this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2024
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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The most expensive part here is the countertops, which is pretty hard to do on your own, especially if you're doing stone (super heavy, special tools to cut to size, etc). That alone is probably $3-5k.

The rest is pretty easy to DIY:

  • decent laminate flooring that looks like wood - <$1/sq ft; hard wood is $2-4/sq ft - <$500 including any tools, fixes to subfloor, etc
  • cabinet doors (assuming you don't need to replace the whole thing) - $25/door, plus cost of paint/stain (idk, $50? $100 max?); looks like ~$500 for the above kitchen?
  • sink, faucet, etc - quite variable, but probably <$500 even for fancier options

So you could probably do <$5k if you're in the budget range, <$10k for something a bit nicer, assuming you DIY most of it. This doesn't count appliances and whatnot, which IMO shouldn't be part of a reno unless you're specifically planning to change the size of the appliances (e.g. you want an in-set oven, larger fridge, built-in stove, etc).

If you ask a contractor, they'll probably say $15-30k, and it could go up from there.

This is just some back-of-the-napkin math after some light browsing on Home Depot.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

One way I saved a ton of money adding a kitchen was to get cabinets and counters from people who were redoing their kitchen. Got that for the price of hauling it away. I also got 1000 sq ft of solid oak tongue-in-groove flooring for $250 from someone who overbought for their own home improvement project.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

Nice!

The more time you take to look, the more deals you can find. If you're planning to DIY, it's usually best to do things one-at-a-time so you don't end up with a half-finished project, but instead have small, attainable goals that can be 100% completed in a short period. For example, don't redo the countertops, cabinets, and floors at the same time, just complete one completely before moving on. That said, if you're going to hire someone, do it all at once, you'll end up paying less overall, though you'll probably blow your initial budget.