of the top of the line professional grade. Or I might go with laminate for now and get stone later or choose a less expensive stone. The decision is really all in the details. I would also try to do some bargain shopping (scratch and dent, sales, etc) and more DIY work. After that, if I started having to sacrifice quality or seriously compromise the overall aesthetic of the space, I would evaluate how long it would take me to save up the additional funds required and probably wait.

Appliances! They seem to break down anyway...did I mention my new dishwasher had to have 3 service calls in the first six months? I'd get good quality cabinets and I wouldn't want to change the countertop, but then my perimeter countertop is not going to be very high end...so probably not much money to save there, anyway :)

FWIW my question is strictly hypothetical. I'm just doing the "if" thing. Just trying to find out what is most important to you in your kitchen design, and where you could give some.

For me I think I would cut my appliance budget some, not get the best, top of the line or high end in order to get the cabinets or counters I wanted.

Forgot to state my reasoning. I'd hate to walk into my new kitchen every day and not be 100% happy with it. To me, spending a lot of money overall would feel like a waste if my kitchen didn't function or look the way I wanted. Why spend $15K for an OK kitchen, when you could wait two years and spend $18K for a fabulous kitchen?

I've waited a long time for my new kitchen in our forever house. We spent wisely and made compromises for years planning the new kitchen and house. (whole house reno.). I know we're over-improving for the neighborhood. Its a conscious decision, and I dont care. I'd hate to get a cheap laminate I thought ugly and low range appliances that couldnt keep up with my cooking just because Lorie next door has that. And I'm not selling my house for 30 years.

we cut back on counter top (fake corian instead of cement) and then just searched and searched for deals on everything we could. found what i wanted here-- then looked for a cheaper version.( sink on overstock... appliances at sears outlet with dents in just the right spots...) when i wasn't compromising on budget, i was compromising with DH on design & color... and this is what makes kitchen remodel a high-divorce activity! (so far, wedding rings intact...) in the end, i am really very happy. now, if we can just get a cooktop that works... still waiting for the replacement!
kawh

A large part of our expenses came from structural costs of taking out a load-bearing, HVAC bearing wall. You can't cut corners on that.

But when we ran over budget, we did decide to delay putting the island in. We had the electrical for it run but left in the floor and ceiling, and then went forward several months after we finished the rest of the kitchen. Far from being a problem it had a few advantages: we could block out the size and know exactly what kind of space we wanted for aisles, etc. It also means that our wood floor was finished nicely under the island, a plus for me now that I'm thinking about moving a cabinet to change the seating configuration.

Not the appliances - they're the most important thing in the kitchen unless you don't care about cooking :-)

I'm on board with breezy's thinking. It would kill me to not LOVE my kitchen when I walked in. So, if anything, I'd compromise on something that was really easy to switch out (a DW or a refrigerator)...Or I would live with plywood counters for a while. Don't compromise on the cabinets...that would be the hardest to switch out!

Why spend $15K for an OK kitchen, when you could wait two years and spend $18K for a fabulous kitchen?

Or, if you're in Boston,

Why spend $55K for an OK kitchen, when you could wait twenty years and spend $118K for a fabulous kitchen?

First thing that goes--anything that can be added later. Backsplash, out. Fancy appliances, out. Island, out if that makes sense in your plan. Marble, out--laminate in, but certainly not a cheaper stone that will still cost a lot and destroy your cabs when removed.

I wouldn't compromise on the quality of cabinets but perhaps on the extra frou-frous that can add up. Easy for me to say as I'm not a frou-frou person. But regarding "granite over soapstone" - for me that wasn't a compromise, that was a conscious decision.

I would stick with good quality cabinets above all
do Laminate now in something that looks just like what you really want so that at least you have "the look"
I would do all GE appliances
Nix expensive flooring for something that looks great but is inexpensive, ditto for chandeliers and lighting fixtures there really are some fabulous looking things for pretty good prices at HD and L's. I wouldn't want to wait two years to start my new kitchen so you could start now with great cabs and do the laminate and other above categories and that would be something you could build on over time such as adding backsplash/changing out counter top later if you even so desired, getting new furniture/barstools, drapes. Good luck!

countertop

I think that it would depend partly on the state of your current kitchen. We lived in the house for over 20 years before we got around to doing the kitchen remodel. The issue for us was more lack of time rather than lack of money. We hated the bumpy yellow tile counter tops and the smooth top cooktop, but lived with them waiting to do the full remodel. The layout was good and the rest was okay. In retrospect, we should have gone ahead with a temporary redo to replace the counter top (low end granite or granite tiles or even laminate) and cooktop right away instead of living with those for 20 years.

