Kitchen Remodel on a Budget | Taking on our Biggest Project to-Date

Since moving into our new house back in March, we have been making updates much more slowly than I had hoped. I had a very optimistic timeline that I would be able to get most of the updates - which includes painting all of the rooms, building about 10 pieces of furniture, and updating our kitchen - done in about 3 months.Okay, I didn't really think we'd have all of the furniture pieces built, but I did think we have more than one piece finished at this point. Boy, does life really make all of this stuff so much more difficult. And by life, I mean a busy toddler, business, and new home/city.But, no more excuses! We're settled into a bit more of a routine finally so we are starting on our biggest DIY project that we have ever tackled (and we've built a couch from scratch!).Drumroll, please.......I present to you our kitchen remodel on a budget!Here's what we're starting with...Before Photo of Kitchen Makeover on a BudgetKitchen-Before-2Kitchen-Before-3Arn't these before photos glorious? Yea, not really. The sickening baby blue walls with country blue trim, beige appliances and almost pink countertops are really inspiring. Ugh! No wonder this house sat on the market for so long. We knew the kitchen needed a BIG makeover when we bought the house so now it's time to work our vision so we can make it better on a budget. And we're talking a small budget of about $3500.Here's the plan:

  • Paint the walls and trim
  • New black appliances (add a dishwasher, which is sorely lacking!)
  • Paint the upper cabinets white and add new hardware
  • Build new lower cabinets
  • Move the range to the opposite wall
  • Replace the countertops
  • Replace the sink and faucet
  • New tile backsplash
  • Paint the pantry and add a chalkboard door

When you break it down into bullet points it seems much less daunting, but looking at my kitchen right now is telling me otherwise. Why does painting take soooo long?!?I decided to mock up the plans in Photoshop because I'm kinda geeky like that. They're not professional by any means, but it helps with the visual and is keeping me motivated to get to the finish line.Before our kitchen remodel sketchKitchen Remodel on a Budget Sketched PlansOh, how I hope we come close to these after sketches!However, if beautiful visuals and inspiration are your thing, I invite you to check out my kitchen inspiration board on Pinterest. We're shooting for a white kitchen with black appliances and butcher block countertops. A much needed update, but nothing too modern for our 1918 beauty. So, how 'bout it. What do you think of our plans? Seem doable for $3500? Have you remodeled a kitchen before? And if so, what should we be prepared for?