kitchen reno financing

LillibetteV

Ugh. I don't think we can put off the kitchen reno much longer. I really wanted to wait to pay in cash but small things keep breaking and I don't want to continue putting bandaids on the problem. The plan had been to do it this year but we had an emergency last year that essentially wiped out our kitchen fund.  The way our house is set up we have to do the kitchen, half bath, and laundry all as one project so I'm assuming we're looking at about $50k (the house is 150 years old and all of the plumbing and electrical will need to be updated plus the subfloor is rotting out in spots.....). 

I've never done a renovation that needed financing and I don't know where to begin! Do I get estimates first? Do I talk to the bank first to make sure I can even get the amount I think we'll need? I'm leaning toward a HELOC vs. HEC but I'm open to suggestions. I don't particularly want to do a cash-out refinance but again I'm also open to the pros of that option as well if you've got them. 

Mustard76

I've never done any sort of renovation project, but have helped many clients do them. Most of my clients have opted for a HELOC rather than a HE loan or cash-out refinance because of the flexibility of a revolving line. Many projects run over budget, and with a line, you're not in a pinch or in a crunch to cash out the balance. It's also nice in the event that you come in under budget, you don't have to borrow more than you actually need to use. It's kind of a guessing game with an installment loan, whether that's with a HE loan or a full refinance. Most banks also offer no-fee lines, and I imagine you'd be hard pressed to find a no-fee cash out refi. 

Maybe it's because of my profession, but I'm of the opinion that anyone who can have a HELOC should have one, even if it goes unused. If you go the HELOC route, I would go to the bank first. There are many factors that can determine the timing of application to close, but I would do that before getting anything else done. That way you know you're good to go by the time you even have the estimates completed. 

Edited for typos. I suck at typing on my phone. 

brij2006

You know what my recommendation will be.    But I would start with getting rough estimates then go from there.
If they come back at $35k and you think you could save for a year or year and a half and pay cash, then I would do that.
How long would it take you to save up for it if you got intense about it?

FWIW our house has a 1970's kitchen.  It's bad.  Like so much grease caked on the cabinets that dust sticks to them and I can't get it off.  We also have a drawer that takes 2 hands to open and close, and another drawer front that is cracked and split.  Our fridge also sounds like it's an airplane taking off occasionally, and our stove only has 1 burner that doesn't boil on low.  Oh and the floor is laminate and is separating.  There's also a few places where it has gotten too wet and it has dried and is breaking apart (don't put laminate in a kitchen).
But we are still putting money aside to be able to cash flow that renovation.  I've improvised in the meantime and am making due.  However, we had a contractor give us an estimate for what we want, and we also paid the $100 to have a kitchen designer come out and give us plans and ideas on how to change things around to suit our needs. We'll likely do the renovation ourselves, but it's still going to cost a pretty penny.  In the meantime I'm watching Craigslist for new appliances so I can grab those at a discount, and we browse stores waiting for a scratch n dent.
Figured even if we just replace things as we save, then we'll just have the larger renovation left (cabinets, counters, flooring).
Also, because we're saving for it instead of borrowing, it has made me re-think what are "needs" and what are "wants."  We originally wanted double ovens.  Then we realized it was going to cost an extra $2k to do so and I would lose the only space for a ton of cabinets. If we weren't paying cash for everything, I probably wouldn't think twice about the extra cost.

Mustard76

@brij2006 I am genuinely curious, based on your previous statement about your double oven, how do you and your H decide to get things that you want?  I understand saving and paying cash and all of that, that's not what I'm asking. But it sounds like you don't buy the things that you want, just what you need. 

I know you guys like to travel and whatnot, but do you do that at the expense of not having things that you want in your home?  Such as the double oven. 

I'm by no means asking from a place of judgement, I'm just asking to understand. I try to be really balanced about things, but I think it's OK to have some of what we want, not necessarily just what we need. 

