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| Salvage Your Way to a Kitchen Remodel for Less |
Submitted by:
Kathy Yutzy 12/19/2008 9:27 AM
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We bought a small 2 bedroom house, and put a new addition, with 3 more bedrooms, living room and bath. Four years into the project, I declared war against the original kitchen, which consisted of one wall of upper cabinets built with plywood, and a counter top below, that held the sink. This was the only storage/work space in there!
My husband and older son said "There is no way you can even start this project without $5-10,000." I said "Watch me!"
So I started weekly visits to the Habitat for Humanity stores in our area. I got 4 glass/mullioned doors with the new price tags still on them for $10 each for upper cabinets.(The man at the cabinet store told me they are $60-70 to get new ones at his store.)The porcelain sink was $9.50 I got a lazy susan, and most of the other cabinets over the summer-most costing about $25. We had to purchase 3 new ones, about $100 each. None of the cabinets matched wood colors, so we sanded and Painted everything a creamy off white (Swiss Coffee by Behr at Home Depot). We bought some scroll appliques to mount on the sink cabinet and over the stove hood. No one could believe the transformation! I got the flooring on clearance for $225 for Congoleum, because someone mismarked it! My Sister called one day and said her husband was cleaning their pole barn and was on a "burning the junk rampage", and she had an antique upper cabinet she thought we could use.(His mom had bought it at an auction.) It really fit our old farmhouse! Everyone thinks its original to our home. I got one crystal light fixture at Habitat for $6.00! My husband installed some open plate/display shelves to display my 30 years of collecting cobalt blue bottles, and cups and plates, and special things. This winter he is finishing a cleaning closet that will be enclosed with a yard sale door for $5 that matches the antique cabinet my sister gave us--same color, same finish, and the same design! Outside the closet is a built-in bookshelf that has another antique door-mini size of the same design from another yard sale!
All in all, out total was about $3,500 for a complete makeover that looks like it came out of a magazine! The crowning glory was our one big splurge of $300, we bought a stained glass light to go over the island.
Throughout our house we used Oops! paint from Home Depot-it costs $5 per gallon, and is paint that someone had mixed, but didn't like. This is top quality Behr (and others) paint. Lowe's and other stores do this also, so ALWAYS check when you are in the store, even if your paint project is months away, grab it when you see it, because it goes fast. We have worked to keep the old house feel, even in the addition, so between the dining and living room, and also at the top of the basement stairs, we used antique doors with glass windows, and applied the scroll appliques on those, too, with the same white paint. We love to make it personal, and also to help others on their own homes.
The big thing is never be afraid to ask for a deal, you'll be amazed what you can get. We stopped at one yard sale because we wanted one antique door that they had. He GAVE us 6! They had given up on their similar project! Well, happy remodeling! |
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