Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10:11 here.

OP, what conditions are your csbinet boxes? Are they solid, high quality wood?

If they are in good condition, you can remove the doors, strip them down, then just order new doors, drawer fronts, hinges and hardware online. That might save you money as well.

Lipstick on a pig. Cabinets are the most important thing in a kitchen. Besides, the new cabinets aren't doors anymore, they're 100% drawers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

And don't do it all at once.

We did a major renovation of our basement, but we DIY'd it and just did a little bit at a time. Demo one month, studs the next, wiring another month. We picked up bargains as we saw them, even if we knew we weren't getting to those part until the end (like flooring and fixtures). We hired in a few things, like plumbing and ductwork, and mixed others, like running our own wires and hiring an electrician to do the final hook ups.

By doing it this way (bits and pieces) we were able to spread everything out in a way that we just paid out of pocket, only touched savings once (for a couple thousand and we paid it back the next month or two), and we never noticed the money leaving the account because it was all manageable. If we were purchasing something big, like floors or wires, we just skipped eating out a bit to stay on budget.

Now, I do not recommend stretching a kitchen reno out over two-three years, but you can break it down over months to makeit more budget friendly.

For example, start with recessed lighting. Go find and Angie's list deal, and get that done first.

Over the next couple of months, watch for sales/clearance of fixtures, faucets, garbage disposal, and appliances. When you see a good deal, buy it and store it in your basement or garage. Just do one every couple of months, unless you find a huge bargain you can't pass up. Or bargain shop the little fixtures and small appliances in advance, then do the cabinets/countertops/floors, and add the big appliances one at a time.

Do your own painting and wall prep. That will save a lot.

If you are worried about money, don't do everything at once.

What did you do for cooking/food?

I would bite the bullet and not stretch it out over months unless you have an in-law suite or kitchenette. I'm only 3 weeks into my kitchen remodel (with fridge, microwave, Instant Pot in basement) and cannot imagine purposely stretching it out to save a bit of money. OP, better to save and wait a bit and do it all at once. Think about the reality of functioning without a kitchen day-to-day, and decide how long you really want to put up with that!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

m

This. The best way to save money is to manage everything on your own and not hire a GC. It will take longer and will be a pain but you can save tens of thousands. Get quotes from handymen for the tile work, painting, replacing cabinets yourself. Get a labor only quote and purchase the role and granite directly from the store. You can find someone who specializes in cabinets.

We saved around 30k doing our basement and the work is fine. A lot of the quotes we received from gcs were ridiculous. I'm talking 7k to repair and paint drywall versus the handyman doing it for 1k. Comparing the estimates is funny.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

And don't do it all at once.

We did a major renovation of our basement, but we DIY'd it and just did a little bit at a time. Demo one month, studs the next, wiring another month. We picked up bargains as we saw them, even if we knew we weren't getting to those part until the end (like flooring and fixtures). We hired in a few things, like plumbing and ductwork, and mixed others, like running our own wires and hiring an electrician to do the final hook ups.

By doing it this way (bits and pieces) we were able to spread everything out in a way that we just paid out of pocket, only touched savings once (for a couple thousand and we paid it back the next month or two), and we never noticed the money leaving the account because it was all manageable. If we were purchasing something big, like floors or wires, we just skipped eating out a bit to stay on budget.

Now, I do not recommend stretching a kitchen reno out over two-three years, but you can break it down over months to makeit more budget friendly.

For example, start with recessed lighting. Go find and Angie's list deal, and get that done first.

Over the next couple of months, watch for sales/clearance of fixtures, faucets, garbage disposal, and appliances. When you see a good deal, buy it and store it in your basement or garage. Just do one every couple of months, unless you find a huge bargain you can't pass up. Or bargain shop the little fixtures and small appliances in advance, then do the cabinets/countertops/floors, and add the big appliances one at a time.

Do your own painting and wall prep. That will save a lot.

If you are worried about money, don't do everything at once.

Anonymous wrote:10:11 here.

OP, what conditions are your csbinet boxes? Are they solid, high quality wood?

If they are in good condition, you can remove the doors, strip them down, then just order new doors, drawer fronts, hinges and hardware online. That might save you money as well.

Anonymous wrote: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 wrote: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 wrote:Check out IKEA kitchens.

Anonymous wrote: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 wrote: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.