Kitchen Renovation Cost Saving Ideas

Hi all,

Next on the chopping block for our home reno is the kitchen. We are knocking out the wall next to it and remodeling the entire thing. The final result will end up with a 6x3.6m L shape and a 1.8x1m island/servery.
This is not a relatively cheap affair in itself - especially because my wife has decided it will be a provincial kitchen (of which I agree), and that flatpacks really aren't going to cut it.

So keeping that all in mind (and that it's for our PPOR) - any suggestions to help keep the costs a little lower?
I'm not quite a handymay - capable amateur is probably a better description of my skill level.

 

Demo is easy* and fun

Depends on what you've got and what you plan to do. The bulk cost will be the kitchen fab and install.

Look into bench tops stone v other stuff that you like. Big $ there
All your handles and taps etc add up
Are you getting all the appliances? Buy them yourself online, seconds world or graysonline have good deals, you get them half what Harvey Norman will charge you

 

Awesome, Thank you.
Was definitely planning to do the demo ourselves.

Is it worthwhile investigating a stone top supplier and not using the kitchen supplier to provide tops? Only issue with that would be the sink - although I imagine that my plumber would be the one sorting that out anyway.

 

Not sure about kitchen supplier side of things but when my old man built a new house he saved $2k supplying his own stone tops. Only one way to find out, do some ringing around.

 

Depends how you go about the stone and how the kitchen people are. Letting them do it puts the responsibility on them to get it right and deal with any changes or errors. If you get it wrong you have to pay again.

Once the kitchen is in and they're done, you could then get the stone guy to measure up, it will take longer but you know there won't be any changes. Talk to a stone dude and see what they say, may take longer but save you some cash

 

Can you sell off your existing units and make some money there

 

Carcasses are all the same - only the doors, trims & finishes differ.

Are you talking a $50k kitchen or $10k? Little point trying to save big $ on a small budget kitchen.

 

Yeh I was thinking about putting them up on gumtree.

25-35k is the aim.

 

Buy them off eBay or something, get them delivered to your builder and get them to cut the holes?

 

We get project builder rates on stone benchtops and have full range available to us, we have a separate stone supplier and we are able to achieve better rates than through the cabinet maker. It really depends on your cabinet maker though. On our books the best priced stone benches for us is Smartstone which we use on our own projects and supply to owner builders as well. If nothing appeals there then look at Essa Stone. These are our two best priced stone products but there is also Silestone, Hanstone, Quantum and Caesarstone just depends on the look you want and price point.

 

Anyone seen or had their laminate kitchen bench tops sprayed to the faux lighter colour stone look? Looking to sell my house so I don't want to spend $$ but kitchen benchtop is dark blue which could be a showstopper for buyers. I know its not the real thing but does it look any good up close? Roughly I think it will cost me $1300.