We are compromising a zinc or metal hood, beaded inset cabinets, replacing existing window, and Fireclay backsplash tile. Layout wise, we aren't making much compromises, we are getting close to the layout we want by adding 2 Windows and expanding into the dining room.

We are doing Quartz countertops. We are not making any sacrifices to the function of the cabinets though (drawers in base, appliance garage, pantry cabinet).

Have you searched high and low and know for sure you can't get what you want with 70k??? (or, how many quotes have you gotten?)

If you have inspirational photos, then really study them and write down what it is that you love about those spaces. Then make another list, numbering your favorite must have items and start with those.. Don't compromise until you have put in the effort for searching for must have items. During your searches you may find similar items that cost less, but create the same vision and function just as well. Good luck!

I gave up replacing my hardwoods, and yes, I deeply regret it. That was the time to do it. Instead, I put a nice new kitchen on top of old, warm floors and told myself it had patina. Wrong. I also gave up enlarging the window over the kitchen sink. And I think I regret that, too. If you plan to keep your house, and have the money, get what you want. That would be my advice.

Oh we are also looking for floor model and open box appliances to save money.

You should get a breakdown. I know for my cabinets how much I save by not doing beaded inset and not doing all plywood interior. I also know what tier my Quartz falls in, what tier my door style falls in and what I'm paying to move a wall back and add Windows. But my contractor is a design build so I can get approx costs of things directly from designer as we are discussing layout.

We added on sq footage, moved the kitchen and added a bathroom. I signed up for compromises

Two big things I gave up were a 36" range and higher end counters. The range was switched out for a 30" pro dual fuel at 70% off. Never looked back. The counters I wanted would have been very impractical and a mess by now. I can live with that.

The one thing that would have been nice was cabinets where my laundry is in the kitchen. I wanted w/d and wine cooler under the counter and cabinets above. Instead we stacked the units and put shelving in the alcove next door with a curtain because I hate bifold doors. I did get my wine cooler.

It works in this old house and we could do a small project if we wanted to change it later. At some point, you just gotta stop the spending.

Cheryl, I think once the layout is finalized, the countertop price should be more tangible. I know some make you buy the whole slab while others will charge what you end up using, maybe that's why you got the response you did.

Hopefully at your contract meeting, you'll get a good breakdown and then see where you could save some money :)

I know the tiers, but I don't know how much more Tier 6 is over Tier 4. I expect all will be revealed at the contract meeting, but it's hard to make decisions prior to that, and our GC requires everything be decided ahead of the job starting. I guess the worse case scenario is that we find out compromises have to be made and we revisit the big ticket items. If needed we can downgrade our choices of cabinetry (Plato) and countertop (granite, tier 6) . It would be nice to know today, though, because we meet with our tile/flooring person tomorrow. If we need to change out big ticket items those changes will cascade into other areas like the backsplash.

I gave up adding square footage. I don't regret it from an economic standpoint. If this was to be my forever home I would have enlarged the house.

If you cannot reasonably expect to be there long enough to enjoy the improvements that you make, then don't make them.

I'm not giving on anything and so far hubby is on board. In fact, we are adding small touches as the walls are opened up. Our kitchen refresh turned into a gut remodel of our entire place such that we had to move out for 8 - 12 weeks. However, we already had a mid-range budget with nothing custom needed I thought we would need custom 8ft doors for the foyer closet (7 ft wide and 6ft wide) but we found a multi-bypass system that worked out to be substantially cheaper than custom sliders. We didn't need a new refrigerator (bought a new one less than a year ago) and I love our double oven (about 4 years old) and we are keeping it. I can actually say that we're getting more than expected. We added recessed can lights to the plan although it wasn't something we wanted. We thought cans would work for our 8 ft ceilings. We couldn't get can lights approved so we ended up with gorgeous kable lighting.

Lilysmom - Walnut cabinets are cheaper than white? Interesting, my experience is the opposite - painted cabinets are the least expensive.

We gave up ALL our free time, energy and sometimes gave up our skin and blood to have exactly the kitchen I wanted!!! Ours was a complete remodel, down to the studs, remove two walls and rebuild from the floor up and it was also completely DIY except anything electrical, that we hired out. There was no way our 30k budget would allow the cabinets and counters, huge farm sink, new appliances, new bigger window, backsplash tile that I wanted AND have a professional do the work too. It took us over a year to be 100% complete but we had a working kitchen, 80% done in about 8 months. We have done many DIY projects to our current and previous homes but this was our first kitchen...and I LOVE IT!!! It was worth every bit of our hard work!