LillibetteV

It would take another year most likely and I wanted to save for it, but we've already replaced a few things and I don't want to keep hodge-podging it together. Especially since we're doing IVF right now I'd rather have it done pre-baby if possible. The freaking dishwasher door breaking on me this morning was the straw that broke the camel's back for this kitchen. I can deal with ugly (and it's UGLY 1970s vintage) but I need function.

My husband and I disagree on whether this is our forever home but if it is I want the kitchen done right and if it isn't we need the kitchen done right for resale if we want to recoup as much as possible.  

DH and I are looking for a new bank anyways so maybe we'll shop around for a good HELOC and then move our primary banking to wherever that is?

LillibetteV

@brij2006 we can't fit a double oven sadly, but a range that has the little top oven and then the bigger bottom oven is on my must-have list. I drool over them every time we go to Home Depot. 

AprilZ81

We paid cash for roughly 2/3 of our kitchen/powder room remodel and financed the other 1/3.

We went the route of a HELOC and the only trouble we had was that we had JUST bought the house with 10% down so we had trouble finding a bank that would do a high loan to value (I think that was the term) loan. We did find one at a credit union when I was about at my wit's end.

If you have been in your house several years and/or had a more significant down payment you shouldn't have trouble finding a place to give you a HELOC as long as your credit is decent.

This was by far the biggest and most stressful reno I've even done (and we didn't DIY).  There were some things we splurged on (deeper upper cabinets to fit our plates and the uppers go all the way to the ceiling) but things we sacrificed due to the cost (painted cabinets and heated floors).  It is a give and take during the process but we are happy with our final results.

hoffse

So we remodeled our kitchen last year.  We paid cash, but I really wish we had had a HELOC instead because we came right up to our budget, and by the end I was getting really nervous.

My suggestion is to sit down with your husband and really come up with a must-haves list.  Obviously you have the big things like cabinets and appliances, but don't forget things like recessed lights, extra outlets, or whether you want a utility sink added to the laundry room, etc.

On the cabinets, be clear about what you want - uppers and lowers?  Just lowers?  Lowers with drawers (swoon)?  That can change the price dramatically.

Then call in a few contractors to gets bids.  I would not go with the most expensive, but I wouldn't necessarily go with the cheapest either.  Then you can seek financing with a HELOC.  Those loans can usually be closed very quickly, so it can be done while revising the bid with your contractor.

Things we did right on our kitchen:
-Drawers for the lower cabinets.  Other than the sink cabinet and one small cabinet for very tall items, everything else is drawers.  It is amazing.  I don't kill my back fishing for the stock pot anymore.
-Recessed lights and undercabinet lights.  We also had a butler's pantry with glass doors installed, and we wired that up with lights.
-Cut through the roof to properly vent the microwave.  This was like a $300 add-on and worth every penny.
-Upgraded the granite to get something we loved.  The granite is the show-stopper in our kitchen.
-Installed a garbage disposal
-Cabinet-depth fridge, which is GREAT for smaller/galley kitchens.  And we don't lose food in the back anymore (gross)
-Double oven range - you are right that they are drool-worthy. I'm obsessed with mine.  We use the top oven 90% of the time, which saves a ton of energy. But that bottom oven is clutch around the holidays.

Things I wish we had done:
-Considered the floors.  We ended up having them refinished after moving the fridge and seeing the disaster it left.  We had not budgeted for this, and it was our single major overage.  
-Glass shelves in the butler's pantry - we will do this eventually, but I wish we had done it right away
-Paid our contractor to paint.  Yes, it's expensive.  Yes, it's worth it.  Painting around your brand new cabinets is not fun.  BTDT.
-Changed the light switches while we had the electrician there.  Our light switches don't make sense, and this was something we forgot about until the project was done.

