A minor midrange kitchen remodel averages $23,452 while a major kitchen remodel averages $68,490, according to Remodeling Magazine. If your kitchen remodeling budget comes in way lower, you can still have a trendy kitchen without going into major debt.
Refreshing your outdated kitchen with new kitchen trends is possible when you get creative. Picking a few splurges and using more affordable alternatives for other projects helps keep you on budget.
Keep reading for tips on how to get a trendy kitchen on a budget.
Create Your Trendy Kitchen Vision
New kitchen trends change all the time, and the trends span a wide range of decorating styles. Do you want a cozy farmhouse kitchen or a sleek, modern design? Maybe you have your own eclectic design style.
Before you do any work or make any plans, define your idea of a trendy kitchen. Find images of kitchens that you love as inspiration.
Pick apart those inspiration kitchens to identify the specifics that you love, from big things like countertops and cabinets to the little details like trendy kitchen handles. This helps you create your wish list and start planning the details of your remodel. Without a clear vision for the remodel, it’s difficult to find affordable alternatives and create a cohesive design.
Choose a Few Splurges
When you’re remodeling on a budget, you might think you have to give up all of the big-ticket items. But splurging on a few key pieces can give your kitchen an upscale look without breaking your budget.
When choosing your splurges, consider the things that you can’t get out of your mind. Maybe you want gorgeous quartz countertops or a gas range that professional chefs would drool over.
Another way to decide is to think about what would make the most impact. Countertops take up a large portion of your kitchen and create a focal point. A stunning backsplash or trendy apron-front sink can also make a big impression in your updated kitchen.
Just because you’re choosing some splurges doesn’t mean you have to go totally high end. If your dream gas range is still out of your budget, choose a scaled-down version that’s still impressive yet more affordable. Instead of a natural stone countertop, choose an engineered product that’s a good impersonation of the real thing.
Leave the Layout
Unless your kitchen layout has serious design flaws, keep the basic setup the way it is. Rearranging plumbing and appliances adds significant cost to your project since you have to hire contractors to move components. You’ll need a plumber to move any pipes, and you’ll need a pro to move gas lines if you have a gas stove.
Reuse What You Have
Another trick to saving on the budget is to use what you already have when possible. It’s often much cheaper to refinish things such as cabinets than it is to replace them.
Replacing kitchen cabinets with stock cabinets often starts at $4,000 to $5,000 and only goes up from there. It you choose custom cabinetry, expect the replacement to cost you at least $16,000 to $20,000. Choosing cabinet refacing instead can cut your costs in half and sometimes more.
Any time you can keep existing kitchen items, whether you leave them alone or refinish them, you’re saving on your total costs and leaving more room in the budget for other projects.
Pick Materials Carefully
Once you decide which features you’re going to replace, research your material options. Countertops and flooring can range widely in price, so picking a more affordable material with a similar look as a high-end product can save on your budget without sacrificing style. Engineered materials are often cheaper than their real counterparts while still offering a similar look and benefits.
Sometimes you can get higher end items at a discount. Remnant stone can be a cheaper way to get real stone on your countertops. Scratch and dent or floor model appliances with barely noticeable issues can let you have higher end appliances with more features at a significant discount.
Shop Around
Visiting several stores to find the materials for your kitchen can help you find the best deals. You might find the same or similar items at a different store for cheaper, whether they normally charge less or have a special sale happening.
You can also look around to find similar items for cheaper. Say you find a pendant light that you love for above your kitchen sink, but it’s out of your budget. Snap a photo, and then check out other retailers to find something similar with a lower price tag.
Patience often pays off with a lower-priced item. Something you want might go on sale in a few weeks, or it might end up on clearance where you can snag it for a lot less than normal.
Create Architectural Features
A few key stand-out features can make your kitchen feel high-end and trendy, even if they don’t cost you a lot. You might cover the back of your island with beadboard or stacked stone to draw attention. Or you might add molding to a plain stretch of cabinets to dress them up.
Having a big-impact architectural feature creates a focal point in the kitchen that draws all eyes immediately. A beautifully designed architectural feature can draw attention away from things you can’t redo or lower-end finishes you choose to stick to the budget.
Renovate in Stages
In an ideal world, you would complete your renovation all at once, but not everyone has the money upfront. A more affordable option is to upgrade your kitchen in stages. Spreading the cost over several months makes it more affordable to do all of the work you want to complete.
You might start with your cabinets and countertops to get the big things done first. Then, save up to add a tile backsplash or redo the flooring. Save up again to replace the appliances.
Enjoy a Trendy Kitchen
A trendy kitchen is within reach if you get creative with your remodeling. Knowing where to splurge and using what you have can help you cut your costs significantly.
Check out the rest of our content for more helpful and inspiring home ideas.
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