There were many things we didn't do that we really wanted. Not borrowing money was important, so we worked within our budget.

I wanted a different layout:

I wanted to remove the kitchen sink window (because it's 12ft away from my neighbors house) and put the stove there, and sink in an island.

I wanted soapstone countertops...they were WAY over budget in my area. Went with Black Pearl granite instead. I've learned to really like it, but it's not pretty like soapstone.

We ordered cabinets that had decent reviews and put together ourselves...lots of issues that took a lot of our time and created many delays. I'll never do that again.

Bought a 30" NXR range for a fraction of the price of similar Gas/convection ranges. LOVE IT! I don't feel I compromised at all.

Bought large, single sink for a fraction of the price online. Wish I hadn't. It's insulated well, but it's to flat on bottom, corners are too tight, and it's a major pain.

Wanted walnut hardwood flooring, but out of budget. Went with a 3", 4", 5" size Ash floor stained walnut with a few natural knots and wire brushed that's laid randomly.....love it.

Yes, it would have been nice to have everything we wanted. It wasn't practical and we still have a very nice kitchen. Not going in debt is much nicer :-)

At some point, you just gotta stop the spending.

I think I will make a sign that says this and hang it on my bathroom mirror!

I gave up my ideal layout because it would have meant moving an exterior wall. Due to the lot lines, we could have gained, at most, a couple of feet. Those feet turn out to be very expensive! I also had to pass on the miele or wolf combi/steam oven because it is just too expensive. It is more important to us to get a built-in fridge and pick up a couple inches in the aisle.

I find countertop pricing so frustrating because it is not as simple as saying, "I need x square feet, this material costs $y/sq foot, so my cost is $z." It depends on how many slabs you need, how much is an edge, etc. It is such a potentially large number and so hard to nail down!

We reused our appliances (they were only a couple of years old--purchased when we bought the house as there were no working appliances here). This is something we can change at any time and I don't regret saving the money, though I do think new appliances with different finishes/styles would look better.

No fireclay tile backsplash in lovely colors. But I found white Heath tiles in their overstock room and I am perfectly happy with them. No regrets.

We were going to replace the window over the sink with a bigger window. Turned out to require an engineered support beam, which was just too much money. Instead we moved the existing Windows down so I can reach to open them and can see out of them. This also means they are still the orginal 1926 windows and match the other Windows. No regrets--in fact, I'm very glad it worked out this way.

We remodeled a bathroom at the same time (necessary to improve the layout in the kitchen) and replaced all the original knob and tube wiring with modern wiring. So it was a pretty expensive remodel for us. There was only so much money and we don't go into debt to remodel. I think it is definitely worth considering whether you are being penny wise and pound foolish, but at the end of the day, not being broke and not going into debt for a kitchen remodel win out for us every time.

I chose the cheaper cab place available that were still fully custom sizing which saved us probably 5k (at least we wanted frameless shaker so not as bad as beaded inset!). I spent less on things I cared about less - sink and faucet were inexpensive, oven was one of the cheapest (okay still convection though), lower end fridge, etc. I spent appliance money on my Miele induction cooktop (and in doing a separate cooktop/wall oven - it just costs a lot more!). We have expensive accent tiles but paired them with a cheap HD tile. We found sales where we could. Basically we spent money on things that were most important to us and tried to save on things that we didn't care so much about. I would definitely prioritize layout and drawers/storage. That said, the only things I regret are the things are the things I could have spent a little more money on and chose not too! I.e. the slightly more expensive but quieter hood... All in all we love our kitchen though, and I'm glad we didn't spend more money than we did as I know we are never going to get all of it back if we need to sell and we have a million other things that need to be done on our house!

I remember reading a thread here that asked what people would do different in a kitchen remodel if they had to do it over, and one response that came up often was - smaller - less cabinets.

