I'm thinking about a similar refresh after having my socks knocked off with the prices for a full remodel. One quick suggestion is to consider a speed oven instead of a regular microwave (it's a micro and convection oven in one). Please keep posting updates as you progress, and I wish you good luck!!

a small galley kitchen really benefits from stacks of drawers....if you cannot end up with this, I'm not sure the work is worth it. At minimum, look at your base doors and convert to some after market rollouts [measure, and product selection, and some labour]. If the sizes are odd or the structure requires too much tinkering, then , think about cabinet replacement to get better base stacks of drawers. People generally think base drawers are better than a pullout behind a door. Have you priced out replacing cabinets with a local kitchen shop or local carpenter. A small galley is about the most straightforward setup.....you can lay your own floor...do your own backsplash....there are ways to save.

Since you are looking at replacing the doors and drawers, you can install drawers in the base cabinets and order drawer fronts to size.

At some point, you might as well rip out the cabinets and start over. I would be sure to price the difference between all the changes you are talking about and just gutting the place. We kept the cabinets in our first kitchen, but I did the painting myself. If we had been paying for that labor, I think IKEA cabinets might not have run that much more in cost.

You are going to need substantially more electrical than you realize. You will have to have an entirely new 110 circuit run for the microwave and cooktop. That means drywall repair too. IF your panel has open slots. You need to address lighting while you have the electrician there and are makeing messes. Expect that to run 3-5K.

And that is if the oven cabinet can even be modified enough to hold it. Most older oven cabinets are not wide enough to hold modern sized oven. You can’t simply cut away the face frames all the way to the cabinet walls, as the face frames are the strength of the cabinet. If you don’t have at least a 32” wide oven cabinet, then it’s a no go, no matter what some hack told you. I know how long it has been since Magic Chef made wall ovens, so I know that the cabinet isn’t going to work. And that also says how old those cabinets are too.

All of the work you describe is extremely labor intensive. Labor is the most expensive part of any renovation, and having an amateur at the helm is only going to cost you more. You don’t know what you don’t know. Obviously. Just the labor to modify the cabinets and put on new doors and paint will cost MORE than new cabinets. Properly spraying a conversion varnish finish is 7-9K. You don’t slap in house paint on cabinets. Not unless you want to waste money. Or you’re trying a DIY flip.

The whole remodel is throwing good money after bad. It isn’t a “refresh” It’s 90% of a complete remodel with only a 40% improvement. Wait another 6 months and do it right. With new cabinets that improve the function.

What you are attempting is the proverbial lipstick on the pig. And you will still have the pig under that new expensive surface. You aren’t changing the most important part.

We are doing a similar refresh. We removed cabinets over the peninsula, and on either side of the window over the sink. DH converted 3 cabinets to drawer bases, built the new drawers, and installed new soft close slides on all drawers. He built shaker doors using poplar boards and 1/4" plywood panels, and crafted the drawer fronts out of pine boards. We primed everything with Kilz low VOC primer, and we're using un-tinted white Cabinet Coat (Ben Moore) on doors, drawers, and cabinets (cabinets, drawers, and drawer fronts done; doors underway).

We've ordered a new DW (Bosch 300 series), and I look forward to the day we install the Blanco Silgranit single bowl sink in truffle and Danze pulldown sprayer faucet that I ordered two years ago (!) when the current faucet started acting up during a MB remodel. We're opting to do most of the work ourselves, because the MB remodel was a costly contractor extravaganza that left us wondering why the largest check went to the person who was on vacation for most of the work.

We did a lot of the demo and all painting and carpentry for DD's bathroom remodel last year (we brought in a tiler and plumber), so we felt pretty confident with the kitchen. We will bring in a plumber for new sink and DW hookups, and an electrician for new lighting over the peninsula. We intend to do the BS tiling ourselves, and put up shelves where the cabinets were removed. Countertops still not ordered. The estimate for laminate is an affordable $700; I think I will get an estimate for stone/quartz too.

