Advice for an Affordable Kitchen Remodel

After remodeling three houses, I can say Dave and I know a lot about remodeling and where to get good deals. Some folks want to hire a contractor, goo to fancy showrooms and pick gleaming examples - yeah, sure we all want that. But the reality is that you can do that or spend your money on a vacation when you are done with the remodeling woes.

So my advice for an affordable kitchen remodel:

Cabinets

You will spend close to $10,000 buying KraftMaid cabinets or similar brand at Home Depot. You will spend more than that on similar cabinets at a showroom. We found almost identical cabinets at an out-of-the-way supplier in South San Francisco called Vista Kitchen and Bath. They do have a showroom and different styles to choose from in their warehouse. The selection is not as extensive as a fancy showroom, but there are considerable savings. We spent no more than $3,000 on cabinets per kitchen. We did Ash in the rental house and Cherry in our house. The cabinets they offer are solid wood, no MDF. They deliver. They do custom orders. And they were super friendly and helpful.

Appliances

Again. You pay for the showroom and sales person. We went to Floorcraft and other showroom stores to determine which models we liked and to learn about the options but opted to order our appliances online at US-Appliance.com. After debating about the Viking stove, we instead outfitted our kitchen with all Bosch top-line stainless steel appliances for

the cost of the one Viking range. We found a deal where they threw in the high-end Bosch dishwasher for free. And they deliver right to your door. We had no problems with them and have been completely happy with our choice. We also ordered our washer and dryer from them as well.

Granite and Tile

The best prices for granite that we found locally was at Granite Expo in Oakland. I would recommend visiting other places and learning about granite before arriving here. The prices are amazing but the service is only so-so. It really is hit or miss, so be prepared. But this should not stop you from coming here and checking it out. We bought their pre-bullnosed granite already cut. They came and installed it. We saved a bundle. They also have tile here, but I found the best tile options at Floorcraft (high-end show room, unique tiles) and Best Tile (more big warehouse style, great prices) in South San Francisco.

Lighting

We have ordered several times from Bright Spot. They have a great collection of Craftsman and Mission style lights at great prices, with great quality. For inspiration, I recommend looking at Rejuvenation.