FutureMrsMerati

@LillibetteV they really are that great, if you're considering it!  While we were doing our kitchen renovation a few years ago, we purchased a Samsung flexduo which has a removable shelf that converts your full-sized oven into a dual oven. We almost always use the smaller one since it's just my husband and I (saves on our utilities, too!), but I was really thankful when I was putting that turkey in Thanksgiving morning and had a full oven to work with! 

hoffse

Oh I also want to mention that even if this is not your forever house, having it updated and done before kids can be amazing.  Honestly, after we finished our kitchen I suddenly went from the "we will move when they are little" camp to "I could stay here long term" camp.  Really loving your space can make a huge impact on your long-term plans.

If remodeling your kitchen/laundry/bath means you stay an extra 5 years longer than you otherwise would, that might just pay for itself right there.

cbee817

Depending on your plumbing, electrical it could be a lot more than $50K for a kitchen, 1/2 bath and laundry room. Do you need a new electrical panel or is that up to date? I would get estimates first- although those can be low until you open the walls and see what you're working with.
Our house is 80+ years old so any room with plumbing that we've tackled has had the bulk of it replaced with copper (from galvanized)- our kitchen was in 2010, the downstairs bathroom in 2013, and our upstairs bathroom is being worked on now.
We're also looking into HELOC for next summer to do an entire exterior renovation- we refinanced back in 2010 with our bank so we'll be going to them for the HELOC.

short+sassy

I agree with @Mustard76, HELOC's are the best.  I also think most people with the ability to get one, should.  As long as a person has the discipline to use it wisely, there just isn't much down side.  It's a big liquid line of credit that just sits there and costs nothing, unless it is used.  If it is used, you're only charged interest on whatever the balance is and that interest rate will be very low.  Similar to a mortgage interest rate.

The basic steps are: 1) apply for one  2) get approved  3) appraisal is done  4) depending on the bank and your credit/income, you will be given a HELOC for 70-90% of the value of your equity.  Or you can also request less than that.  The whole process takes about 30 days.

The fees also depend on the bank.  Most have no fees, but you might have to pay for the appraisal.  Some won't even charge you for that.  The only fee my bank charged me was the "filing fee" from the city.  $250.  Yes, I'm sure that 10 page document took some city clerk hours to file (sarcasm).

On my recent trip to Boston, I heard a radio commercial advertising HELOCs with no fees and something like a 2.13% interest rate.  I'd assume that is introductory, but it wasn't the impression they gave.  I wish I could remember who it was!

It wouldn't hurt to get estimates first, but you could probably ballpark it with a little research online.  There are sites out there where you can put in your zip code, the work you want done, and you'll get a price range of what that typically costs for your area.

Also a lot of construction work type companies offer a 0% interest for 12 months financing option.

Ooofff, not much in the way of tips for a good deal on electrical, plumbing, and sub floor repairs. Get quotes, get references, get referrals.  Get good people, even if they aren't the cheapest.  Those are vital repairs that you don't want half-assed.

For flooring, I am a big fan of wood-look tile for kitchens.  Or any room.  It's on the low end for cost, but the high end for style.  It's also fairly easy to install.  You could even DIY it, if you all wanted.

Are the cabinets at all salvageable?  You'd be amazed what you can achieve with replacing a few old facings and some new hardware.  Repainting is a great option if the cabinets themselves are in good condition, just look dated.  But that is extremely time consuming and probably only makes economic sense if you all were DIYing it. 

Mustard76

@hoffse I don't know the last time you applied for a HELOC, but with all of the regulation changed, I haven't closed one quickly in YEARS. It used to be easy and awesome a few years ago, I could close one in a week. Now we're a minimum of 30 days out. I don't consider that quick at all. The only expidited options I know of are with private client groups for high net worth clients. Those places generally have special underwriting guidelines. 

short+sassy

If it makes the big cost sting less, keep in mind you all will be adding a lot of equity and appeal to your home with this kind of reno. 

