I’d leave the cabinets... the color is decent (not the icky amber/gold) and painting existing cabinets is both expensive and very difficult to do well.

Since you’re doing new floors, do a completely new island. Make it a rectangle (not that funky shape) that runs parallel to the sink wall. That will give room for stools along the outside without impeding your walkway. Do the island in a painted finish... maybe shiplap, to give it the Fixer Upper style you like? That, new counters, new backsplash, and new hardware will eat up your budget quick enough.

Yes I was definitely considering a whole new island!

Would you do subway tiles and white countertops on the cherry cabinetry and then a white island? I cant find pictures to portray this idea...

Hillside is totally right! That stain color is really pretty and I think with fresh floors and new counters it will take on a whole new life! I wonder if maybe adding stacked cabinetry to the top with glass panels? That might be a nice touch but might be over $15k

Price the new island with a quartz top...hopefully you will have enough left for a new backsplash.

I don’t think new quartz for that size kitchen would cost close to 15k??? I’m sure OP would have plenty for new counters and a backsplash with money leftover unless she chose a top of the line quartz/granite/Quartzite/marble

New—correctly designed—island with the right finishing touches, would be about 7-9K. That’s 3-4 mid grade cabinets, with a trash insert, one other organizer, and with integral finished ends, side created toekick, veneer panels and applied doors for the back, and legs and stretcher bars for the table apron for the overhang. And installation. That’s $800 minimum to demo and install. IF the floor is level.

New quartz would be 6-8K. Average kitchen has 60 sq ft of counters, and average quartz cost is $100 per square, plus extras like cutouts, edges, templating, and a new sink, faucet, disposal, and strainer baskets. You need all of that. It ranges from $80-140 a square.

New backsplash would be 2-3K. Average splash is 40 feet. You’ve got demo of the old, which is removing it to the studs. Then, new drywall or cement board, and only then can you tile. Two half days from a tiler you’d let in your house, and trust to do it, is at least $700. Another half day for the demo and new rock, another $700. Thats a minimum of $2100 before you even start to talk tile and grout.

New lighting, which is needed way more than frou frou, would be 2-3K. That’s new wires run, with new recessed and under cabinet lighting. I’d go over cabinet too since that’s such a big blank.

I’d save the 15K, buy extra wood flooring, and plan a redo for 10 years from now when this is worn out. You’ll have gotten 10 years of use out of it, but none of those changes, except for the better lighting, will be reusable.

When you replace the counters, swap out the double bowl sink for a single bowl sink with an off-center drain so that you can add a trash pull-out to the sink cabinet and get your trash out of sight.

Mine:

I looked for inspiration pics for you with a similar wood finish (btw, not sure your cabinets are cherry. Grain looks more like maple but it's hard to tell in the photos).

All I've found so far is a bathroom with cherry cabinets, white counter and a white backsplash.

Sonoma / Sea Ranch Redux · More Info

Close... the tile band adds color and interest to the plain white counters and backsplash.

Bucknell · More Info

White counters with white tile and grout.

NE PDX Kitchen Remodel · More Info

Inspiration pics of other options:

Ireland in CT · More Info

solid cherry cabinets, marble subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances · More Info

Orinda Modern · More Info

Kitchen corner · More Info

Another bathroom photo but counter and splash are pretty, IMO.

Ladd’s Addition Bathroom · More Info

I paid under $5K, and I have almost 85sf of quartz countertops. This looks like about half that. I wouldn't think it would be more than $4K for quartz.

Sorry, but I agree with your husband. I think your cabinets will outlast the Fixer Upper trend. For now, maybe changing the backsplash will give you the update you’re looking for.

What are you going to do with the tile under the cabinets when you change the floor?

If this were my kitchen I would add to the list: a drawer microwave in the new island and a stainless hood vent.

And definitely not 2-3 k in backsplash...we bought a high end marble product for our backsplash and we have a HUGE wall to cover...and it only cost us $950 in materials...OPs wall is 1/3 of our size

I'm with your husband. Spending 15k cosmetically to follow a fad in what is otherwise a fully functioning kitchen is not something I could justify.

So my answer to the question "what would you do with 15k in this kitchen?" for me would be, "buy food for a year and a half." That's for my family of nine, buying organic. Your family of four can live on that for 3 years or buy conventionally grown food and eat for 4.5-6 years. To me no amount of shiplap is worth that.

You married a smart man. Be glad you did.

