Many people want to remodel their outdated kitchen, but just don’t think they have the time or money; they think you have to tear everything out and start from scratch, which you can, but it isn’t necessary. You can update your kitchen without starting over, by only changing a few things.
1. Increase Efficiency, Not Size
It is not always necessary to knock down walls and make a huge mess to gain square footage in your kitchen. You can start by removing space hogging shelves and replacing them with cabinet height pullout drawers, containing racks for canned items and other goods. You can also add upgrades to your cabinets like dividers, pull-out pot trays, and lazy Susans. It is easier to modify and utilize the space you already have rather than trying to make more room.
2. Get Natural Light without Adding Windows
Before you cut a big hole in the side of your house for a window, there is a better less expensive way to get more natural light in your kitchen. To brighten things up a little you need a “light tube,” which slips in between the roof rafters and funnels sunshine down into the kitchen from above.
3. Hit the recycling center
If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can get great savings with what you can find at a recycling center; you can find things like lightly used fixtures and building supplies. You can find salvaged items for half off the home improvement stores prices, mostly because contractors refuse to work with salvaged items, or homeowner supplied materials in general; they are afraid of the liability risk if something goes wrong.
4. Donate Your Trash
If you decide to do a major remodel, locate your nearest recycling center before you do anything. They will come out to your home and remove anything that can be salvaged for you, which in most places can be considered a charitable donation and you could get money from it at the end of the year in your taxes. Doing this saves space in the landfill, and saves you time.
5. Partner with a Contractor
Some contractors will offer consulting and mentoring services to skilled do-it-yourselfers on an hourly commission. This could save you money, since you don’t have to pay a contractor to do everything.
6. Make Sweat Equity Count
Even if you are working with a contractor, doing some of the work yourself can save you a ton of money. If you’re not skilled don’t try to do the hard stuff like flooring or drywall, but there are plenty of things anyone can do, like insulating, painting, small finishing touches, and the cleaning. Cleaning in and of itself can cost you a lot of money, just to have a crew do what you could do. If you use your sweat equity wisely you could save 3 to 5 percent of the overall job cost.
7. Don’t Move Major Plumbing
If you can avoid it, it’s best not to move the kitchen sink. As these can become the biggest portion of your overall plumbing price. Try to configure your new remodel to incorporate the sink where it is now, as to avoid paying a professional to come out and move the whole thing.
8. Wait Until Contractors Need Your Business
To get the best rates on contractors wait until they don’t have a lot of business. Try to avoid scheduling your renovation in the height of summer, this is a premium time for contractors, and their prices sky rocket during this time. If you wait until the contractors down time you can save 4 to 5 percent.
Remodeling can be scary, it is full of uncertainties and what if’s, but there are people renovating their kitchens in Nova Scotia and all over the world every day. Should you decide to go that route and renovate your kitchen, try to save in every area you can. You may think it’s a lot of little things, but little things add up to a lot.
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Author Bio Box
Leslie Mason is a homemaker and garden expert. She enjoys writing, gardening, do-it-yourself projects, and fixing up the house. For kitchen renovation inspiration, Leslie enjoys looking at sites such as MCK.
Shared by Don Zilleri
Bids By Pros moderator
Don Zilleri is an author and researcher. He is specialized in business marketing, development and is a small business owner. He learns as he writes by researching and interviewing experts and professionals in many categories and topics. Join him in Facebook and become part of his pro network in LinkedIn All Don Zilleri's article's authored exclusively for BidsByPros.com All rights reserved. If sharing, credit Bids By Pros in article source.