LillibetteV

@hoffse  we definitely have a list already - we've been mentally renovating this sucker for 3 years now hahaha. I agree on the bottom drawers - I HATE inefficient cabinets. Our kitchen is small so I definitely want the toe kick drawers for baking pans and cutting boards. We're also considering adding a window since we'll be losing some natural light when we reconfigure the laundry/bath (right now you can literally see straight from the front door to the washing machine at the back of the house. drives me nuts so I want to add a door). Our kitchen is comically small considering the size of the house, but at least it's efficient! The kitchen/bath/laundry area we're talking about doing over is about 250 sq ft TOTAL in a 2,000 sq ft house. The house was built for entertaining in 1869 not a modern family in 2016. I guess you don't care about the kitchen size when it's the servants back there instead of yourself. Whenever I suggest blowing the kitchen out into the dining room and turning the bar into the dining room my husband refuses to listen to me. That said - we entertain a lot so that extra space does get used all the time so he isn't just being stubborn, he has a valid point. 

@AprilZ81 I'm a little worried about dealing with the bank. We originally put down 5% (I was strategically young and broke and took advantage of a low income loan my state offers before my next raise made me ineligible) but we've paid off 10% of the original purchase price. Our equity primarily comes from the market increase and repairs we've made over the past 3 years. When we refinanced last year they said we had only 15% equity (although the 800 credit score and the fact that I didn't need to use them for my refi got me the loan w/out adding PMI anyways) and the local realtors I spoke to literally laughed and said the bank undervalued our house by at least  $30k. 

hoffse

Mustard76 said:

@hoffse I don't know the last time you applied for a HELOC, but with all of the regulation changed, I haven't closed one quickly in YEARS. It used to be easy and awesome a few years ago, I could close one in a week. Now we're a minimum of 30 days out. I don't consider that quick at all. The only expidited options I know of are with private client groups for high net worth clients. Those places generally have special underwriting guidelines. 

Yeah it's gotten longer.  I think there's usually time though.  When we hired our contractor we spent about a month on bids and negotiations, and then had another couple months after the contract was finalized before he even started.  It would have been ample time to set up financing.  We had our initial quote from him in April and didn't start the project until July.

But you are absolutely right that if it needs to be done very quickly, a HELOC will take time to set up.

LillibetteV

@short+sassy  we definitely won't be cheaping out on the fundamentals. The reason the kitchen has been put off so long was so that we could replace the roof, do some electrical (still need more), repair the foundation, replaced moldy carpet.... the list is never ending in an old house lol. The cabinets are total crap. They were never nice - they are probably the cheapest thing you could buy in 1970 and they somehow haven't totally fallen apart yet. They pop open and are really flimsy. They also put in a weird bulkhead rather than bring the cabinets up to the ceiling and I need that storage space so we're going all the way up (we checked - no piping in there). Our "pantry" is built between the studs of an external wall without insulation so that will be ripped out and I need to make up the space somehow. Our first year there I thought it was a nice cool dark spot for potatoes....until the summer....that first heat wave I learned that potatoes can grow humongous sprouts in less than a day given the right conditions! 

LillibetteV

@Mustard76 good to know about the turn around time!

AprilZ81

LillibetteV said:

@hoffse  we definitely have a list already - we've been mentally renovating this sucker for 3 years now hahaha. I agree on the bottom drawers - I HATE inefficient cabinets. Our kitchen is small so I definitely want the toe kick drawers for baking pans and cutting boards. We're also considering adding a window since we'll be losing some natural light when we reconfigure the laundry/bath (right now you can literally see straight from the front door to the washing machine at the back of the house. drives me nuts so I want to add a door). Our kitchen is comically small considering the size of the house, but at least it's efficient! The kitchen/bath/laundry area we're talking about doing over is about 250 sq ft TOTAL in a 2,000 sq ft house. The house was built for entertaining in 1869 not a modern family in 2016. I guess you don't care about the kitchen size when it's the servants back there instead of yourself. Whenever I suggest blowing the kitchen out into the dining room and turning the bar into the dining room my husband refuses to listen to me. That said - we entertain a lot so that extra space does get used all the time so he isn't just being stubborn, he has a valid point. 

