Planning My Kitchen Renovation
Updated: Mar 24, 2019
Since I moved into my house I’ve known the kitchen needed a face lift. So much of the kitchen is original to the house - countertops, cabinets, sink, floors. But unfortunately the finishes in the kitchen are simply not in good enough shape to keep around, so I knew I would need to make some updates. I have big plans for the kitchen, so I’m going to give you a rundown of the inspiration, the phases I’ve laid out for the renovation, and how I’ve budgeted for the project.
Photos of the kitchen from my house's listing.
Want to skip directly to the download? Here’s a link to the template for my budget spreadsheet.
Inspiration
If you know me at all, you know I’m obsessed with green. Green living, green clothes, green furniture. I mean, the word green is literally in my last name. So when hunting for inspiration, I knew green was the direction my heart was set on. And while I love a bright white kitchen, I am so glad the trend of scandinavian white, wood, beige, and macrame is finally dying down a bit. I want my kitchen to be bold and colorful. I want it to inspire me to be in there cooking delicious vegan meals and not be a space where I’m worried to make a mess.
So with that in mind I started scouring pinterest for other crazies who painted their cabinetry dark green, and I was quickly sold on the idea.
And here is the color palette I settled on. A bit of a darker, more saturated green paired with white and off-white surfaces and a dustier rose for small accents.
Project Breakdown
I’ve divided the projects across 3 phases to help keep me organized and sane. This will also give you a nice preview of what’s to come on the blog!
PHASE I (April 2019 - May 2019)
Replace Range Hood (completed in the Fall)
Refinish and Paint Cabinet Uppers
Build Shelving around Refrigerator
Beadboard Ceiling Installation
Electrical Upgrade (Hired Out)
Dishwasher Install
PHASE II (June 2019)
Countertop and Backsplash Demo
Countertop, Sink, Faucet Install
Backsplash Install
PHASE III (July 2019)
Refinish and Paint Cabinet Lowers
Floor Demo and Install
Open Shelving Install
Budget
I’ve been saving for this project since I moved in, so it’s a bit daunting to finally get started. I’m not making any major changes like new cabinets or moving plumbing, so this is still a fairly modest kitchen upgrade. That said, I’m doing a lot of work to this space, and I am choosing to invest in non-toxic, sustainable, and quality finishes, which come with an added cost. Knowing that and after a lot of research, I budgeted $10,000 for the reno. I broke down each cost in a simple budgeting spreadsheet I put together.
This doesn’t include everything. You’ll see things like thinset, grout, and other elements specific to each project are missing. But I have a bit of wiggle room in the budget left for things like that and unforeseen expenses (which will always come up any time you’re doing home improvement projects).
I’ve built out a template for this budget spreadsheet, which you can download here.
It's going to be a crazy few months, but I'm very excited to be on the other side of it. Here goes nothing!