So if the ability to do the remodel is a long way off, fixing the worst flaws and then saving up for the full remodel would be my first choice.

I think it depends on what NEEDS replaced. For me, counter tops NEED replaced. They are tile and grout, have cracks, are a PITA to keep clean and non-functional for a lot of things(like rolling out dough). My cabinets, while 25 years old, are oak, in great shape and I'm going to refinish them myself. So I'm scimping on cabinets(My budget won't allow for them anyway). BUT-if my cabinets were in disrepair, I'd get them and scimp on whatever else wasn't needing to be replaced-appliances in most cases I would think. Most people don't go long without a functioning fridge, KWIM? I alos totally agree about what the budget is for each item to begin with. If you budgeted $3K for a fridge, you can lower that. I have learned from other's mistakes on the appliance issue-my in laws have all high end appliances. One of their ovens in the double oven doesn't work, their ice maker is broken, their dishwasher had to be serviced in the first 6 months, their cooktop had to be fixed multiple times. They've had their home for 6 years. We've had ours and everything we have still functions great(minus the original 25 year old cooktop that has only 3 functioning burners, but I've never wanted the 4th repaired-just not a big deal to me. Most times I'd need it I find SOMETHING that can be microwaved or put in the oven instead.
And I wouldn't say that an appliance budget that is low means you don't care about cooking. You can give any idiot a $50,000 kitchen-won't teach them to cook!!!
In summary, I think where to cut the budget depends on the original budget and the preference of what is important to the people making the budget.

Appliances, but then I don't lust after high-end appliances to start with.

We had planned to wait on the floor, but it turns out that the footprint of the new cabs is smaller than the old ones. Because the existing flooring was installed long after the cabs, it only came up to the old footprint. Didn't know about the size difference until we installed the new ones. Hmm...how to deal with a 1" to 1-3/4" gap all around the footprint? So we're installing new floors too. Ah, well.

Countertops. Lots of functional countertops are fairly inexpensive. Some of the cheap ones are even pretty.

I would never compromise appliances--that's where waiting can help, even when the current appliances are shot. :) (Not really why I waited, but I would.) That said, there are some places I could have trimmed my appliance budget, easily, if design (looks) wasn't part of the equation.

That's the thing: I don't like, and don't have, an open kitchen, and I really didn't mind the plain jane looks of the old one. I can deal with blah looks, no problem, so long as it's not downright ugly, so that's what I'd trim first.

I wouldn't like to skimp on cabinet quality. Daily, I am ever so pleased by how much I'm enjoying the quality of my cabinets. If I had to really hold it back, however, I could do fine with some customized IKEA and deal with the difference. And, of course, IKEA can also be made to look really good, which is nice when you're skimping.

Mercy-
I'm in the same boat. Here's my comps: Instead of pot filler-small bar sink in stove prep area. No upper cabinets. No custom cabinets-Ikea organizing pieces except drawers are mandatory instead of shelf cabinets. If you have an island plan can an old table or craigslist piece fill the order until you can buy the island... We are doing a cheaper material on the countertops and a more expensive on $30/each island lights instead of the ones I drool over...$300/each. Don't skimp on the tough to replace items-base cabinets, outlets, windows, square footage,...if you already have appliances than you can replace later. Good Luck:)

I would not put anything in that I planned on ripping out a few years later. I lived with other people's choices and layouts for years, so I could have easily cut even more from our budget by going with cheaper counters that I got to choose. I could have done a cheaper floor. Since I was very careful buying appliances on sale, at scratch and dents and even CL, I could not have cut more there. I could have done cheaper lighting but not by so much and if I had to pay to buy new and re-install later, I would not have done so.
If I wanted stone and ended up with laminate, I'd make sure it is the laminate I liked best and I would appreciate it. It would function just fine and I'd look at it knowing we could pay our bills and maybe afford food for our new kitchen.

