# Kitchen remodel...on the cheap! BEWARE 56k



## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Ok everyone here is the deal, I bought this home for less than what most people pay for their vehicles...Great deal on a foreclosure! Also I am living in this home but plan to move within two years as I finish law school. I am at heart a very frugal person and I love manual labor, especially DIY. So this remodel was designed to (1) get more space, (2) update, (3) increase efficiency, and (4) have the best value vs cost possible. The walls were very out of square and one of the previous owners just put another sheet of drywall over the previous sheet so everything had added complexity. Regardless lets get to the pictures.
Beginning https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Pc4KikN20uE/UPXl-3RmdTI/AAAAAAAAARk/SUjE8tLFUmQ/s711/P2030310.JPGhttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OHvmU2VxmsQ/UPXl-xlX0lI/AAAAAAAAARM/zoy-ftxiBrQ/s711/P2030311.JPGhttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AaARO82HNac/UPXl-3aofpI/AAAAAAAAARc/l8aK18TV7TQ/s711/P4040361.JPGhttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZuYZi22vI5Q/UPXmBFysy4I/AAAAAAAAARU/G1BC7DJWUDM/s711/P4040362.JPGhttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--cobMzLiA0Y/UPXmFL2qzLI/AAAAAAAAARY/JpenVf2hiMk/s711/P4040363.JPG


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Progress...


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Cabinet refinish. Everyone said you can't restain old wood cabinets but I did! Sand, Sand, SAND, Stain, Varnish...


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

First finish...Pulls, Oversink lights, and Appliances. (SS fridge was $500 from Sears as they were upgrading to French Door unit, Dishwasher was $300 from HD, Stove was $399 from Lowes, Microwave was $89 from Walmart.


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Actual Remodel begins!


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Now custom work, I didn't want to pay for custom Cabs so I bought HD ones to match the old and cut the right corner cabs down to fit the corner (didn't want lazy susans because of all the bad reviews) so the right corner top cab is only 6", bottom is 18", and pantries are 18". Instead of the originally bought 12", 24", 24".


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Starting the finishes.... SS OTR Microwave $109 from Best Buy, Custom Counter tops $269


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

LED undercabinet lighting and glass Backsplash...LED roll $14 off Amazon, Backsplash $2.98 sqft from Menards


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Coming to the End...Recessed lighting install $90 for 6 recessed lights from Lowes, Drywall patching, misc.


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Last pieces to go. Recessed pulls for drawers, Install pulls on Cabinet doors, Crown Molding, Trim wall for Chalkboard paint, and figure out what to do with blank spot above sink.

What does everyone think?


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## REXAMUS (Jul 20, 2011)

Looks good.


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## TrailerParadise (Jan 3, 2013)

i think it looks excellent how it is. Dont bother with anything over the sink, that color of paint blends well. the layout is not my cup of tea but it looks great, if you are happy with it, dont change a thing. My kitchen gets a lot of weird looks because there are no upper cabinets, but thats what i wanted since its a little small. I love your backsplash!


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## ChuckWHS (Jan 17, 2013)

*Lighting*

Nice job for a "first time". I like the undercabinet lighting. What type/brand are they?


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## toastandjam (Aug 4, 2012)

Hmmm, I have the same kitchen cabinet doors....where did you get ones that matched your existing ones? I need to replace a couple.


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Undercab lights were LED strip off Amazon. I used black tape to hold in place while the self adhesive backing stuck, then I took it off. I used the 3500k 14m LED 5050 lights...check amazon.

Toastandjam - they are the H-D (big orange) box store brand. Very cheap with decent front quality. Corners and MDF boxes are suspect but they get the job done on a budget.


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

Looks great for a budget job. :thumbsup:

The space around the window at the sink, I would paint a darker color to blend in with the cupboards more.

Inserting pictures on top of each other within the thread would make viewing a lot nicer.


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## TrailerParadise (Jan 3, 2013)

i am still a little confused, i thought you might explain later but you havent, so... how is 56k a budget remodel? Even the most brilliant dream kitchens dont cost that much, most ive seen are around 40K. Unless you meant to put 5 - 6K, that part of this doesnt make sense


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## BrandonD (Sep 23, 2012)

56k is a reference to dial-up bandwidth speeds. It's used as a warning to those who still have dial-up and not broadband because of the heavy amount of pictures included in the posts. Someone on dial-up would take abnormally long to load the page because of the added pictures.


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## TrailerParadise (Jan 3, 2013)

oh ok that makes sense. sorry most people just put pic heavy, ive never seen anyone use numbers for that before.


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## rebelranger (Aug 1, 2012)

Yes reference to slow internet speed...out on my farm internet is still dial up only. Actual total cost for the kitchen just came in after crown molding install, chalk board paint, and extra door pulls. Total cost under $2500


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