Your kitchen remodel budget can be one of the biggest headaches when undertaking a redesign of this important room. How much should you spend? How do you know what is reasonable? One way is to get a contractor in to figure the remodeling job for you – he’ll be able to give you the local costs on what everything – carpentry, plumbing and electrical will cost. But keep in mind he will be figuring in for his labor as general contractor as well.
If you have a large amount of money for your kitchen remodel and you don’t want the headache, this may be the way to go. However, if you want to save a bit on the budget, you might consider contracting the work out yourself as well as doing any projects on your own.
Some things to think about when budgeting for your kitchen remodeling include:
Cabinets
This will typically eat up almost half your budget. Of course, it can make a huge difference in your kitchen so if you are going for a big remodel new cabinets are a must. If, however, you prefer to budget your money on other areas of the remodel, you could consider resurfacing, painting or simply giving them a new look with new hardware and knobs and adding on cabinet trim.
Lighting
The lighting can make or break your kitchen remodel. It’s important to have the correct task, general and ambient lighting so this is an important aspect of the job that will usually cost about 10% of the job. Of course if you need to have a lot of electrical work done it might run you more. Make sure you don’t skimp on this part of the budget.
Flooring
You should budget about 10 percent of your kitchen remodeling funds for flooring. Don’t pick the cheapest flooring as it will not look or wear well. Going with the midrange is a good way to balance between budget and looks. Many kinds of flooring work well in the kitchen – wood, tile, granite. If you are handy you can even try saving some money by installing vinyl flooring yourself.
Countertops
Countertops will eat up another 10% of your budget. Of course, your counters are the focal point of your kitchen so you want to make sure your remodeling budget has enough money for nice counters. There are plenty of kitchen counter top materials out there but keep in mind that you want to choose one that is easy to clean, sanitary and, of course looks good!
Wall Covering
What would a kitchen remodel be without a new look on the walls? Fortunately, this is one area where you can do it yourself and save a bundle. Wallpapering is fairly easy if you want to go that route, but I like the look of paint which is a lot easier to change if you tire of it and light on the budget too! If you want a fancy designer look you can even learn some faux painting techniques that will give your walls a rich and unique look. Once your neighbors see it, they’ll want you to paint their walls so you can even make some money back from your kitchen remodel!
Appliances
Don’t forget to budget in for new kitchen appliances. If you really are running tight on the budget, you might want to use your old ones if they will fit in with the look of your remodel. Otherwise, you may want to shop around and wait for sales. Sometimes you can get a nice appliance with a second that is hardly noticeable and save some money that way.
But what will it cost?
Cost depends on the labor, quality of the products you use and what portions of the kitchen you remodel. According to Remodeling Magazine the average kitchen remodel cost in 2001 was just under $40,000 The good news is that you do recoup most of what you spend when you sell the house. Plus you get to enjoy your new kitchen in the meantime!