A kitchen is an important room in a house, but it is not the be all, end all, either. If it meant no vacations or outings with my family while they were still living home, then I'd live with the lousy kitchen longer. If it meant having trouble helping them with college, I'd dial it back in the kitchen for sure.
There are perfectly lovely and functional kitchens done without granite, prep sinks, high end appliances, etc...

I'd want to get reliable materials and the best layout possible for our space. I'd try to make it all as pretty as I could and then I'd be grateful. The funny thing is the floor was the only true "splurge" in our kitchen as everything else was done on sale, during a promotion, or somehow as a bargain. We did get a break on our floor, but it still cost a ton. Of all things, it is the only thing that did not work out and needs to be replaced. It wore poorly and got ruined by the mfr's people who came to fix it. It will be replaced with a less expensive floor (TBD). The Ikea cabs are fabulous. Our appliances are a mix of normal to high range yet our entire appliance total came out to approx $5k for a stove (vintage, restored), wall oven, dw, fridge and freezer set, and island chimney hood. All but the Chambers stove were brand new. Our floor cost approx that much for the kitchen portion alone. Our counters were just over $2k (Corian Rain Cloud, approx 20 linear feet plus 9 feet on the top portion of our island and down the sides).
There are many places one can cut, such as hardware, bs, faucets, etc... Just because one can buy en expensive faucet does not mean you have to drop big money to get one that works well and looks good. Ditto on sinks.

I think if the budget appears to be breaking, some perspective is in order. A kitchen will not change your life. It will make it more pleasant for sure, but it is no guarantee of happiness. It may encourage you to cook more at first, but that wears off in time. You will cook as much as you want/need to and will still want an occasional meal out. It won't make you richer or thinner. IN fact, I gained weight during the reno from eating out (been dropping slowly) and I am not richer now than before, lol!

Thanks for this thread! It is where we are right now. It's helpful to hear your reasonings.

I really want quality cabinets with lots of drawers and a dual fuel range (current coil range only has 2 functioning burners. But then it doesn't owe me anything. It is the original in the house--32yrs old).

I think I can compromise on the rest. Will probably need to give up a walk-in (or step-in) pantry since it means moving a wall :(.

Counters should be the first casualty of any budget crisis. You can easily replace them at a later time with your blow the now budget choice. Appliances can be reused, as long as you are planning on using standard sizes in your new kitchen. The old ones can be ugly placeholders until they keel over. You can minimize the number of uppers and use a kitchen cart instead of an island until the money tree regrows. If your foundation is slab, you can even live on it without any finish flooring for quite a while before you put in your final choice in flooring. (Don't ask how I know this.)

The most unchangeable element in any kitchen is the cabinets. Get the best you can afford. That doesn't mean spending money for the highest quote. There are some great budget lines out there, especially if you are among the millions of folks looking for "shaker". You can have that at any price point. Cabinets can be a stock line without plywood boxes and still be very functional and good quality. It's the glass doors, moldings, corbels, fancy finished ends, and other decorative details that can jack the price up. You can simplify those details and still have a "finished" look. Some interior fittings can be added at a later time, but be careful on cutting those out because some items cannot be successfully added after cabinet construction. Get the wood super susan, and the top mount trash can, but skip the cutlery organizer and knife block.

I did have to consider things like this... as we always do. I can still love my kitchen even if I had to make financially-based compromises.

The choice between appliances, countertop, and cabinets was easy for me. A countertop is only a work surface and laminate has served me well in that regard for decades, so it was not difficult to give up stone. I didn't know granite was the 'economical' choice over soapstone, as granite was out of my league.

We make our own cabinets, so we trade the expense for the extra work. But there are pluses to that scenario, too. If I had to, I'd could do with a simpler style, a less expensive wood for drawer fronts and doors, or even do without either for awhile. I'm not really into 'bells and whistles', but quality full extension drawer glides are not negotiable to me... and I wouldn't give up construction quality.

Appliances, on the other hand, are all expensive, and I don't want to save $100 to $1000 to be stuck with something that doesn't work right and causes me hassles, either in use or in repairs. They should last and they should perform. Especially for a family the size of ours, I needed capacity, also. That meant spending more at the outset to get long-term performance and satisfaction. Function over cosmetics for me means that's where I prioritized our money, and would again if I was starting over.