I was thinking exactly what richfield said..right now backsplash doesn't have anything in common with granite, but at least repeats the floors. If you change the floors-it'll be really an odd element. So I'd think it over first of all. You might not need additional backsplash since you already have that granite one-or you might decide to use subway for example to make the backsplash more like fixer upper look (no, not everyone is into fixer upper that much, but subway tiles usually do work well with different surfaces.)

I don't think 15K would be enough for all the changes, frankly..or I'd put it this way, where I live wouldn't be enough. Countertops, island..that's a lot. Painting cabinets properly..I'd leave them as they are for now. They're nice cabinets. I'd put a new hardware and style to my liking and enjoy this kitchen -maybe with new backsplash, better lighting, and for sure new flooring that's in the plans already, until it serves my family well enough. If it doesn't-well then change of plans and upping the budget accordingly.

So, you are redoing the kitchen floors? What will you be putting in? It's going to impact your other kitchen choices.

Right now the backsplash is the odd man out. I like subways with a twist - bevel, crackle, fireclay. Something that adds a little interest but doesn't have an obvious pattern or over power. I would get a cream with undertones that match the rest of the kitchen.

Your island shape is odd and it would look good to change it. Not sure if you have the clearance to add an overhang and stools. The new island would look nice in a color - perhaps navy or black and you could stain a wood top to match the rest of the cabinets.

Then get some pretty Magnolia Home runners and accessories for the island and I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the space.

Here is a photo of fireclay subways.

@lisa_a, thanks for posting your photos of the sink w/ the offset drain. Are you able to put a dish drainer in there? I often wash dishes by hand and have the drainer in 1/2 the sink. Would this work in the offset bowl sink?

DWs are so water efficient these days, they actually use less water than washing by hand plus they have special settings for items I used to have to hand wash so, other than items too large to fit in my DW, I wash very little by hand these days. I love being able to lay a large sheet pan flat to soak in my sink, something I couldn't do with my old double bowl sink.

But should my DW go on the fritz and I'm stuck handwashing while I wait for the repair service, I'd simply place a dish pan in one half of my sink and a dish drainer in the other half to mimic a double bowl.

They make dish drainers that fit over an undermount sink, too.

Contemporary Kitchen · More Info

Sunshine Garden 4 room BTO · More Info

I have this one (shown in my temporary kitchen, set up in my ugly laundry room, during my remodel).

I found out about it from fellow GWers. The great thing about this one is that it rolls up and stores neatly when not in use.

Thanks everyone, I’m confident we have a healthy budget, the numbers mentioned above are much higher than I was quoted. I’m ok with keeping the cabinets, I can’t seem to imagine those cabinets with white counters and backsplash, I really want a light and fresh look. My original plan was medium wood floors but that may have to change with keeping the cabinets.

Why would you have to change putting in medium wood floors if you keep the current cabinets? I can't imagine a better floor for an entire house than medium wood in your case. I agree, painting the cabinets would be a waste of time, money and effort. IMO the "fixer upper" look is already on its way out. Chasing trends is very expensive and just not worth it in the long run.

Op I think you will be thrilled to see the transformation to your cabinetry with fresh floors, counters, and a backsplash! Please update us on the progress! And yes your 15k budget is plenty healthy for new counters, backsplash and some fun extras!! Are you and hubby handy at all?? Doing a backsplash is not hard work at all (in some cases, some tiles are easier to work with than others). So you could save yourself labor costs and put that towards an even more high end splash!

Your kitchen cabinets are nice; I agree with your husband no need to change them. I would definitely change the backsplash. I would keep the counter. If you change the island just pick a Quartz that coordinates with your current counter and improve the lighting.

Quartz is at least $75.00 a foot installed. If you are going that route, price out the counters first and see how much you have left...

Would love to see the kitchen once the seller moves out and take all the stuff off the walls and counters. I don’t think the kitchen is bad, at all. I would live with it for awhile and let the $15,000.00 gather interest until I was sure of what was necessary.

I think pricing on counters varies depeding on area and fabricator...I was receiving quotes for Cambria quartz anywhere from $45 per square foot to about $65 per square foot. We ended up going with a Quartzite stone but anyway...

I love it but you're falling into the Fixer Upper trap again :) If you can afford to follow trends and replace big things every 5 to 10 years, it's fine to use trendy grey floors, put up a barn feature wall or use encaustic tile. If you don't have an unlimited budget then try to follow trends with things that are easily replaceable. Area rugs, pillows, art, accessories.

