The housing market is pretty nuts right now all over the country but especially in the PNW. I live in what we call the "eastside" of the greater Seattle area and l have so many clients right now who want to update their Kitchen's but aren't ready to go full full remodel and spend
So I have a few tips on how to get the most bang for your buck and give your outdated kitchen an entire facelift.
Pro tip #1 Paint your existing cabinets instead of replacing them!
If you have cabinets that are in good shape structurally than you can have them painted. This is by far the biggest money saver. New kitchen cabinets typically start at 30k for a small basic kitchen and for a large kitchen you'll be spending at least 50-70k. Painting cabinets range between about 6-18K for most kitchens. That is a massive savings! And they seriously look brand new.
AFTER
As you can see in these before and after pictures, we kept the cabinets and painted them as well as adding new hardware. What a facelift right!?
BEFORE
Pro tip #2 Add new hardware and size it up
Most outdated kitchen's have hardware that looks too small for the cabinet size. As you can see in this picture and the one below, I made the hardware size much bigger and it fits the drawer/cabinet size way better. Hardware that is too small makes the kitchen look cheap. So don't be afraid to go BIG!
Pro tip #3 bring the tile up to the ceiling where you can
When you just do a short tile backsplash in spots where it could easily extend higher, it looks like it was stopped short to save money. If your going too add tile, make sure it's noticeable! In this kitchen we made it go ceiling high wherever we could.
Pro tip #4 new lighting and make it bigger!
Is there an echo in here?? Yep, make it bigger than you think, just like the hardware. You won't regret it.
For the lighting in this kitchen we did 2 large pendants instead of 3 small. And 3 modern swing arm wall sconces placed above the sink. The black makes it pop against the tiled wall.
Pro tip #5 If the budget allows, by all means update the counter top!
There are different grades of quartz, but no matter what your budget is, changing the countertop will make a huge difference. You can do 2 different colors or even incorporate butcher block and you won't regret the decision! And check the remnants. Many times there will be slabs leftover from other projects and you can get a wonderful discount using those up.
So that's a wrap on how to save big and still get an amazing kitchen. You don't have to blow through 100k to get beautiful results. These ideas are also great for a "phase 1" of kitchen updates to help make your outdated kitchen bearable until you are ready to to go for the big remodel.
And if your still feeling overwhelmed, keep calm and call me ;)
Katrina