The Final Cost

My new kitchen is complete and the grand total for the entire renovation is $14,631.97. I kept track of every single purchase that went towards the kitchen and this includes every screw, nut and bolt.

I'm going to need some time to recover from months of hard work but I think it was worth it because I saved lots of money by doing it myself.  The only job I didn't attempt was the drywall installation and finishing.

Here's how the money was spent:

Wall Tile, Floor Tile and materials including saw rental -            $2,133.09

Extra Deep Stainless Steel Sink -                                                          $369.95

Kohler Faucet and Instant Hot -                                                           $478.08

Kitchen Lights -                                                                                        $251.00

Plumbing Supplies (pipe, pex clamp rental, fittings, valves, etc.) -  $204.36

Electrical Supplies (romex, outlets, breakers, switchplates, etc.) -  $390.26

Lumber (including Appleply for custom bookshelf ) -                       $1,017.29

Venting for Range Hood -                                                                        $62.31

Cabinet Hardware -                                                                               $288.00

Drywall, Paint and Labor -                                                                     $2,411.01

Ikea Cabinets and Caesarstone Quartz Countertops -                         $6,564.64

Misc. purchases (plumb bob, twine, plastic sheeting, saw blades,

              construction adhesive, respirator, caulk, etc.) -      $461.98
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Grand Total -                                                                                            $14,631.97                                                                            

Everything Works

The tiny plastic piece that does so much. Without it, the spray hose doesn't stay connected to the supply hose.

The tiny plastic piece missing from my new Kohler faucet was delivered yesterday and within minutes I had the spray hose and supply hose securely connected and a finally a working faucet.

Mission accomplished!

It was a great moment for me because it meant that everything in my new kitchen was working. Now it's a rush to the finish line with baseboards, cabinet kick plates and touch up painting.

The big reveal is just around the corner and I'll share the final cost of my remodel.

Patience

The one thing that got done today. I do like the look of my new Kohler faucet.

After thoroughly cleaning the grout off my tile wall with lots of help from family and friends. It was time to move onto plumbing today.

Family member Ken helping me clean the grout lines around my tile.

I was so excited to get my faucet and instant hot installed and have a kitchen sink back in working order.

I picked my friend Bill up at 8 a.m this morning and we headed to our neighborhood A-Boy plumbing store for supplies and with intentions to install the disposal, faucet, instant hot and dishwasher. We always go to A-Boy when we need  expert advice since they have the best worker there named Jack. He is nice, knowledgeable and very patient with us.

Well, things don't always go as planned. Because of the depth of my sink, the disposal wasn't going to work unless I cut into the cabinet and drywall and moved the drainpipe down by about 5 inches - water doesn't drain upwards! After talking with Bill and Jack, I decided to forgo the disposal. So we got our supplies and headed off to get to work.

The faucet went in well but we weren't able to tighten the 2. 5 inch washer and nut underneath because of a crosspiece that was in the way. So we removed the faucet and used a hole drill bit to make adequate space to tighten the washer and nut. With that done I was feeling good and we were ready to tackle the instant hot. Well, the instant hot didn't fit into the hole drilled by the countertop installers. That hole was 1 1/4 inches and we needed a 1 3/8 inch hole.

Bill helping me today.

Ugh - I called the countertop installers and they will increase the size of the hole this Thursday. I've learned that you can't get upset, there's always a solution and I'm so fortunate to have my friend Bill to help me stay positive. He was just the person I needed by my side when everything seemed to not be working out.