If you are going to use greige, make sure the color works well with warm elements like your cabinets. Many folks here try to use a cool color with their warm floors, fireplace, etc and can't understand why the room looks "off".

Congratulations on your home to be that is a lovely kitchen.

15K to spend.

I have a few questions first. What are the floors in rest of the house? Is it just the kitchen that has tile? Or is it tile throughout the entire space? Because to replace floors could easily eat up your entire budget. In my part of the country to rip out tile and put in engineered hardwood is about $15 dollars a sq foot (includes materials and labor). That could easily run into $10 thousand for that space. But maybe where you are floors are cheaper to install. If you are keeping the floors focus on an island with seating. Change out counters but keep your cabinets as is.

Quartz is about $75-$150 per sq foot including installation. What size is your island? Lets guess about $1200 for the island but this will depend on the stone. Are you replacing the rest of the counter? That would be another $1200 or more now add sink, faucet, plumber....

Back splash tile, find a good tiler and simple tile 20 square feet (not sure what you have just guessing) maybe about $1000. But keep in mind tilers are hard to find and you want to pay the highest price to have the best quality work. It is all labor.

The cabinets under the island..Are you keeping some of them? Going all new? Are you looking for a local big box or custom cabinet maker? I am no expert but maybe $3000 for an island with drawers, doors or trash bin and area to sit.

Hardware for cabs..$400

I think you could do it if you are flexible with your budget but if you are trying to do a full Fixer Upper look you will be way under budget. The show sometimes makes it seem that you can do so much with such a small budget but that is all TV drama. Perhaps borrow some simple ideas that are not permanent so that you can stay within budget.

If it were my kitchen all my money would go into a new counters and back splash. I would even keep that island just extend top to provide seating. But my 15K would go into new counters and I would do a white Quartzite with slab backsplash. The below photos are not fixer upper but something that could work with what you have. But scroll past for your Fix Up inspiration and maybe wait to spend your money.

Sleepy Ridge - Parade of Homes 2015 · More Info

Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts 2016 Kitchen · More Info

Fixer Upper Photos · More Info

Fixer Upper Photos · More Info

Fixer Upper Photos · More Info

Fixer Upper Photos · More Info

We have a separate budget for floors, the whole home is tile but that will all be changed, around here tile is an average of $6 square foot installed, so pricing in my area is fairly reasonable. The 15k is just in the kitchen and should be plenty for countertops and backsplash and a new microwave and black hardware.

Everyone forgets the cost of the demo has to be included too. This isn’t new construction. There’s also prep costs for tile and wood. That is NOT happening for $6 a square. Average costs for demo, prep, and new tile or wood would be double that $6. Plus the cost of tile or wood. This is just like painting, where all of the work of a good job is before the paint is laid onto the surface. Prep is everything.

You need to read all of the “Help! Disaster!” postings on here. It will take DAYS, if not weeks. The #1 common denominator is a cheap price. Then, they get to pay the market costs for s Pro to fix the problems on top of the cheap price.

This is for the tile industry, but more than half of it is applicable to installing wood too. There are professional certification programs for wood floor installers as well. Chuck in a Truck pricing usually comes with Chuckles the Clown work standards.

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

$45 a square for Cambria is below wholesale costs for just the slab. I do t play that pricing game. I’m talking installed prices from a professional who you’d let in your home, and who has a clue. No Chucks.

Thanks for your advice all we have a trusted contractor we have used several times in our family (my parents do flip houses) I’m not overly concerned about the cost of the flooring we have allotted more than enough for that outside of our kitchen budget and to get the kitchen right I’m willing to wait on bathrooms and put extra into the kitchen. The 15k is a starting point and I’m looking for ideas that would make that a possibility and ways to incorporate that fixer upper style into what is there which would be awesome and leave me more for the rest of the House.

Hmm I feel even more stumped than I did when I started.... I love white kitchens and find the palette of a white kitchen easy to piece together. This is quite a challenge for me. My style is traditional, slightly country/vintage and I hate Browns, the flooring I originally picked is below and seems like it would look terrible with these cabinets....

It is so hard to see undertones in photos. I think the bottom floor with the swatches of brown stain should work with your cabinets. If you don't love it with the cabinets but love it everywhere else you can always use runners next to the cabinets to break things up.

You can have your cabinets sprayed by a Pro, with a conversion varnish finish. But that’s the lions share of your budget. It averages 7/9K.

