Can't pull trigger on kitchen remodel
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Anonymous
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We have been collecting estimates to remodel our kitchen for several months and DW is on board. But I am having some hesitation. First, neither of us likes our kitchen and it does not function as well as it could for our family. It is from the 1970s and somewhat beaten and there is a lot of room for additional storage, an island with seating, etc. that would make us enjoy it more.
That said, there are two reasons why I am having trouble with this. First, I cannot get over the cost of $50K. We probably objectively can afford it. We have $150K in savings and would take the money from that. We also take home about $11K per month and are able to save about $2000K each month (outside of retirement and college savings). But I just feel bad spending one third of our savings on a kitchen, especially when we have two little ones and thinking about how long it took to save that money. I haven't spent that much money since we wrote the down payment check for our house. Second, I am not certain this is our forever home. We will definitely stay for another 5-7 years, but once our youngest hits middle school, there's a good chance we may move. On the one hand, I might feel a little deprived living with this nasty kitchen for several more years; on the other hand, is it a smart move? |
Anonymous
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Do it. Given your finances, it sounds totally fine, plus it will add value to your house when you sell it. |
Anonymous
| Then do it a little cheaper. Get the new appliances after the remodel or whatnot. 50k truly isn't that much and I'm sure it's less than what you'd pay a real estate agent to move. |
Anonymous
| In less its a huge house, then you can do it for much less. Get RTA or cheaper cabinets. Get cheaper appliances. Do the demo work yourself. |
Anonymous
| You don't need to spend that much. |
Anonymous
| op here. I would love to know how to do it for less. There is another recent thread here with some surprisingly low prices. Estimates are from general contractors or kitchen and bath contractors--no high end design firms. We are not moving any appliances and knocking down walls, just new cabs and granite counters, adding an island, hardwood floors, and recessed lighting. The cabs we are looking at are probably "mid-range" and appliances are modestly priced from Sears. I guess I could just buy inexpensive cabinets from hd or lowes and have a contractor install them? |
Anonymous
| Hire an electrician yourself. Hire a handyman to do the cabinets, tile and other work, order the granite directly from a shop. You do not need a GC for all that. Yes, Home Depot, Lowes, and other shops have much cheaper cabinets. |
Anonymous
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Agree that you should be able to do the job for less than $50K.
Try Cabinet Discounters for your cabinets. We found them to be cheaper than Home Depot and we've been very pleased with the quality. Consider hiring a smaller operation (e.g. a single licensed person) to do the renovation, as opposed to a GC or big kitchen or bath shop. It will take a little longer but you'll get a much better deal on labor. We re-did our kitchen with custom maple cabinets (inset), soapstone, new hardwoods and SS appliances for right around $28K. |
Anonymous
| DO it. We waiting too long and just finished ours. I wish we had done it years ago. What a waste live in a subpar house when you don't have to. I think the $50K is probably not too high, either. In a townhome we got estimates for $30K-$40K. |
Anonymous
| Do it but for cheaper. 50k seems high for what you describe. IKEA cabinets are actually really nice fwiw |
Anonymous
OP, I'm in the middle of a major kitchen remodel right now and yes, it will end up costing you $50K. EVERYTHING is expensive. You can get cheap cabinets, sure, but when you see the nicer ones, you won't want them. Same with floors, tile, back splash, etc. The one thing I would say is that if you're going to do it, do it now. Living in the house 5 - 7 years gives you plenty of time to enjoy it, and there is value in that. You will most likely be sorry you waited this long! And yes, it will add to the resale value of your house. Just accept that this is going to be a big bite and then go have some fun with it. It's amazing the stuff they have available now.... |
Anonymous
Agree with this. We were getting estimates and one small GC recommended Cabinet Discounters. The cabinets were half the cost of the other cabinets we were getting prices on and the quality was just as good, if not better. We used that GC, he did a great job and we love our cabinets. |
Anonymous
| Check out IKEA kitchens. |
Anonymous
| What is the resale value of your house, OP? 50k doesn't seem like a lot for a new kitchen, but it really depends on what kind of house you live in. I might not spend 50k so easily for a $300k home, whereas 50k seems more than reasonable for a home valued at $500k and up. |
Anonymous
| Can you do anything yourself op? The tear down, putting up cabinets (at least the wall mounted ones), YOU ordering the appliances? That will save you right there. Then leave the plumbing, electric to the pros |