Remodeling on a Budget

My sister Kate recently remodeled her home. She wanted a mudroom by her back entry, where the kids and the dog could come in without driving her crazy with their muddy feet. Of course, if they were adding a mudroom, it made sense to finally expand the kitchen. And if they were expanding the kitchen, it made sense to redo the bathroom, with its awkward location and old cracked fixtures. Sometimes the process of home remodeling resembles nothing so much as a game of dominoes.

Pretty soon, Kate found herself well beyond her remodeling budget. She had to take a closer look at her plans and find a way to make as many changes as possible with less money. First, she realized she could cut out a great deal of the cost by designing her plans around the existing plumbing. She replaced the kitchen sink, but didn’t move it. And she was thrilled to find a selection of cheap baths that she loved, so it was easy to find a set to replace her old fixtures. Like the plumbing, Kate and her husband discovered that supplementing the existing electrical work, rather than replacing it all, would also save money.

She also put off some projects for later. She was hoping for a brick patio in back, and decided that she could probably find an independent mason to complete it for less than the contractor wanted to charge. In fact, Kate became fairly nitpicky with the contractor, crossing off site clean-up and finishing touches that she and her husband could complete themselves.

They also saved money on supplies, by purchasing items like electrical fixtures, towel bars, and the suite she liked best among the cheap baths directly from the retailer rather than paying the contractor’s surcharge.

One of the expenses that would have truly added up was taken care of unexpectedly. Kate figured her young family would have to move out of the home during the time that the kitchen was unavailable, and she worried about the cost of renting a place near her children’s school. But then they discovered that their church was looking for someone to temporarily live in the manse, which they could do rent-free in exchange for basic upkeep and repairs. It was a felicitous solution that worked out for everyone.

In the end, they still went over budget, but not by nearly as much as they first estimated. And now Kate has not only a lovely new kitchen and bath, but clean floors in them, thanks to the mud room off the back.