You’d need to keep the counters and the island as is to fit that into your budget. Or increase your budget dramatically.

If you want to change the cabinet color, and do new backsplash, and a new island shape, and, and, and, then you would really do better to put that 30K in an all new kitchen. Gut it and start over. Especially since you’re already doing the floors anyway and have that funky shaped island.

All or none.

Nicole, your budget is healthy for the changes you want to make. Take everything said here with a grain of salt and a swig of tequila...make YOUR kitchen what YOU want it to be and enjoy every second in it.

I also agree that a refresh is doable with this budget. But perhaps a bit of a breather is in order? Take a few months, really think about it, and then decide.

If you think you're going to want to tear out these cabinets, or rework the kitchen layout witin 5-10 years, save the 15K you have now to apply toward that. You've also taken time to decide if the Fixer Upper style is something you and your husband will be happy with long term.

If, however, you think that the layout is sufficient, go for it. You can paint the cabinets a few years down the road if you're still not feeling the color, even after you've done new counters/backsplash.

I've always had simple kitchens I could make my own because they were not so great that I couldn't mess with them a bit:)

I have sympathy with a kitchen which you don't feel reflects your style, but is too good to play around with - I mean if you painted or removed doors or anything like that you risk blowing a nice kitchen. You have a good layout. Look into the cost of simply changing out the cabinets you have for new cabinets. Donate the older cabinets to ReStore - they will be great for someone in need of decent cabinets.

Many years ago I did this - just changed out cabinets and a new laminate countertop - kept appliances and layout. Your budget is much better than mine was and stone counters might be doable. Some will say a new kitchen cost X amount of dollars, but a lot depends on what part of the country you are in. Keeping the layout and appliances will save $$$$. I would loose the over the range micro though - not the style you want.

I bought my present cabinets, made by Medallion, at a home center store 20 years ago and they are still in good shape. Many cabinet companies have different levels - don't get the lowest - look for dovetail joints in the drawers and sturdy construction. If your cabinets are standard size, replacing them with standard size cabinets but in your style might be doable - its not custom, which will save money. Check local cabinet makers too. One of my local cabinet makers is very reasonable.

Tony, once again, a charming post that shows your lack of reading comprehension.

Do you have pictures of what looks like a little bar area behind the fridge? I think removing uppers is probably your best (and cheapest) bet for getting the light and airy atmosphere you want in your kitchen. But it'd be good to plan how to make up that storage elsewhere, and that bar area might lend itself to becoming a pantry or overflow storage.

What is fixer upper style? :-)

Jullius, yes the bar area has cabinets and there is a really good sized walk in pantry so I’m not overly worried about cabinet space. I’m meeting with my contractor on Monday, I will update when we get the project started

Answering Helen: fixer Upper Style is a made up concept formulated by a single "designer" who controls design on her TV show. On a house-wide basis, she has single-handedly forced ship-lap in all style houses; created dictionaries on walls with ridiculous "art" of words-only hangings; removed more walls than anyone in the history of war and demolition; and has convinced lots of people that this is the best and only style. And now it has a name? Fixer-Upper Style? Really????

the backsplash actually bothers me...

nel smith - Ah and also responsible for creating the idea that an entire house including kitchen, baths and taking out structural walls can be done for less than what just my small kitchen remodel is costing :-)

I don't know if this is the show but I was channel surfing yesterday and lit briefly on a place where kitchen, bathrooms, ceilings, walls etc. were all renovated for about a third of what it's costing me to remodel my smaller condo with no structural changes.

And yes, there was some shiplap - or whatever in one of the rooms :-) I was completely unfamiliar with that until these boards.

I had no idea this was now a style - I just thought it, like all of the HGTV shows, were unrealistic in terms of budget and also were responsible for people decrying outdated bathrooms and kitchens. I realize that the channel makes money on advertisers who want homeowners convinced of the need to spend money for updated kitchens and baths but I really wonder whether in the real world people still have relatively modest budgets left to change functional baths and kitchens after buying a home. I know when I bought my first condo, I had a triage of absolutes like getting rid of the carpet which was not outdated but truly repulsively worn - ESPECIALLY - in the bathroom and I did swap out the harvest yellow formica (worn) for another formica counter - the hideous lighting fixtures in the bathrooms stayed because they provided light :-)

http://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2018/

https://www.curbed.com/2018/3/7/17087588/home-renovation-unnecessary-mcmansion-hell-wagner