Before & After: A DIY Kitchen Remodel on a 6K Budget

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(Image credit: Submitted by Sharlene )

Sharlene’s ’70s kitchen was vivid green and laced with hard-to-clean linoleum. Instead of living with it or hiring an expensive contractor, this husband and wife team utilized their vacation days, rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

(Image credit: Submitted by Sharlene )

From Sharlene: We had an original 1974 kitchen without the perks of the vintage appeal. The laminate cabinets were spray painted white and the laminate countertops were coming apart. No matter how much you cleaned, it always appeared dirty and worn. When removing the tile floors, we found original linoleum.

(Image credit: Submitted by Sharlene )

Our condo is 875 square feet and and the layout was not efficient. We decided to renovate and utilize the dead space drop ceiling. We opened up the entire space to accommodate 42 inch cabinets. We were also constantly touching up peeling paint and the cabinets were falling apart.

(Image credit: Submitted by Sharlene )
(Image credit: Submitted by Sharlene )

The entire process included one full week (vacation time off from work) plus four weekends, working approximately 12-15 hours a day. Doing the labor ourselves cut the cost immensely, totaling about $6,000, with about $2,700 being spent on the granite. The granite is Magma Gold. No outside help, just husband and wife team. Luckily no setbacks. We planned everything in advance, made a schedule, and designed it to help make the process as smooth as possible since we were on a time constraint.

(Image credit: Submitted by Sharlene )

The “after” exceeded our expectations. We love the oil-rubbed bronze and subway tile with dark grout. We love old traditional turn of the century design and wanted bits of it that balanced with our home style. The new layout allowed for more prep space and cooking space. It was hard to imagine what the final design would look like no matter how many photos of kitchens we scrolled through. Now that it is done, we wish we didn’t wait so long to decide to do it!

(Image credit: Submitted by Sharlene )

Sharlene’s words of wisdom: Really plan it out. Write it all down. The smallest projects that you think will only take a couple of hours, may turn out to take an entire day (or 2!) Be realistic with your timing and cost estimates. Add more time, trips to the home reno store and more money to the estimate. It will help your stress level management when the unexpected occurs. And don’t forget to have fun, because when it is all over with, chances are you won’t be taking on another big project for a while!

Thank you, Sharlene!