It sounds like you've got it all planned pretty well! The extra expenses usually crop up when people change a layout or try to remove a wall. It sounds as though you're doing neither, won't need an electrician, perhaps not even a plumber. And, you're in MI, you have Ikea for cabinets, or even just cabinet boxes, so I think your cabinet budget might be fine as well. The one thing you might find if you remove a soffit (because you had sagging floors) is that something in the ceiling might not be framed properly. By the sound of it you're able to handle that.

Conventional wisdom says to have 15% over budget for unexpected problems. Sounds like you do. Good luck! Enjoy the new space!

The biggest issue with your budget is that the conventional wisdom of % of home's worth doesn't really apply at the low end of the scale or the upper end of the scale. There's a basement to the costs of things that it's really really difficult to come in under without significant DIY contribution. 10K is about the lowest budget that will get you a completely new functional kitchen. Your cabinet budget is low, as is the laminate budget, unless you DIY the install of both.

Even in my builder grade line, $2500 wouldn't be possible for just cabinets unless the kitchen were like 8x8 with no upgrades at all. It might be possible in an import line, with questionable formaldehyde content, etc. but I'd be hesitant to go that route. My coffee bar here (half of a kitchen, basically) in Aristokraft, in the least expensive doorstyle in the line is around $2500 for this 8' display with the counter, faucet, and sink (things that didn't make your list). That does include some upgrades in the cabinet like the fluted fillers and rosettes and taller cabinets, the drawer stack, and crown, but that only comes out to about $600 worth. It IS American made and passes KCMA testing procedures though, which most imports won't.

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[Transitional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2112) by Other Metro Kitchen & Bath Designers ProSource Memphis

I'd suggest that you look at an American made brand at the very least. Or at some place like the Habitat ReStore to be able to find good quality cabinetry that can be repurposed. It's surprising sometimes what can end up at a reuse center. All it takes is some creativity and time on your part to make them over.

One of the things that isn't addressed in your budget is electrical. Modern kitchens require a lot more electrical service (and dedicated outlets, and GFI outlets, etc) That can add up if you have to pay for the labor rather than DIY. Plumbing can also be a budget buster, but it's usually well within most handy people's skill level to remove the existing sink and plumbing, upgrade the shutoffs and drains, and reconnect to the new sink, and connect the DW.

Then there's, paint, tile labor for the backsplash, lighting (most kitchens don't have enough and need additional lighting, and we're just talking fixtures, not the electrical behind the fixtures). The BIG thing that most people forget besides lighting is ventilation. A kitchen stays so much cleaner and more pleasant to work in if you can vent externally. If you already have that, great! If not, learn about what it takes to do that.

All in all, it's good to have the goal to come in at your budget, but it's about the price of nothing but budget materials, with zero labor. So, don't be surprised if you have over runs and it ends up costing double what you are originally budgeting for. So, if that budget is really hard and fast, think about serializing the project in stages. Appliances either first or last, and cabinets and maybe plain plywood counters until you can get the ones you want. That can help to spread out the pain!

Thanks for the response. I didn't include the electrician in my budget above because I have another project for electrical and the microwave outlet is part of that. I would love to install an outlet in the rise of my tiered peninsula, but the other side is a book shelf.

I looked at your posts and I was wondering if you ever did your banquette. We are thinking of adding one to our dining room, which is more of a dining alcove.

At your budget I say ikea, since you can assemble and install yourself, or habitat restore. You might find the $5k kitchen threads posted recently inspirational and helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: one $5k kitchen

Here's the other $5k kitchen by the same person

Here is a link that might be useful: $5k duplex, the other one

I second what LWO said in detail: at the lower end of housing prices and at the higher end, these percentages don't translate. I also agree that $10K is a little more realistic, but you may be able to do it for closer to your budget. But if you aren't moving, and aren't doing this for resale, I don't think the 15% guideline matters so much.

I live in an area with both very high and very low housing prices, (you can still buy a small decent house in one neighborhood for $40K that may cost $400K in a nieghborhood not that far away)...and in neither case does a $6K nor a $60K kitchen make that much sense.

