5 Kitchen Remodel Ideas on a Budget

A quick thanks for all the love from our series on popular renovation ideas. We love sharing tips like these, and this week is no different. Whether you’re looking to sell and in need of fast kitchen remodel ideas on a budget, or you’re ready to renovate a new home with some modern kitchen pizzaz, these five tips should help guide you toward some inexpensive kitchen renovation results.

How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Cost?

Remodeling a kitchen can be a pricey task. We’ve seen these projects break $100k with ease. Obviously, that’s not feasible for many homeowners trying to handle their kitchen renovation on a budget. Luckily, there are several DIY adjustments that can make your modern kitchen renovation a budget-friendly reality.

*As usual, this article illustrates the kitchen renovation ideas below with photos from homes that Upward Home Solutions has renovated. 

5 Kitchen Remodel Ideas on a Budget

Curious how to remodel a kitchen on a budget? Here are five great places to put your time, effort, and focus.

Repaint the Cabinets

While your first instinct may be to replace old cabinets and hardware items, some strategic repainting is often a more cost-effective solution. This can amount to big-time savings in kitchens that have a lot of cabinets, latches, and handles.

Install Open Shelving

Adding some open shelving in the kitchen or breakfast area can be a fun yet inexpensive addition to any modern kitchen renovation task list. Open shelving supports many different styles (not the least of these being the coveted modern farmhouse kitchen look!).

Update Light Fixtures

Lighting is a HUGE focus in modern home renovation. It doesn’t really matter what part of the house you’re working on, updating the lighting will usually go a long ways toward making the home feel more contemporary. Old light fixtures (and lack of light in general) make a home feel drab and lifeless. If that sounds like your kitchen, it may be time to replace those dingy, old fixtures with trendy ones that better reflect (who doesn’t like a lighting pun?) the character of your home.

Add Under-Counter Lighting

Don’t stop at the ceilings though, under-counter lighting is one of our favorite kitchen remodel ideas on a budget. These babies can really spice up the overall aesthetic, and contrary to what you might think, they do not have to be expensive. Add some inexpensive under-counter lighting and transform your kitchen’s profile into that of the hottest cocktail bar in town (no reservations needed!).

Repaint the Walls

Repainting the kitchen is one of the more exciting parts of a kitchen renovation project. That’s partially because you have so many options when it comes to paint choice. Many older homes have outdated palettes in general that leave much to be desired. Whites and grays tend to work well for kitchens, but this will depend on the desired style and overall goals for the space.

Does a Kitchen Renovation Sound Too Expensive?

One of the biggest questions that homeowners face is whether or not to renovate when it’s time to sell. It can be a real conundrum for cash-strapped sellers given the high expectations so many buyers have for homes in the current hot market. There are a multitude of reasons homes might not sell in hot markets, and not being move-in ready is at the top of that list.

The “As Is” Home Sale Alternative

Selling a home as is can be a great alternative to sinking more money into it. It’s understandable that not all homeowners are chomping at the bit to invest more money into a home they really just want to sell. Unfortunately, today’s home listings often need to be in really great shape to be competitive… and that usually means shelling out for updates.

While we do our best to bring you DIY solutions to the sometimes astronomical costs of remodeling a home, we also know that some folks just need to sell. Maybe you want to invest your kitchen remodeling time and money into the next home you buy. Whatever the case may be, selling a home as is remains an option to get you where you want to be.

Interested in learning how to sell without a major kitchen renovation?