Money Saving Reno Pointers With Michelle of 4 Men, 1 Lady

Something we enjoy about the home-slash-Hands-on blogosphere is that no matter someone’s renovation budget, there nearly consistently seems to be some strong story of money saving. Whether it is salvaging existing materials, shopping for steals, negotiating a deal, or simply doing it yourself, there are some strong stories of frugality and ingenuity out there. So in that spirit we thought we’d periodically share some cash-monay saving pointers from some of our go-to bloggers. And perhaps we will sneak in some eye candy along the way. Sound good?

First up is Michelle from the journal 4 Men, 1 Lady, who has consistently wowed us with her jaw-dropping transformations. But I should let Michelle take over so you can hear it from the lady herself:

We took a 1970’s rambler complete with gold formica counter tops and rust color carpet and did a complete remodel. We had a good game plan what we hoped to do pre-remodel but once took a sledgehammer to the place we began to see the real potential and the list grew. Thus our estimated 4 month remodel took 9 months. People kept telling us that projects consistently cost more and take longer than you anticipate and unfortunately, we were no exception to that rule. Seeing the budget swiftly go south I knew I had to be truly careful about how the money was spent. I made it my goal to shave anything I could off the budget. Here is what I did.

Cabinets: We exhausted Facebook and asked everyone we knew if they had any good references. Instead of paying a premium price we found a quite talented cabinet maker who simply quit at a major cabinet company and was starting his own business in his garage. We were able to get inset, custom cabinets for the same price we were quoted at IKEA. Savings: $2,500.

Appliances: I shopped around and found a package deal on high end appliances…”Buy two get one free!” Savings: $1,500. I also was able to buy a floor model hood and the salesman also threw in the family discount. Savings: $700.

Lighting, tile, misc accessories: Home Depot has strong prices to begin with but I learned that if you spend over a certain amount you may qualify for contractor pricing. So I made a large list of everything we needed from doors, lumber, tile, lighting, etc and made one gigantic purchase. Savings: ? $600.

Closet: Every gal knows how essential a strong closet is. I received several quotes from closet companies which were outrageous. In the end, we used the Ikea Pax system which was truly customizable and for a fraction of the cost. Savings: $1,000

Tile labor: Our plan was to tackle installing the tile ourselves. After doing a whole house we ran out of steam and patience. Unfortunately, labor costs more than the product itself…ouch. All the quotes of the tile people were fairly comparable. We asked the sub contractor that we chose if he could come down on his price. We asked 25%, he countered with 15%. We knew quite well 25% was wishful thinking but if we would have said 15%, he would have said 5%. (I also talked more about hiring the right sub-contractor in a post here). Savings: $600.

Hardware and misc items: Many stores will have an annual “Friends and Family” month with up to a 25% discount on everything. I waited patiently (or rather impatiently) for these to hit then I made my purchases. Savings: $300.

Thanks for sharing your moneys saving pointers with us, Michelle! If any of you want to read (and see!) more about the makeovers shown in this post, check out Michelle’s posts on her Kitchen & Living & Dining Area, Main Bath & Closet, Entryway and Main Bath. She has tons of strong photos and full source lists as well.

We have already got some other bloggers in mind to tap for some more budget-salvaging pointers, but if you’ve got anyone you think would be strong to feature, please let us know in the comments and I will drop them a line beg.

**********************************

As a little Friday bonus, here are four lively projects, chats, or questions going on over on the Forums. We also announced this week’s giveaway winners, so you can click here (and scroll down to the Rafflecopter box) to see if it is you.

by WifeInProgress		by GilitC		by The_Makerista		by juliejm