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                                                                            

The Big Reveal

The view to the kitchen from the dining room. The old entrance to the kitchen was where the white cabinet in the dining room is placed. The archway was there but had a wall behind it. I had been wanting to open it up since we moved into the house 13 years ago.

My favorite part of the kitchen is this custom bookshelf for my cookbooks made out of maple Appleply.

My previous kitchen had only two ceiling light fixtures. I now have five new schoolhouse style fixtures that I purchase online from LightingDirect.

I  pulled a wood shelf from my basement to temporarily house my dinnerware. It will go when I complete a future project - a powder coated steel island on wheels topped with a butcher block slab that I saved from my old kitchen.

Thanks to new electrical outlets I can run my microwave and toaster at the same time without blowing a fuse.

The Caesarstone quartz countertops are scratch and heat resistant and require no sealing.

I reused all of my old appliances to save money. My Frigidaire stove was purchased in 2002 and is still working great.

The floor is durable porcelain tile and the color is called "stone age."

The blue wall tiles were purchased from Overstock.com and offer a bright accent to the white and cream kitchen.

It is so nice to have my refrigerator set back and out of the way.

Kickplates And Baseboards

The kickplates match the color and finish of the cabinets.

I finished installing the baseboards and cabinet kickplates today. Now there's just a bit of touch up painting to do and my kitchen will be officially done.

Good thing too since I promised my daughter Eleanor that I would be done before school starts and I'm barely going to make it  - school starts on September 4.

To protect the finish, the Ikea kickplates came wrapped in blue plastic. Installing them really wasn't too hard. Just careful measuring and cutting and then snapping them onto the cabinet legs using provided plastic clips.

I used 8-inch hemlock boards painted with high gloss white for the baseboards.  This is the finished base of my pantry cabinet.

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.

A Working Dishwasher!

After a long day of work, I got to load and run my dishwasher!

My dishwasher is installed and back in working order. It's so exciting for me because I'm anxious to clean clean clean and start putting things away.

On the downside, my kitchen faucet is yet to be hooked up due to a missing tiny plastic tab that keeps the sprayhead hose connected to the supply hose. I called Kohler and they are mailing the part. In the meantime, I'm using my instant hot faucet with the heating tank unplugged to get water into the sink.

Another setback was that I wasn't able to attach the drain basket that came with my sink because it extended a good 3-inches below the sink that's already 10-inches deep. I should have moved my drain pipe lower when I had my walls opened. It would have been so easy to do, but at that time, I hadn't ordered my sink and didn't know I was going to be lured by one of the deepest sinks on the market.

I found my hidden talent -  I can fit into a cabinet and use a hacksaw to cut a pipe.

My friend Bill was once again super helpful and supportive. When things don't go as planned I've learned that that's okay, there's always another way to get things done.

Our solution was to go to A-Boy and purchase another basket that matches the finish of the sink. We found one that extends only an inch below the sink and just barely fits.

In hindsight, I now know it's best to choose your sink before you drywall and install a cabinet over your plumbing. Also, a deep sink is great but you've got to have the space for it.

Drawer Pulls

All the cabinet hardware is in and I'm very pleased. The stressing, sweating and tedious measuring paid off.

Last to be installed were these pulls on two large banks of drawers. I'm excited to begin putting things away and clearing out my dining room and the rest of my house that has looked like a storage locker for the last four months.

I now have lots of room for my cookie and cake decorating supplies. I can't wait to begin baking in my new kitchen.

Lots of storage space!

Hardware Hesitation

I had been putting off installing the hardware for my kitchen cabinets because I was stressed about putting them on perfectly.

There's a lot of careful measuring involved and it's a one shot deal. Mis-drilled holes can't be filled and painted because of the reflective foil finish on the cabinets. There is no way to duplicate the finish.

After pondering and pondering I got a great tip from my brother Josh who just remodeled his own kitchen - use painter's tape to mark where you want to drill. The texture of the tape also keeps the drill bit from slipping and sliding.

Yesterday afternoon I got the courage to start with the knobs which went very smoothly. This morning I started on the drawer pulls which are more complicated. I just took my time and I'm off to a great start. I have one bank finished and later today I'll tackle the remaining two.

Here are some installation tips.