I think the important thing is to get a good functional kitchen at a budget that is reasonable and you are comfortable with, but the percentage of the overall house value is less important in your case.

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This post was edited by ineffablespace on Thu, Feb 20, 14 at 10:41

I really do have paint in the budget, and the backsplash. Not going to lie, I am looking at Chinese cabinets. I will take a look at Aristokraft, since I get a discount through work.

We do need to replace some electrical, my husband said the outlets need to be changed. The electrical for the house overall is up to code, but he said the outlets should be replaced every so many years. I have an electrician coming in for some other work. I have money budgeted for that fix. I really only have 2 or 3 K over my budget available, I would like for that money to stay in savings if possible. We thought about keeping the appliances, and getting those next year, but I won't work somewhere with a discount next year.

Faucet isn't getting replaced. I accounted for the sink, but it isn't worth mentioning. Bought and paid for, just haven't replaced. Another thing I didn't add to the budget is some drywall work. We had water damage a little while ago, hence the new fixtures. My husband insists he can do the work. I over budgeted for paint because we have a lot of prep. I didn't include that above. Mainly because we already started that part.

I have thought about the reStore thing, but my husband went and said the selection was poor and the prices too high. I will look again.

I am okay with the lighting. My kitchen is pretty bright. I could probably use more, but I have more than most, especially natural light. I will check about venting outside of the house. My husband doesn't think that is a realistic option. He would love it, but then we get into going through the roof or moving the stove. Both things we don't want to do for $$$ reasons.

I will take a careful look at the electrical, we have an electrician coming on Monday. I will also see if venting is realistic. Who do you call for that?

Thanks, I definitely want a functional kitchen(not that I cook). I have been lurking here for awhile. I see a lot of stuff I love. I can technically afford more than the $6500.

Thanks for clearing up the budget thing. I can open up the budget a bit, this isn't about resale, obviously. We are here for ten more years. Schools are good enough, great access to freeways.

I will definitely look into better cabinets. We don't know anyone personally who did it, but I found decent reviews for the RTA Cabinet store. My DH liked their sample door the best of the ones we ordered.

HD has a special on countertops this week. I need to get some more prices. I have to order by Sunday to save 10%.

my husband went and said the selection was poor and the prices too high

FWIW, in my area that is also true. I'm always amazed at folks who live in areas where there are reasonable deals at a Restore. Not here, not ever.

Thanks robotropolis. The links are helpful. Especially where he 5alks about lessons learned.

It sounds like you have a good grip on budget shopping. I can offer a few tips, perhaps you have already thought about these:

Take the time to check newspapers, stores and websites for deals. For example, Menards is selling GFCI outlets for $9 this week (half of what my installer quoted me). Lowes puts paint on sale around every holiday. I got all my paint at half price with a newspaper coupon for Ace Hardware.

Check Sears Outlet and Appliancesmart for scratch & dent deals. I took advantage of a "make offer" feature, plus an extra 10% off online offer, plus connected to the outlet website through my credit card for another 4% rebate, so got my frig, DW and stove for about $1500. Some very minor dings, and all work fine. Could have spent far less in exchange for more cosmetic damage. This was my 5th time buying scratch/dent. But yes, 18" DWs are hard to come by in outlets (I did see a couple) so you might have the best price possible already.

Check with your gas and electric company for rebate offers on appliances, insulation and lighting. I got another $110 for recycling my frig.

Don't be afraid of buying from Amazon Warehouse.

Back to rebates: both my credit card and my employer offer links to major retailers that give me rebates in varying amounts (anywhere from 1-12%). Plus, there are websites that offer the same -- ebates I think is one.

I second the Ikea mention, they seem to be the best value for the money; Cliq Studios was a Chinese cabinet source that got favorable mention here in the past.