@AprilZ81 I'm a little worried about dealing with the bank. We originally put down 5% (I was strategically young and broke and took advantage of a low income loan my state offers before my next raise made me ineligible) but we've paid off 10% of the original purchase price. Our equity primarily comes from the market increase and repairs we've made over the past 3 years. When we refinanced last year they said we had only 15% equity (although the 800 credit score and the fact that I didn't need to use them for my refi got me the loan w/out adding PMI anyways) and the local realtors I spoke to literally laughed and said the bank undervalued our house by at least  $30k. 

Be sure to look into credit unions if the banks aren't being cooperative.  They tend to have more flexibility if everything else looks good.

15-20% equity should be enough to get you an equity line of some amount so if you have some cash and some HELOC funds you should be able to get it done.

LillibetteV

@AprilZ81 we also don't have any student loans or car payments anymore so our debt to income ratio is nice and low! 

brij2006

Since your dishwasher door broke and that's a standard sized item, I would upgrade to the one you want when you remodel and have that work for now.  Our microwave went out last year so we bought an over the range one and installed that as well as the cabinets we want above it.  Was a $500 total fix that we'll keep the same anyways, instead of jumping the gun to completely remodel the kitchen with a $10-15k price tag.

@FutureMrsMerati That's the exact stove/oven combo we've been looking at since we've ruled out the separate double oven and cooktop.  We're hardcore Samsung appliance lovers, so that's what we'll go with when replacing our current ones.

@mustard76 We mostly weigh out what our wants and our needs are for a big project like this.  I would rather splurge on bottom cabinet drawers and a larger pantry style space where we would have put the double ovens.  Yes, I would love double ovens, but it's most definitely not a need.  I would only use them a couple times a year. If we put them in then I would also lose the counter space where I would otherwise be able to pull things out of the oven and put them.  Instead I would have to walk halfway across the kitchen with a hot pan to set it down.  Definitely not ideal.  Especially with a small child under my feet.  I also would rather spend the extra $1k on getting the fridge I've been drooling over and that is humungous yet we have the opening for.  I would have that thing full every day, to where the double oven would not be.
Now the saving for this has been argumentative in our house.  Hence why we're spending money on Hawaii instead of re-doing our kitchen.  We both get joy out of Hawaii.  Only I get joy out of the kitchen.  It's still fine and functional, and we're still saving separately to re-do that.  Just not as intensely as we could be. 
However, at this point we're tapped out in value in our home for the neighborhood.  Whatever we do to our house at this point is purely for our own enjoyment.  We will not receive any more money out of it for remodeling the kitchen. So our ROI is pretty much 0. That's not worth us doing right now when things are up in the air about us possibly moving within the next year or 2.
If we decide next year that we're staying in our house for the long haul, then we'll get aggressive with saving and we'll likely remodel it next winter. Although we have tossed around the idea of just refinishing the cabinets, replacing appliances and counter tops, and fixing the pieces of laminate that are broken (we have extra from when we installed it 6 years ago).  In total that would likely cost us around $6k. 
So yeah, we hold off because we can't make a flipping decision.

hoffse

So the amazing thing about drawers in small kitchens is they can literally hold twice as much stuff.  You lose sooooo much vertical space with regular doors, and there are very few things that actually require a lot of vertical space.  I literally have one cabinet that fits our knife set, cutting boards, and major utensils in the top drawer, and then an 18-piece cooking set with 4 extra non-stick pans and a couple splatter screens in the lower drawers.  The cabinet is only 30" wide.  Nothing is crowded.

Also, when you talk to contractors definitely ask about custom cabinet options.  We had one contractor that was going to sell us a semi-custom package.  You would think semi-custom saves money.  In our case it did not.  The contractor we used had a local "cabinet guy" who simply charged by the linear foot, and you could add any features you wanted without an upcharge.  The semi-custom package quote cost as much as the entire finished kitchen actually cost (floors included).  Plus I mean, that money went to a local guy, which I liked.