We did big batches of work during Labor Day weekend and several hurricane days off work (thanks Irma!). We are able to use the kitchen, although cabinet contents are scattered around. Timing the plumber and countertop installation will be the tricky part. It's still not the most functional layout, but the new drawers, sink, and DW will be a step in the right direction.

I would not put quartz on old cabinets you don't love.

One of my best friends put quartz in their 90s kitchen about ten years ago and for eight years he has felt stuck with inefficient cabinets in a less than optimal layout because they spent so much on those counters.

Are you guys handy? Did you price out Ikea? Personally, I'd rather have an improved layout with new cabinets, lower the countertop budget and delay a backsplash.

Lots to consider. I DID put new Corian countertops on my old cabinets in 1985 - could not afford new and hated all the ones out there. We DID paint these cabinets with oil based enamel - twice over the years. We never had any chipping and it held up very well. I think the key is using oil based enamel.

When I finally got my new kitchen, I was able to have my old Corian countertops removed and then re-used. I have no idea if this is possible with quartz - Joe could tell you. Since I had Glacier White Corian, matching it for a new 5' run was not an issue.

I do think that re-facing cabinets is a big waste of money. You still have old cabinets with lower doors instead of drawers.

Decide what you can afford and what you can stand to live in until you can do this right. But be forewarned - it was 32 years before I was finally able to do mine!

Corian Glacier White is a great suggestion.

Cabinet refacing has come a very long way recently. The doors/drawer fronts are as good as any. Of course, you've got to have basically good boxes and slides or you're wasting money.

Quartz can be recycled, but trendiness is the enemy here. The chances of getting a color/particulate match diminishes the longer time goes by. Glacier White Corian has been a kitchen classic for 50 years and is unlikely to be discontinued."

"Do or should the existing countertops & backsplash be removed before the cabinet painting starts?"

Yes, after the electrical rough-in.

Thank you all. You gave me food for thought and my husband and I will do some more research. Between demanding jobs, aging parents for whom we are long-distance caregivers in opposite ends of the country, a senior dog and trying to maintain some sanity, we thought this might be a relatively painless way to go. We bought this house 3 &1/2 years ago and did a lot of work and spent a good amount of money before we moved in on almost everything else but stopped at the kitchen. I kick myself now but we had to move in and we were fried and spent financially and otherwise.

We have interviewed a few contractors in the past 6 months and the numbers thrown at us have blown our minds along with the time estimates we have been given but almost all of them want to take out walls or reconfigure the space which greatly adds to the cost and time estimate. It seems like this is a small project and they have minimums.

Our house is on a slab and was built in 1964. I do not want to move plumbing or open Pandora's Box anymore than we need to. The flooring is fine. It was installed not too long before we moved in. A nice gray porcelain tile that is also in the foyer and that we used when we redid the hall bathroom nearby. We do not need to upgrade any electrical for appliances. We redid a lot of the electrical when we moved in.

We recently got an estimate from a local kitchen and bath store for a range of $55-65k which included some appliances (ovens and cooktop or range and a hood), plumbing fixtures, countertops, backsplash, cabinets and installation in Brookhaven Cabinetry in full overlay with soft close integrated hinges and drawer closures. The designer told me that clients purchasing from them are investing 20-35% of the value of their home in full kitchen remodels. Is this a valid number these days?

We tried to get an estimate from one of the big box stores but they are not super responsive and have not instilled confidence with the easy part so it scares me to even think about how fulfillment would go if we moved forward but we were attracted by the 30% off sales but turned off by having to pay for everything up front including demo, labor, etc,

We like Ikea and have seen some great kitchens friends have done but we do not like the process you have to go through to get there and we are not big DIY'ers. I also talked with someone this afternoon who told me just to paint cabinets is $100 each for labor plus the paint which seems outrageously expensive.

We will be getting the estimate for replacing the doors/drawers and painting boxes along with replacing the c-tops and backsplash later this week and will go from there.

I appreciate the suggestions of converting the lower doors to drawers. Had not thought of that and makes sense.

