Renovating My Galley Kitchen for $8,000 – Earlier than and After Pictures

When my husband and I purchased our condominium, our kitchen was on the high of my renovation want checklist — however it was really the final room I touched due to the scope and sheer price of a kitchen reno. It’s a small kitchen, so I wished to maximise area and storage with out compromising fashion; I additionally wished to DIY a lot of the reno to economize wherever I may. 

The kitchen’s galley format was fairly well-designed, main from the eating space straight again to the laundry room and loo. However a wall separated the residing area, making an already-crammed 900-square-foot flooring plan really feel even tighter.

Some components of the kitchen labored for us, just like the places of the equipment hookups and the stable wooden cupboards that went all the best way as much as the ceiling. Different items, although, had been in severe want of updating: Every part was painted and repainted in numerous shades of white that didn’t match, and the earlier proprietor had coated the tiled countertop in a white enamel that was inconceivable to maintain clear. And regardless of the white paint, white counter tops, and white laminate flooring, the kitchen didn’t really feel brilliant and ethereal — reasonably, it felt dingy and lifeless. 

My fundamental purpose within the renovation was to create a brilliant, open idea kitchen with persona — to not point out, storage. I began by making a listing of what I felt comfy DIYing and what I wanted an expert to assist with. I knew from my earlier toilet renovation that I may deal with issues like tiling, drywall, and any cupboard upgrades I wished to make. I additionally knew I wanted to finances for some big-ticket objects like new home equipment and a extra sturdy countertop alternative. 

I began the renovation with a couple of days of heavy demo, which included eradicating a 5-foot part of wall (and cabinetry) between the kitchen and front room. In each renovation, there’s at all times a scary level of no return; eradicating a wall might be the epitome of that. 

As soon as that wall was gone, the area felt prefer it had nearly doubled in dimension. This was nice, however I had additionally simply eradicated 4 cupboards’ value of storage! To realize again some pantry storage, I ended up designing and putting in floor-to-ceiling built-in cupboards alongside the eating room wall. Two floating cabinets join them to the kitchen to make all of it really feel like one huge area. 

I had already created customized built-ins for my laundry room revamp, so I had some expertise that helped me construct these in a weekend. Because you’re principally simply setting up massive plywood containers, it could actually go surprisingly quick after getting all of your measurements labored out. Wooden trim helped disguise the plywood edges, giving the cupboards a completed look. After including doorways, I painted the entire meeting utilizing a sturdy cupboard paint in a creamy beige (Valspar’s Oyster Shoal).

For the floating cabinets, I ended up sourcing a stable white oak hardwood from a neighborhood lumber provide that I hung utilizing floating shelf brackets. I liked the look of the uncooked wooden, so I made a decision on a colorless sealant to keep up that coloring however shield the wooden from injury. My absolute favourite characteristic within the built-ins is the brand new hideaway drawer for the trash and recycling cans; now, they’re utterly out of sight, which is sweet in a small area.

After the storage alongside the wall was full, I targeted on the backsplash and counters within the kitchen. We dwell by the coast in a San Diego surf city, and I knew I wished a breezy, mild really feel. I at all times gravitate towards selecting neutrals for bigger, extra everlasting supplies — it provides me the flexibleness of including pops of colour with art work and decor that I can change out extra ceaselessly. 

I got here throughout Moroccan zellige tiles scrolling on Instagram and knew I wished to make use of them. The handmade tiles are available all totally different colours and finishes, so I made a decision to combine and match unglazed pure with glazed white tiles for the backsplash. That gave me the impartial colour palette I used to be on the lookout for, however added in some fascinating variation. And since I tackled the tile set up myself, there was room within the finances to splurge somewhat on my counters.

For these, I ended up going with a gray-veined white quartz. I liked the look of marble, however not the required upkeep (or the value). Quartz gave me an identical look, however was sturdy, simple to wash, no-maintenance, and cheaper than marble.

The kitchen’s cupboard containers had been in fairly first rate form, so I simply wanted to give attention to the doorways. There are many door-making tutorials on-line, however a surprisingly cost-effective (and far simpler) possibility is to order on-line from a customized cupboard door maker. I selected Shaker-style doors for a contemporary look that balances effectively with the gorgeous handmade tile backsplash. Recent paint helped all the things look model new; I used the identical cupboard paint because the built-ins for the decrease cupboards (Valspar’s Oyster Shoal) however selected Valspar’s Bistro White for the higher cupboards. Selecting black home equipment and a black sink helped to tie within the new darkish herringbone tiled flooring I chosen and put in.

New brass touches — together with cupboard {hardware} — completed the look. A good friend of mine launched me to unlacquered brass knobs, which had been an amazing choose right here. With no protecting end, unlacquered brass develops a stupendous patina over time that offers it a classic, lived-in look. However when you get bored with that, you may at all times polish the patina away to convey the {hardware}’s shine again.

The renovation took me about six months and $8,000 to drag off. Sure, if I had employed a contractor for your complete renovation, it could have been quicker — but in addition twice or perhaps even 3 times as costly! Whereas DIY will be intimidating, choosing issues I knew I may do gave me some additional flexibility. The DIYs might need been difficult at instances, however they helped me allot extra of my finances towards the large stuff (like new home equipment and higher-end supplies). It’s an amazing feeling to sit back on the finish of the day and admire your exhausting work!