If I ever build a kitchen from scratch I am going to really think about my real storage needs. My kitchen is smallish now - at least compared to those that pop in my inbox from various designer blogs - but it is much larger than my grandmothers' kitchens - from which came great food. I don't think I will ever need a larger kitchen, so I would probably give up size for quality. I also don't need expensive appliances - I buy the least expensive appliance by a good name company with good reviews.

In my recent "refresh", I replaced only my perimeter counters with quartz and left the island its original, not fancy butcher block. I do not regret it.

We found that anything custom with semi custom cabs jacked the price right up. I only discovered after the fact that a very small custom sized pullout pantry and one other custom cab cost a ridiculous portion of our overall cabinet budget. As others have said make sure you get the breakdown.

i also wanted a custom island made of solid wood. The first few places I tried wanted a small fortune. I finally found a place that did it for me for a great price but I painted it myself. It turned out great for about half the price the others wanted.

So far we've given up quartzite backsplash, a custom range hood, and are looking at some different flooring options since what we first liked priced out at $26/square foot installed. I expect there will be a few more before we are done.

It took me 32 yrs to get the kitchen I wanted, and it was done in stages over those years. I could never have afforded to do it all at once! We started with the big bay window and the Corian countertops. Many years later, we did the hardwood floors, the Corian integrated sink, a Perrin & Rowe faucet, new pulls, and a new dishwasher. Then a few years later, the big stainless Vent-a-Hood and the new KA refrigerator,. Finally, now new cabinets, small change to the layout with big payoff, and marble backsplash and stunning new pulls.

If you want inset doors and white, you need to find a dealer who sells Shiloh cabinets. They're outstanding and inset is not an upcharge and paint a minor one. There was never any idea of blowing out walks - not necessary and WAY over budget. My kitchen is 11 x 15. I have a lot of cabinets and drawers, tons of counter space and multiple cooks can be in it at once. I can't imagine wanting anything more. I just had to be patient and do things in steps.

This is a great discussion. We just finished our kitchen. I gave up having an open plan kitchen because in order to pull down a structural wall, we would have easily doubled our budget. I tried really hard to not give up on the layout.

I found that it was pretty easily to not purchase high end appliances when I read that they don't cook better, harder to service and parts are more expensive and harder to find.

I'm happy that I stuck it out and got the quartzite I wanted for the countertops. I don't know what your layout looks like, but if you have an island, that becomes the focal point of the room.

I agree with lots of posters here about having *everything* itemized and scrutinized when it comes to semi custom cabinets. I originally wanted a deeper pull out pantry but quickly scrapped that idea when I found out that the customized depth of the pantry would cost an extra $1500!! Customized details in a semi custom line will really drive up costs.

I'm glad however that I didn't compromise on the layout of the kitchen. It affects the whole function and efficiency of the kitchen.

Good luck!

We skimped on appliances. We bought open box ones, hunted down big sales, etc. Took time and energy, but saved money.

They're mostly good brands, and a tiny scratch (that I can't even find right now) on my cook top doesn't bother me.

We also plan to bring the old fridge with us(which is nothing to write home about). We'll see.

The other things, we were able to get almost everything we wanted. But:

a) it's a smallish kitchen

and

b) we didn't want much))

I just wanted it to be pretty, functional, and tie in with the rest of the house.

"Pretty" did mean handmade tiles, etc; and "functional" did mean fully custom cabinetry-because a smallish space, and we were lucky to get a discount. BTW it's not the most functional kitchen in the world, but given space restrictions-we did the best we can. I think we vastly improved what was there before, even if we couldn't have everything.

I wanted different tiles, initially, really wanted them- but the tiles that I wanted meant $5000 for a small backsplash.

So I settled for the something more modest yet still beautiful. Still expensive but not to the tune of 5000..))

I also wanted more cabinets with glass fronts, but we have so few uppers, that I have only one glass front, for my favorite cups etc. I'd make all of them show worthy, or even go for an open shelving maybe..and DH kinda wanted it too. But realistically speaking-out of 5 people that will be using this kitchen, only two have the ability to return things where they were, and put them exactly just so. It was wiser to have more closed storage, in a kitchen where storage was at a premium.

That's the second kitchen I did myself(meaning: designing from scratch etc); I loved the first one, as modest as it was, and I hope to love this one too.

I gave up the contractor whose bid, just for his part of the remodel, was 20K more than the others. We start demolition this weekend. I suspect I will regret that as he was incredibly responsive and the person we chose is great when I talk to him, but not as communicative.