We are empty nesters about 5 years from retirement and likely to stay in this house unless we decide to pick and move somewhere else at that time.

It's 1-story, perfect size, we have imprinted on it and it suits us. We have moved way too many times for the right and wrong reasons over the past 20+ years and my husband says he's not leaving until we can't take care of ourselves any more so perhaps many of you are right in that we should do this the right way now for the long term.

Thanks again and wishing all a good week. To be continued ...

We painted the cabinets both times with the countertops in place. They were painted with a brush, not sprayed. We did it ourselves. We removed the pulls, but left the hinges in place as we knew the doors were MDF and we were afraid the holes might get larger and the door never hand right again.

When I first started my kitchen redo, I was going to have a local carpenter, with whom I had worked at DD's house, take out doors and put in drawers in two double-doored bottom cabinets. I was then going to paint the new drawers and let it be. I hated my soffits but removing them without doing cabinets didn't seem like the right thing to do.

Cabinet builder came out - said he could do it - less than $1000 and could be ready before Thanksgiving (I would have to get someone else to paint). He came back to do a final measure and at that time told me he hadn't realized that these were RTA cabinets and he could not remove the piece between the doors as that was what held in the shelves. The way the cabinets were built, rails for the drawers would have to go on the shelves. I begged. I pleaded. I kept thinking of solutions, but he was right - there was no way to put drawers in those existing cabinets.

Thus began my quest for a new kitchen. I think you are talking to the wrong people. Talk to a kitchen store with kitchen designers. You need not remove walls etc. I certainly wasn't going to both for cost and how long I'd be without a kitchen. I'm old and I can stand chaos for only so long!

I was able to move my refrigerator to a far better location, build cabinets around it (no, it did NOT have to stick way out as some counter-depth do - KA puts the same kind of hinges as they do on their build-ins so mine is pretty close to having a built-in look), I have TONS of drawers (I ADORE them!), and my kitchen looks great and works so much better. I did not get new appliances so I was able to keep my cost to under $30,000. Keeping them, saved a lot, and they all looked modern and were working fine (okay - the stove is a 1948 O'Keefe & Merritt, but I love it).

Don't give up on a new kitchen. Doing it half measure will never make you happy.

Dallas, could you post some pictures of the space?

It's most likely going to cost you several thousand dollars to have a professional paint the cabinets. For the price of replacing doors and painting, it might be just as inexpensive if not less expensive in a small kitchen to gut the cabinets and use Ikea. Great quality and their slab fronts are usually less expensive. If you haven't priced them, I highly recommend you do so.

Plus Ikea cabinets are very good quality.

We recently got an estimate from a local kitchen and bath store for a range of $55-65k which included some appliances (ovens and cooktop or range and a hood), plumbing fixtures, countertops, backsplash, cabinets and installation in Brookhaven Cabinetry in full overlay with soft close integrated hinges and drawer closures. The designer told me that clients purchasing from them are investing 20-35% of the value of their home in full kitchen remodels. Is this a valid number these days?

Brookhaven is one of the highest priced lines out there. And I say BS on what the designer is saying. It may or may not be a valid number, but I wouldn't spend that much! You'll never recoup that.

My new build kitchen will be about 8-10% of the house value when all is said and done.

I would look at several other kitchen stores that have some lesser priced lines. Look at Shiloh Eclipse line for example.

We tried to get an estimate from one of the big box stores but they are not super responsive and have not instilled confidence with the easy part so it scares me to even think about how fulfillment would go if we moved forward but we were attracted by the 30% off sales but turned off by having to pay for everything up front including demo, labor, etc,

Stay far away from the big box stores. All we hear on here is the horror stories.

Cpartist, in north Texas, the median house price is around $200K, so the 20-35% is probably right on, if not a bit low. I agree that there are cabinet lines at a lower price point and higher value than Brookhaven, ie Shiloh and Medallion.

You can probably hire someone to help you assemble the Ikea cabs and still save money.