Being able to customize dimensions is amazing.  For example, we wanted a run of cabinets in our breakfast nook for extra storage (this is our butler's pantry), but the dimensions are kind of tight.  So those cabinets are actually just 18" deep instead of the standard 24".  No upcharge, and it solved the space constraints we had.

For appliances, we actually just bought through Lowes.  I waited for the Memorial Day sale, and then I used a 10% off coupon I bought online for $2, Lowe's gift cards that I bought through Staples for 5x chase UR points, and then I went through a shopping portal for 6% cash back.  They delivered the appliances the next day from the nearest Lowe's store.  I noticed the fridge had a small dent on the side (NBD because it is completely hidden by cabinets).  So I took a picture and went to Lowe's to show them, and they refunded me $150 for the dent.  The opening price of our appliance package was $3,000.  I think my final net cost was around $2400 plus 12,500 UR points (good for a one-way ticket to Dublin!)

als1982

brij2006 said:

You know what my recommendation will be.    But I would start with getting rough estimates then go from there.
If they come back at $35k and you think you could save for a year or year and a half and pay cash, then I would do that.
How long would it take you to save up for it if you got intense about it?

FWIW our house has a 1970's kitchen.  It's bad.  Like so much grease caked on the cabinets that dust sticks to them and I can't get it off.  We also have a drawer that takes 2 hands to open and close, and another drawer front that is cracked and split.  Our fridge also sounds like it's an airplane taking off occasionally, and our stove only has 1 burner that doesn't boil on low.  Oh and the floor is laminate and is separating.  There's also a few places where it has gotten too wet and it has dried and is breaking apart (don't put laminate in a kitchen).
But we are still putting money aside to be able to cash flow that renovation.  I've improvised in the meantime and am making due.  However, we had a contractor give us an estimate for what we want, and we also paid the $100 to have a kitchen designer come out and give us plans and ideas on how to change things around to suit our needs. We'll likely do the renovation ourselves, but it's still going to cost a pretty penny.  In the meantime I'm watching Craigslist for new appliances so I can grab those at a discount, and we browse stores waiting for a scratch n dent.
Figured even if we just replace things as we save, then we'll just have the larger renovation left (cabinets, counters, flooring).
Also, because we're saving for it instead of borrowing, it has made me re-think what are "needs" and what are "wants."  We originally wanted double ovens.  Then we realized it was going to cost an extra $2k to do so and I would lose the only space for a ton of cabinets. If we weren't paying cash for everything, I probably wouldn't think twice about the extra cost.

I agree with saving and paying cash.  We did this with a bathroom reno last year and it was wonderful to be able to enjoy it free and clear!

brij2006

LillibetteV said:

@short+sassy  we definitely won't be cheaping out on the fundamentals. The reason the kitchen has been put off so long was so that we could replace the roof, do some electrical (still need more), repair the foundation, replaced moldy carpet.... the list is never ending in an old house lol. The cabinets are total crap. They were never nice - they are probably the cheapest thing you could buy in 1970 and they somehow haven't totally fallen apart yet. They pop open and are really flimsy. They also put in a weird bulkhead rather than bring the cabinets up to the ceiling and I need that storage space so we're going all the way up (we checked - no piping in there). Our "pantry" is built between the studs of an external wall without insulation so that will be ripped out and I need to make up the space somehow. Our first year there I thought it was a nice cool dark spot for potatoes....until the summer....that first heat wave I learned that potatoes can grow humongous sprouts in less than a day given the right conditions! 

I think we have the same kitchen.  Your description definitely matches ours as well.  It's entertaining sometimes.


