If you consider yourself frugal, help advise on home reno

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kitchen is the original from 1985 and a couple of years ago after getting kitchen remodeling estimates we came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it right now. A pull and replace job (not changing layout) with mid-grade materials and appliances from the big box store was going to cost $75K for an average sized kitchen. Though had saved the money, we are frugal and think about the opportunity costs of blowing so much money on a kitchen remodel. We have two young children. $75k invested in a 529 lump sum would be enough to pay for college tuition in state in 15 years. I think you really have to have money burning a hole in your pockets to spend this kind of money on a functional kitchen.

Did they at least add in a giant bottle of lube into that 75k quote? FFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously I don’t know how big your kitchen is, but you could easily spend $15,000 on the counters and $8-10,000 on appliances and $5000+ repainting the cabinets. You have to ask yourself, is it worth it? How much do you hate your current kitchen? Of course he will save money by not replacing the cabinets, but if your kitchen will still look dated, would you be better off doing it all (or none)?

How functional is the layout? I really wouldn’t sink money into cosmetic upgrades if the layout is poor.

Unless OP has a $2M house there is no way they would be spending $10,000 on appliances. A great looking, non Wolf and Kitchen Aid, appliance set should cost no more than $5,000 even with today’s prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of what you describe sounds like something a frugal person would change, OP.

My kitchen was remodeled in 1993. I like it fine, Cherry and all. Some of my bathrooms are original from 1969 when my house was built. I have no plans to remodel anything except a deck that is definitely on its last legs.

If you love your house, why change anything?

Lol you can love your house and want to change things. I consider myself frugal and I don’t think the occasional cosmetic upgrade is some hedonistic luxury that is going to break the bank. I painted my kitchen island for example because I thought it looked like a sad builder grade thing. Its very cute now and It’s held up for years even though I did it myself, which was how I saved money on it. My cabinets are all looking a little haggard at this point and I am considering painting all of them, even if it only adds a few years to my kitchens “lifespan.”

Living in a space that you refuse to add your own touch to because it would cost money and just being unhappy with it is not frugal, it’s just cheap.

[Anonymous]

Some of these PPs are still living in the pre 21st century. Out dishwasher to replace is $12, the WD was $2k, the granite 15 years ago was 7.5K. The tiling itself was expensive on the floors. That’s not even counting the cabinets.
Also my neighbor who just sold put all this effort into these cosmetic fixes. The new people … just put it all in a dumpster. So remember time is money.
OP do what you like but do it for yourself your own feelings.

[Anonymous]

^^ DW mid grade $1200

[Anonymous]

Our 1970s house has original kitchen and bathrooms with just replacements for appliances/toilets/sinks as they broke/wore out along the way. We've thought about remodeling back in 2010 or so and it's functional enough and now it's old enough that it feels a touch vintage rather than just dated. Glad we did as a lot of the 2010 trends that were billed as "timeless" are showing their age and the money we invested instead has gone up a lot more (though this year has shaved a bit of it off a bit!). I don't think a renovated kitchen would have improved my life much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ DW mid grade $1200

Ummm, no? You can get a fairly high end Bosch for 900.

I bought a mid range Whirlpool for 450.

You overspending is on you, not the market.

[Anonymous]

So OP i had the same problem. i am frugal and i hate throwing away things that work. So for the kitchen we just changed the countertops (ugly black laminate for a nice white quartz), painted the cabinets, changed some of the appliances (from black to stainless steel but waiting for some to break ...frugality..). and removed the ugly linoleum (we were def going to do wood floors or tile but uncovered 100 yo woodfloors under).


fast forward 2 years later.... i admit i regret not redoing the whole thing . now of course i cant chnage the cabinets because i invested in new countertops. and i feel the kitchen is not as beautiful as it should be. and it is the center of our home..

I had less money 3 years ago, so that plays a role. but my 6k kitchen reno doesnt look like a 25k one (very small kitchen - bungalow - hence the low price). i wish i had spent the 25k

[Anonymous]

I guess I must be a different kind of frugal than DCUM frugal because I wouldn't call someone who would paint someone else to re-stain or paint their cabinets frugal. We refinished ours ourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obviously I don’t know how big your kitchen is, but you could easily spend $15,000 on the counters and $8-10,000 on appliances and $5000+ repainting the cabinets. You have to ask yourself, is it worth it? How much do you hate your current kitchen? Of course he will save money by not replacing the cabinets, but if your kitchen will still look dated, would you be better off doing it all (or none)?

How functional is the layout? I really wouldn’t sink money into cosmetic upgrades if the layout is poor.

