Remodeling has been the word of my life over the past five months — you eat, sleep and breathe tile colors & sizes, internet product reviews, drywall dust, paint. Home Depot becomes a daily stop on your route and the phases ‘lead-time’ and ‘back-order’ become household words. In the end the greatest obstacle becomes the budget and many fixtures that were dreamt about become nothing more than that when the final bid is put in front of you.
My tales of remodeling came to realize a few huge cost saving actions that really made a nice difference in the end.
Cabinets.
Ready-to-assemble was the route (www.kitchenspro.com) we took and the savings were about 35% over the store-bought assembled cabinets. They don’t skimp on options like roll-outs and full-extension. These cabinets require precise measurements and arrive in flat boxes. You must assemble them yourself but ultimately we got a higher quality product then what we would have purchased off the shelf for a higher price.
- Bring the Light
The lighting situation at our house needed help — dark hallways and no closet lights weren’t going to fly. By adding more lights throughout the house we were able to add instant glam with nice fixtures. Extra light always adds more space to any room and dimmers give the room versatility — ambiance anyone?
Plumbing.
Keep the plumbing in the same place, don’t attempt to move the tub or the kitchen sink. My idea of the sink and the stove switching locations quickly dissolved when I realized that would have been a major cost. By keeping the sink where it is saved us around $1200. If you are doing any plumbing remodeling it’s essential that you visit the Do-It-UR-Self Plumbing and Heating Supply where they have a great selection of new and vintage plumbing supply — tubs, sinks, faucets.
Counters.
Kitchen and bath counters would look fantastic with natural stones like granite or concrete but the cost may break the piggy. If you can’t give up the idea maybe look at granite tiles rather than slab granite. Tiled granite would be $35-45/square foot versus the slab at $125/sf. Another idea is to shop around for a thinner 3/4 inch thick granite which will save 25% off it’s thicker counterpart. We carefully saved money in so many other areas that this was where I choose to splurge with gleaming concrete kitchen counters.
None of this would have been possilbe with the clear vision and direction from Travis Hooker at Home Renew who was the mastermind behind the home remodel. Adventures in home remodeling can always be a challenge but it gives your warm fuzzies when you put the time and effort into your dream home actually becoming your own house. Creating the design and learning where you can save money yet not skimp on quality is most rewarding.
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