I am getting Thomasville cabinets from Home Depot (14K - sale was 20% off and an additional amount for buy more/get more) instead of the custom cabinets I really loved (22K).

We are getting laminate floors instead of hardwood.

Prefab granite counters instead of the dream quartzite.

No slider (requires a landing and stairs down to the yard) off the dining room and will have to continue to go downstairs to get into the backyard (sigh... this was REALLY want but at $6600, not worth it).

Our initial plan was 14K over the money we have available. We are now about 18K below.

This leaves some for contingencies (what are we going to find when we pull up these floors?) and hopefully the ability to add a new entry door as well as all new interior doors and purchase enough laminate to do the rest of the living area in the next year or so (need to do some changes to fireplace before we put it down).

Did you consider Shiloh cabinets? They made beaded, inset cabs affordable for me. I saved by getting mid-range appliances. Am happy with my choices.

The only thing we gave up in the kitchen was soapstone counters. We don't care for other stones, and after testing a piece of soapstone for a while, we decided it seemed like extra work (and a LOT of extra cost), so we went with good ol' Formica.

Lily, they're prefinished floors....so they came that way. Very durable.

Well, my wife and I are not wealthy by any means, we are state employees, so we had to give and take a lot to get what we want and still we stretched it.

I wanted a rock exterior on the house and a metal roof. The exterior would have been 40k, and the roof would have easily been 20k. Those did not happen... heh

When we chose the cabinets, we did not go "cheap" but we also did not go "give us maple or give us nothing at all!"... We were offered a kitchen that was about 10k less, with stained cabinets, no drawers, no frills, but the size we wanted etc.. we said, "if it is painted, does it matter if it is maple vs poplar?" I mean, in all the houses we owned, they were cheap cabs.. would it make a difference in the wood if they were painted? Not really, to us.

You can get the kitchen you want, or should be able to, but maybe you need to choose, name brand vs a local custom place?

You want white. We went greenish... that was 1.3k more and we have a good sized kitchen, so the color of the cabinets should not be that huge an issue.

Is it the type of counter? There should be alternatives. We wanted marble or a gray soapstone. We could not afford that, so we are getting Uba Tuba but having it leathered. That brings the color down a little to a dark gray-ish that is not as flashy or dark as the uba tuba and we saved a bundle.

We cut costs in the bathrooms by choosing all wood vanities online vs having the kitchen guy make the cabs. That saved us another 2k and, frankly.. we get a better look as well.

I doubt you have a bathroom you can save on to cut costs, heh, but show us a layout and then show us your choices for your "dream kitchen" and then pictures.. and let the folks here show you alternatives to save your costs/budget that get the look and feel you want.

R

We are still in the budgeting phase. We had planned for something more minimal using a lot of what we have but have since decided to take the time to have Dh make all new cabinets, which means that even though ours is a very small DIY budget, I am in fact getting inset, beaded cabinets! Yay for talented husbands! He just remodeled our tiny garage into a proper efficient workshop, so what had seemed overwhelming in the past feels a lot more doable and I think even enjoyable now, which I suppose was the goal of that project. He's actually building the wall pantry cabinets for the dining space now so that we can have a better handle on storage when we need to put a temp kitchen there while the kitchen is gutted, though we'll be tackling a new floor for our lower family room level before the kitchen since it is a more urgent and less overwhelming project.

We are going with IKEA butcher block because it is a fraction of the cost of other materials and can basically replace it twice as DIYers before we'd pay for laminate, but I do hope that down the road, when it needs replacing, I can instead get something like silestone. I am also budgeting to put in the modified IKEA wall lamps we already have and like as sconces and use the matching pendant, but I think I can slowly upgrade those down the road, too.

Our fridge and dishwasher are only 3-5 years old, and my big splurge will be an induction cooktop, which I think we'll buy at the local appliance store for ease of delivery/installation and future service, but I am looking for deals to replace my double ovens. Those hundred dollars here or there do add up!

They do! You can easily get a dream kitchen, just figure out what the "dream" part is.. for ME.. it was counter space and a nice range.

With Counter space, came more cabinets, so I allotted for that, but they were not the focus, so I was able to make allowances for them... ie.e not Walnut or Cherry wood.

