This question was sent to me by one of our readers.
I saw your post on craigslist and used the link to your blog on house auctions. I have a question for you. I am not a house flipper but my husband and I are only going to be living in our currrent home for 2 - 1/2 years. It's a bit of a fixer upper in East Memphis. We are trying to do the work ourselves and are planning to put in a new kitchen. My question is: Where can I get the best deal for cabinets and countertops? We may try to do that ourselves but for the right price we may hire someone to do it. I don't want to sink a ot of money into this house but the kitchen must be redone.Any suggestions for kitchen renovations without spending lots of $$$.
Great Question Amy!
I told Amy that she should consider looking at the cabinets and sink I removed from a house in Collierville that I worked on over the weekend. People are more than happy to give away their old cabinets, toilets, sinks, islands, countertops. You just have to know who to ask. Try to get in with some house remodelers and call them. Look in the yellow pages under remodeling. Call about 10 and tell them what you want. They usually will even deliver it to your house for a small fee. I highly recommend this since usually the items are free.
If that is not an option for you, I hate to say it that Home Depot has some great prices. Sure, you get what you pay for, but for what I do, custom kitchen stores cannot touch their prices. Formica is usually $10 a foot or less. Cabinets can start at $46 for a standard 18 wide by 30 tall cabinet unfinished. That works out to $2.55 plus tax per inch. So if you have a standard 10 foot wall that needs cabinets, look to spend about 120 inches X $2.55 which is $306 plus tax.
I have compared the high end cabinets like Kraftmaid and although the quality is phenomenal, you won't get that back out when you go to sell unless you are flipping houses in the $250,000+ range.
When it comes to countertops, I don't recommend Corian. It is usually more expensive than granite and is considered a step down from it. Cheap granite can be found for $40 a foot. If you are doing a countertop for a bathroom sink, it may be worth it to get a 2 foot piece for a bathroom. Granite really does look rich. If you want to set your flipper houses apart, some granite can really do the trick.
