Before and After: You Won’t Recognize This Kitchen After Its Completely DIY Upgrade

updated Sep 18, 2019
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Credit: Kalila

Sure, Kalila‘s 1975 kitchen had been updated a bit with a cooktop, dishwasher, and refrigerator. But overall, it was a wood-filled, windowless room desperately in need of a renovation.

“I wanted an updated space that felt lighter and more open,” Kalila writes. She also wanted to keep the whole remodel under $5,000.

Credit: Kalila

For her new, brighter kitchen, Kalila made all of the cabinets, doors, and drawers herself. In fact, over the course of just under five months, she built, hung, tiled, and painted everything solo, only getting help from her husband on the plumbing, electrical work, and concrete countertop. What a boss!

Credit: Kalila

In the end, Kalila went over her budget, spending $6,300. That said, her final tally included supplies and tools, as well as a refrigerator, dishwasher, and sink, so: pretty impressive.

Credit: Kalila

“I love the two-toned kitchen and open shelving,” she writes. “I love that when I walk into it every day I get a real sense of accomplishment because of all the work I put into it.”

Credit: Kalila

Thank you for sharing, Kalila!