The hard part is figuring out what exactly a "dream kitchen" means to you. It is almost never the entire kitchen and everything in it. That is like putting your hand in the cookie jar and grabbing all the cookies. When most people talk about an entire kitchen, it is how it flows.. the colors, the clean lines, the appliances.. etc.. and you can get that in so many different ways it is just crazy. They find it hard to keep a budget because they look at it as a whole and don't identify the what and why.

Anyway, just rambling.. heh.. Can't wait to see some ideas and pictures!

R

It's almost always budget restraints, isn't it? Some things that I wanted but would have resulted in a ridiculously overpriced kitchen for the value of the house were the following:

- Open floor plan. The cost to take out walls/move stairs would have been 50% the value of the house

-Continuing the oak floors into the kitchen. Oh well, the sheet vinyl is so easy to clean.

- A white induction range. Wolf? Not going to happen.

We live in a HCOL area and are adding sq ft. This means we gave up quite a bit of our dream kitchen. No custom cabinets, IKEA is it, and we are assembling it ourselves (wish us luck). Also, no more quartzite for us, Quartz is it!

I can't really say this was giving anything up, because I never really expected to get these, but we got really nice, but middle-of-the-road cabinetry (Bellmont 1900), rather than the high-end European cabinetry I would have loved (Poggenpohl, Alno). By doing so (and our realtor recommend we do so - he said where we live, high-end appliances are more important for resale than high-end cabinets, and we'll only be in our place a total of about 5 years) we were able to stay within our budget more or less. Our overall remodeling budget (not just kitchen) was $150,000 and we came in at $160,000 --- not bad imho!

I gave up my butler's pantry - for now ;) Ran the rough plumbing so if funds become available in the future and I still want it will be a little easier. We're doing a major addition/renovation, so there were dozens of $2-5k decisions to make. Tried our best to choose the ones which would be substantially more expensive to do (if even possible) in the future, and butler's pantry cabinetry/sink/countertop/wine fridge are an easy thing to do later on.

we are still in planning stage, but we gave up on open floor plan as it would involve either wrapping an island or counter around a support post, or moving it which would cost $$. Also an island would not fit as the space is too narrow without opening the wall. One designer wanted to gut my laundry room and move it to the garage and use my connecting laundry room to expand the kitchen. Sounded nice but I don't want to go to the garage to do my laundry, and it isn't going to be moved elsewhere in the house as we would have to break slab to change piping/drain. We are on the 4th designer and I can't say I'm still 100% with the plan but it's getting better.

Gave up on quartzite and will get quartz. Impossible to find quartzite in this market and have even asked to be placed on wait list for incoming slabs.... nobody even calls you back.

Almost gave up on plumbed steam-combi but it is still in the plans. Otherwise will purchase non plumbed model.

Giving up some storage space which I'm not thrilled over, but to reconfigure a U shape to get rid of a pass-through means letting go of some overheads. Time to purge.

The only thing I cannot, will not compromise on, that MUST be installed, is a real live working ventilation hood. No more recirculating pieces of crap.

We went with mid grade cabinets (Kraftmaid instead of the Woodmode I originally planned) to save money because I did not want to budge on the high end appliances or Alaska white granite budget. Very happy with the decision- love the durable finish of these cabinets!!

We gave up having what we want NOW.

By that I mean we opted to stay in our old, perfectly-located ranch house even though it is flawed in numerous ways. By staying here this long, we're in a position to build the house without budget constraints. Is it worthwhile? When I'm commuting 1.5 miles to work and when the kids were still attending high school right next door, I say yes. When I'm toting laundry the whole length of the house and paying the electrical bill for more space than we actually need, I think no.

Thinking further, I guess the biggest thing we gave up was having someone else build it! I built all of the cabinets from scratch, did the flooring, did the Formica counters, did the maple counters, did all of the plumbing, electrical, paint, and also did a tin ceiling. We spent $8K for everything, including appliances. I've always wondered what our kitchen would have cost to have someone else do it.

Our budget crisis was similar. I gave up a built-in fridge, which saved about $5 to 6K. (But I did get a custom MH hood) I also chose a quartz rather than Princess White quartzite, which was impossible to find and would have cost $5K more than the quartz (but got a custom marble table and marble BS). I also gave up continuous face fronts on certain runs, and some wainscoat on the island below the overhang (facing a wall --- $2K) --- buy got the beaded inset, the special mullions, integrated end panels, full custom units, drawers, etc. I also saved $2.5K on the range by choosing an available color vs. a custom one.