It's funny, but DD can't stand cabinets or drawers being open.  Our cabinets won't stay closed and she'll say "uh oh" and go over there to close it.  She gets angry when they pop back open as she walks away.
I've even installed new magnets on them, but some of them don't match up right even though I've adjusted them many times.  So we just deal, and the one door I hang a towel on the drawer handle above it.  That's the only way it stays closed is from the weight of the towel.

LillibetteV

@brij2006  does yours have yellow formica counters and a pink tile floor that's cracked? Seriously when did yellow counters and pink floors ever look good together?! 

brij2006

Haha no @LillibetteV , thank God.   But it does have yellow/brown formica "butcher block look" counters. 
Oh and before we replaced the flooring it had carpet.  Green carpet.

labro

This thread and watching Fixer Upper last night is absolutely killing me right now.

I am always a yes vote for a double oven if you have the room for one. Sure, my mom doesn't use hers every single day but it really comes in handy for a party, holiday, baking, or a big family dinner.

smetter04

LillibetteV said:

@brij2006  does yours have yellow formica counters and a pink tile floor that's cracked? Seriously when did yellow counters and pink floors ever look good together?! 

Our kitchen has pink sheet vinyl flooring with the "butcher block look" laminate countertops, and seafoam green paint with ugly brown wallpaper as the "wainscoting." We're sooo ready to rip it all out, but we don't have the funds for it right now so we're thinking about DIY-ing what we can and hoping that fresh paint and new flooring will make the cabinets and countertop less offensive-looking. I'm definitely following this thread and interested in hearing how others finance their projects.

LillibetteV

If we could DIY this I definitely would. The problem is that the floor is sagging and needs to be leveled and we need new electrical/plumbing. MY DIY ends at cosmetic work and I pay the pros for the real stuff! 

brij2006

smetter04 said:

LillibetteV said:

@brij2006  does yours have yellow formica counters and a pink tile floor that's cracked? Seriously when did yellow counters and pink floors ever look good together?! 

Our kitchen has pink sheet vinyl flooring with the "butcher block look" laminate countertops, and seafoam green paint with ugly brown wallpaper as the "wainscoting." We're sooo ready to rip it all out, but we don't have the funds for it right now so we're thinking about DIY-ing what we can and hoping that fresh paint and new flooring will make the cabinets and countertop less offensive-looking. I'm definitely following this thread and interested in hearing how others finance their projects.

I wish I could figure out how to upload pictures.  That's exactly what we already did with our kitchen.  Ripped up the carpet/linoleum, opened up the doorways, installed laminate, painted, and changed out the cabinet hardware.  That was about 7 years ago now and it cost us $700 total to do it ourselves.  There was no way we could afford to fully renovate it then, and we weren't willing to borrow to do so. 
So the next will likely be a full on remodel. 

smetter04

brij2006 said:

smetter04 said:

LillibetteV said:

@brij2006  does yours have yellow formica counters and a pink tile floor that's cracked? Seriously when did yellow counters and pink floors ever look good together?! 

Our kitchen has pink sheet vinyl flooring with the "butcher block look" laminate countertops, and seafoam green paint with ugly brown wallpaper as the "wainscoting." We're sooo ready to rip it all out, but we don't have the funds for it right now so we're thinking about DIY-ing what we can and hoping that fresh paint and new flooring will make the cabinets and countertop less offensive-looking. I'm definitely following this thread and interested in hearing how others finance their projects.

I wish I could figure out how to upload pictures.  That's exactly what we already did with our kitchen.  Ripped up the carpet/linoleum, opened up the doorways, installed laminate, painted, and changed out the cabinet hardware.  That was about 7 years ago now and it cost us $700 total to do it ourselves.  There was no way we could afford to fully renovate it then, and we weren't willing to borrow to do so. 
So the next will likely be a full on remodel. 

@brij2006 did your DIY changes help make the rest of the kitchen feel less outdated/was it worth the effort? And what's with carpet being in cooking/eating areas? Our dining room has brown shag-like carpet and if/when we replace the kitchen flooring, that carpet is most definitely coming out.