DIY Like a House Renovation Franchise: 5 Money Saving Tips
DIY kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects are supposed to be cheaper than hiring contractors, but that doesn’t mean they’re not potential money-pits.
Today’s post is meant to steer you clear of common and costly mistakes that DIY remodelers make. Here’s our top-5 money saving tips, courtesy of the Kitchen Solvers renovation franchise.
- Steer clear of fragile materials. Aesthetics are important—you should really love your kitchen—but looks aren’t everything. The kitchen is one of the most “lived in” parts of the home, and it needs durable materials to stand up to all that wear and tear. Just because fragile materials like recycled glass countertops look pretty doesn’t mean they’re going to work well in the kitchen. Not only will it be more likely to chip and crack over time, which means paying for a replacement, but anything fragile becomes much trickier to handle and store. If you’re attempting a DIY renovation, you’ll have enough to worry about without fussing over your fragile materials. If you want something close without the hassle, quartz is a great way to get a similar look and feel without any of the durability issues that come with recycled glass.
Of course, that’s not to say fragile materials are bad. But it’s generally best to leave those in the hands of professionals. If you need help sourcing, handling, storing, or installing fragile materials, contact our renovation franchise team for more tips. - Never give up on your cabinets. Your current cabinets might be an eyesore, but don’t rush to replace them. On average, replacing cabinets costs more than twice as much refacing, according to a HomeAdvisor report. Refacing means recycling the “bones” of your cabinetry and replacing the handles, doors, hinges, and other hardware. The transformation is truly incredible and the job takes less time than you think. Trust us–we built our kitchen renovation franchise on the popular technique of cabinet refacing!
- Invest in your appliances. It might seem like a good idea to stretch your budget a bit further by buying cheap appliances, but this is a mistake. Cheap appliances not only cost more to run each month (due to their lack of energy efficiency), but they’re more likely to break down, which ends up costing you more in repairs in the long run.
- Create a kitchen workflow. Okay, granted, this is more of a time saver than a money-saver, but they say time is money, right? And you definitely don’t want to spend all this money, time, and effort on a kitchen remodel only to end up with an inefficient kitchen space.
With that in mind, make sure the busiest areas of the kitchen—sink, stove, refrigerator, and primary counter spaces—are spacious and set up for a streamlined workflow. Respect the “kitchen triangle,” which is a theory that states a kitchen’s three main work areas should form a tight triangle. Each “leg” of the triangle should be between 4 and 9 feet, with the sum distance of the triangle being no greater than 26 feet. Keep this “golden triangle” theory in mind—it’s something that professional house renovation franchises swear by. - Take advantage of free advice from professionals. You can still honor the DIY spirit while seeking tips from professionals. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? And to save money…
Lucky for you, there’s plenty of professional advice out there that you don’t have to pay for. Stop by your local hardware stores and pick their brains for tips and advice on materials, storage ideas, how to lay countertops, or anything else you may be wondering about. Better yet, get in touch with one of our local franchises—you can find your local Kitchen Solvers via the website. Discuss design ideas, upcoming kitchen and bathroom trends, and get a free quote if you’re interested.
