An Remarkable Kitchen Reno For $8000

You folks have to remember Krystol thanks to the remarkable porch makeover that she sent our way a while back. Well, she’s done it again. And her kitchen is nothing short of fantastic (not to mention budget friendly). Here is her letter:

Thank you so much for posting our porch reno on your journal. I was so amazed at the response and hoped to share our latest project: the kitchen reno. We ripped out everything right down to the studs and began over with new Ikea cabinets, new appliances, a new laminate counter and my go-to: a zinc topped work island which we made by “wrapping” the top half of an MDF sheet with zinc that we ordered from rotometals. I felt kind of bad because the previous owner had simply “redone” the kitchen with new tile, countertops, sink, DW and range but we did end up keeping the tile and the dishwasher so all was not lost. The kitchen reno cost about $8,000 total, which includes all cabinets ($3000), appliances ($2500), lighting ($400, a splurge), paint, plumbing and electrical work as well as drywall and tile work. We did everything ourselves (with the assist of my dad the carpenter) except for a few minor plumbing and electrical items. Oh and we got the tile on “closeout” at Home Depot but ended up having to drive two hours away in order to get more matching tile! Oh the adventures of Hands-on. Hope you enjoy!- Krystol

Here is her lackluster kitchen before the big makeover:

And here is the quite same space fully transformed:

Is not that remarkable? It looks like a especially spendy farmhouse remodel to us- right out of House Striking or the dearly departed Cottage Living (sniffle). And we enjoy that stunning details like the mosaic backsplash and range hood came from affordable sources like Home Depot. Plus the total cost of this remodel is fairly unbelievable considering that it includes everything from drywall to all appliances and lighting- not to mention a custom made zinc topped island, new countertops and new cabinets. Inspiring! Oh and here is a handy source list from Krystol:

• Wall color: Horsetails by Martha Stewart (from Sherwin Williams)
• Window sash color: Squirrel by Behr
• Cabinets: IKEA
• Cabinet hardware: eBay for $1 a knob (they are vintage lucite handles and I enjoy them)
• Mini mosaic tile: Home Depot (it was a cinch to install since the area is not a wet area- we simply stuck them to the drywall with mastic and grouted)
• Lighting: a splurge from here, but I have since seen similar fixtures at Lowe’s/Home Depot
  
• Zinc sheet for island counter: rotometals.com
• Curtains: I made them

Did not Krystol do a fantastic job totally reinventing her kitchen? We enjoy that she and her family DIYed nearly everything themselves (from the drywall to the tiling and even the curtains). And the fact that they relied on places like Home Depot, Ikea and eBay to get ‘er done without breaking the bank should give everyone hope that you do not have to drop a million dollars for a high-end effect. Now let us play a little game we like to call what is-your-go-to-part? We are torn between that vivid mosaic-backed range hood and the homemade zinc-topped island. And those dramatic blue curtains are fairly sweet too. What do you folks think?