Rhonda in TX Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 We have wanted to renovate our kitchen since we moved into this house. It will be pretty major. It involves removing a wall (possibly load-bearing) and replacing all the cabinets/countertops. We may or may not get new appliances. Looking it up on the internet (and talking to a friend who recently did a huge renovation), the biggest way to save money is do all the contracting ourselves. How hard is that? We're currently thinking of going with someone like Home Depot. Would they be the contractor in that case? My head just spins when I think of all the decisions we will have to make. Should we hire a designer? My friend had a designer that oversaw the whole thing. That sounds nice, but pricey. We are willing to do some of the work ourselves (demolition, painting, sink/dishwasher hook-up), but have no desire to do big things like install the cabinets. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 (edited) We're getting new cabinets and countertops. We were in Home Depot this weekend, and talked to the salesperson/designer in the cabinet section. Home Depot and Lowes both have free designers that will help you design your kitchen (I think it's by appointment for the design service)--I know that one of the girls at Lowes here has her degree in interior design. We were told that if we ordered cabinets through them, they would send a contractor out to measure. The contractor would also give us a quote on how much it would cost to have them do all the work. The quote would be line by line, so we could pick and choose how much we wanted to do (so, for example, if we wanted to do removal and plumbing ourselves, but not instillation or electrical, we could choose that option). She also told us that it was $79/cabinet to install base price, and that an "average" installation of cabinets costs $1300 :svengo:, so we might end up installing ourselves. ETA: We're just in the beginning phase of figuring this out, so I'll be watching the thread with interest :). Edited June 2, 2011 by JudoMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 (edited) Kitchens are really really expensive to remodel. That being said - kitchens are even more expensive to restore if a bad remodel is done. How concerned are you about having everything done "perfectly?" I know that sounds silly, but some people are really concerned about having all of the cabinets hung straight, no gaps between boards and the tile aligned symmetrically. Other people don't mind these things at all. The answer to this will determine how much you should do yourself, how much you should give to poor installers like Home Depot, and how much you should go to the professionals for. Personally, I would talk with all of your friends in town and see if anyone has a suggestion for a great contractor. Sometimes the greatest guy in town is actually more affordable than you originally thought. They are certainly more affordable than doing the job twice. Materials are expensive. FWIW - We own a large interior design store and have seen many people fall into the trap of having to spend a lot more money than they intended because they tried to save a few bucks. ETA: No, you don't need a designer if you have a great contractor and a decent plan already - but it really depends on how talented your contractor is. Also, you are right to try to do the rip-out yourself. Just make sure that you know what you are doing - don't pull out cabinets with lighting until the power is shut off, don't rip up sub-flooring if you are going to need it later, and PLEASE don't touch that wall until you figure out if it is load bearing or not. Edited June 2, 2011 by LibertyH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 we stopped by Lowes for an estimate just to get rough numbers. We were SHOCKED at what they were going to charge us. We went with a general contractor who hired a designer and although I can't give you an exact amt. yet as we don't have one, we're definitely saving going this route. I also picked out flooring from Lowes and went with a flooring store and saved HUGE bucks. Get several estimates! Although we did have a designer, it's basically the design I wanted anyway. He pretty much only added pull out space racks by the stove and pull out platter drawers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I agree with this-- the big box stores are NOT cheaper! The product is less quality in many instances, and local contractors/suppliers can do it for less. We're just finishing up a kitchen gutting-- new everything except appliances. Custom cabinets, quartz countertops, and a complete redesign of the space. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. We saved a few dollars by doing the wall treatments ourselves. Happy Renovations! astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 If you have an Ikea near you, go there! We gutted and remodeled our entire kitchen for under $6000 (included closing a wall, opening a wall and moving a wall). Ikea helped us design the cabinet placement and choose the counters, sink etc... They are known for being easy to install and we LOVE them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SewLittleTime Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 You might come out better by using local businesses owned by individuals rather than Lowe's or Home Depot. We recently had our countertops redone, and a local business was able to do it for about $400 less than Lowe's. Plus, he gave us a $100 off our quoted price for paying in cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 (edited) We are renovating the kitchen of our new house and got several estimates from GCs, all of which varied wildly. We've been delighted so far with the one we chose -- there is no way we could even come close to handling the job as efficiently, and we are on a very tight time frame for various reasons. I initially thought we would need a designer but as it turned out, these guys do so many kitchens that they have a lot of ideas themselves and we didn't need a designer after all. I also priced out an IKEA kitchen -- I love IKEA! -- but it turned out that after factoring in installation and everything else (IKEA's service will install cabinets and hook up appliances but they don't do renovations like moving walls, gas lines, etc.) going with the GC and his custom cabinet guy was actually cheaper AND faster. Which shocked me, but there you go. (I will be going to IKEA for the cabinet organizers for sure, though.) Edited June 2, 2011 by JennyD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 We acted as our own contractor twice when our old house flooded. We stripped the downstairs down to the studs so we could bleach them. We saved 20% off of what a general contractor would charge and 30% off of what the contractor my neighbors were using charged. It also took us 3 months longer to move back downstairs both times. We used some of the money we saved to use nicer materials and appliances, and we got significantly more money than they did when we all sold. The pros were that I'm a freak, and don't trust anyone to do as good of a job as I can, so I was actually LESS stressed than if someone else was in charge. We also had VERY good craftsmen. My BIL is CFO for the big luxury builder here in town. We were able to use his tile guy and trim guy. They already knew each other, and were great at helping us avoid potential mistakes. We were also able to use his suppliers. I picked out marble for my bathroom cabinets, but when they put it in, I hated it. It turns out that they installed a different slab than the one I picked out, so they stayed all night ripping it out and putting in the right one. I'm not sure they would have done that if they were not scared of making my BIL mad. The cons were that there were so many delays. We would expect workers at a certain time, but something would come up which meant the people we had scheduled for the next day couldn't do their job. Lowes delivered our sheet rock, and dumped it on the front lawn. I had to call a friend to bring a bottle of champagne and spend several hours helping me get it into the house. We are planning to start a very big remodel in about 18 months. We talked about using a general contractor because it involves structural things we have never done before, but in the end, I will hire an architect and a structural engineer, and then framers and tilers and oversee the project myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Great ideas and advice! Thanks so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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