Expectations Of A Kitchen Renovation Project: Part 4
Welcome to the 4th and final part of this kitchen renovation series!No renovation project would be made possible if you didn’t have the funds to invest. But how much money do you actually need to renovate your kitchen? To help answer this question you’re gonna want to make sure you have read the three previous parts of this series for a fuller understanding.
Before jumping into any remodel, it is a good idea to know what your limits are, how much can you realistically afford.
I have gone through this process several times throughout the duration of building my home and it completely sucks! I don’t want this to reign true for you.
After this post, you should have everything you need to completely plan your kitchen renovation!
Let’s jump into how much this baby is going to cost!
Price Changes
This is something I can whole-heartedly attest to. By building our house during a pandemic, we had to be ever vigilant about the prices for materials. My husband certainly did his darndest to make sure we bought our materials at the lowest possible price point by the time we needed them.
The best thing that you can do is to give yourself a good portion of wiggle-room in your budget for each section of your project. A good couple hundred or more than the actual cost would be best or do what we did.
We took the price of the higher quality material and added anywhere between $100-$200 just in case the price of materials went up. Now, we never really planned to purchase the higher quality material, most of our stuff was middle-of-the-road quality. It was a good thing we did this because, as you know, the cost of materials went way up during the pandemic.
Does More Expensive Mean Better?
In short-no. Every material item you have on your list will come in more varieties than you may know what to do with. I encourage you to shop around before you buy. There is a good chance that you can find the same exact item for much cheaper.
I don’t know how many times we would get asked about why we didn’t go with a specific popular material item. Every time our answer would be “because we found the same exact thing cheaper”. There are off-brand items that are the exact same quality as the big-name brands, so don’t let them fool you with the price!
I just stress that you do your research before you buy.
Prioritize Your Spending
If you want to remain in your budget-which I’m assuming you do, then you’ll want to prioritize your money. Allocating more money to the items that you will be using the most, not the items that look the prettiest. Below is a list of items you may consider putting more of your money towards.
*Updating appliances (Fridge, Stove, Dishwasher, etc)
*The sink
*Countertop
*Flooring
The areas you are more aggressive with; that get used every time you’re in the kitchen should be the items you put more money towards. As I said, you do not need all of the shiny expensive things. Updating these areas will make your kitchen look ten times better and possibly more expensive than that real tile backsplash or cabinets that have special drawers.
Do You Have The Right Tools?
Are you doing the renovations yourself? If so, then you are going to want to budget for the necessary tools to get the job done-unless you know a guy.
Tools are by no means cheap and they can break depending on the job you use them on. I cannot count the number of tools my husband had to buy to build our house and that was with him already have a crap tone that he uses for work and borrowing others’ tools. Granted we were building a house, not just a kitchen, but still, you want to make sure you buy the appropriate tool for the job you are doing-a hammer and drill will only get you so far.
So once again, do your research and find out what you will need for tools and the average cost of those tools. Then make sure you plan for them when you create your budget.
Last-Minute Tips
These last-minute tips may go without saying, but I want to make sure you have everything so you can create the best possible budget.
As I have said before, shop around, but also wait for sales. I know you want to get your kitchen done as quickly as possible-I mean it an essential part of your house and daily routine, but you could end up saving yourself hundreds of dollars if you’re patient enough. Things always end up going on sale at some point throughout the year and kitchen materials are no exception. Also, don’t shy away from going with something that’s not a brand name. You may be surprised by what you find!
Refer back to your budget often and make adjustments when necessary. For a quick pick-me-up, do this after you have purchased something on sale below your budget point. You are sure to get a little giddy seeing the money you saved. The money you saved from that purchase can go to something else-maybe even that real tile, or double ovens, or a built-in wine fridge (or beer cooler, whatever your preference is). It is also important to refer back to your budget, updating it to make sure that you are staying on track. This makes you less likely to overspend.
Lastly, try not to get sucked into spending more than your means. Just because it sounds like a good deal doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. Everything can be updated or swapped out later on when you do have the means.
Do your best to focus on the function of your kitchen more than the look and you are sure to have a great kitchen that’s within your budget!
~MeganRelated Posts
If you are dying to get started on your dream kitchen then consider getting my Kitchen Renovation Workbook. It will have everything you need to make your remodeling that much easier. It is super simple to follow and hardly time-consuming. Once completed, you’ll be able to use it as your guide and support throughout your entire project!
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I can’t wait to see how you use your workbook and the results of your kitchen remodel!
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