I wouldn't do it, because I'm sure I can think of a half-dozen other things I'd spend the $1200 on first :) I like the look of wider boards, but just wouldn't want to pay the upcharge for them when I could put the funds toward other things that I'd notice more often. That said, I did spend a ton of extra money on Emtek door hardware (as opposed to the less expensive options at Home Depot). But every time I see the door knobs & backplates I am SO happy I did. How much of a thrill do you think you'll get from wider boards?

I'd snatch the granite CL vanity top, and design around that. Paint the vanity to coordinate, paint the walls, add a shelf for towels/storage. If the vinyl flooring will look ok with the granite, I'd just keep it after cleaning it withing an inch of its life and coating with Mop and Glow or some other shine enhancer. If not, replace it with new sheet vinyl, or vinyl planks, it is not a difficult DIY project in a small room if you are at all handy. Probably a new light fixture too, as you can find some good-looking inexpensive ones at HD or Lowes. I just bought one for less than $80 that will work until that bath reaches the top of the list.

Well, there are two ways to go about this. One is what you have already done, which is to say this is what I want, what is going to cost. The other way is to say, Ok, this is what I have to work with, how much can I get done with it? Unfortunately, a strict budget lends itself better to the latter than the former. One way you can save money is acting as your own GC. First, I would open up those two rooms and put new flooring throughout to unify the spaces. See how much money you will have left once the rooms are opened up, and go from there. When doing a kitchen on a budget, and I have done basically what you are talking about with less money, I found it worked best to set a priority list of what NEEDED to be done first. Since opening the rooms requires new flooring to tie the spaces together, start there. It will also make the biggest difference in how you feel about the space. Then decide if your cabinets are in worse shape or the appliances. Can you save any appliances? Just saving a refrig., which is what I did, will save you 1500.00-2500.00+. Make a list of which appliances you really NEED to replace right from the beginning and the minimum you would settle for in those appliances. You might be able to upgrade later if you save money elsewhere or find good sales, etc. But start assuming you won't. If you won't settle for less than a miele DW or a thermadore range you are in trouble on that budget. Look at GE, Kitchenaide and Kenmore, determine what features you REALLY want and get an idea of what they would cost. Then see what you have left for cabinets, pumbing, electrial as well as organizational goodies and cosmetics. If you can't spend much on plumbing and electrical, plan to keep the sink where it is, also the stove if you have a gas range. You have more leeway moving the stove for less expense if the stove is electric. Make sure you have planned for adequate lighting. UC lighting can be added later although it is easier and less expensive to do it before new cabinets go up. If you want recessed ceiling lights you really should plan for that expense up front and do it first. If budget dictated it you could always add plug in UC lights that you attach to the cabinets yourself. Then look at cabinets and layout with reasonably priced lines. Try Ikea for the best budget friendly cabinets. Then find out what a carpenter will charge to install them if you can't. Make it clear you are only going to do what you decide you can afford in the budget and want seperate prices for just the wall work and just the cabinet work. That way, he is not figuring in a large amt of money to GC all the rest. It takes a lot more planning and work on your part to do it for almost half the cost, but if you really want to you CAN do it. For me, it WAS a load bearing wall I wanted to open up and my estimate involved installing an I beam to carry the weight because of that. I decided to put in a 6' wide opeining instead of removing the wall completely because that would have meant messing with a lot more electrical and opening the ceiling to rewire the ceiling fan/light, etc. With the I beam, doing that cost me about 3000.00. Yours certainly should not be more, and may be less because it is mostly demo and cosmetic work afterwards, but watch out for electrical issues and consider scaling down your plans if that would increase costs greatly. For floors, I wanted hardwood but couldn't afford to have it completely installed, so I did the install myself, and saved a couple thousand. Whatever you want, look in the phone book for flooring contractors and start getting estimates yourself, rather than letting another contracter or kitchen design place do it, because they need to increase the price to also make a profit and account for their time to arrange and oversee it. Get recommendations from friends and family who have had wood floors, tile work or whatever done and were happy with it. Any place that sells cabinets should be able to help you with a layout, measure for the cabinets, etc. Then post the layout and plans here and you will get a lot of great ideas, critiques and help for free to fine tune your plan before committing yourself to it. Sue

For a couple hundred, I would suggest painting the walls (love your color, but it's dark, and I don't think it's complimenting the "orangey" color of your oak), and add hardware. Even with you doing the work, that's about all your budget allows. If you had a few more hundred, next on my list would be to replace the countertops with formica/laminate. I had to live with a kitchen "update" for ~15 years before I could do the countertops again, and doing the inexpensive countertops was the best $ we spent. The formicas are even better today, and honestly - so practical and maintenance free. I had a small kitchen, and this was a while ago, but my custom (not off the shelf) counters were under $300 (with DIY installation - these counters are very DIY friendly). Lynne