You see it all the time on TV. People spend outrageous amounts of money to buy new kitchens. You can get a new kitchen for a lot less money than your TV would have you believe.

I once owned a beautiful house on Cape Cod with an 80’s style oak and melamine slat kitchen. When we decided to sell to start a new business, every potential buyer hated that kitchen. We did not receive a single offer. We had no choice but to take the house off the market and fix up the kitchen. If you think you might need to resell an attractive kitchen, it’s important. But more importantly, it’s nice for any homeowner to have a kitchen they love.

We asked professionals how much it would cost to remodel our kitchen. They estimated that it would cost between $20,000 and $30,000. And hiring “professionals” is not without risk. They may or may not do an adequate job. We made our first DIY attempts due to bad experiences with “experts” who didn’t deliver.

So we decided to do it ourselves… again.

We did it for $1,200.

Yes, we saved at least $18,800, maybe more.

You can too. That is how.

Take it one step at a time.

1. Your first step is to make decisions about your kitchen design. If reasonably functional, keep sinks and appliances in their current positions. We didn’t move anything in our kitchen and saved a lot of money.

2. Next, keep your cabinet boxes if possible. This is a “green” issue, as well as a pricing issue. Cabinets cost a lot of money and should never end up in a landfill. If you don’t plan on reusing your cabinets, at least donate them to a local charity like Habitat for Humanity or Good Will.

3. Check out home supply stores for good cabinetry buys or rejects from manufacturers and cabinetmakers.

4. You can keep the boxes and get new doors for a new look at no cost. I had a cabinetmaker make me doors out of MDF panels and he spray painted them cream. They did wonders in my kitchen and made my house sellable at the same time.

5. Make sure your kitchen style matches the exterior style of your home. This is important. My house didn’t sell because the house was very traditional and the kitchen was modern from the 80’s. People who liked the house hated that kitchen. The house didn’t sell for that.

6. Check out braces that have a few teeth or are little used. You can find good and useful things if you can’t buy new and perfect things. Also look for in-stock appliances that are on sale. Stores that carry inventory sometimes have sales. Paying in cash could also give you an advantage in negotiating better prices. Sometimes the only barrier between you and a better price is simply asking. Have the nerve to ask.

7. Consider using lower cost options for countertops and flooring. Butcher block or bamboo is much cheaper than granite and is both beautiful and functional. Ceramic tiles are both functional and attractive, and are also good value for money. I’m going to go for a solid surface with recycled glass for my next trick.

8. Look for used furniture that can be incorporated into your kitchen. An old buffet could make a great island. An old closet could be a pantry. Be creative. You can get a really unique furniture style kitchen for a lot less money.

9. Don’t destroy the old until you have the new in place. Your work will go much faster. Keep your old kitchen until you have everything you need to make the new one. We installed our brand new kitchen in one weekend (2 days).

10. Follow the code. Building codes exist to make buildings safe. You can download this data from your local government.

All of our work paid off. When we put our house up for sale again, we advertised it in the local paper one weekend. It was sold to the first interested parties for the sale price and without an estate agent.

We are making plans to put a “new” kitchen in our current home, reusing existing cabinets, replacing worn-out appliances, and moving the kitchen to a different location in the home. It won’t cost a lot of money. I’m too stingy to pay professionals and I’m not going to change.

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