10 Ways to Save Money on Your Kitchen Renovation
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Tackling a major kitchen renovation can be a stressful and VERY expensive. Materials, labor costs, appliances, finishes…it can add up quickly. When we bought our fixer upper, we knew we wanted to take down some load bearing walls and would need to set a good chunk of money aside to tackle that piece of the project. However, you can still make a big impact and increase the value of your home without going too overboard. Below are some tips on how to save some money in certain areas of your renovation, helping you to stay within your budget and comfort zone. Who knows, maybe you’ll even be able to splurge a little on something else!
Be sure to check out other posts about our fixer upper so you don’t miss out on more house flipping hacks!
Shop Around for a Contractor:
I think we must have talked to about 7 different contractors before we finally signed a contract. While we do like to DIY as much as we can to save money, some things are better left to the professionals. We were not comfortable tackling anything structural, such as taking down load bearing walls. We also decided to let our contractor handle the electrical, plumbing and drywall. Could we have figured it out…probably, but we didn’t entirely know what we were doing for a project this big. There are many apps out there that can help you find contractors in your area, and don’t be afraid to ask around for recommendations!
You do want to make sure your contractor is legit. It is important to know whether or not your contractor is licensed, insured, has decent reviews, and is willing to pull permits for you if needed. The last thing you want is to end up with a contractor that leaves you hanging in an unfinished house, or worse, makes some major mistakes! So take your time and shop around. Most of the big company contractor’s will do an amazing job, but it will come at a price. A lot of other small business contractors are much more affordable, just make sure they have all the right credentials to do the job. If you aren’t sure, ask! Either way, you will find that each contractor’s quote could be similar or drastically different. It is always good to have quotes to compare, and most guys will do them for free.
DIY the Demo and Design:
When it comes to the kitchen, try to DIY as much as you can. Luckily, my husband is super handy and enjoys figuring out how things work! Some contractors will want to do the whole project themselves, start to finish, but most will be willing to negotiate with you. We only needed our contractor to take down the walls, build the columns, add beams and supports, wire the electrical, run the plumbing, and put up drywall.
We took care of demo, which saved us a lot! You can get a Bagster to collect all of your trash from the demo, and then make a phone call to have someone come pick it up for you. It’s a wonderful service that we used for way more than just demo!
Also, I designed the kitchen myself, which was time consuming but also fun and totally worth it. We really got to make sure everything was placed exactly where we wanted it…trash, utensils, pots and pans, pantry, dog food, etc. As long as you have your basic work triangle, setting up a kitchen design can be pretty exciting as you get to see all of your amazing ideas come to life!
There are many home design programs floating around the internet. If nothing else, they are helpful in getting ideas of what you might like, no matter which room you are working on in your home. Click here to try the Digital Home Design Tool! that would be a helpful tool to try. All you do is upload a photo of your room, and then you’re able to play around with different design elements! It’s pretty fun (and a little addicting).
We did a lot more ourselves, as well. I painted the walls, and Jeff and I worked together on painting the ceilings (ugh, my neck hurts just thinking about it). Jeff installed the cabinets and all of the finishes. He even put up our backsplash, which I will tell you more about later!
The aftermath of demo day!
I literally just used graphing paper and a tape measure to plan out the design for our new kitchen. This is the picture that our cabinet guy put together after he plugged in our measurements for custom cabinets (which is a free service!).
Island with load bearing columns, breakfast bar, big and Uh-mazing sink, dishwasher, and pull-out trash cans. We ended up going with wood cabinets for the island and white for everything else along the back wall.
0% Financing & Rewards Points:
Many stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot will offer 0% financing, so make sure to research your options. While it is not my favorite idea, you could also look at opening a credit card that offers 0% financing for a certain length of time. Just make sure you have the balance paid off before the term is up, or else you will be charged for every month dating all the back to when you made the original purchase! That would defeat the whole purpose, and end up costing you more money in the long run.
My favorite card that I actually decided to open just for our home improvement projects is the Chase Sapphire card. I had hear many positive reviews from friends about how easy it is to rack up points with this card, and they were offering a special promo for signing up. We charged a lot of our materials to this card, and then paid it off right away. This helped us purchase free airline tickets for our next Disney vacation! If you don’t already have a Chase Sapphire card, I would HIGHLY recommend getting one. You’ll love it!
The guy we worked with at Lowe’s when we bought our countertops and cabinets was super awesome about letting us take advantage of any deals we could get. Some people have even been able to get free appliances or other amazing deals using all of the points that they earned! Just make sure you have the cash available to pay off the balance right away.
Cabinet Promotions:
As I mentioned before, we worked with an amazing cabinet and countertop specialist at Lowe’s. His name was Lee and he helped use design our cabinet layout according to our exact measurements. Then, Lee gave us quotes for various brands and styles that were within our budget. Yes, I did mention earlier that I designed out kitchen myself, however, you do need a cabinet sales specialist to help you when you go to actually purchase your cabinets. Depending on what kind of cabinets you get, a specialist will be able to find the exact cabinets to fit your measurements and needs. Have you always wanted pull-out drawers in your pantry? What about a pull-out trash can right next to the sink? Ask the specialist if he can work this into your budget! We installed the Allen + Roth custom cabinets in our new kitchen, and they are the nicest cabinets I have ever had! All within our budget!