Total cabinet savings was close to 15K to 20K vs. other lines, We got the cabinets from a major semicustom line that mixes in full custom items with no upcharge. The local manufacturers could not hit the price nor the quality. It takes skill and/or the right machinery to do beaded inset, so in my area it's not a widely available option for full local custom (lots are "faux local custom" -- boxes and factory doors). The bonus was that a more durable catalyzed finish is possible --- perhaps this might be what the OP's shop means by "automotive finish" --- not shiny, but hardened through a catalytic reaction. I did go with a local shop for my family room wall, which is site-painted and sees less wear. The quality there is less, to be frank (not poor, but just not as excellent).

I got the dream - everything I wanted and the big price tag I could have lived without. Ten years later I now realize I could have been quite happy with much less. In fact I've moved to a different house and I'm quite happy with a much less expensive kitchen. I obsessed and obsessed and spent most of my life on this forum for months which in retrospect was kind of ridiculous.

On the plus side a high end kitchen was the right thing to do for the area we lived in and helped our house sell quickly. However I have no way of knowing if a less expensive newer kitchen would have done the same. I think your average person cannot discern between top of the line custom cabinetry (Plato) and something more middle of the road. People buying in our old neighborhood probably would recognize top appliance brands though and appreciate things like built in appliances. Expensive vs. less expensive granite - probably makes no difference as it's a matter of personal taste and preference.

It was a fun project and I loved the kitchen while I lived there but I'd never spend that much money on a kitchen again.

Haven't started building yet. We're building a new house. So what am I giving up?

Certainly not my quartzite thankfully.

I'm giving up custom cabinets, but really there is no need for custom when there are so many options with beautiful, well made lower priced lines nowadays. Frankly as long as they hold up and are drawers with blum hardware, I'll be happy.

I'm giving up the Motowi tile backsplash I adore, and even the Fireclay or Pratt and Larson ones that were my second choices. I'll find something that works and will make me happy.

I'm giving up on the side opening Bosch oven but when it comes down to it, I don't use an oven often enough to justify spending the money. Instead, I'm getting their lower priced 500 series oven. Also we're seriously considering buying a Big Green Egg for our barbecue so much of what I might have cooked in the oven will be cooked outside now. Thankfully in FL we can do that 12 months a year.

I'm giving up the Rohl bridge faucet I fell in love with but found a DXV that is almost as pretty for almost 1/2 the price.

I'm giving up the Rohl fireclay sink for a less expensive DXV fireclay sink. I doubt anyone will notice the difference!

I'm not getting the Thermador integrated fridge, but instead am going with the Bosch which is almost exactly the same, and $1000 cheaper when you add in the 10% off for buying 3 Bosch appliances.

I'm probably giving up on the fancy drawer organizers and instead will head to BB & B to pick up plain inserts.

Lastly I may have to give up the uppermost cabinets above the uppers if it's too expensive and instead go with a soffit completely around the room. Still waiting on pricing for that one.

And this isn't just the kitchen but the whole house, but I'm waiting on pricing for the floor I fell in love with. I got a great floor at a great price, but was just told they had a price increase. We hadn't locked in the flooring price so now I may be out of luck with it. Being I'll need close to 2500 square feet, if it increased in price by even $.50 I may have to rethink it.

I think your average person cannot discern between top of the line custom cabinetry (Plato) and something more middle of the road.

No they wouldn't. When I redid the kitchen in my first house back in the mid 80's, I used the basic white flat front Ikea kitchen cabinets. Why those? Because they were the cheapest door we could use and it was all we could afford.

Fast forward 3 years and we decided to sell the house to move to a neighborhood with a better school district. In came a semi retired couple and the first thing she oohed and aahed over was our cabinets. She wanted to know if they were "so and so" brand (Some high end name brand.) I just smiled. They bought the house and added a few cabinets using the "so and so" brand. They never knew they paid probably 4-5x as much for their "so and so" cabinets as the Ikea ones.

Cpartist, check to see if there's a Big Green Eggfest held in your area. You can purchase one that's been used one day only for the fest at a discount.

