Your kitchen is not only the main focal point of your home, but it’s one of the rooms in which the whole family spends a large majority of their time in, coming in second behind the family room. If your kitchen is outdated, you probably make negative comments about it all the time. You most likely cringe and think to yourself, “I’m Soo Sick Of Looking At This Eyesore!”
If you plan on taking the challenge of remodeling the kitchen yourself, depending upon your level of skills and confidence, proper planning is a must.
Otherwise, you may end up making costly mistakes that you’ll have to hire contractors to fix, which can totally blow your budget and drastically extend your project timeline.
The biggest benefits you’ll get by remodeling the kitchen on your own are saving money on labor costs and the satisfaction of actually completing the project.
The downside of doing your own kitchen remodel is that it may take longer to complete than if you were to hire contractors.
Learning to remodel a kitchen is just like mastering any other skill, the more you practice, the better you get. Obviously, most contractors that specialize in kitchen remodeling have not only mastered the process but have all the tools and resources needed to get it done quickly.
If you’re remodeling your kitchen taking the DIY Route and have never tackled a project of this magnitude, expect the process to take longer because you’ll be starting from scratch.
You’ll have to educate yourself on subjects such as design, demolition, installation, materials, tools needed, knowing when or if to get contractors involved, and the list goes on.
We said all of that not to discourage you, but to paint a realistic picture of what you’ll be facing.
We hope that you can appreciate the transparency.
You can remodel your kitchen if you plan properly, have patience, and set realistic expectations.
We’re going to share a few tips and ideas to help make your kitchen remodeling journey go a lot smoother…
TIP 1: Update Instead of Demolish
When people think of remodeling their kitchens, they immediately think of ripping out all of the cabinets, cupboards, Kitchen Island, sink, and faucet.
Instead of doing a complete demo of your kitchen, why not consider giving it a super facelift?
You could update your existing cabinets by adding a fresh coat of paint and replacing the hardware (e.g. cabinet pulls).
Another option for your cabinets is to sand them down and stain them.
You could replace your faucet with a modern type to enhance the look of your kitchen.
Like your cabinets, for your cupboard, you could replace the doorknob to modernize its appearance and even paint it a different color.
With the money you’d save by not purchasing new cabinets, you could invest in new appliances.
Updating your kitchen is a great option if you are budget-restricted, or simply not ready to invest a large amount of money to replace everything.
TIP 2: Save Money By Using Repurposed Materials
You can save an absolute bundle by getting your cabinets and other kitchen remodeling materials second-hand, not to mention being environmentally friendly.
For example; you could salvage some of the materials from a building that is abandoned or being torn down, or from a business or apartment complex that is closing or renovating, with permission of course.
Let’s say that you’re into the industrial look, you could find a stainless steel island from a restaurant that is closing down, or you can use salvaged wood to build your own kitchen island.
You can contact local contractors to see if they’ll be doing any kitchen remodels soon and ask them if they could contact you so that you can look at the cabinets before they demolish them with the homeowner’s permission. The worst thing they can say is NO.
You may have heard the old saying, “One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure.”
We advise you to not automatically assume just because the homeowner is remodeling their kitchen that the current components are junk. They may very well be in new condition and the homeowner just wants a different look.
TIP 3: Space Savers
The perfect time to add a few Space Saving features is when you’re remodeling your kitchen.
Why turn your kitchen into a construction zone a second time, when you could add your Space Saving features during the remodel?
Here are a few space-saving ideas:
- A pot rack can be hung from the ceiling to provide extra space to hang pots, pans, utensils, etc.
- Build shelves into the sides of cabinets for extra space to keep spices, jars, food wraps, and so on.
- Mount spice racks on the wall near your stove to free up cabinet space. Or make use of small extra spaces in cabinets to install a vertical pull-out drawer specifically for spices.
- Install taller cabinets to make use of more space in your kitchen. Keep items that you don’t use every day higher up to get them out of your way.
If you’re updating your appliances, invest in an overhead microwave. The amount of counter space you save will be worth it.
TIP 4: Countertops
Countertops can be very expensive and really challenging to replace on your own. They are made from a variety of materials such as Granite, Concrete, Stainless Steel, Marble, Tile, Wood, Stone, Laminate, Recycled Glass, etc.
If you don’t have the budget to replace your countertops, you may want to look into a specialized material called Countertop Epoxy, which can be poured over your existing countertops to give them a brand-new look. We advise you to do plenty of research before you go pouring any substances on your countertops because there’s no turning back once you start the process.
If replacing your countertops isn’t doable when you decide to improve your kitchen, hold off and create a plan by deciding what type of material you’d like and how you’re going to pay for them.
Conclusion
It’s no secret that kitchen remodels can be expensive, and for most people, having an outdated less functional eyesore is unacceptable.
Those that are budget-restricted must be creative in how they go about improving their kitchens. They know that demolishing all the components and replacing them with new items isn’t feasible.
However, they do have the options of updating certain components such as hardware, painting or staining cabinet surfaces, replacing faucets, using repurposed and used materials, adding space-saving elements, and using countertop epoxy to give a brand-new look.
Improving your kitchen no matter if you’re doing a complete demo by ripping all the components out and replacing them or simply upgrading certain aspects; will be a big undertaking due to all of the moving parts.
With every home improvement project, big or small, the key is proper planning, because it will provide you with a road map to help keep you on track, on budget, and completing your projects.
So, if you plan on improving your kitchen by going the DIY Route, take time to do proper research to educate yourself, plan as much as possible, and ask for help if you run into problems, whether it’s from family members, friends, co-workers, and in extreme cases contractors.
Good luck with your DIY Kitchen Remodel!
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