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

When my husband and I purchased our rental, our kitchen was on the prime of my renovation want listing — but it surely was truly the final room I touched due to the scope and sheer value of a kitchen reno. It’s a small kitchen, so I wished to maximise area and storage with out compromising model; I additionally wished to DIY a lot of the reno to economize wherever I might. 

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

Some parts of the kitchen labored for us, just like the areas of the equipment hookups and the strong wooden cupboards that went all the best way as much as the ceiling. Different items, although, have been in severe want of updating: All the things was painted and repainted in varied shades of white that didn’t match, and the earlier proprietor had coated the tiled countertop in a white enamel that was not possible to maintain clear. And regardless of the white paint, white counter tops, and white laminate flooring, the kitchen didn’t really feel vibrant and ethereal — slightly, it felt dingy and lifeless. 

My primary objective within the renovation was to create a vibrant, open idea kitchen with character — 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 rest room renovation that I might deal with issues like tiling, drywall, and any cupboard upgrades I wished to make. I additionally knew I wanted to funds for some big-ticket objects like new home equipment and a extra sturdy countertop substitute. 

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 lounge. 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’ price of storage! To achieve 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 large 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 developing massive plywood packing containers, it will probably go surprisingly quick after you have all of your measurements labored out. Wooden trim helped conceal 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 strong white oak hardwood from an area lumber provide that I hung utilizing floating shelf brackets. I beloved the look of the uncooked wooden, so I made a decision on a colorless sealant to take care of that coloring however shield the wooden from harm. 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 good in a small area.

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

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 shade palette I used to be in search of, however added in some fascinating variation. And since I tackled the tile set up myself, there was room within the funds to splurge just a little on my counters.

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

The kitchen’s cupboard packing containers have been in fairly respectable form, so I simply wanted to deal with the doorways. There are many door-making tutorials on-line, however a surprisingly cost-effective (and far simpler) choice is to order on-line from a customized cupboard door maker. I selected Shaker-style doors for a contemporary look that balances nicely with the gorgeous handmade tile backsplash. Recent paint helped all the pieces 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 pal of mine launched me to unlacquered brass knobs, which have been an incredible decide right here. With out a protecting end, unlacquered brass develops a fantastic patina over time that provides it a classic, lived-in look. However if you happen to get bored with that, you’ll be able to at all times polish the patina away to carry the {hardware}’s shine again.

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