I gave up custom door / drawer fronts and went with one of the lowest cost IKEA doors - thankfully it's because I liked it - but I am keeping my options open because for changing the doors, I can totally change the look of the kitchen in the future. Being able to upgrade like that (in a weekend!) is one reason I went with IKEA.

I also think I will be changing from a quartzite that was really wild, to a lighter color granite that I fell for. Jury still out on that one - but I suspect as we continue to COMPLETELY IGNORE AND DESTROY anything that even smells like a budget, these later decisions will be made for me.

Ultimately - that's ok - it can always be changed later.

There are always compromises, whether you realize it at the time or not. It isn't that difficult to convince yourself that you want "this" when "that" is really not in either your comfort zone or your snack bracket. Or maybe there are other reasons why you would choose one thing over another. My kitchen was a design nightmare. We have an old house that has at least 2 extensions to the back. I had at least four different ceiling heights to contend with, one of which was a mere 6 1/2 feet I could have spend $$$$ to have one ceiling height, but at the end of the day I decided that I'd keep the "character" as what I was really looking for was a kitchen that functions and will continue to function for me as we age. I spent the money on the integrated fridge and the combi steam oven and the soapstone and I smile every time I enter the room!

I really can't say I really compromised on much. Our scope was huge as far as I am concerned. We have an old house so readjusting our expectations happens daily!

We just never know what the old girl is hiding under layers of linoleum, plaster, siding and ceiling.....

We tore off part of an old addition of cardboard tabletops and wiring strung through nails (we really had no idea that was how the walls were made the rest of the house was so solid)! We now have a new basement area that houses a new geothermal system, instant hot water, new foundation and above it, an eat in.

We went with the bones first. I love my porch looking rafter ceiling and white cabinets. We did the vast majority of it ourselves. When it comes to finishes, I emotionally could not write out the check for 4,000 for marble counters. Instead, I found a beautiful 12X24 tile that I love for 400. Is it really a compromise or just understanding that marble may one day seem dated and I might want to change it out for something else. Not sure, but I just can't stand the thought of using that kind of natural resource and then tiring of it. I look at my tile and LOVE it everyday. It seems to have depth like onyx.

I've said this before, as far as compromise goes: I really wanted a color for my stove, but the one I have is just clicking away so I keep it. I kinda run into the same conflict with the stove, what if I buy red and then want blue after 3 years? So, I wait ;^) I guess when the stove dies, I'll know what color I want!

We are smack dab in the middle of our kitchen remodel. When my contractor first came out to discuss my plans, he listened politely until I told him I wanted to add a window between uppers and lowers so that I could see out to the E, not just S and SW... He looked at me, waited a minute, and said, "And just why do you think that is so important?" He knows me well, and that comment made me laugh, and really decide just what was important, and what were really pie in the sky ideas.

35 years ago, when we first moved our house to our farm and began improving it, I immediately began dreaming of a major kitchen remodel. I had plans to blow out a wall, take in a porch, and add a lot more square footage. We did widen the original 3' opening to 7' to access our breakfast nook, which began life as a porch. 18 years ago, we replaced the original cabinets with inexpensive yet custom ones to last until the "big" remodel.... which is now happening.

And now, retired, I find that what I dreamed and planned for all those years was good for entertainment and learning of all the choices available, but was not what I truly needed, and especially not what I wanted to spend money on. No walls are coming down, but money is being spent to upgrade electrical and add additional lighting, A local cabinet maker/childhood friend of our children, will be installing natural hickory cabinets next week. I found granite at a local yard for $20-$30 less than exotic granite or quartz would cost. Original v joint paneling removed from behind the cabinets has been recycled into a built in banquette for the breakfast nook. I saw some beautiful tiles that were over $30 a square foot, nixed them, and found some that will be just as lovely for under $10. A new slide in range is the only appliance purchase.... my old one is 17 years old, and I love the idea of keeping gunk from getting between the range and cabinets.

Yes, the final results will be quite different from what I once dreamed of having, and I know for me, that's a very good thing. At this stage in life, I refuse to compromise by spending over my budget. There are trips my DH and I need to take while we can, and horses I need to care for. Knowing I kept remodeling costs under control allows me to do those things, and that brings me great joy.