Kitchen Planning:A budget strategy for saving now and splurging later
The first thing everyone wants to know is “how much?’. And the answer is…what do you want included? Seriously, budgeting for a new kitchen is a daunting process. We’re going to take a quick look at one way to get a higher end kitchen than your current budget can handle. It just requires a little patience and planning.
Your new kitchen’s cost is all about levels of quality. Higher quality workmanship, material, design and appliances all cost more. Does this mean a low cost kitchen can’t be a nice kitchen? Our answer is a resounding no! This is where careful planning and reining in of wish lists can really pay off.
The first basic of budgeting is understanding where to spend your limited budget most efficiently. Start by cataloging all the things that require you to write checks (get our book for a complete list). These include services like designers, contractors, dumpster rentals, etc., and built-in things like building materials, cabinets, lighting, flooring, windows and more. Finally there are things that are exchangable- in other words they can be upgraded later when you have more money or your needs change. This third category is important if you’re on a limited budget. Spend the money on the fixed, built-in aspects of your kitchen rather than appliances or copper pots and pans. You can upgrade later.
Counters are another area where it is not that big a deal to change materials. Go for laminate now and upgrade to stone later when your ship comes in. You get the idea.
If you’re considering an upgrade strategy when assessing your budget then you’re assuming that the design of your kitchen is going to be what you want for the long term. That’s why using a good designer can actually help the budget process. Just make sure they are onboard with your upgrade plans so they can suggest places where you can save now and splurge later. Other things that can be handled on cheap with an eye to upgrades include backsplashes (do a simple laminate one now, add those tumbled marble tiles later), flooring, cabinet inserts like recycling centers (they fit in standard size cabinets- use shelves now and install the insert when your checkbook is full again)- you’re starting to get the idea.
Another consideration that affects this concept is the degree of customization a choice requires. For example there are ranges known as built-in or slide-ins that require a cut-out in your counters. These cut-outs are not standardized. If you opt for one these don’t plan on upgrading it without upgrading your counters. Otherwise stick to the standard sizes- all the appliances, cheap to super-expensive, come in standard sizes.
So, as we’ve said before: Get high quality cabinets before you blow the budget on a fancy range. You can always upgrade that appliance but the cabinets are fixed.