DIY Kitchen Renovation

Kitchen Reno Idea

This is our kitchen renovation on a budget showing how you can do your renovation over time, instead of shelling out thousands in one year. 

I have to admit, when I watch TV Home Improvement Shows and you hear people say their remodel budget is going to cost $65,000 my response is usually something like "Are you kidding me?" When we first bought our ranch home in 2005 we had gold appliances that we replaced with stainless steel ones within the first 5 months, so luckily our budget was able to get stretched pretty far.

Now I admit my kitchen is pretty good size (compared to the 8' X 10' kitchens we saw while house hunting!) and it had great bones. 

We had cabinets that were solid wood and a nice pantry. It didn't have a dishwasher, but thanks to hubby, 4 hours later, I finally had the latest and greatest thing I could ever have. 

Here are a few pictures of the before:

Did I mention it also had cream/orange wallpaper with canisters & huge hydrangeas? 

I saved a piece of the wallpaper that I tore down.

Add in some new stain and new countertops and voila!

and here is what it looks like today

We refinished the cabinets with an ebony stain and 3 coats of poly, added new lighting, flooring, new sink, faucet.

We updated the old wood windows by taking them out and priming and painting them and then adding new 2 x 6 pine around the inside with a large piece of trim molding at the top.

I took the doors off my dish and glassware cabinet and added mirror backing and thick glass shelves.

Now the sunlight bounces around the room!

Below is my version of a tool caddy to hold (by category) all my cooking utensils.

Coffee Station including creamer, tea bags in a small white canister and 3 types of flavored coffees depending on our mood

The antique toolbox sitting in the island holds pot lids, paper towels and decorative items. Inside the drawer I store all the carving knives as well as my electric knife.

The total cost we paid for this (excluding the kitchen table, drapes and accessories) 11K!

We did all the work ourselves except the install of the countertops. We kept all the plumbing and gas lines in the same location, so we wouldn't have to have that added expense.

What's left for this kitchen?

A back splash and a more modern streamlined vent hood.

and that's it!

I hope you enjoyed a tour of my kitchen.

XO,

Christine