10 Tips To Create Your Dream Kitchen On A Budget
CREATE THE KITCHEN OF YOUR DREAMS WITHOUT SPENDING A FORTUNE WITH THESE 10 TIPS
Designing the kitchen of your dreams just sounds expensive right? Well, I am here to tell you it doesn’t have to be! My parents recently set out to create a beautiful dream kitchen on a DIY budget. So today I thought I would share 10 of the tips & tricks they used to build their magazine-worthy kitchen for under $10,000, including appliances!!
Let me give yall a little background on my parent’s farmhouse. They basically built the entire thing by themselves & have been perfecting the inside little by little & staying completely debt-free. If you follow along with us on Instagram you know I just recently talked them into letting me board & batten their entire upstairs hallway just like I did in Eli’s nursery.
They created a small butlers kitchen to serve as their main kitchen until they were ready to complete their dream kitchen. Which leads me to Tip #1.
Tip 1: Take Your Time
The fact that they could finish the kitchen at their own pace really helped them stay under budget & find the best deals. Rome wasn’t built in a day & your kitchen doesn’t have to be either. Wait for the things you want to go on sale & keep your eyes out for improvement stores “special deals of the day.”
Tip 2: Unconventional Storage
One of my favorite parts of this kitchen is that gorgeous gray cabinet! You wouldn’t believe someone had thrown it out for trash pickup. So naturally, we swooped in & rescued it & its bottom half & brought them both home. With a little paint & TLC, this cabinet has become a feature point of the entire kitchen! Its bottom half serves as the sink base & creates an antique farmhouse feel.
Tip 3: Shop Amazon For Light Fixtures
Amazon is a great source for finding budget savvy light fixtures. The two wooden pendants over the island were less than $130 apiece! The important thing is to look over the reviews to make sure what you are choosing is a quality fixture.
Tip 4: Market Place Cabinets
You would never believe we found her entire cabinet set on Facebook Marketplace! Now, this is a buyer beware situation because she did get these cabinets for $2,500 but we had to really work with them. My mom basically rebuilt each one’s frame because they were not super sturdy after being ripped out & transported. It was not the easiest portion of this renovation but she will tell you it was 100% worth it! New cabinets can cost from $15,000 & up so this was a huge savings!
Tip 5: Check End Caps For Discounted Materials
My mom had her heart set on this really pretty quilt looking tile for a very long time, but it was around $6.50
Tip 6: DIY Installation
Before building this house my parents did not have a ton of DIY experience but they learned the way most of us do, YouTube & just going for it! They installed all of the cabinets, countertops, backsplash, & appliances themselves. That alone saved them thousands because paying someone to install your materials usually costs 1x or 1.5x what the material itself costs!
Tip 7: Oops Paint
This one is a good way to save money on any home renovation, always check the hardware stores mistake paint section. This is paint that customers ordered & either didn’t like or wasn’t mixed properly. We found an entire gallon of Sherwin Williams Repose Gray in the oops section marked at half off! This isn’t a crazy amount of savings but every little bit helps.
Tip 8: Open Shelving
Doors are expensive y’all! A great option to save some money is by adding lots of open shelving. You can get cute bins & storage jars to keep all your necessities neat & organized.
Tip 9: Never Pay Full Price For Appliances
Appliances are one of those things that are super necessary & can also be super expensive. One way to get around that sticker price is to find the store’s scratch & dent section. These are appliances that are just a bit beat up that the stores are willing to sell for a good discount. A lot of times the imperfection is unnoticeable or can be hidden by a cabinet insert! Also don’t forget to be thinking of the upcoming holidays. Lowes always has a great appliance sale during Memorial Day, Labor Day, & Christmas.
Tip 10: Unfinished Cabinets
I know you have seen them at the hardware store. Those plain unfinished cabinets that look like they are a lot of work, but they don’t have to be. This island was completely built out of unfinished cabinets & wood. The best part about using these cabinets for an island is that you don’t have to color match the rest of your cabinets. You can do a fun pop of color & add some fancy hardware, we recommend taking your coupon on a walk to Hobby Lobby’s hardware aisle!
Those are our 10 tips for creating your dream kitchen on a diy budget! There are so many ways to save money you just have to be willing to search & maybe get a little dirty. All the hard work was absolutely worth it though, its my favorite room in their house & sometimes we just sit in the kitchen so I can look at all the pretty things.
If you have any money-saving tips you want to share leave them in the comments & I’ll link some of the products from this kitchen below!
Products:
- Stone Backsplash
- Island Tile
- Unfinished Cabinets
- Pendants Over Island
- Farmhouse Pendant
- Marble Counter Top
- Shiplap Wall Planks
- StoveTop
- Anthropology Jars
- Wall Color: Repose Gray
- Cabinet Hardware: Hobby Lobby
- Buffet: Encore Furniture
