Though not every redo dream came true - with estimates in the $5,000-$7,000 range for granite or Corian counters, we decided our aging Formica wasn't so bad after all - we were pleased with the results.
And we didn't even replace the appliances, install a high-tech sink or faucets, tile the backsplash or purchase any of the other decorative bells and whistles that can ratchet-up a redo.
The biggest surprise was the quality and impact of the refaced cabinets, which cost about $9,000 (compared to estimates of $16,000 to $26,000 for new cabinets). Not having seen refaced cabinets before, I worried that they might look tacky. They don't. In fact, they look great. An unexpected bonus: The new cabinet doors and matching facing seemed to shave decades off the old Formica counters.
Suburban homeowner Mindy Kitei kept an even tighter rein on her budget - for less than $3,000 she painted her pine cabinets, replaced the knobs, installed a black-and-cream checkerboard tile floor, halogen track lighting and undercounter lights, bought three new appliances (oven, stove-top and microwave), and a half-baker's rack for the wall.
"It's not like it's the most gorgeous kitchen in the world, but I love it," she says, noting that it's important to tailor your renovation to the area you live in. "Is it going to support that $50,000 kitchen? My neighborhood wouldn't."
And yet, with the simple improvements she made, purchasing items at cost-conscious outlets like Home Depot, Ikea and Renovator's mail-order catalog, "the whole kitchen has a completely different look, and I haven't even gotten anything on the window yet, except for a cheap $5 shade.
"If you just spruce it up a little bit, it makes a huge difference."
So if you are among the legions of homeowners "making do" with an older kitchen until your budget is ripe for an overhaul, maybe you should lower your sights.
