Under $1000 Kitchen Makeover

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Erie Insurance

Under $1000 Kitchen Makeover

Do you dream of a kitchen renovation but the cost makes it just that, a dream. 

Do your old linoleum floors make you a little less than excited to entertain?

Is an "open concept" kitchen just that, a concept? 

If any of the above sounds like you, today I'm sharing my Under $1000 Kitchen Makeover. It was all DIY and just to set things straight, I am NOT a huge DIY'er. I love to do things myself but projects like this, specifically the flooring, are not something I've ever done before. I was so nervous, and as it turned out, that fear was over nothing. Other than the time involved it wasn't that hard at all. 

Seriously. I want to encourage you to take the plunge and instead of waiting for everything to line up, just do it. 

My dream goal was to have everything done. To have a contractor give me the kitchen I wanted. To replace the cabinets, cover up the hideous floor, and tear out walls. 

That didn't happen. It just wasn't in the cards (yet). So, instead, I made lemonade out of lemons and I want to encourage YOU to do the same thing. Your home is your domain and it should make you happy. 

As you scroll through this post you'll see my cheap kitchen update before and after photos...trust me you'll know which is which! 😉 

Start With a Short List - What Do You Want the MOST?

Make a list of everything you want and then narrow it down to the things you can do now with the budget and skills you have.

Posts like this can help you to figure out a plan and how to go from overwhelm to let's get started and YouTube can help you to carry out the actual "do" part of your list. I found one video on flooring that totally clicked and that was my go to when I got stuck on measuring and cuts.  

How to Give a Kitchen a Facelift

My Personal Top 3 List

Where to start.

I wanted a new floor. Hardwood floors would have been amazing but I also know from growing up in a home with hardwood floors that they do show wear and tear, so I instead opted for laminate flooring with a farmhouse plank vibe (total cost $600.00).

The flooring was extremely easy to install and in fact, after my husband's untimely hospitalization when we weren't quite halfway through with the flooring, I finished it myself. 

As a side note, when it came to finishing the thresholds, the area where the floor met the carpeting, I was totally stuck and one night before going to bed, it was on my mind. The next morning when I woke up, I knew exactly what to do. It was two days before Christmas but it took less than 30 minutes to finish something I had put off for months. The lesson in this, don't get discouraged. The answers will come. 

My second want was a more open kitchen. I had a lot of cabinets but they were added after the house was built by a previous homeowner and the layout made no sense whatsoever.

They were good quality wood cabinets, but the large pantry blocked the light from the window in the area I consider the dining room and I thoroughly disliked how choppy everything was so, I shocked myself and decided to tear out the entire wall of cabinets.

This opened the space exactly as I hoped but since those old cabinets were my primary storage and the largest workspace I had in the kitchen, I needed to compromise. 

I moved the above antique dresser to the window wall side of the kitchen and it now houses our silverware and some baking supplies. 

I needed more storage even after purging a lot of items I never use and don't need and so I replaced the cabinets with a stand-alone pantry. (cost - $300.00).

My third want was a fresh paint job in a clean grayish white tone and I love the results. I went with a good quality paint that can be easily washed and kept clean. (cost- $75.00)

First Things First - Let's Talk Order

Once you have your list, determine the order that the tasks should be done in.

Ours was somewhat easy.

Remove unwanted cabinets - This exposed the walls that would need to be painted and the floor that would need to be covered with the new flooring. 

Paint walls - Painting before installing the flooring meant that we didn't need to be overly careful about paint spatter and drips. 

Install flooring. 

My first home improvement list is complete and hopefully, soon, there will be more renovating and making-over taking place, but I am much happier with my home now than I have been in years and altogether we spent less than $1000.00.

What's Your Catalyst?

What your reason for wanting to make some changes to your home?

The catalyst for all of the above renovations was a leaky roof.

In January of 2018, on New Year's Day, I was washing dishes and heard water dripping. I could not figure out what it was until I went into the dining room...and through the ceiling, water was dripping. I had a total meltdown and panic attack.

It was cold. There were several inches of snow on the roof, and my ceiling was leaking. I had no idea what to do but the next morning, I called Erie Insurance. I have always had my homeowners insurance through Erie and I needed help and guidance and I knew I could depend on them.

Because of the bad weather, they were dealing with calls for all kinds of emergencies but they said an adjuster would be in touch shortly and he was. Even with everything going on the person who took the call calmed my fears and assured me that help was on the way. 

The insurance adjuster told me what to do right then and there and told me that my policy would cover the next steps. I let out a sigh of relief. 

Having that assurance was enough to help me sleep that night and the nights leading up to getting things taken care of and as an Erie Insurance customer, my policy provides "guaranteed replacement coverage" which would pay to rebuild my home in today's dollars. Another sigh of relief!

What Would You Change About Your Home? 

I have quite a long list of changes I want to make to my home and after looking at a survey commissioned by Erie Insurance, I am not alone in what I want. 

The survey asked 500 U.S. homeowners what features they wanted and got in their current homes but that they would NOT choose again (homeowners regret) if they were buying a new home. The survey gave me some ideas for more changes to my current home and things to look for in my next home. You can check it out here and see how your list of features fits (or doesn't fit) with those listed.

Here's a hint about a few things on the list: hardwood flooring, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, fireplace, and deck. Would you say, Yes or No? What do you think the outcome of the survey was? 

Thank you so very much for stopping by and if you took a look at the list I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.