Not a darn thing. I saved for 10 years for my new kitchen, Appliances, although not high end,they were considerable for me. Cabs had to be solid wood.As for the counters, I love my soapstone, wouldn't compromise on those. I did compromise on clothing, no dining out, movies etc...Gave up a pantry, double oven (but I have 2) and form over function. So thankful I went with solid wood cabs after the recent new kitchen flood. We'll see how it turns out in the end.

I have not compromised in 15 years and I've lived with an awful kitchen until I can do a complete remodel and kitchen extension. I'm now on track to get going. Still, with high construction costs and so many expenses to consider (roof, siding, deck, windows, doors, etc.) I am going to have to choose between some things I really want (soapstone) in order to get what I really need - more space and better layout. For me, the dishwasher is something that is standard sized and easy to swap out later, so that's been downgraded. I have a desk with upper cabinets and I'll leave that out if I have to. Also, like other have said, I would be willing to leave out some bells and whistles for the cabinetry (spice racks, corbels) but still get good quality and the finish I want. I hesitate to say I am willing to postpone the countertop, because its such a big component of the aesthetics as well as the function, but if need be, I will get stock countertops until I can get what I really want. Soon, I am going to have to make decisions to make it happen. Waiting is no longer worth it.

Of course, it depends on what is important to you. I find the aesthetics of a nice countertop important to me. I could give up the super expensive name appliances for ones that were equally functional before giving up a nice countertop.

I could give up grohe faucets and forego a potfiller for other items. I don't need a Franke sink or a farmhouse sink if that means giving up other things I would love more.

I am not doing expensive built in refrigerators. I did a built in look with cabinets, but with the Samsung refrigerators.

Figure out what makes your heart sing. It is different for each of us.

The truth is, we all have budget constraints. We all make compromises somewhere.

Cabinets over counters. I just replaced 65 year old cupboards and am expecting the replacements to last that long too! I do insist on good quality with style. I think there are many great looking laminate styles and brands. If I wouldn't have been able to swing the soapstone that I have, I would have gone with laminate.

My kitchen remodel in our multi-generational family farm home is nearly complete. I will be doing the bathroom located next to the kitchen within the year, I hope. I want to keep in mind the next generation that will use this home. I was mindful of this goal as I considered the kitchen remodel and now the same goal applies to the bathroom.

It has been so fun and helpful to follow along on this site. I have had a blast.

Unless you have an unlimited budget, you'll be making compromises. I disagree with the notion that if you don't have a kitchen that incorporates 100% of your dreams, you won't be 100% happy with the end result. It's about deciding what's important to you. Our mantra while doing our kitchen was "great functionality, very good materials, good appliances, nothing 'over the top.'"

Not the appliances - they're the most important thing in the kitchen unless you don't care about cooking

I don't get the idea that if you don't have the finest appliances your meals will be somehow substandard. My husband and I have lived in a variety of rentals over the years, some of them having almost laughable appliances. We're both avid cooks and we love cooking elaborate meals. We never felt the quality of the food was compromised by the appliance, though I'd be lying if I didn't say that we looked forward to the day that we could have nicer ones. When we chose appliances for our reno, we went with good quality (KA, Bosch, DCS), but not top of the line. I might have felt differently if the tradeoff forced us to get low quality appliances, but if it's a decision between midrange/upper midrange and "best of everything," I don't see how choosing the former would greatly impact cooking experience or output.

We did not skimp on cabinet quality, but we did save by not buying most of the fancy organizing features. I wanted the countertops and backsplash I wanted, and didn't compromise. We easily decided to omit things like the pot filler, the microwave drawer, the beverage center, etc. Some of the KDs we spoke with said a kitchen like ours "should" have these things, but I knew myself enough to know that they'd make no difference in our lives. As far as faucets, sinks, etc., we got good quality but not Grohe, Franke, and the like.

Sometimes it makes sense to save for years until you can get everything you want. Sometimes it isn't practical or possible. Often, having to force yourself to make choices can help you figure out what is really important to you and the end result can be even more satisfying. It's different for all of us.

