Last week we met Lisa Law, the Brooklyn Heights homeowner who recently finished her budget-friendly kitchen renovation with tS member NYC Pros. Now that you’ve heard the backstory, as documented by Lisa herself, this week Lisa reveals the outcome of her fully-updated kitchen, along with a very helpful rundown of her anticipated budget & the actual cost of the project.
I love my new kitchen! Although I had picked every element of the new kitchen, I was concerned that the finished whole was not going to be equivalent to the sum of all the parts; would it work cohesively in the end? There were a few stressful times, and I did have to make some quick decisions that could have gone awry, but ultimately, I set out to achieve some major objectives and I believe I more than met them all. I have more cabinet space, more countertop space, larger appliances, it feels much more modern and homey, and it was done in a fairly budget- and time-conscious way. In fact, my kitchen now makes the rest of my apartment now look pretty shabby!
The Budget
I generally stayed within budget. As I said, it was a “renovation-on-a-budget.” I had originally planned to spend $6,000, which increased to $9,000 when I decided to replace my appliances. In the end, I hit almost $11,000, but that was because of a couple of “extras” that I did not account for – delivery charges, taxes, etc. I also asked Peter to install some new medicine cabinets in my bathroom. Renovations can be addicting, I just did not want to stop!
| Type | Item | Estimate | Actual |
| Range Hood | Zephyr Breeze I Series AK1124 | $209 | |
| Stove | Summit Pro Series TNM616RW | $739 | $1,009 |
| Refrigerator | LG LRBP1031T | $805 | $950 |
| Countertop and Sink | Countertop | $1,200 | $1,500 |
| Cabinets | Cabinets | $2,500 | $2,671 |
| Contract Work | Contract Work | $3,200 | $4,000 |
| Sink | Kraus KBU15 | $230 | N/A |
| Delivery | Ikea Delivery Charge | $64 | |
| Backsplash | Merola Tile Tessera Tile | $251 | $274 |
| Vinyl Flooring | TrafficMaster Floor Tile | $136 | |
| Parking Charge | Ikea Parking Charge | $100 | |
| Backsplash | Additional Merola Tile | $152 | |
| TOTAL | $9,134 | $10,856 | |
| DIFFERENCE | -$1,722 |
30 Days After
For me, the hardest part of having a new kitchen was figuring out where everything goes afterwards. I suppose in hindsight, I should have planned where my dishes, silverware, cleaning supplies, pantry items, etc, would be kept. My objective was just to maximize storage efficiently, as best I could, but I didn’t actually think about which cabinets would store which items! Lucky for me, I put in enough drawers and cabinets that I just about found a place for everything. Minus a few tall items, like my Swiffer. Oops – note to self for next time.
I’ve also put my kitchen through a few test runs at this point, having hosted two dinner parties already, one for my family (party of 7) and one for a few girlfriends (party of 4). The new arrangement deftly allowed my fiancé and I to cook and clean together, with minimal fuss. My kitchen report card after 30 days? I still heart it – it’s so bright and clean and modern, I’m 100% glad I did it!
We heart it too, Lisa! Thanks so much for all of your great insight on budget renovating with theSweeten!
Inspired to renovate? Post your project on Sweeten!