Knobs:

Put a piece of painter's tape on the cabinet where the knob will be placed.

Make a template out of a square edged piece of cardboard by simply lining it up with the top and side of the cabinet door and marking with a pen where you want your knob to be placed. Drill a hole there and then line it up again and mark with a pen through the hole and onto the painter's tape where you need to drill.

Make sure you use a drill bit that is the same size as your screws.

Add the knob and repeat.  Be sure to flip the template for the second door on double door cabinets.

Pulls:

The pulls needed to be lined up perfectly so I snapped a chalk line down where each of the screws holes needed to be drilled and where the center of the handle needed to line up. My daughter helped me snap the chalk lines while I held the string in place. I then put painter's tape on the middle of each of the drawers so that I could draw center lines through the chalk lines. Where those line intersected with the outside chalk lines is where I pre-drilled for the screws.

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.

Toiling, er, Tiling

I've been working pretty much nonstop this last week, finishing the large tile wall in my kitchen. Cutting the tiles to fit around my two windows went slower than expected. I had to cut some very tiny pieces of tile for small gaps that needed to be filled.

Just one of many small pieces of tile I had to cut.

The tile all set and ready for grout.

Wednesday evening, I added the grout. I chose a color called quartz that is a pretty close match to my countertops.

Grouting.

What I didn't expect though was how long it has taken me to clean the excess grout off of the tiles. After two solid days of work and help from my friend Bill, my nephew Sam and my daughter Una and her boyfriend Jordan, the tile is looking good but my hands are a mess.

Una and Jordan cleaning tiles.

After nonstop tile work, my friend Bill lifted my spirits today by helping me move my oven into place and hook up the water line to my refrigerator.  I'm feeling much better now that I have two appliances in place and cold water and ice at my beck and call.

The dishwasher is next.

Finished Bookshelf

My cookbook shelf— I did discover I was short four shelf standard clips so that's why there's one shelf sitting upright in the right section.

Being smart means knowing when to ask for help.

I discovered that when I tried to rip 8-foot by 14-inch pieces of heavy 3/4 applyply on my table saw. I managed to get one piece onto the saw but smartly didn't even attempt the cut which would have surely been uneven because of the unruly size of the board. Heck, while I was supporting the wood I couldn't even manage to turn the saw on.

So I put the board down and made a desperate call for help to my friend Bill.

With his help, the boards were cut down to the correct width (11-inches) in no time and ready to be cut again crosswise into shelving. After a final sanding and oiling, the new bookshelf is complete and ready to house my cookbook collection.

The sideview of the bookshelf. The quartz countertop will be flush with the back

I am so pleased with how it looks and love that it's the first thing you see when you enter the new kitchen. The grain of the maple appleply is beautiful and the tone of the wood is warm and compliments the cool blue tiles that will be the last thing I install.

The wood and tile look great together.

Building A Soffit

The frame that's ready for drywall.

My friend Bill came over yesterday and helped me finish installing the ducting for the hood over my range. The stove is in a new location but we reused the same exit so we needed to go out a few feet along the ceiling.

We also installed the hood. I saved money by reusing my old hood. After a deep cleaning it sure doesn't look like it's 11-years-old.

Bill also helped me build a frame around the ducting so that my ace drywall finisher, Anthony, can come in today and work his magic and create a seamless soffit. Once painted, I think it will be a pleasing architectural element.

Drywall finishing is a real skill and something worth paying an expert to do. Anthony is so good with the drywall mud that I keep telling him I'm convinced he's got the skills to be a world class cake decorator. He just laughs, but I'm not kidding.

Plugging Away

There is still much work to be done before my kitchen remodel is finished.

Some of the tasks are small (touch up painting on the windows and sealing grout) and some are large (installing the hood over the range and building a soffit to hide the venting).

Nevertheless, I'm keeping very busy plugging away and scratching items off my to do list.

Prepare for undermount sink installation - check.

Assemble and install wall cabinets - check. (Note: The blue is just the color of the protective plastic over the cream finish.)

Assemble and install pantry cabinet - check.

Today I'm putting the cover panels on my cabinets and deep cleaning the hood for my range so that it is ready for install. One of the ways I'm keeping the cost of my remodel down is by reusing my appliances and the hood is one of them. It just needs a thorough cleaning.

