are you sure about that $17 figure? the link is blocked for me (at work) but the heading reads 1700, not 17.

of course the other give away is that you cannot even buy a gallon of paint for $17, but I was thinking this person scored a bunch of free stuff or something.

Looks like it actually is $17! (the link says 1700 because it's titled 17.00 )

I am incredibly impressed

i dont buy it - bet it looks $17 in person

Looks like a $17 job to me. Those cabinets could use another coat!

I would like a cost/freebies breakdown. I see paint, brushes, rollers, possibly sand paper and rags for the cabinets, acrylic paint, sponges for painting and polyurethane for counter tops, joint compound, paint and tape for the backsplash, a new faucet, stainless panels for the dishwasher and stove, wood and tools for the cornice, the curtain, doors for the upper cabinets, it looks like the wall color may be different, a new or painted vent hood, a stainless steel soap dispenser (those alone are not cheap new), not to mention the plates, flowers and vases as decorations.

Fine, you have the inspiration down (if country inspires you), now be informative and instructive. Tell us what is and isn't reasonable to buy or find.

Frankly, if they'd put some doors on the cabinets and clean up the clutter, I think the before is much nicer looking.

I hate these "makeovers." The wood from the cornice alone would be $17. And the stainless sheet for the dishwasher? And a new hood for the stove?

The hood isn't new. Looks painted to me. I don't believe it was $17 either but overall it's pretty meh.

It could be $17 if the renters already had a lot of the materials from previous painting jobs. I know I have a large stash of painters tape, primer, rollers, brushes, sandpaper, stripper, and varnish sitting around, just waiting to be used up. If one was to buy one or two small cans of paint, or find a half-full can for cheap on craigslist, $17 is totally possible.

@herong - I think the "Before" picture was actually a "During" you can see that one cabinet door is up (near the sink) and they have started painting. Chances are someone said "Oh, we should have taken a before picture" after they had already stated.

I too woudl like a cost breakdown including freebies and "already-had's." I'm very doubtful about 17.00 for the entire project start to finish.

How in the world did they tile the wall (or even wallpaper) the wall without going over $17? Impossible unless they had A LOT of basic materials on hand before buying the white paint.

I think the end results look good, though. I'm impressed the landlord let them do as much as they did.

I don't by the $17 either. I wonder if they figured in the cost of not getting their deposit back.

on top of all the excellent points you guys have brought up, can i just say this:

STOP. PAINTING. COUNTERTOPS.

seriously, why the hell is this becoming something that people do? not an acrylic sealer, not an epoxy, but mf-ing wall paint.

i would refuse to eat anything prepared in a kitchen like this.

I'd be pissed if I was the landlord, whether he gave permission or not.

And in terms of the countertop, I don't LOVE the before, but it could've worked had they done it differently.

Everyone's already mentioned all those other costs like rollers, tile, new faucet... they also bought one of those fake stainless panels for the front of the dishwasher.

Costs aside, I don't mind the shabby-distressed paint look but it just looks terrible here.

OK, nm, I just clicked over and saw the backsplash isn't really tile, it's joint compound. I bought it, so good faux-tile job. But that would just make me angrier as the landlord.

Sorry but its still ugly. Maybe the open shelving could have been retained rather than heavy cupboard doors installed over the benches. Its not really my place to criticise but looking at I can't thinking that there was another $17 alternative.

I actually really like it. I've come to think that on this site there are probably ten people who like something for every hater who comments

I like it and am impressed with the creativity...but don't believe the $17.00 figure. Also, the painted counters would make me nervous, unless a lot of sealant was used. But, I do like it.

I think it is a huge improvement! If I were the landlord I would be thankful. Very impressive.

jess13 - i painted kitchen countertops using black acrylic craft paint topped by 3 coats of polyacrylic. Still looking good after over a year. Also painted the cabinets and drawers -- My project ran about $75. But I used Benjamin Moore paint and primer on the cabinets -- expensive. I recently purchased a quart of Valspar wall paint at Lowe's for $17, though.

If many of the commentators went to the source of the project, a lot of the assumptions would be cleared up.
For instance, the tile is not tile at all. It is joint compound that was made to look like tile.
The cost of everything else may have been from sales, thrifted, re-hab stores, etc. It probably is very possible to do it for the that price with a little planning. Many items they may have had already too (which is then an unlikely estimate to those who would be starting from scratch). Either way, its a great project, creative and well executed. The cheapest I saw for a primer (new) was $9, $10 for polyurethane and about $4 for joint compound. The acrylic paints the renters used were .29 cents from the craft store.
Either way, it's possible for under $50-100.

Do you think perhaps they spray painted the lower oven drawer and panel for the dishwasher?

I LOVE the faux wall tile treatment. Joint compound smeared on the wall over a stencil - what a great idea. I'm going to try this, as I ran out of money and was unable to tile a real backsplash. Since I love the rough-looking surface of Mexican clay tiles, it should work well.

I really prefer the before... some tidying up and applying a nice colour to the walls instead of the cabinets would be may choice. Maybe some fancy handles too...

17$? There's a new dishwasher, curtain, cornice, backsplash, painted cabinets. Even if the paint were free there's no way this cost 17$.

The one thing that i know was not part of the $17 budget was the faucet, not to mention that sandpaper, the wood for the custom piece above the sink and all that paint/masking tape cost way more than that. I like the creative use of paint on the back splash and counter tops though....

I found this awesome contact/drawer paper in stainless steal that was stiff and used it to temporarily cover ugly kitchen tile and outlet covers in a rental 2 years ago and that stuff was amazing! I bet that was what they used to cover the dishwasher and oven drawer....but it was pretty pricy per roll so I don't see how it fit into the $17 budget either. That stainless contact paper came right off when moved with out any trouble! I can't seem to find it anymore, but I am still on the lookout.

To me, the headline for this is misleading... I click on rental makeovers because I want to see how innovative someone was in changing something that typically can't be changed. Plus, $17 may not have been a big investment financially, but painting all those cupboard would be a huge investment of time.

Pretty but don't buy the total cost of $17.00..even w/hand me downs.

As someone else pointed out, they have a new dishwasher and new stove hood. There is no way that actually took only $17. I could believe the paint job took that little if they had brushes lying around already and some extra wood.
However, the concept of just painting and adding(or taking away) cabinet doors is nice. I love the creativity of this kitchen.
My favorite is the added cornice and molding for the cabinets. It gave a subtle splash of texture.

I'm pretty sure in the post below the pictures they state that it is done with paint. Metallic spray paint....like 2-3 bucks.... So no they did not buy a new hood... it was painted and so probably the front of the dishwasher. 17.00 is not that unreasonable. You all should learn how to read!

I feel sorry for the people who can do nothing better than viciously attack a stranger and their integrity, just because they have something nice! What are you...five?! The "new" appliances so jealously listed are actually the original appliances, painted. Take a look at the before and after photos, especially the stove - the cooktop portion is still white! Tell me where you can buy a stove from the store like that!? It was really interesting to go to the HGTV website and read the write-up and comments there. The renter actually gives some details about the countertops, etc. Kudos on a spectacular makeover!