Kitchen Remodel on a Budget

Kitchen Remodel on a Budget! by Ashley

Hey all! Ashley from the D*I*WI*ves Club here. Flippin' honored to be writing over here at Remodelaholic!
Over at the D*I*WI*ves Club we try to do all things DIY and thrifty to the max! I try to do everything on the cheap without it looking like it's on the cheap. Which can sometimes be easier said than done. I scour thrift stores thanks to my mom's thriftiness, which I of course hated growing up and now love the knowledge she passed down to me. I love the before and after process of my home, and an ongoing project with my home (of just over a year) has been the kitchen. A long long ongoing project. BUT it's DONE!

These are the AWFUL before pictures. It was seriously a tiny 1980's barflicious kitchen:(there's the hubs, showing off how handy he is)

Trying to make it pretty and FAILING

(excuse the filth, this was taken RIGHT after I had my baby and nothing was ever clean then)

And NOW!

For the sake of your time I will limit my favorite things to the top 5 most awesome DI WIves kitchen idea's 6 months in the making.

1.) The beadboard cupboards. I figure I saved about 500% by using wallpaper instead of actual beadboard, plus it was WAY less cutting with a saw. I just used a rotary cutter and self-healing mat for sewing.

2.) The Island. I seriously have harsh feelings towards the person who designed the kitchen. Why would you put a dishwasher in the place where you stand to do the dishes? We had to put them all on the counter and take a step back and then load. It was so silly. The Island not only opens up my kitchen, but allows the dishwasher to be next to the sink, instead of in front of. Silly contractors, you're letting a mid-twenty year old outsmart your abilities.

3.) Moving the fridge. I love the extra counter space, extra cabinets and my new fridge.

4.) My Backsplash. It's a stencil, and although a tile backsplash is ideal, it was not in the budget for now. Once again, saved about 500%.

5.) And lastly my counters. I went FOUR months without counters! I had plywood. Classy, right? But worth the wait. My counters are granite which allowed me to use my free undermont sink (four years old, but never been used. Oh to have connections!)

And that's about it. I am so proud of all my hard work. I love being in my kitchen now, even if it's just to clean it!