Here at RTA Cabinet Store, we’ve helped thousands of customers save thousands of dollars on kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects. Our experts are available Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, to help you design the kitchen of your dreams and incorporate the latest styles and trends—even on a budget.
Here are some of their best tips and secrets to saving money on a remodeling project!
Plan, Meticulously and First
When it comes to remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, surprises are bad … and expensive! Thoroughly inspecting the area you plan to remodel, with your contractor’s help if you’re using one, can help avoid costly surprises like finding plumbing that needs to be upgraded to stay in code, or discovering that the existing base cabinets you hoped to reuse rather than replace, are made of particle board that strips to uselessness when you remove hardware from it.
Careful planning, down to the last detail of measurement, can avoid costly mistakes such as buying and shipping cabinets that don’t end up fitting. A common way this happens, as an example, is when less-careful planning involves moving a dishwasher over a foot or two, to accommodate a base cabinet layout you might prefer. Then when it comes time to do the actual remodel, sometimes you might discover that the drainage and supply hoses won’t reach, and are at the limit of their movement already.
Be Brutally Honest With Yourself
What do you really need in your remodeled room? It’s tempting to change the locations of appliances and fixtures like fridges and stoves, or bathtubs and showers, but if you can live with them in their current locations, you can save a lot of money adjusting plumbing and electrical systems.
Thinking of adding an island to your kitchen? An island with an extra oven or cook-top, or maybe an extra sink, can be a great addition … but, again, involves installing new plumbing, electrical, and gas outlets. If that’s worth it to you, great! But if you can live with an island that’s just a prep area, you can potentially save yourself thousands of dollars.
Don’t DIY Unless You’re 100% Sure
That brutal honesty also needs to apply to your own skillset. If you can do some or all of your remodel yourself, obviously you can save enormous amounts of money! On the other hand, if you only think you can do it yourself, and then find out it’s just beyond your capabilities, time, or stamina, you could find yourself in a real pickle! For one thing, you won’t have budgeted for the cost of a contractor. But even worse, many contractors simply won’t get involved with a half-finished rescue-job.
If you’re absolutely 100% sure you’re capable of remodeling on your own, go for it! But if not, get your contractor involved early and often, make sure they’re okay with you doing certain parts of the project yourself, and okay rescuing you if you get in over your head. If they aren’t, then you might actually save money by simply having the professionals do the work right from the start.
Don’t Just Go With the Lowest Bidder
Speaking of contractors … this is another place where careful and meticulous planning can go a long way. We can’t tell you how many clients have hired a contractor based solely on a low bid for the job, only to find them adding more and more money along the way. Do some research. Check out local reviews, ensure that they’re insured and certified, and that they’re prepared to handle any permits that are needed. Only accept a bid if it’s detailed and itemized, so you know exactly what they’re proposing to do for their price. Also make sure to go over contingency plans and what to do in case you discover any nasty surprises in the course of the remodel. If they balk at any of this, or try to gloss over the details, just move on and try another contractor.
Buy Quality Ready-to-Assemble Cabinets
As long as you use a reputable supplier, and check for signs of quality, such as real hardwood doors and drawer fronts, and furniture-grade plywood boxes and frames, RTA cabinets can save you thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars. Modern RTA cabinets match, or even beat, pre-assembled models in terms of durability and features, not just price.
These five steps to planning and executing a kitchen or bathroom remodel can turn a $50,000 nightmarish ordeal into a $20,000 dream kitchen that goes in smoothly and with no unexpected snags. If you need help with advice or any other aspect of your kitchen or bathroom design, our experts are on-hand and ready to help. Just call us at 1-610- 337-5934 to get the ball rolling. We’re always happy to help!