I understand Brookhaven is great quality, but probably mid-high budget. My quote for Brookhaven was $25K; I ended up paying $15K for Conestoga RTA including labor with some additional upgrades (not necessarily recommending that option, just basis for comparison).

We put on new doors and drawer fronts, and also converted some lower cabinets to drawers. My only regret is not doing more of them. Should be able to do it, especially if you are painting the cabinets.

whether a number spent on remodel is valid or not-will depend on where is the house. I'd need to cover my kitchen with gold to get to that number the designer gave you. Or okay, get all these appliances that costs 10K each would probably help but I'd still have to invent other tricks to get to that number

Check local cabinetmakers, Ask for recommendations, you might find somebody good, affordable, reliable, that will work with your electrician and plumber. He might know somebody who does countertops..they might know a great tiler..things can be pieced together as long as the job kinda has definite limits(kitchen is, especially as yours is small..I wouldn't give same advice on some huge job or general remodel..)

In all three occassions I worked with local cabinetmakers I was very pleased. They were very attentive, knew how to listen, what to suggest, and at least in two cases out of three I'm sure I spent less then if going through bigger stores -given the guality I got. In the third case I for sure didn't spend more. Probably also less.

in any case I agree with cpartist against big box stores but I must add that I get very overwhelmed in big places..not good even when shopping for clothes, let alone putting together kitchen plans. so that is my own idiosyncrazy that you might or might not share

IKEA can be great quality for the price, you'll need to find a good installer though. and, well, still save.

it is a big box store too of course just different approach

Update: I stopped by a different kitchen & bath store this week and am going back for an estimate tomorrow night.

Based on initial conversation, some measurements I brought with me and picking out a sample cabinet, c-top and backsplash, sink, faucet, etc, she ball parked estimate that would be doable, we'd get new cabinets and overall timeline I could live with.

We go back tomorrow night to meet in more detail and will see if this is still the case. We then give small deposit that would be used towards order for them to come out to measure to get cabinet order placed as that's a 4-6 week lead-time & she said I'd have time to finalize other items.

If the ballpark she gave me is accurate (no plumbing being moved & very little electrical needed so fingers crossed no major surprises) then even though the entire project would start later than I wanted due to cabinet lead time, I would definitely go with them and have everything new.

I am going to see the company that came out last week to do the measurements on just replacing doors/drawers & painting plus new c-tops & backsplash on Friday but they will not change out doors for drawers.

They said the stiles and cabinet frames provide structural integrity to the cabinets and since ether warranty their work they wouldn't do something that could fall apart.

It will be interesting to see how much of a $ difference there will be between the two. Will get back to you this weekend. Thanks everyone,

What brand cabinets does the second KD use?

There are professional services that will build your Ikea shopping list and others that will assemble everything. It's mind boggling that you'd consider painting but think ikea is too hard!!!!

@cpartist - I will find out tomorrow night, @millyrey - if you know someone in the Dallas area who does this let me know. I have googled and found one per on in Ft. Worth area who assembles but nothing turnkey as you are suggesting.

I would get an online design service such as Inspired Kitchen Design once you have the big picture nailed down, then a local installer.

If you can sketch out the space, I'd love to draw up a plan if you're considering Ikea. I draw Ikea kitchens for fun :-)

How exciting! Please post your floorplan. We might offer up some solutions you hadn't considered.

Dallas, that's great! And before Christmas, too! Can't wait to see it!

Anyone have an opinion on Bosch vs KA combo wall oven - please see this post & comment. Thanks. [Bosch vs KA Combo Wall Oven[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/combo-oven-bosch-vs-kitchenaid-flush-or-not-help-dsvw-vd~4933708)

Are you getting frameless cabinetry? I recommend that you do - it will maximize your available space. Your current cabinets are framed. Frameless cabinets will do away with those dreaded stiles, and your drawers will be able to fit more. Make sure you ask your KD this question.

Edit: never mind my question. I looked at Executive Cabinetry's website, and it said "Full-access, frameless cabinetry with 15% more storage space than framed cabinetry." My question answered!