Q: I have an 8-year-old home, and although I like the layout of the kitchen, I want to give it a fresh look. I'm tired of the tile countertops, and I'd like to replace the standard appliances that came with the house with something nicer. I know a lot of people are doing extensive kitchen remodels, but I don't want to do that. Besides, my cabinets are OK, although the finish is a little worn. What options do I have?
-- Ann Remington
Orangevale
A: "I think you will find that you have some excellent options for your situation," says Dale Nichols, president of Artisan Remodeling Inc.
"One of the recent trends I've seen in home remodeling is what I call the kitchen makeover," says Nichols, a certified kitchen and bath remodeler and winner of a regional NARI contractor of the year award this year.
"Although we do our share of complete gut-and-rebuild kitchen renovations, we've seen an increase in demand for partial remodels that typically cost a third to half of what a complete kitchen remodel would be. This has gone on to some extent for a long time in older homes, but now we're seeing it more in newer homes that are only 5 to 15 years old."
A complete kitchen renovation usually involves gutting everything down to the studs and starting over. It typically includes new wiring, drywall, cabinets, counters, appliances and flooring. It often includes revising the floor plan and moving walls.
With typical kitchen remodels ranging from $60,000 to $80,000 -- and some topping $100,000 -- a makeover can mean a significant improvement at a substantial savings.
A makeover is more limited in scope than a renovation because the cabinets are left in place, he says. Minimum improvements usually include new countertops, sinks and faucets. More extensive projects can involve cabinet refinishing, updated backsplashes, new appliances, lighting changes and flooring. Budgets typically range between $20,000 and $40,000, depending on the scope of work.
"Aside from the cost savings, makeovers are also much faster to build," Nichols says. "Construction typically takes two to three weeks vs. the two to three months required for complete remodels. This minimizes the disruption to the homeowners and gets them back in their routine faster."
A good example is a project that Artisan Remodeling recently completed for Katie Lemos in Sun City, Roseville. The flooring and cabinets of her 10-year-old kitchen were in good shape, but she wanted to upgrade the appliances and make some decorating changes. Having put a granite countertop on her island several years earlier, she also wanted to eliminate the rest of the ceramic tile in the kitchen.
Artisan removed the countertops, salvaged the island granite to use as a backyard tabletop, and installed new solid granite counters and backsplash throughout the kitchen. A new sink and faucet also were installed.
A new oven and range hood required some cabinet modifications, Nichols says.
"The original 24-inch oven was inadequate for her needs and she wanted to go to a larger size," he says. "We considered sacrificing part of an adjacent cabinet to make room for the larger oven, but that would have required major alterations that didn't seem practical. We figured out a way to modify the existing oven cabinet to make it work."
The other challenge was raising the range hood about 6 inches, which meant changing the cabinet so much that the doors became unusable. Unfortunately, the manufacturer no longer offered the original cabinet door style and finish.
"After discussing several options, Katie asked if we could use any of the laundry room cabinets. It turned out that one of the laundry doors could be made into a panel for the space above the hood," Nichols says. "The replacement door we had custom made and finished for the laundry isn't a perfect match, but it's a lot less noticeable in the laundry than in the kitchen."
The finishing touches included removing a wallpaper border, applying a light shade of green paint over the previous plain white walls and installing 6-inch crown molding to the kitchen and adjacent family room. New cabinet knobs finished the update, which took about three weeks to complete.
Nichols points out that there are limitations with makeovers.
"A makeover can update a kitchen and have a significant visual impact, but the change may not be as dramatic as if you were removing everything and starting from scratch. You have to remember that it's a tradeoff with the significantly lower cost and shorter time frame of a makeover," he says.
Also, the cabinets need to be in good shape. Cabinets that appear to be perfectly fine when you start can end up looking pretty shabby next to shiny new flooring or counter tops.
"Some cabinets can be refinished, but this is generally limited to freshening up the existing finish to look new again," he warns. "Due to the nature of cabinet finishes, changing stain colors on natural wood cabinets is not usually an option. Painting is really the only way to completely change the color."
Refacing cabinets with new veneers and doors may be an option for some makeovers, but this is generally only cost- effective if the countertops have already been replaced and cannot be removed, he says. Otherwise, it's usually better to replace the cabinets, even though the cost may be higher.
"Current trends in makeovers are to replace tile counters with granite or quartz, install decorative tile backsplashes, upgrade to stainless-steel appliances, and install wood or tile flooring," Nichols says.
Lighting changes generally involve replacing big fluorescent light boxes in the ceiling with a combination of recessed compact fluorescents for general lighting along with undermount fluorescents and pendants for task and accent lighting.
Each situation is different, Nichols says, so be flexible and consult with your contractor or designer about what will work best for you.
Nichols is convinced that the kitchen makeover is here to stay. "It's the best of both worlds," he says. "You can have an updated kitchen with a new look for a fraction of the cost and time of taking it all the way. For many homeowners, it's the right solution."
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