Next Monday I'm scheduled to have a template made for my quartz countertops. The installers are running behind schedule so unless there's a cancellation, they won't be installed until July 30. After that I will just need to install the cabinet doors, drawers and hardware and add my pretty blue mosaic tiles to the back wall.

Doing the work myself definitely adds time and effort to the project but it saves a lot of money and is satisfying.

According to a recent Washington Post article, the National Kitchen & Bath Association says the average cost of a 2013 kitchen remodel is $47,308. And according to Remodeling Magazine (2010-11 report), the average cost in the Pacific Northwest is $65,686.

The end is of my kitchen remodel is near and I'm still well under $14,000. When everything is done, I'll share the breakdown of my budget.

Custom Cookbook Shelf

The cookbook shelf in progress.

My friend Bill is helping me build a custom bookshelf in the entryway of my new kitchen that will hold my large collection of cookbooks. I measured my stacks of cookbooks and have determined I need 32 linear feet of shelving to accommodate all of them.

The shelf will cover an entire wall and be made of ApplePly. I think it's going to look quite striking and because it extends all the way to the ceiling I actually think it makes the room feel larger.

Bill was the one who showed me ApplePly at the lumber store about a year ago and ever since I've had my heart set on using it in my kitchen. It's the best plywood you can buy - it's smooth and super strong. What I like best though is the clean striped effect on the sides of the boards. I'm not going to use any trim to cover it up. I'll just add a little butcher block oil and let the wood speak for itself.

The pretty edge of ApplePly.

Over the last two days, we've gotten a lot done. Now I just need to cut the shelves and finish the shorter shelf that will extend along the side of a base cabinet. Things are coming together thanks in large part to my helpful friend Bill.

It Takes Two

My husband and I will not let this project be our undoing. We are just one week away from celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary and are determined to get through this with our love intact.

My husband Joe and I are conquering the Ikea kitchen cabinets together and in our bid to stay positive we have dubbed the project "Operation Adult Legos."

The cabinet building process is definitely a two person job and I'm thankful to have his help.

Before we even began the assembly we had to devote a few hours just to itemizing our materials because once a kitchen cabinet purchase is made, Ikea gives the customer a mere 48 hours to report missing pieces.

It's a motivating policy but it's also kind of overwhelming since there are so many parts.

Let the itemizing begin!

Almost Ready For Paint

The arched entryway and Eleanor before heading off to her last day of school.

Today is my daughter Eleanor's last day of school before summer break and I promised her that the kitchen will be done before she starts eighth grade.

The new walls are almost ready for primer and paint. I am especially pleased with how the new arched entryway is looking.

In the meantime, we are still using our dining room as a makeshift kitchen. I am so looking forward to not having a refrigerator in the middle of the room.

Kitchen remodeling definitely requires patience, flexibility and a sense of humor. At this point I wish I could just snap my fingers and be done but it doesn't work that way.

New Kitchen Floor

My new porcelain tile kitchen floor is in and grouted. The only thing left to do is seal the grout which I'll do towards the end of my remodel. Until then, the floor is protected with a layer of heavy paper so that the walls can be finished and painted.

Laying the floor went fairly smoothly. I rented a tile saw at 7 a.m. last Thursday morning with hopes to finish in one day. What made the project move slower than anticipated was the hardness of the tiles. The PEI (Porcelain Enamel Institute) rating of the tile is 5 which is the highest possible rating for the resistance of the glaze to surface abrasion. This basically means the tiles I chose are extremely wear resistant and super hard to cut. Each tile cut took at least two slow passes and sometimes four through the saw.

By 8:30 p.m. that night, I was more than 75-percent done but knew I had to stop. The neighbors certainly wouldn't want to hear the tile saw running during the night and my back was killing me. I also didn't want to screw up my project by rushing at the end.

Friday morning I got back to work and was done by noon. My friend Bill came by and helped me by making the last few cuts and handing me the pieces through a window. I literally had worked myself into a corner and needed to crawl through the window to get to the tile saw.  Working into the room instead of out was not ideal but necessary since I wanted to start laying the tiles first in the area that mattered most, the arched kitchen entryway.