Revamp Your Kitchen on a Budget: Expert Tips from our General Contracting Pros

remodel on a budget

When it comes to remodels, the kitchen tends to be more expensive than other rooms and areas of your home–multiple tradesmen are generally required which leads to higher labor costs, and the various fixtures, appliances, and materials involved can quickly add up. Luckily, however, by taking certain steps in planning for your remodel, you can keep costs down while still creating a kitchen that meets most, if not all, of your functional and aesthetic needs. In this entry we will go through four tips we recommend considering if you are looking to remodel your kitchen on a budget.

**Please understand that the goal of this article isn’t to discourage you from making certain decisions with your kitchen remodel, but rather to inform you with ways you can cut costs that you may have not previously considered.

1) Keep Your Existing Layout

By minimizing the relocation of your plumbing and electrical fixtures and appliances, you can drastically reduce the cost of your kitchen remodel. Moving a plumbing fixture, for example, requires opening the wall or floor to allow access for the plumber, running the proper plumbing lines to the new location, and closing the wall or floor afterwards. This additional labor is avoided when the fixture is kept in its existing location and simply replaced. With so many fixtures and appliances to deal with, maintaining your kitchen’s layout during the remodel is a surefire way to reduce your budget.

2) Revive Your Cabinets

In terms of materials for a kitchen remodel, cabinets are generally the most expensive item. According to HomeAdvisor, in 2022 the cost of cabinets in a 10-by-10 foot kitchen typically falls in the range of $4,000 to $13,000, with a national average of $5,328. If your cabinets are in good shape and you’re happy with their existing layout, you can avoid this cost by painting or refacing them. Not only will this save you the cost of the new cabinets themselves, but also on the removal and the installation. Sometimes, just a little painting and new hardware can make your cabinets look as good as new. If, however, your cabinets aren’t in great condition or you aren’t happy with the current layout, replacing them with shelving is another great cost-reducing alternative. 

3) Sand and Stain Your Floor

Similar to your cabinets, if your hardwood kitchen floor is in good shape, it may be worth keeping. Sanding and refinishing is a great way to bring life back to them, and will cost you significantly less than replacing your floor entirely. Unfortunately, tile floors do not have the rejuvenative capability of hardwood floors, so unless they are in excellent shape and fit the aesthetic of your soon-to-be remodeled kitchen, we recommend replacing them. With that said, you can still lower your budget by replacing your floor with luxury vinyl tile (LVT). Less expensive in material and labor than your standard ceramic tile, LVT is an excellent alternative that will keep your kitchen looking sharp.

4) Hire Your Own Painter

With so many trades involved in a kitchen remodel, working with an experienced General Contractor is typically recommended. Handling the painting work, however, is something most homeowners can do on their own. By this, we are not suggesting that you do the painting work (unless you have experience doing so), but rather that you hire a painting contractor yourself. A General Contractor’s job is to oversee and coordinate the various subcontractors in a way that will efficiently and properly complete the project, but because the painting is usually left for last, there isn’t much coordinating to be done. Instead of leaving it to your GC, you may be able to save some money hiring and managing a painting contractor on your own.