BLOG post

Complete Kitchen makeover under $5000.00

You too can DIY

 They say that the kitchen is probably the single most important room in the house. So naturally, when we were thinking about where to spend the majority of our time and effort- and money- we looked to the kitchen of the home we had been renting out to many long term tenants over the past10 years. 

We knew it was not going to be easy, but it was long overdue! With this project, we needed to take the whole room right back to the studs! There was the electrical that needed to be repositioned to accommodate our new design. Then there was the old, outdated tile backsplash that refused to leave without its long friend, the drywall. And of course, all of the old cabinetry and appliances had to go!

Back Breaking Work

Then there was the extremely stubborn ceramic floor tiles! We started that process with a hammer and chisel, on our knees for hours and hours, without hardly a dent in the totality of what seemed an ocean of tiles that still clung desperately to their homeland. After a day or two of this, we decided to rent a chisel machine on wheels from the local Home Depot, and we were cleaning up broken tiles by that nightfall. Success!

Starting to see progress

But actually, we had only just begun! Now that the “old” was out, it was time to start bringing in the “new”. Starting with the flooring, we ran the same continuous laminate flooring that we had just finished installing in the adjacent living/dining room, and that would cover the whole main floor. This part seemed so much easier by comparison! Then it was on to the new cabinets. We had plenty of experience with replacing kitchen cabinets, as we’d done this before in many of our other properties over the years. But what was new, and very intimidating to us, was installing the quartz countertops! We had purchased the countertops second hand from a local on Facebook Marketplace who was replacing their own. They were in great shape, fit our design well, and almost fit!

Almost! After a lot of searching YouTube videos, we purchased a diamond blade for our skilsaw, took a deep breath, and began cutting the heavy, expensive quartz ourselves! With a metal guide clamped securely in place, we were able to cut the quartz to our exact measurements. To be honest, it was surprisingly easier than we imagined!Once that was done, we enlisted some help, and carried the large pieces from the garage into the kitchen, and onto the lower cabinets in place. That, however, was NOT easy! Shocking how heavy quartz is!Then we had to learn how to seal the joints between pieces so it all looked like one continuous countertop! A bit of the right colour epoxy, and a lot of buffing, and we almost got it perfect!

Loving a not so simple white subway tile

With the lower and upper cabinets in place, and the quartz countertops muscled in, it was time to start the new backsplash. We chose a brilliant white, contoured subway tile that looked great in the modern farmhouse style of the rest of the home. 

Gas stoves for better cooking control

Then it was the appliances. We always loved having a gas stove and range, and so we replaced the old one with a modern stainless steel version that matched the rest of the kitchen appliances. Since the gas line was already in place for the old stove, it was an easy enough task to simply connect the new stove.

Finally “The Pretty”

At last, our favourite part of any project, the “Pretty”! We absolutely love bringing together all of the decor elements in a finished space to create an amazing, comfortable surrounding to welcome even the most discerning of guests!