Unless OP has a $2M house there is no way they would be spending $10,000 on appliances. A great looking, non Wolf and Kitchen Aid, appliance set should cost no more than $5,000 even with today’s prices.

No way, you can't get mid-range refrigerator, dishwasher, cooktop and double-oven (standard set in 700-900k SFH in suburbs) for $5k now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So OP i had the same problem. i am frugal and i hate throwing away things that work. So for the kitchen we just changed the countertops (ugly black laminate for a nice white quartz), painted the cabinets, changed some of the appliances (from black to stainless steel but waiting for some to break ...frugality..). and removed the ugly linoleum (we were def going to do wood floors or tile but uncovered 100 yo woodfloors under).


fast forward 2 years later.... i admit i regret not redoing the whole thing . now of course i cant chnage the cabinets because i invested in new countertops. and i feel the kitchen is not as beautiful as it should be. and it is the center of our home..

I had less money 3 years ago, so that plays a role. but my 6k kitchen reno doesnt look like a 25k one (very small kitchen - bungalow - hence the low price). i wish i had spent the 25k

PP, do you have any recommendations on firms that do cabinet refacing or resurfacing? We have Rutt Cabinets from a very good renovation done before we moved in and would love to have them restored rather than removed. I'd gladly pay $25k or more for that plus replacing the countertops and backsplash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obviously I don’t know how big your kitchen is, but you could easily spend $15,000 on the counters and $8-10,000 on appliances and $5000+ repainting the cabinets. You have to ask yourself, is it worth it? How much do you hate your current kitchen? Of course he will save money by not replacing the cabinets, but if your kitchen will still look dated, would you be better off doing it all (or none)?

How functional is the layout? I really wouldn’t sink money into cosmetic upgrades if the layout is poor.

Unless OP has a $2M house there is no way they would be spending $10,000 on appliances. A great looking, non Wolf and Kitchen Aid, appliance set should cost no more than $5,000 even with today’s prices.

I live in an 900k house and spent 18k on appliances in 2021. Double oven, cooktop, hood, microwave, dishwasher, beverage refrigerator, and refrigerator

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So OP i had the same problem. i am frugal and i hate throwing away things that work. So for the kitchen we just changed the countertops (ugly black laminate for a nice white quartz), painted the cabinets, changed some of the appliances (from black to stainless steel but waiting for some to break ...frugality..). and removed the ugly linoleum (we were def going to do wood floors or tile but uncovered 100 yo woodfloors under).


fast forward 2 years later.... i admit i regret not redoing the whole thing . now of course i cant chnage the cabinets because i invested in new countertops. and i feel the kitchen is not as beautiful as it should be. and it is the center of our home..

I had less money 3 years ago, so that plays a role. but my 6k kitchen reno doesnt look like a 25k one (very small kitchen - bungalow - hence the low price). i wish i had spent the 25k

PP, do you have any recommendations on firms that do cabinet refacing or resurfacing? We have Rutt Cabinets from a very good renovation done before we moved in and would love to have them restored rather than removed. I'd gladly pay $25k or more for that plus replacing the countertops and backsplash.

sorry i dont, i just used our usual painter and he sanded and repainted the doors. Not someone i would particularly recommend for a high end job. Good luck! If you have cabinets in good shape it is def worth restroing them. Mine in hindsight were not good enough

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of what you describe sounds like something a frugal person would change, OP.

My kitchen was remodeled in 1993. I like it fine, Cherry and all. Some of my bathrooms are original from 1969 when my house was built. I have no plans to remodel anything except a deck that is definitely on its last legs.

If you love your house, why change anything?

Lol you can love your house and want to change things. I consider myself frugal and I don’t think the occasional cosmetic upgrade is some hedonistic luxury that is going to break the bank. I painted my kitchen island for example because I thought it looked like a sad builder grade thing. Its very cute now and It’s held up for years even though I did it myself, which was how I saved money on it. My cabinets are all looking a little haggard at this point and I am considering painting all of them, even if it only adds a few years to my kitchens “lifespan.”

Living in a space that you refuse to add your own touch to because it would cost money and just being unhappy with it is not frugal, it’s just cheap.

You’re creating a false dichotomy between frugal and spendthrift. It’s a sliding scale. You sound as bad as my wife. The moment a dollar enters her pocket she spends two.

[Anonymous]

OP, I just looked up ubatuba and it's a nice black granite. Unpainted wood cabinets are back in style, and if yours are quality then keep them as-is. I would just paint the kitchen walls, get new cabinet hardware, and replace your appliances with stainless when they break. Possibly add a new tile backsplash.

Anything you do will start to look in dated in 8-10 years. Just keep what you have and save your money for a project you need to do.