Are you thinking about revamping your kitchen, maybe planning for an upcoming remodel project? I’d love to share a few tips to help save you from the money pit of remodeling that many homeowners have fallen into. I’ve been rolling out a total of TEN expensive mistakes to avoid in any kitchen remodel that will save you some serious cash… and likely save your sanity too. Did you miss the previous kitchen mistake to avoid, we can catch you up in no time! Check out the last blog post for Expensive Mistake to Avoid #6 here.
Mistake #7: Cutting Corners to Save Dollars
It’s funny how some people think that their dollar will go further if they stick to all the lowest construction bids or buy the least-expensive materials. This could not be further from the truth. I get that construction costs from materials to labor have been on the rise, but that’s what you’ve been saving those pretty pennies for… to invest in this upcoming kitchen renovation of yours!
You know the phrase “you get what you pay for?”
While I have a good sense of pricing when it comes to materials for a kitchen remodel- cabinets, countertops, tile, etc. I always tell my clients to get at least 3 bids for construction costs. And since we have design drawings for contractors to bid off from, the numbers should be a good “apples-to-apples” comparison. It’s rare, but on occasion, there will be some really “below-budget” bid that comes our way. When this happens, it’s time to really consider the value that is being offered by these numbers.
Just because a product or even tradesman has a more attractive (aka ‘much lower’) price-point on paper, does not necessarily mean that their services equate to acceptable quality of work or care.
This applies to both products that you plan to use for your kitchen project, from plumbing to cabinetry, as well as the installation and labor portions of your project.
Here’s a Quick Example
Don’t Cut Corners on Your Kitchen Sink Faucets
Just like anything else, you’re bound to see a vast range of kitchen faucet plumbing fixtures that cost as little as $50 all the way up to $3k. A good quality kitchen faucet would start out around at least the $500 mark. Quite honestly, I’ve never specified a faucet under $200 – $300 as I don’t trust the quality and don’t want to learn the hard way!!
While a faucet might look just fine, even spectacular, on the outside, it’s the internal parts of a kitchen faucet that we don’t see everyday that are the contributing factors driving the price points. Take these 2 kitchen faucets for example, both very reasonably priced… but a few big differences!
< $60 Glacier Bay Kitchen Sink Faucet in Stainless Steel
- Known of leaking due to weak seals
- Faulty cartridges
- Faulty o-rings
- Consistent Review of Loose Faucet Handles (resulting in a need to tighten a bolt regularly, to the point of stripping the bolt)
- Less-than-superior stainless steel finish (resulting in peeling)
< $300 Kohler Simplice Kitchen Sink Faucet in Vibrant Stainless
- Reputable brand name that stands behind their product
- Ceramic disc valves
- ProMotion® technology’s light, quiet braided hose
- Flexible supply lines and installation ring
- Premium metal construction
- Corrosion and tarnish resistant finish
- Add ~$200 if you want to go “touchless”!
Sure, you could buy that $60 faucet four times if you needed to, but aside from just the cost of the faucet itself, you’d be investing your own time in having to fix and replace the darn thing! That definitely does not sound like good use of your precious time! And no one wants to dump damaged goods into the landfill. So really take into consideration what is worth an extra investment!
Side note, if you’re in the market for a kitchen faucet, check out our article The 4 Best Kitchen Faucets for the Active Family.
Construction Installs/ Labor
Aside from materials, playing project manager yourself can be a daunting task. Imagine attempting to bring in tile installers or countertop fabricators all from Yelp or Angie’s List just to save you the cost of hiring a general contractor! This is not typically the best route to bringing your kitchen layout to fruition. In fact, if you haven’t remodeled before, this is something that will surely drive you (and everyone involved) up the wall!
I have some knowledge of the construction order in a kitchen reno as an interior designer. But I don’t have all the construction knowledge that a contractor has! As a homeowner playing project manager, these are just a few of the items you would have to consider when tackling your project:
- What items need to be demolished?
- Which rough materials could I keep?
- What plumbing fixtures require replacing?
- When do I need to get the electrician scheduled?
- Can the electrician hang the pendants while the cabinets go in so he can save a trip?
- When should I have the plumber come out? He needs more than 1 visit?
- Can the tile installer begin while the plumbing is happening?
- Can the stone fabricator install counters after the tile backsplash is up?
- Maybe I can hire 2 different tile installers so the work gets done faster!
- Maybe I can get all the trades in here at one time to make the project complete faster?
If you’re still planning to go this route of hiring trades from Yelp or Angie’s List, think about what that means for those involved. Two of the same trades will never, ever want to be in the same space at the same time… total faux pas! A contractor once described this to me- “that’s like having my wife and my girlfriend in the same room, no bueno”. So just don’t do it!
Once you’re entering an agreement with a contractor and their trades you’re already invested! So, do your homework and never, ever go with the lowest bids!
Here are some tips to help you “blend the budget”
It’s never fun when you have to scale back the budget after you’ve already laid out your kitchen design. But it happens! I’ve been in design projects where we’ve had to value engineer, or play with numbers, to make it all work. In a kitchen space, here are just a few thoughts to help “blend the budget”.
- Material costs have the most flexibility. If you need to scale back on spending, items such as the cabinet hardware or decorative lighting could be options where you find comparable yet cost-effective alternatives.
- Is there a certain backsplash area that is less noticeable that could be redesigned or reconfigured to bring down tile installation costs?
- Could a portion of your kitchen cabinets be painted rather than having solid wood? The island or upper cabinets, for example, could be of a different finish material.
To conclude, be mindful of how your dollars are INVESTED and don’t dive into the cheapest of the cheap… otherwise, you end up with cheap!
RESULT OF EXPENSIVE MISTAKE #7:
Cutting corners can mean sacrificing time, quality and craftsmanship. Don’t make that sacrifice!
VALUE SAVINGS
It’s worth the extra research and/or trust in the professionals for industry standards of quality products. For labor, always get 3 bids!!
Anxious to dive into all 10 EXPENSIVE KITCHEN MISTAKES TO AVOID? Get your hands on the “10 Expensive Mistakes to Avoid in Kitchen Remodeling” video! Subscribe to our email list… and get ready to spare yourself the headaches of remodeling your kitchen. Rock on Remodelers!
Xoxo, Megan