I bought engineered hardwood for $1.50 sq ft, on clearance from a local retailer. Installation would have been about another $2 sf. I don't know what kind of floor you want, but I found that the more I shopped around, the better deals I found. Don't know if you are in an area with a lot of choices; I was amazed at how many small retailers there were here and how competitive the pricing could be. Floor&Decor was one that sells online too, had very good prices.

Depending on the counter choice, the 10% off at HD for the counter, at least for the Corian, is hard to beat -- but my cabinet maker did offer solid surface for less. So again, shop around. The 10 % off sale will come around again in 2 months or so. They alternate between that or a free level upgrade. Lowe's, on the other hand, seems to just offer specials on certain colors or free sink etc.

PS you can buy the Home Depot counter on sale now, and as long as they haven't come out to measure, you can cancel the sale if you find a better price elsewhere. Just don't set up the measure appt. until you are sure.

HTH, Raee

I would take a look at ikea cabinets. We put them in our last house (we moved for work somewhat unexpectedly and sold the place about a year after the kitchen remodel and the kitchen received a ton of positive feedback). They are an excellent value, IMO. If you have an ikea within two hours I wouldn't hesitate to go with them. They have a planning tool you can use to layout your kitchen and it will give you the price (at least that's how it used to work).

I think whether you can come in on budget depends. Lot on the size of your kitchen. Small kitchens take fewer cabinets, less countertop and less flooring. For example $500 might be plenty of money to do the flooring in an 8x8 kitchen but maybe not in a 10 x 15.

Forgot to tell you I have 109 sq foot G shaped kitchen. No cabinets on the back wall, only a door and a window. I will probably add my plans and pics this weekend.

I might be dragging the family to Ikea Saturday night. I actually have to go to that size of town and deliver GS cookies.

If Ikea is an option, it will be cost competitive with Chinese. It's not difficult to put together, past the learning curve of the first cabinet. It does take more time and space to do an Ikea kitchen because of the billion parts and pieces and organizing all of that with a dedicated assembly zone and then a completed cabinet zone. But, for many many people, the additional hassle of the assembly is worth it for the savings. You sound like a handy couple that would benefit from seriously thinking about using Ikea. For cabinets and counters.

When you go to ikea, try to get a kitchen catalog. The regular catalog doesn't show all the door/drawer front options and I find it difficult to see them all at their website too. The kitchen catalog is much better. (I am assuming they still make one--it's been about five years since we did our ikea kitchen)

I am possibly the least handy person on the planet and I actually managed to assemble ikea cabinet drawers all by myself. (We had a carpenter who did most of the assembly and all the installation, but I had some spare time one weekend and got impatient and put the drawers together myself.)

We also did the ikea butcher block countertop. Another great value. And the single bowl farmhouse sink too. Another really fabulous value. (I drool over the double, but I don't think I will ever have enough kitchen space for it.)

If you don't like any of the ikea door fronts, it is possible to buy the boxes and have door and drawer fronts made to fit. There are a couple of sources that have been posted on this forum before. That does up the cost, but I think some people have found it to still be fairly reasonable. We had the ikea stat doors and I still love that look.

There is an ikea fans forum that is incredibly helpful with layout and all things IKEA. I posted my plan from the ikea planning tool there and they completely re-did it and made it a thousand times better. It's been a few years, but I assume they are still going over there.

if you go onto cliq studios website or ikea, you can configure your kitchen with pricing so you get a ballpark. i didn't think cliq studios was all that cheap for what i wanted,, they were more than ikea and only about 1k less than my medallion silverline quote from a kitchen place and their stain colors are very limited.
i have aristokraft cabs and am not impressed. i have read that they are kind of pricey for builders grade. you may be better off with hd american woodmark if ikea doesn't suit your wants. quite a few people on this site have done some really nice kitchens with american woodmark/shenendoah. if you skip paint, glazes, lazy susans, fancy crown molding, organizational things, you will spend a lot less.
good luck to you and hope it goes well!

If you do decide to go the IKEA route, I believe there's going to be another kitchen sale starting at the end of Februrary. You might want to ask an Ikean about that when you're at the store.

