What Did Our Kitchen REALLY Cost?

After our home appeared in Domain magazine, there were haters. I never thought I’d be a target of jealous trolls but there you go. The main criticism these people had (I use the term ‘people’ loosely as this is a public forum) was that you can create anything on an unlimited budget. And yes, I agree. You can. But what I will challenge is the fact we did NOT have an unlimited budget. In fact, we began our renovation with a budget of only $60,000. That was by no means what we spent in the end, but that was the CASH we went into the reno with. So a kitchen design we loved and one that was within our budget given all the other things we had to do to the house, was paramount. And the actual amount we spent? The final cost was around $11, 000. Yes, $13 000!!!! Here’s how we created a gorgeous kitchen on a budget and made it look high-end.

The Kitchen Layout

We started our renovation with an empty room. Yes, there was nothing here but a tap in the wall (where it is now) and a lot of doors. Personally, I don’t know why a room needs 7 doors plus a serving hatch but there you go.

The first expense was to contract Kate from Deco Designs to create a layout. I knew I wanted drawers not cupboards, an island of sorts, a large chimney-style rangehood, and room for my dresser. Kate worked with my ideas and created the Butler’s pantry and built-in laundry you can’t see.

The cost of the design was $1500

A Kitchen on a Budget: The Cabinetry

Cabinetry can be costly and one way we saved money in the kitchen was the decision to not include upper cabinets in the pantry. Apart from the fact I don’t like the look of them, they double a kitchen quote. Our builder was very handy at making things such as windows and cabinets. He built the solid timber cabinetry at a cost of $6000. (Including my custom color choice). We also reined in the budget by building the pantry shelves from MDF and adding a second-hand dresser top to the bench. We painted everything to match the cabinets so it looks seamless but still semi-fitted.

The Fittings in our Kitchen on a Budget

I was desperate for a blend of traditional and modern farmhouses. One way to achieve this in the kitchen while staying on budget was to shop around for the fittings.

A range-type stove was the dream but at $10k+ I had to compromise. So I found our 90cm Westinghouse online and had it delivered. It had great reviews and is able to cook up a storm for the price tag of around $1100. We have had the double-drawer dishwasher by Fisher & Paykel in almost every kitchen we’ve renovated. They cost around $1700. I love this dishwasher because you can use each drawer independently. When we are alone we use one drawer and when we have guests we use both. There are no stinky dish smells while you wait for the basket to fill. How did I save money here? I compromised on the integrated model and went for stainless to match the oven.

Planning a kitchen on a budget can be tricky when it comes to the sink. Especially if you want a white farmhouse ceramic sink and brass tapware. I found our sink at Ikea for about $299. They don’t make this style anymore but they do still have a ceramic sink. I made the awful mistake of buying an antique-looking tap that ended up breaking after two years. I replaced it with a quality brushed brass one from ABI Interiors. (Love all their tapware) For the $150 I saved the first time around, I wish I had simply gone with the best one in the first place!

How I Saved Money

Because I was building a kitchen on a budget we saved money in a number of ways.

• We did as much of the work ourselves as we could.
• We built our kitchen island from a table we owned
• I purchased tractor seat stools from eBay in a bulk deal. Never underestimate the power of buying in bulk
• I shopped around for lights and found the exact ones I wanted on eBay for around 75% less than I would have paid on other sites. In fact, the glass pendants cost $120 for all six with bulbs. I was going to pay $120 each from Freedom Furniture but they mucked up the order. Talk about luck!
• I painted the floor instead of paying for it to be sanded.
• I went without blinds to maximise the view and used bleached dropcloth in the dining area to replicate linen.
• We used a secondhand cabinet with a glass front in the pantry and painted it to match the cabinets so it looks like it is part of the built in cabinetry.