I just did my kitchen. We moved it to another room so 45% of the cost was construction (but no addition). Only 6% was the countertop and tile. 29% of the cost was custom cabinets. 11% was appliances. The rest (9%) was architect fees,lighting, interior design consult, permit. So not all those items were equal in my case and saving money on countertop wasn't going to help much in the big picture. The best money spent IMHO is getting good design help.

Things I chose to compromise in this new build: a professional range/oven...they look great but are way too much $$$ for what they provide...soapstone countertops (not a choice, but out of budget...)expensive lighting and hardware...lighting fixtures/hardware can be easily replaced later. Oh, and I said no to a prep sink in the island. For me, it would just be in the way.

Things I wouldn't compromise on:
Quality wood cabinets
undercab lighting
wood floors in the kitchen
a kitchen that functions efficiently...that means a good layout and enough lighting in the right places...

I'm not willing to compromise, but I am willing to wait. I don't want to go into debt to pay for the kitchen, so I've worked a second job and will do so for another 18 - 24 months. However, I don't have some of the family expenses that others do because my two of my children are grown and gone and the youngest is in college. She selected a private college and is there on scholarship - if something were to happen to change that, she'd have to switch to the local state university with lower costs.

There are areas where I can save money by DIYing. I'm planning unfinished but quality cabinets (no uppers) because I know I have the skills to finish them myself, but someone else will complete the install. I will install my own flooring (floating) because I have the knowledge and experience to so do. I'll do my own painting. While I love soapstone, I love the backsplash I've selected more, and the two will clash (too many clowns). So wood counters that I will finish myself. I will probably have to wait for the backsplash because the one I love is very expensive unless I find another that calls to me that costs less. In the meantime, I've taken a tiling class and am practicing with cheap tile. If I can advance my skill sufficiently, I'll tile the backsplash myself; if not, I'll have someone else do it.

I know my major expenses will be electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, windows - no compromises there, and no DIYing either because I know I don't have the necessary expertise.

I'm more than willing to do as much work as possible myself, but I have no illusions of what I can and cannot do, so I know what to leave to experts.

As far as appliances, energy efficiency is more important that aesthetics - but I do want both efficient and pretty. I do cook, and while I've lived in rentals with terrible, barely functioning appliances on which I created marvelous meals, I don't wish to do that if I can work a little more to buy what I want.

And having to wait while I save has been greatly beneficial as I've learned a great deal about what's behind and underneath all of the pretty parts - lessons that will serve me well. When the times comes, I will be ready without compromise. Circumstances and consequences of personal choice have meant a great deal of compromise in my life - I'm not doing that with the house.

I'm with sas95---our kitchen isn't my dream kitchen, but I'm pretty happy with it, and I'm really glad we didn't spend the money that would have been needed to get my dream kitchen. We could have waited longer (as it was we waited two years in order to do the work we did do) but we also live in a starter house (expect to move in 5-6 years) in a market where house values are still stagnant or declining, so the prospect of investing an additional $10 or $20K in the house was not exactly compelling, and a really high-end kitchen would be out of sync with both our neighborhood and the aesthetic of our house.

I also disagree that appliances are not an area to compromise on---in fact, I think they can be one of the best for the simple reason that in most kitchens, the layout and cabinets will outlive the appliances. (That's not to say that you shouldn't still research it to know what you would want so that you can make any necessary changes and design cabinetry accordingly, but I do think it's an area where you can wait on purchases till after the main work is done.) We kept our existing appliances where it was feasible (stove and fridge---that was actually all that was in our kitchen so we had to buy the dishwasher and range hood) but we also picked out new ones and designed the space to be modular so that the more standard sizes could be easily accommodated (e.g., fridge enclosure is 36" even though our fridge is only 32", and has an adjustable shelf above to take fridges of various heights; stove opening has filler on each side that can be removed to make a standard 36" opening that fits our hypothetical Wolf that we will probably never actually buy, even though our current stove is 34").

Here was our priority order: first, structural work (= layout). This was a third of our budget in spite of a lot of DIY work, and thus a big deal for us, but it was the single biggest reason we were remodeling (upgrading to modern appliance capability and fixing bad layout). Second, cabinet construction--we were replacing well-built (but poorly laid out and not to modern dimensions) wooden cabinets, so we went for comparable cabinets in their place and were picky about drawer slides, materials, etc. I did shop around a *lot* to find a local custom cabinetmaker who would give us the specs we wanted for less, though, so that helped. Together, the structural + cabinets were 2/3 of our budget so by then we knew how much was left and sat down and walked through choices on counters, floors, lights, appliances, etc. to see what made sense and balance wants and needs in each area. All of those can be swapped out over time if needed (floors a little trickier but possible if you plan for it) so if you need to compromise, you can put something that's not your dream in there and change it later.