I think your budget is plausible. We bought a kitchen worth of cabinets (14 boxes) from Cardell for just under $4K delivered, including crown and toe kick. The boxes were plywood construction, solid full overlay doors.

Oh, I forgot about Ikea counters and floors. Their pricing (at the Cincinnati store) for the Corian that I was interested in was much better than HD on sale. Definitely check it out.

Go to their website to get an idea if you can make their cabs fit your space and make a preliminary list.

Also before you go, join the friends and family. It is free and you will get a free drink and discounts on playtime for the kiddies and food in the cafeteria.

My preliminary cabinet list at Ikea formed just from the website (although I didn't buy there) included a tall deep pantry with drawers, 2 base drawer units, a corner unit, a base pullout, sink cabinet, 5 uppers, one deep over frig and one over fan cab, plus light strips, toe kick plinths and material to create upper and lower 9" cabinet. Shopping list total =$3263. It might have been a bit more once refined.

Wow, Thanks for all of the advice. I will join the friends program tonight. I have an appointment with the HD kitchen designer Sunday morning.

I am also looking at the Tuscan Hills company through Costco. I will have to see how people here rate them. They are in my budget.

Have you looked for cabinets on Craigslist? I don't know where you are in Michigan but these might be worth the drive: http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/hsh/4318039127.html They're offering a whole bunch of cabinets, granite countertops, a cook top, a dishwasher (doesn't look like 18" though) plus a washer and dryer for $3000. That's just one of the bargains offered in Michigan.

Don't be discouraged by your budget. You can make it work with a little flexibility and creativity. A couple of years ago we refreshed our kitchen. We were able to keep our cabinets and we stayed in the same footprint, but we replaced all of the appliances with good quality stuff, got new counter tops and flooring, removed the popcorn ceiling, replaced shelving and the door on the pantry, got new lighting and a new backsplash -- all for under $4,000.

Here is a link that might be useful: Craigslist Kitchen

Condolences on being trapped in the cookie nightmare.:)

I too recommend IKEA--at least check them out. The drawers are about as dreamy as drawers get. The sizes are somewhat limited, so you next get to visit ikeafans.com.

Just don't let the KD at HD freak you out. She will be at least twice your budget at the lowest possible quality. Nod, smile, get your info, then just breathe.

Kraftmaid has an outlet in Ohio, and there's a guy online who will go and pick up the pieces you need over several trips. That's a great option at a fraction of the retail cost, but you'll never find what you need in a single trip - just doesn't work that way.

Sounds like everyone's on board with the Ikea option! Remember, you don't have to use Ikea doors if you don't like them. There are tons of places that make doors online that will work with Ikea Blum hinges.

We did a kitchen on a budget much lower than average. It is possible, if you plan on doing the work yourself. Ikea is fantastic, if DH had liked their colors I would have loved to have them ( he's the picky one). We ended up going with kraftmaid on sale through lowes for the same price as ikea. I would just caution, when going idea or big box make sure you know EXACTLY. What you want. Their kitchen associates are not generally good at designing or suggesting. Also, don't let hd sale end date make you feel rushed. As soon as this one ends a new one will start.

Another reason to go with IKEA is that the cabinets are frameless (European style). Since you do not have a large kitchen, you will get a lot of extra space, especially in the drawers. I don't think most other budget lines carry frameless.

Just to give you another data point. See this post where I did a down to the studs remodel of the kitchen and bathroom of a 800 sq ft duplex that we have since then finished and rented out.

Mini reveal for low budget DIY kitchen remodel

If we hadn't lucked into free cabinets from a friend's old kitchen, we almost certainly would have gone with IKEA for cabinets. I did check at the Habitat retail store frequently but the cabinets they had always seemed pretty junky looking and way over-priced for what they were.