Lee also contacted us to let us know when Lowe’s would be running their next 30-40% off sales. He had us put $1,000 down on the Lowe’s card, just enough to get the 40% off promotion and the extra 5% for using the card, and then we put the rest of the balance on our Chase Sapphire card so that we could earn the rewards points. Other places offer promotions as well, so again, shop around and don’t be afraid to ask an associate about any deals they are offering!
We love our cabinet pulls! We actually ordered and tried many different cabinet pulls before settling on these. So many cabinet pulls are cheaply made these days. The Amerock Cabinet Pulls that we picked out are a heavier, nicer quality that feel like they will hold up pretty well. We were also thrilled to find matching Amerock Cup Cabinet Pulls, as well!
Open shelving is another creative way to save some money! If you have pretty dishes, you’ll love this look.
Countertop Promotions:
The day that we ordered our cabinets, I had my heart set on the perfect quartz countertops from Lowe’s. They were called “Peaceful” by Allen + Roth. They are a dreamy neutral white with the perfect amount of grayish and sandish colored veins that keep the overall look from being too white and sterile. I wanted them SO bad, but they were not on sale which made them way out of our price range. Lee (remember the cabinet guy?) told me to be patient and he would let us know when the next promotion had arrived. It worked out perfectly, as we needed a couple more months before we could have the kitchen construction done and cabinets installed. By the time we were ready to order countertops, Lowe’s was doing another Uh-mazing promotion! This time, we were able to get 30% off plus the extra 5% for using our Lowe’s card! This helped put the countertops closer to our budget. They still ended up being a little over what we wanted to spend, but totally worth the splurge. I’m a firm believer that if you really love something that much, you will find a way to make it work. :)
I.am. in love. These beautiful quartz countertops from Lowe’s are called “Peaceful”. They only had to make one seam in the whole entire kitchen, and you can hardly see it in the glare. We were very happy with our Lowe’s install!
Hold Out for Sales:
Those “big box” stores are always running sales, just hang in there until the right one pops up! Black Friday and the holiday season are fabulous time to scope out the best deals. Also, I scored an amazing winter sale at Ace Hardware for our Benjamin Moore paint. I had been using Valspar for YEARS. I honestly have no idea why it took me so long to finally try Benjamin Moore, but I will never go back! This is the best paint I have ever used, and I love their color selection. This paint has excellent coverage and is super easy to work with on any project. Benjamin Moore is also my new go-to when looking for the perfect modern or farmhouse paint colors. They stay up-to-date on their color selections, and get amazing reviews. You’re going to spend a little more than you would with some of the different brands, but it is totally worth it to get what you want from a reliable paint!
Scratch & Dent:
Don’t forget to check the scratch & dent section when you’re out shopping! I cannot stress enough how amazing those scratch & dent deals can be. We’ve been checking scratch & dent for years, anytime an appliance needs to be replaced (we had to replace a few at our old house). Once, we found an $800 dishwasher marked down to $400, and then hubby was able to talk them down to $300. The dent was on the back of the dishwasher, so nobody would ever see it. At our new house, we got our refrigerator and dishwasher from the scratch & dent at Lowe’s for about 50%-60% off retail. The fridge did have a couple of dents on the front, but we cover them up with magnets and lovely art work that our girls have made. The dishwasher had nothing wrong with it, it was just returned after someone tried to install it but couldn’t get it to fit properly. You can find stoves and microwaves in scratch & dent, but these can be a little tricky. Stoves all depend on what kind of features you want, and there just aren’t a lot of stoves that get returned. Your kitchen will probably require a specific size microwave, which can limit your options a little. However, I would still recommend making frequent trips to the scratch & dent section at your local hardware stores for some amazing deals!
Another way to save some cash is to install the appliances yourself.
Just make sure not to scratch or dent your head during the install! It wouldn’t be a DIY without a few battle wounds.
Subway Tile:
Tile can get really expensive, depending on what you want. Subway tile is timeless and super affordable for your backsplash. It is also easy to install, so you may even be able to DIY this one yourself and save a ton of money. Another inexpensive backsplash idea I’ve seen is shiplap. We almost went with shiplap, but decided to go with the subway tile for design purposes.
Hubby installed the subway tile, and did a perfect job!
Facebook Marketplace:
The Facebook Marketplace has been a life saver for us! We have sold and bought so many items. Some people have even found an entire set of kitchen cabinets to rehab and install in their own kitchens! We sold our old appliance on FB marketplace and made some quick cash. I also found a 12’ Christmas tree for $75! Totally irrelevant to a kitchen renovation, but I’m still bragging about this one!
Be Patient:
Last but not least, be patient. People that spend tons of money on their kitchen reno are the ones that want it done quickly, by a pro, and order their appliances and materials at retail value. Holding out for some good deals and spending the time DIYing will really save you a lot of money in the long run, and you’ll feel much better about your finances by the time your whole project is said and done. Hang in there, take lots of pictures, and try to enjoy the process! This could be one of the only times you ever get to renovate a kitchen, so take your time and make it your own.
Before picture of kitchen/dining/living room. All 3 walls surrounding the original kitchen came down and were replaced with 2 load bearing columns. This really opened up the space!
We knew this wall would be coming down, so why not let the girls have their way with it first!
So little prep space.
After picture #1: The stove and refrigerator are actually not as far away from the sink as they appear in this photo. I think I only have to take 3-4 steps to get a pot of water from the sink to the stove and vice versa. Plus, it allows more room for people to walk through while someone is loading the dishwasher. It is nice for the whole family to be able to pass through the kitchen without mom freaking out about people being under her feet!
Kitchen Island After Pic
Breakfast bar
