Houzz Call: What Did Your Kitchen Renovation Teach You About Budgeting?
Cost is often the biggest shocker in a home renovation project. Share your wisdom to help your fellow Houzzers
The cost of a kitchen renovation can range widely depending on the scope of the project as well as the finishes you choose. For many first-time renovators, the price tag for a dream kitchen overhaul can come as a surprise.
But Houzzers are design-savvy and strategic with their financial resources. And this is why we’d like to hear how you maximized your kitchen renovation while minding the bottom line. What choices did you make? How did you find ways to save? What was worth the splurge? What wasn’t? We want to hear about it in the Comments.
Homeowners: Upload a picture of your kitchen renovation and tell us what tips you learned about renovation budgeting through the process.
Designers: Post a picture of a kitchen renovation you worked on and tell us the budget-saving strategies you used in the project.
But Houzzers are design-savvy and strategic with their financial resources. And this is why we’d like to hear how you maximized your kitchen renovation while minding the bottom line. What choices did you make? How did you find ways to save? What was worth the splurge? What wasn’t? We want to hear about it in the Comments.
Homeowners: Upload a picture of your kitchen renovation and tell us what tips you learned about renovation budgeting through the process.
Designers: Post a picture of a kitchen renovation you worked on and tell us the budget-saving strategies you used in the project.
Saving by Mixing High and Low
Meg and Steve Gardner renovated their Victorian house in Toronto after a decade of living with its cramped first-floor quarters. Their new kitchen is a well-designed mix of high and low that appears much more expensive than it really was. The contractor, Nuno Teixeira of Caliber Group, painstakingly installed off-the-shelf Ikea cabinets so that they looked custom-built for the space. The family splurged on a marble countertop for the island but saved money by installing white Caesarstone and a low-cost tile along the rear wall. The indulgent gold pendant was designed by Kirsten Marshall of Palmerston Design Consultants and fabricated locally by Dean Lee, owner of Lampcage in Toronto.
Your turn: Do you have a creative eye and a knack for finding a deal? Upload a photo of your kitchen renovation and tell us where you saved.
Meg and Steve Gardner renovated their Victorian house in Toronto after a decade of living with its cramped first-floor quarters. Their new kitchen is a well-designed mix of high and low that appears much more expensive than it really was. The contractor, Nuno Teixeira of Caliber Group, painstakingly installed off-the-shelf Ikea cabinets so that they looked custom-built for the space. The family splurged on a marble countertop for the island but saved money by installing white Caesarstone and a low-cost tile along the rear wall. The indulgent gold pendant was designed by Kirsten Marshall of Palmerston Design Consultants and fabricated locally by Dean Lee, owner of Lampcage in Toronto.
Your turn: Do you have a creative eye and a knack for finding a deal? Upload a photo of your kitchen renovation and tell us where you saved.
Splurging Where It Matters
Crispin and Tyler Deneault transformed their Dallas ranch house over the course of a year. Their remodeling budget for the entire home was $45,000. This included the kitchen plus appliances; three and a half bathrooms plus hardware (towel racks, toilet paper holder, faucets, hooks); a new walk-in pantry and laundry room; light fixtures; windows; flooring; and paint for every room in the house.
The couple kept the kitchen layout, and focused on the cabinetry and surfaces instead. They removed the soffit and extended the upper cabinets to the ceiling. They also installed wood floors and a subway tile backsplash. Their biggest splurge was the granite countertop. “I love our new kitchen,” Crispin says.
“We went over our budget by $2,000 because of some surprise subflooring costs,” Crispin says. “But Tyler was vigilant and negotiated every detail with our contractor.”
Share your photos: Upload your inspiring kitchen photos in the Comments and tell us which elements were worth splurging on for your family.
Crispin and Tyler Deneault transformed their Dallas ranch house over the course of a year. Their remodeling budget for the entire home was $45,000. This included the kitchen plus appliances; three and a half bathrooms plus hardware (towel racks, toilet paper holder, faucets, hooks); a new walk-in pantry and laundry room; light fixtures; windows; flooring; and paint for every room in the house.
The couple kept the kitchen layout, and focused on the cabinetry and surfaces instead. They removed the soffit and extended the upper cabinets to the ceiling. They also installed wood floors and a subway tile backsplash. Their biggest splurge was the granite countertop. “I love our new kitchen,” Crispin says.
“We went over our budget by $2,000 because of some surprise subflooring costs,” Crispin says. “But Tyler was vigilant and negotiated every detail with our contractor.”
Share your photos: Upload your inspiring kitchen photos in the Comments and tell us which elements were worth splurging on for your family.
Knowing Priorities
Ryan and Erin McLaughlin had lived with their previous kitchen for 12 years before remodeling, so they were very clear about their desires for the new space. “It was such fun to make choices about where to put outlets, and how to lay out the drawers and cabinets,” Erin says. “Forget lower cabinet doors and go with drawers instead.”
The couple’s biggest splurge in the kitchen of their Dallas ranch home was the farmhouse-style sink and light fixtures. “I knew I wanted light fixtures from Schoolhouse Electric and a farmhouse sink before we had actually decided how we wanted the kitchen to look,” Erin says.
Homeowners: Add a picture of your kitchen renovation to the Comments below and tell us how knowing your priorities helped you stay on budget. Alternatively, if understanding your priorities helped you decide to spend more than your initial budget, tell us about it.
Designers: Upload a photo of a kitchen you designed for a client and tell us how you solved the client’s problems while sticking with the budget.
Homeowners tell us how much their remodels cost and how long they took
Ryan and Erin McLaughlin had lived with their previous kitchen for 12 years before remodeling, so they were very clear about their desires for the new space. “It was such fun to make choices about where to put outlets, and how to lay out the drawers and cabinets,” Erin says. “Forget lower cabinet doors and go with drawers instead.”
The couple’s biggest splurge in the kitchen of their Dallas ranch home was the farmhouse-style sink and light fixtures. “I knew I wanted light fixtures from Schoolhouse Electric and a farmhouse sink before we had actually decided how we wanted the kitchen to look,” Erin says.
Homeowners: Add a picture of your kitchen renovation to the Comments below and tell us how knowing your priorities helped you stay on budget. Alternatively, if understanding your priorities helped you decide to spend more than your initial budget, tell us about it.
Designers: Upload a photo of a kitchen you designed for a client and tell us how you solved the client’s problems while sticking with the budget.
Homeowners tell us how much their remodels cost and how long they took
In their Vermont family home, Michelle and Antoine Williams exceeded their overall building budget by about 16 percent. Part of the problem was that their contract didn’t clearly state what was and wasn’t included in the build, Michelle says. “A clear, detailed contract is very important in keeping within a budget when you build or renovate,” she says. “The kitchen is the most expensive space in a build. I would advise anyone who is going to build a house to price out their kitchen before signing a contract.”
Show us: Upload a photo of your kitchen renovation and tell us how you worked with your contractor, designer or architect to watch the bottom line.