Good bye 1980's kitchen and rest of house!
Last summer I posted looking for advice on remodeling on a budget for a dated 1980's house my son had just purchased with his girlfriend. For the life of me I can't find that thread.. but wanted to give an update. My husband and I helped coordinate most of the remodel because we are both semi- retired, so have a lot more time than they do! We have also built three homes and enjoy the process!
In that post.. many said for them to live with the kitchen the way it was for a while since I said this probably isn't their forever house( but it might be now!) , others suggested to paint the cabinets.. but that really was not an option. In the before picture, which was a realtor picture.. it looks much better ( and bigger!) than it did in person!
At first they were going to go with IKEA.. long story short, paid for the 199 design visit that was less than useless.. got a list of 10 pages of parts and prices.. some that were needed and others not! I made a rant on FB about the whole ordeal, heard from an acquaintance in our town who had just started selling Wellborn Cabinets. We went with her. Cost was about 500 more than IKEA. but we didn't have to put them together!!!! The IKEA quote for assembly and install was 2200. We weren't going to have them do it, but asked for the cost. ( if anyone wants to read the whole IKEA story, I posted a Yelp review - IKEA Bolingbrook, Il)
The cost of this kitchen completed was just less than 8500, not including the new floor, which they did on the whole lower lever or appliances, the existing were acceptable. Roughly 5K for cabinets, 3k for quartz counter & sink including waterfall edge on peninsula, 300 for new range hood, 100 for hardware. And we sold the existing granite for 750$. The old cabinets we could have sold, but kept for garage and basement.
We actually did the whole house (2100sf) remodel for 35K. This included almost all new windows, (2K on sale from Lowes + additional 15% off ) all new flooring, hardwood on first floor,(3500) carpet on 2nd,(2K) new kitchen,(8500) new master bath,(4K), new powder room, all new trim 1st floor, some 2nd floor all new interior doors, new light fixtures, plumbing, new front door and whole interior painted. Half of the labor was DIY ( gutting the house, all the painting, all tile work, We paid about 5K to local handymen to help with some items, drywall, enlarging wall openings, electrician, and had custom built ins around the FR fireplace done, We bought the windows at Lowes, but paid another handyman to install them.
The original budget was 25K, but that did not include new windows, after closing we found most were way worse than we thought, and did not include hardwood floors. Part of the downstairs was already hardwood, we were going to refinish and match, but found the existing hardwood was installed over 2 layers of laminate, that was warping.. all the old hardwood had to go. Then we were going to DIY wood laminate for a cost of 1800, but my husband hated the way it looked.. even though its not his house! And pitched in the extra(3k) to get the real wood and have it installed.
This was a short sale house, they got a great deal on in a great neighborhood, so even with the 35K investment, the total investment is still 40-50K less than what other homes are selling for, and without doubt this is the most updated!
Didn't get the pictures in order, obviously the middle is before!
I know this is a kitchen board, but here is the before and after of the family room as well. Took out the doors to the LR and made the opening larger. Cabinet bottoms are same as in the kitchen, then we paid to have the uppers built along with a new fireplace surround.
Comments (19)
weezel
6 years ago
Wendy
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Painted 1980's veneer kitchen cabs... before & after photos
Comments (26)WE painted our cherry veneer 20 year old cabinets in our old house. We also replaced appliances, counter, backsplash, fixtures and found the old floor. I think you are on the right track removing the overhang, but also removing the soffit will make a huge differnce. Do it if there is nothing in it that is too difficult to relocate. If you do not replace doors, definitely fill in the groove and sand flat. You also be able to add glass to a few uppers to really make an impact. The fun thing about painting old cabinets is that you are not destroying anything and making an improvement. You could try different colors. We pained ours about every 3 years, first white, blue, then yellow. I wanted to try gray but we sold the house. We also cut out some of the uppers for glass, but ended up cheaping out and using wire. We also used Soapstone remnants, since we did not want to tear out anything too great because we wanted to eventually replace cabinets (moved first). We were able to them for $2500. Before: First remodel in progress (no finished photos): Yellow:...See MoreFinished!! Bye Bye 80s kitchen! lots of pics
Comments (36)Hi keptoz - Would it be ok if I add your kitchen in the Finished Kitchens Blog? Archiving a kitchen in the FKB allows forum members access to your kitchen details and photos long after this thread has scrolled off the forum. Please either indicate your permission in this thread or send me an email (starpooh@gmail.com). Then, in the next few weeks, submit the FKB Category Checklist so I can easiy categorize the details of your kitchen. Thank you!!! Here is a link that might be useful: FKB Category Checklist...See MoreWho made my kitchen cabinets from 1980s?
Comments (8)My original cabinets were site built. Instead of cabinet boxes with usually one or two doors, a whole section or wall run may be built together so that there are no breaks on the front -- what cloudswift is talking about. The front may look more like a section of plywood with holes cut out for the doors than a group of boxes. Another sign they were site built would be no backs on the cabinets. It might not be obvious since they might have been sprayed in place. My drywall was painted the same as the cabinets, but it feel different than even thin backing wood. Another clue would be paint overspray or stain on the areas around them if you have peeled wallpaper hung around them or have taken up flooring in front of them. My shelves had supports along the full length and were all fixed in place to give stability to the whole thing...See MoreKitchen screams 1980s! I'm new to decorating...
Comments (36)Michelle, because this is a new house to you, I would wait before I do anything. Sometimes doing one thing leads to another to another to another and pretty soon you are in over your head. Usually, waiting a year and seeing how the space works is the best advice. Then, research, research, research about what you like, how you would like the space to look, what materials you want, etc. Gather pictures, and start a Houzz profile with kitchens that you like and don't like. Study them. See what you like and don't like about each picture. Look at faucets, lighting, flooring, cabinets, hardware, etc. The more research you do, the better the finished product. THEN, if you decide to paint, you will be better informed about what you want the finished product to look like. Probably not what you wanted to hear, but it is what you may need to hear....See More
suzanne_sl
6 years ago
Marcia Boyce
6 years ago
amykath
6 years agoamykath
6 years ago
cat_mom
6 years agonosoccermom
6 years ago
cluelessincolorado
6 years agoMarcia Boyce
6 years agoAll of the design and decorating kudos go to the GF! My son just went along and paid the bills..lol..she bought some stuff too.. and my DH and I just helped with the free labor!!! She really has decorated the house beautifully and on a budget.. in all areas except the floor they stayed in the budget we worked out prior to the purchase! Here are a few more b/4 and after.. dining room before.. I still have to get a new pic from that angle.. but next two you can get the idea
after
living room before
once again.. different angle.. but LR after - no more french doors, and wider opening
master bath before.. REALLY UGLY!!!
This is after.. but before the vanity and mirror were put in.. one wall of all subway tile, my husband did!! And crummy acrylic shower was replaced with tiled with frameless door.
blfenton
6 years agojolu5
6 years agoMarcia Boyce
6 years agojolu5
6 years agoMarcia Boyce
5 years agomynovahome
4 years agonewproject858
4 years agocrcollins1_gw
4 years ago
Marcia BoyceOriginal Author