I'm sure some of this also depends on whether you're in your forever house or not, though. For us, waiting another 2-3 years to save extra money would have been silly since it would mean another 2-3 years without a dishwasher, workable counter space, etc.---leaving only a year or two that we'd get to enjoy it before passing the house on to the next family. But if we were starting with a more functional space that was just aging and we planned to be here 20 years, I'd be a lot more open to waiting to invest later. We ended up starting about three years after we moved in, and we're almost at the 100% work a year later (though we've been at 95% for many months now so it's not as bad as it sounds! ;) If we move in five years, we'll have gotten some good years out of the kitchen in the interim, but it won't be completely out-of-date---ended up being a good compromise, I think!

Anything and everything.

Compromise is my middle name.

I chose the parts because of how the functioned, AND how much they cost. Nothing was irreplaceable.

How much over the budget are you talking? $10k or $100k
How long will it take it pay that off? 2 yrs or 20 yrs
Someone that makes $5000/day will have a different perspective than someone that makes $500/day.

My answer is "it depends" what it is.

I like breezy's answer because it shows her youth. Not only that, her budget seems to commensurate with her taste where she was not faced with those issues.

I can't say the same. There are things that I would like to have done but I would never save for because it was darn too expensive AND I could not justify the added cost! It was not a matter of saving. I simply could not justify it for my current house.

We let the Nanawall go: It priced out 10K to 20K.

I would have like to have replaced all of my windows with a 'higher grade' and better looking windows. Because how our house is, I would have had to replace all of our windows and there are about 30 or more of them! All of these are relatively newer windows. About 50K extra!

I would also like to have replaced the existing wood floor with something exotic. I would have had to replaced about 2000 sq ft of it. 20k to 30k. Yikes! I just refinished what I have....

I am an Everything person, too.

Compromised on cabs - bought a used set for $3600 from Green Demolition, hired someone to fly out and drive it home to Michigan in a rental truck, then sanded, re-stained, and put a finish on them ourselves. We did hire a wonderful contractor to install them according to my design and to make the three cabinets we needed to give the kitchen the built-in look we desired. He rebuilt at least one cab and reinforced the island.

As for appliances, we had a fairly new french door fridge and Bosch dishwasher, and I always go white with appliances, so that was fine. We needed a 36" electric cooktop, and I found a Kitchenaid new on Craigslist for $1200. When I looked up the model number, it turned out to be an induction top, so we jumped ALL over that baby before the scratch-and-dent reseller figured out what they had there. The only problem was that the box was open and the manual was missing. I compromised on color on this item, but it only comes in black, and a black glass cooktop does not actually clash with white appliances, since it does not seem to be an appliance in the same way a free-standing range would be.

Counters. We are just laminate people. We looked at stone and could not justify it. I refuse to believe that I would like the same stone surface for the rest of my life. For the island, we wanted a solid surface that could take a hot pan, so stone tile or porcelain tile were our options. We went with a stone-like porcelain.

In our case, we splurged on the flooring. We got Marmoleum sheet. Eco-consciousness, dogs, and liking the product were our reasons. We also splurged with about $500 for a fancy water-jet cut design listello for the backsplash, then $300 for liner to go around it. The field tile was $20 for the first third of it on Craigslist, and the rest was purchased for $80 full price. Oh, and we splurged several hundred dollars on six 6" LED cans and 5 4" LED cans for lighting. And a 2' x 4' skylight and new ceiling that removed ugly soffits.

The backsplash, floor molding, and one upper cab door that went hiding on me a year ago are still left to finish.

Been there and didn't replace cabinets. Painted. Went for appliances with great performance but also great value. Kitchen looked just fine -- wouldn't have been worth spending the additional $25K.

I feel cabinets are way overpriced and I know people who've been perfectly pleased with Ikea for many years. But I expect this is a controversial opinion. My problem is that I love really good furniture and cabinets don't cut it for me.