Another IKEA fan here! You can definitely do your cabinets from there in your budget. As others have said, you can buy the cabinet boxes, hardware, anything you need, then go online & get your door & drawer fronts from Advantage, Sherrs, Semi Handmade & I think there are others, but I've heard more about these 3. Semi & Scherr's have all of the measurements for IKEA boxes & can drill the all of the holes for attaching them. Advantage doesn't have that, but if you do decide to go that way, let me know & I'll send you some measurements others from here have sent me. The only reason I'm going w/ different door/drawer fronts is because I'm painting them. They don't have anything in a color near to what I wanted & some of the IKEA ones have a veneer that's not as easily paintable. Doable, but not sure how good of quality I could get. So, w/ Advantage I can get them painted. Buying my doors from them & boxes/hardware from IKEA, it's just about the same as it would have been had I bought it all from IKEA. I know the sales have been mentioned & one should be coming up soon. My advice would be to get in there & get a floor plan put together & everything picked out because when the sales begin, it's total mayhem in there!! As someone else mentioned, check out the countertops, lights, etc. They do have a kitchen book that's helpful. Just came out w/ the new one for the year.

ikeafans is still around & very very helpful on that site. Tons of DIY'ers on it that will be more than glad to give you great advice.

You sound like you & your husband have a great plan. If you can stick to your budget, I think it's totally doable. I'm glad robot sent you the 2 links to the member that just finished 2 kitchens w/ $5K budgets on each & did a pretty phenomenal job on both. And bob w/ his low budget kitchen, as well.

This is a great site for help. Don't hesitate to post questions or whatever! There's always someone around to help. If you have any IKEA questions, you're more than welcome to send a personal email to me thru here. I'm in the process of doing it all right now.

Best of luck & I look forward to seeing your final product!

I would support the Ikea ideas, but I also might suggest thinking outside the (cabinet) box when it comes to storage in your kitchen. A handsome shelving unit in Ikea's (or elsewhere) furniture area might serve where you would otherwise put floor to ceiling cabinets. Or, there was a recent thread here about the Hoosier cabinet and its functionality. I took a quick look on Craigslist and found 3 Hoosiers in my area for under $300. I believe Hoosiers were made in Indiana, and so you may find some good used ones next door in Michigan. You can find alternative storage options in any style--modern, traditional, vintage--and these can be much less per sq ft of storage space than standard kitchen cabinetry, while adding character to your kitchen design.

I would underscore that your situation doesn't fall in the 15% home value budget rule. But do plan for all the inevitable extra costs (and the electricians... I over-budgeted for them by 100% because I find electrical costs so unpredictable).

Also, please do keep us posted. Many of us here love to see creative, budget-friendly kitchens. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoosier cabinets

Thanks again. Went to IKEA. Major plus, one piece of their butcher block would cover our bar top, and save $300 if we went with solid surface.

We were not thrilled with the cabinets. Some were OK. We are seriously thinking of going with the Chinese RTA stuff, I see good and bad. I would feel crappier about not buying American than I would about the chemicals. That sounds horrible, but when I look at things like the water in WV I don't think American companies are any less likely to poison me.

IKEA only has corner cabinets in 37 from what I can tell. I need a 33 inch corner to make the DW work. I had planned for a 36 inch one, but there is a hard stop at the water meter. I explained to my husband that we needed an additional 3/4 inch from what we have now. He would rather lose three inches on that wall than chance butting the dishwasher end right to the meter. Three inches seems like a lot to me. In my dream world I could cover the ugly thing. The city said we could move it, but we have never had a plumber out to estimate it.

Finally we LOVED the options for IKEA bathroom vanities and sinks. Our bathroom remodel is a small side project that is ongoing. We are doing that more like someone above suggested. As we have time and can afford it.

The quality on the ikea bathroom vanities varies more than the kitchen cabinets, so I would urge a little research before purchasing those.

I understand the ikea kitchen cabinet sizes can be limiting. If that is the main concern, please check out the IKEA hacks before deciding against them.

When you say you were not thrilled with the cabinets, is that an appearance issue or a quality issue? If it is quality, I feel certain you will not find better quality (especially in the glides and hinges) in any cabinets at that price point. If it is an appearance issue, as already mentioned you can have any kind of door and drawer front made and attach them to the ikea boxes. You would have to price that out, as the vendor and style choices would determine the expense. But appearance wise, any frameless look is possible with ikea boxes for the cabinets and a third party vendor for the doors and drawers.

