Before & After: A Charming Bungalow Kitchen Reno, Courtesy of Big Box Stores
The kitchen in Carrie’s 1950s Chicago bungalow was in desperate need of some updates. By going back to basics and doing most of the shopping at big box stores, she was able to keep the budget to around $15k and save herself the hassle of hiring a contractor.
From Carrie: The dark kitchen in our new little home had not been touched in probably 30-40 years. It was horribly outdated, there were soffits galore, and there were a few poorly placed appliances throughout.
We fell in love with a sweet little 1950s bungalow on Chicago’s northwest side. The poor dear needed a lot of work, but the bones were good and it was exactly what we were looking for. We didn’t want to buy someone else’s “flip”, we had our own ideas. We re-did all the rooms, and wanted the kitchen to be really amazing.
We found the appliances at Home Depot during their Black Friday sale. We shopped around for cabinets for awhile, and had a really good experience at the Lowe’s in Wicker Park. It was surprisingly easy. They have an amazing staff, and designed it to our specifications. We purchased the countertop there as well. I new I wanted a royal blue penny tile backsplash, but that proved to be a bit more difficult to find. I had no idea that Wayfair carried tile, but that’s where I finally found it. All in all, the kitchen cost about $15,000.
I really would not change a thing about our kitchen. I love it, especially the backsplash and pink stainless sink. I also think that it suits the theme of our little 1950s bungalow.
It was actually more painless than we expected. When I hear how much people spend on projects like these, I’m shocked. We didn’t need any outside help, other than Lowe’s. They did everything (design, install etc.), and the price was much lower than a contractor’s bid.
Thank you, Carrie!