Late to the party, but want to put in: Ultimately almost everything but a good layout in a room with the potential to be a place I want to be. Not all spaces have that potential for me, and I'd sacrifice a lot to get it. I also discovered a long time ago that I can cook just about as well on one stove as another, etc.

I thought of something I will Not compromise and that is workmanship. I would rather have a kitchen with plain and sturdy materials that are impeccably installed than a kitchen with high end materials, lots of details and shoddy workmanship. I once told a client that if the contractor who did the work on the rest of the house was going to install the kitchen to pass on the Plain and Fancy cabinetry because it would not get the installation good cabinetry like that deserved.

I needed to watch my budget as well. I cut down on cabinet expenses by choosing not to purchase any new fangled gadgets or pull-outs for the cabinets (except for a lazy suzan). I chose all drawers instead. I also did not do any fancy glazing etc and I stuck with a basic door style. I chose a frameless style cabinet for the cabinets with drawers to maximize space in my small kitchen. For the frameless cabinets, I insisted on all plywood boxes for strength. But for the few pantry cabinets, I saved money by ordering a framed style and decided not to order plywood boxes for these (except for the sink cabinet). Also, I kept the fancy trim parts to a minimum (now faux legs, end panels etc. Although I did splurge on a furniture toe kick on my floor to ceiling pantry cabinets). It was a pain for the kd to order, but it saved me a thousands.

I also, decided not to demolish my existing pantry closet and replace it with cabinetry. We just painted and put new shelving in it.

I went with a basic, cheap dishwasher and splurged on a Wolf range (but I did get a floor model). But I went for the 30" all gas range to save money (instead of a 36" dual fuel one). We also bought a Kobe range hood which was 1/2 the price of other hoods and did not require us to change or existing 6" ducting in the attic. I also kept my existing full depth refrigerator and instead pulled the cabinets next to them out a few inches from the wall so it didn't stick out so much.

We did splurge on soapstone, but kept to the lower cost varieties and did not indulge in the "prettiest" one we could find, but put a bamboo butcherblock counter on one small cabinet run which saved some money.

I'm with kaismom here. It depends. it depends on a lot of things none of which are mentioned in the origional quesiton.

compromising on cabinets doesn't always mean buying crappy cabinets, or even going as low as IKEA in price. the OP may be looking at 3 different cabinet companies or even doorstyles/finishes that can vary from 20K-40K. if the 20K quote is nice, high quality,is great but just not "perfect" and 40K is "perfect".... get the 20K cabinets.

on the appliances... I've never had a Wolf range, I'm sure its great, but to those with 15-20K in their appliances, there are people with 5K or less appliance budgets that still cook great food.

countertop- don't waste your money putting in laminate and replacing later. it is in fact a complete waste. maybe I'm too glitzy focused, but I'd hate to spend 20-50K on a kitchen and have laminate counters. Never mind that at least in my area, unless you're picking up stock pieces from Home depot, they aren't cheap, I was quoted 500 less than a mid level granite. spending $1500-2K on a countertop you're going to rip out is a waste. again it depends on your taste and budget, if you can get mid level granite for 3K and your ideal piece of soapstone is 10K, well, find a granite you like.

or reuse appliances for now.

I guess my point is, there is going over budget, and there is not having a realistic budget. If you're picking high end items in the cabinet, countertop and appliances, it isn't that much of a sacrifice to go down to midgrade, especially if there are large deltas in price. if you are in the budget/midgrade catagory (welcome I'm here too)the deltas between my selection and the basic is not huge and more wholesale changes would need to be made.

Chrisk put it well. I tried to stay at some reasonable (to me) price point for each decision. This required a compromise pretty much every time. I would judge if the extra money was worth it or not. For example, I really, really wanted a stainless steel french door double wall oven, but the only one I could find was $6500, so I got the regular door Elux instead for less than $3000. Usually, I just didn't even look at the really expensive options so I wouldn't fall in love.

I also agree with Palimpsest about good workmanship - expensive materials and appliances cannot save a shoddily-built room. Unfortunately - or maybe fortunately - there is not always a clear correlation between price and quality when it comes to workmanship. An expensive GC can still be terrible, but not all conscientious GC's are expensive.

