Kitchen Remodel Under $2,000

This post is a story of how a couple quarantined managed to turn an eyesore kitchen, into a bright, open, functional space and saved a ton of money doing it. This blog would be too long to include all the steps and tips. So links to pages for each step in this story are included. Please review each page before following any of these steps. A disclaimer - we did have to replace our old oven and dishwasher because they both died. The total cost of the remodel minus those expenses was under 2K. We also had all tools necessary to complete this type of project with the exception of a tile cutter. 

When we purchased our home about two and a half years ago, there were so many things that we loved. Our house was built in the 80s but has features that were salvaged from a hotel built in 1924. 

One dominating piece is the butler's pantry. It is an enormous built-in piece 13 feet long and 7 feet tall. Made of dark wood with a thick live edge bar, it is very impressive and upon seeing it Mauricio decided we would buy the house.

The kitchen, was not something I loved...at all. It had nothing to do with the hotel. Formica counter tops and back splash straight out of the 80s. The counter tops were also uneven where the glue had given up long ago. The cabinets were small by today's standards and a streaked and faded honey brown. The dishwasher (not the one in the photos) didn't clean anything - I eventually resorted to using two pods. The fridge was small and loud, and the oven...the OVEN!

About a year into living in the house. I was frustrated and sad. I had gone from making gourmet meals to  hardly cooking at all. So many other unexpected things take priority over what you plan to do when you buy an older house. Like a new roof, a new water pump and plumbing problems. Mauricio suggested I start designing a new kitchen. The cabinets we had were solid wood but new solid wood would cost a fortune. I started with Ikea's design app because I had their cabinets in another house and really like them. I created at least 10 different designs. They all involved a huge island and a plan to remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room. I also tried a couple of other design tools but they were clunky and didn't give prices.

One thing that I did, and I believe was crucial, was remove everything from the cabinets that I would be losing and see if I would have a storage problem. I have a pretty big pantry so for almost a year I used it for my dishes and glasses. I knew the island would eventually recoup most of that space but I needed to make sure I could live with a loss. 

The cheapest I was ever able accomplish in a design was $9,000 without appliances. That included us doing all the installation. That did not include a new backsplash. The one I really loved was $17,000 with all the bells and whistles - still no backsplash. This is much cheaper than all the blogs and articles I read saying $50,000 is the average cost of a total kitchen remodel. All of it was still more than I wanted to spend. We are both handy, both creative and neither of us are lazy. So I thought if I could just figure out a way to work with what I had, it might pay off.

The oven died a dramatic death - read about that here. That thing was wide and left a big ol empty spot. Not to mention an offset microwave.

We had to tear out the base cabinet it was on to make room for the new oven. In doing so, I discovered some tile peeking out from under the Formica back splash. I immediately got to work tearing that Formica out. There it was; Italian tile on the entire back splash. A few tiles were missing but it was still much better!

The new oven eventually got delivered and we went on for a few weeks happily.

I was cooking again but I still hated the cabinets and the wall between the kitchen and dining room and now I added the offset microwave to the list. I write about installing the new oven and moving the microwave here.

One morning in mid February 2020, two years after we moved in, as I was having my coffee I just decided it was time. I told Mauricio I was going to start tearing out the top half of the dividing wall. The plan was to have a half wall until the new kitchen came to fruition. 

As we were tearing down the wall, we decided we would just install a bar temporarily as well. We used reclaimed wood from a workshop in the garage that was originally from the hotel. By February 22, 2020, we had a nice little set up. I was enjoying my kitchen but it was still not aesthetically pleasing. Shortly after that, we decided we liked the bar and wanted to keep it in our new kitchen.

I started designing on Ikea again but without the island. This time I was able to get new cabinets and butcher block counter tops for about $6500 - still no back splash or appliances.

March 13th and March 20th Mauricio and I were ordered, respectively, to work from home due to Covid-19. What everyone thought would be over in a couple of months, as in Europe, began to drag on and on.

My desk is right beside the kitchen. Day after day I would imagine what it would look like totally redone. Due to Covid, we were not going shopping. So my plans to peruse Ikea and hardware stores were at a full stop. I decided if I could redo my current cabinets, it might be a temporary fix and make me like the kitchen.

I watched countless YouTube videos, read blogs and articles, trying to find the best methods. Eventually, I came up with a plan. For less than $100, I could paint and glaze the existing cabinets.

Once I finished that, the countertops were an even bigger eyesore. I knew I wanted an apron front sink and installing new countertops without the sink didn't make sense. The faucet was also necessary. We knew once we ordered the counter tops, the back splash would have to be done as well to really complete the job.

During this redesign and install, I started envisioning installing functional shelving to fill the gaps left by the oven and microwave. I finished those on July 23, 2020.

Four months of quarantine during this pandemic resulted in a brand new kitchen that I love!

Everything we used was repurposed or purchased online. With the exception of the tile, just because I didn't want to pay shipping when I could pick up, everything was delivered. There are a few things left. I want pull out organizers and a base cabinet beside the stove instead of that cart, and we still need a new fridge! I am so proud of what we have done so far. By reusing, not replacing what we had, we saved thousands of dollars.