The frugal route to remodeling
 No comments posted.
By STEVE BATIE / Lee Newspapers
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 11:36 AM CDT
LINCOLN, Neb. — Remodeling a kitchen is the most expensive home project anyone ever takes up.
It’s also the most irritating (eating nothing but sandwiches and washing dishes in a bathtub gets old really fast), but that’s a whole other issue.
I’ve been remodeling the kitchen in the new-new house since I moved in four years ago.
Not actively, mind you.
I’ve been nibbling at it between other projects.
This year I replaced the counter on one cabinet with a hunk of maple butcher block and added some spice shelves. It was the most expensive part of the overall project so far: $500, or so.
A couple of years ago, I put new vinyl on the floor, the biggest part of which was removing the old carpeting and patching a bazillion holes left by previous remodelers.
But destruction is nearly always free, so I was out nothing but the tile itself. Less that $150.
I’m perfectly happy with the cabinets that came with the place, so last year I scraped, sanded and varnished the cases and doors. I also gave the insides a fresh coat of white enamel.
Total bill for sandpaper, steel wool, paint and high-gloss polyurethane: Maybe $50.
Even though it’s wicked expensive, I’d have replaced the hardware, but the handles are an odd size and are set in the doors at a 45-degree angle that was a peculiar affectation of the 1950s.
To undo that, I’d have had to drill new holes and disguise the old ones. In fact, I probably would have had to resurface the doors completely, which would have eaten a big hole in the budget for what I like to think of as:
Frugal Kitchen Remodeling
I thoroughly gutted the kitchen in the new-old house, a job that topped $10,000, but my real estate agent valued it at $20,000 when he sold it. Such is the power of sweat.
(The absolutely best way to save money on a kitchen remodeling or any other home improvement project is to do as much of the work as you possibly can yourself.)
The most important change I made in that room was cutting a dividing wall back by two feet.
What originally had been a small kitchen and a back porch had been combined years before, but a narrow passage remained between the two areas. By opening that up, the whole space flowed.
Cost for that major improvement: $50 for studs and drywall.
Some other ways to save:
— Don’t move the main plumbing, gas lines and 220 electrical outlets. If you do, chances are you’ll need to call in pros, and labor is always the most expensive part of the job.
— If you’re set on replacing old cabinets (remember, a fresh coat of paint can do wonders), stick with semi-custom cabinets. They come in standard widths in three-inch increments that, with judicious application of filler strips, are versatile enough to fit nearly any kitchen.
— If it’s working, don’t be too quick to chuck an old appliance. I had e-mail a while back from an outfit that was marketing a refinishing kit it swore would make an old white stove look like spiffy new stainless steel.
Worst case scenario: You have to get new appliances next year. At least you gained that year.
By the way, the final phase of my own kitchen remodeling will involve new ceramic tile on the rest of the counters. It’ll mean laying out for exterior-grade plywood, concrete backer board, tile, adhesive and grout.
And I probably ought to replace the sink, faucets and ancient dishwasher while I’m at it.
I shudder to think what all that will run me, but it’s going to be something like $1,000.
Still, a kitchen remodeling that you can bring in for less than $2,000 — and that spread out over five years — is pretty darned frugal.
Send your home repair and remodeling questions to: HouseWorks, P.O. Box 81609, Lincoln, NE 68501, or e-mail: houseworks@journalstar.com.
|
Archives