OP HERE!! I think Chrisk327 got the real intent of my original post with her cabinet comparison. I would sacrifice the $40K cabinets and go with the $20K as long as it was something I liked/could live with, to get a nicer counter or maybe that fridge I like. It's a give and take thing....unless you are super rich and have an unlimited budget, which I don't think applies to that many here. So for example I would be willing to compromise on the cabinets of my dreams to get some other elements that I would like to have.

I also agree with not purchasing something just to rip it out later, I agree, seems like a waste. I would wait if that was my only option.

We were about to compromise on the cabinetry from $40k to $20k but had the opportunity to see the $20k cabs in person in another house first. We decided that the cheaper cabinets were unacceptable and went with an upgraded cabinet that ended up around $30k. Before you decide try to look, touch and feel the differences!

Very hard to answer in a vacuum. If you give us more detail we may be able to be more helpful.

I will say two things. Unless your dream appliances have unusual footprints, I might consider skimping on appliances. They can be very costly and I personally believe it is 99% looks. I say this as the owner of a very costly range who admits her own follies. If the footprints are the same, buy something cheap for now.

I would also say that if budget is very important, cut back more than you think you need to right now to come in at budget. There will be surprises. If it will be very stressful to you to go over budget, start out underbudget.

Best of luck and kudos to you for being practical!

Yes. Available budget makes such a difference, but even so I've been a little bemused by those who wouldn't compromise on an appliance that could be rolled out and upgraded at any point--making them an excellent place to compromise-temporarily.

For me, the best way to figure this out would be to list out what you dislike about your current kitchen. For example, we'll be moving, but the current house we're In has a horrible layout in the kitchen. It just doesn't work. If we were to stay here I'd put new cabinets and layout as the number one priority, second would be appliances and third would be countertop. If the layout and cabinets were fine then I'd try to save them and get the appliances I want and then a new countertop.

Mercy (OP) said: I would sacrifice the $40K cabinets and go with the $20K as long as it was something I liked/could live with, to get a nicer counter or maybe that fridge I like.

But that doesn't really tell the whole story with cabinets. There are four major considerations with cabinetry, and a whole host of minor ones.

1) Looks. This includes finishes, trimmings and moldings, fancy panels, and other decor like glaze.

2) Construction. The actual quality of the materials and workmanship. How solid they are and how much wear and tear they'll take.

3) Customization. One way to heavily trim the cost of cabinetry is to use stock and put in fillers in to fill the gaps. One way to rack up the cost if you're buying by the piece, is to go completely custom where each little feature is a separate cost. Buying by the kitchen, rather than by the piece, from a local cabinetmaker is usually considerably less expensive for completely custom than one of the big brands.

4) Hardware. Drawer glides, hinges, soft-closers, self-closers, pressure latches, lift mechanisms, roll out tray shelves (ROTS), corner solutions, etc.

I am one who mentioned IKEA up topic because their kitchens, by repute, have a much superior quality to things like their bookcases. They do all come with top quality Blum hardware, which, in itself, provides for great savings. People say that part of the trick to IKEA is a good, experienced installer. Also, there are a lot of ways you can customize IKEA, and there are blogs and websites devoted to that. A lot of people put their own custom fronts on IKEA boxes. It is, actually, a great alternative for people with a limited cabinetry budget.

For me, I could give up on number one. The cheapest finish (brushed paint, or DIY stained) would be fine with me if I had to pinch the budget. My only requirement is ultra-low to zero VOC because of allergies. I would hate to give up on any quality of the construction, however (#2), because I expect the cabinets to be once and done. I could give on #3. I love my customized to a faretheewell cabinets, and every inch that I squeezed into them, but could make do with a bit less if I needed to save the money. The hardware (#4) is a mixed bag for me. I have a lot of expensive hardware. I'd be fine with good quality glides and hinges, but no soft- or self- closers, pressure latches, lift doors, etc. I'd still want my extra heavy duty glides on the pot drawers, et al. And I wouldn't give up the drawers or ROTS.

If you trim on your cabinet budget like that, perhaps in your case giving up some fancy crown and glaze, or the custom hood surround, or whatever it is that you think will halve the cabinet budget, it's a great tradeoff. If you just cut the budget by getting cheaper cabinets, you're much more likely to be dissatisfied in the long run.