IKEA only has corner cabinets in 37 from what I can tell. I need a 33 inch corner to make the DW work. I had planned for a 36 inch one, but there is a hard stop at the water meter.

Actually, ikea has a 37 easy reach style and a 49 blind, but you can make any cabinet into a blind corner with a piece of cover panel. It's very important to understand that ikea is like Lego for grownups--you can build darned near any size you want by combining pieces.

Ikea's US cabinets are made in Virginia, incidentally, although doors are made in many countries.

BTW, re the Hoosier suggestion, if you decide to go that route, I live in FL (far from the land of Hoosiers) and even here they're all over the place. I doubt you'd need to go out of state unless you found something extra special.

I really think the frameless thing isn't for us. I still have some research about the bathroom vanity. I would really like to re purpose something for that I'd possible. But now I have another option.

Too bad as frameless would give you more storage space in a small kitchen and Ikea is a great value. Best of luck!

Thanks crl. We are still looking. It was the combination of frameless and the finishes. I think IKEA is a good buy. I just didn't see anything. I will look and see what people did about the 37 inch corner.

Hi Datagrrl,
We just finished a $6000 Ikea kitchen remodel (in Michigan too). While I like the look and the quality seems pretty good, the Canton Ikea is smaller than most and we were not able to bring everything home the first time. They finally called TWO months later that the rest of our items were available for pickup. Thankfully we're not living there and weren't under a time crunch or I wouldn't have been happy at all.

We moved into a house with Chinese RTA cabinets. They are three years old. We had to take out everything in our kitchen to deal with a foundation issue. We decided to put the cabinets back in even though we could afford new ones. It just seemed too wasteful to switch out three year old cabinets. I would never have bought these myself, but they do the trick. I am curious to see how they will hold up over time. I laugh about the idea of Chinese RTA vs Ikea. Isn't everything in Ikea made in China too?

I am curious about the choice for an 18 inch DW. It seems so tiny to me like it wouldn't be worth it. I stayed for a week in a house with a DW that size and it was big enough to do our breakfast bowls and cups and that was about it. I was still hand washing to many serving bowls, cutting boards, pots and pans that I felt like I might as well not have had a dishwasher at all. I just wonder if it is a way to save some money and space?

Good luck. It sounds like you are on the right track.

> Isn't everything in Ikea made in China too?

A lot of stuff is, of course, but cabinets for the US are made in Virginia. Doors are made in many countries.

The major advantage ikea has over most other lines anywhere close in price is the hardware. Ikea cabinets come with first class glides and hinges. I wouldn't necessarily draw a distinction based on where they are made (Chinese RTA vs Ikea) per se. But I am not aware of anything else that beats or matches ikea on those parts at a budget price point.

(And interestingly a lot of what I have purchased at ikea has not been made in China. But I ams sure that's not a statistically significant or random sample so not very meaningful, I suppose.)

Have you looked at Barker cabinets? Totally made in America, and available in custom sizes down to the nearest 1/4 inch. Check them out!

Here is a link that might be useful: Barker Cabinets

Chicago bob, I looked at Barker, I was impressed, but they were almost too customizable for me. I found some of the options overwhelming. Maybe that will make more sense when I am not so overwhelmed.

Brandy wine, I have tried to make a 24 inch dishwasher a reality, and it isn't working out. I think any dishwasher is better than the one we have now (none). I stayed in a cottage with a compact dishwasher and loved it. It worked well for three people on vacation. Our daily use might be different though.

You can also use Ikea and supplement with custom cabinets from an RTA company such as Conestega t. I don' t know however if you can get a 33 inch corner cabinet with a door size that is useful.

Datagrlll
Let me know if I can help with Barker. I have been playing with their offered design program for several weeks, and find it pretty easy to use. It has all the Barker info plugged in.