Totally non-biking Q - about the economy!

[tulip]

I'm so glad I bought my little house at the end of July. My mortgage payment is $400 less than my rent was. BUT, I still don't have a kitchen (made the house very reasonable). I have some cash and my parents have some to contribute, but now each of our nest eggs has gone down considerably and I'm having to rethink my kitchen. It's not an optional remodel--there's nothing there except my 25 year old dorm fridge and an old microwave.

I interviewed three contractors--the high end guy was out before he even gave me an estimate. The low guy is a handyman and carpenter, but not a licensed GC, so I'm a little wary of how much work it will take (coordinating plumbers, electricians, etc.). The middle guy is a GC and his estimate was reasonable. I've decided to go with custom cabinets because according to those in the know, they aren't that much more than stock cabinets, which will have to be special ordered anyways. I'm not getting soapstone counters or SubZero appliances--just basic but quality small kitchen.

So now I'm thinking I should go with the handyman guy and just get a cheap-o kitchen in there. Ugh! My parents may not be able to help me much after all. My little nest egg is not enough to do the whole job.

And now I'm worried about my job and work--I'm a consultant who depends on state and federal funding programs for my clients. If the budget gets frozen, those programs might be frozen, too, and then there's no work.

What to do? Sleep on it? Go with the middle guy? Go with the handyman guy? I'm getting tired of microwave mac&cheese.

Thanks for the opportunity to rant a bit.

[Blueberry]

Go with the middle man. At least in NC, the handyman wouldn't legally be able to do the whole job. Can you scale down the middle guy job (i.e. hold off on upper level cabinets)? I'd wait a week (I know, the food sucks and you want to get it done), and see what happens. It's a sucky time to have to make a decision, and I think a little more info will help. Definitely sleep on it. It's the biggest drop in history - not the best time to make a decision. Of course, there's always the possibility it will get worse

CA

[redrhodie]

I'd also go with the middle guy, and I'd really, really research the cabinets. Have you looked at Ikea?

I'd also look at second hand appliance dealers, and on craigslist. Think about the people who are being foreclosed on. They're stripping everything out that they put in the house. That stuff has got to be out there.

Be creative. The library is your friend. I'm convinced you can make a great kitchen without a lot of money, without going el cheapo on the finishes. Look at salvage companies. Look at yard sales. Think outside the (Home Depot) box!

[tulip]

Thanks, y'all. I spoke to my parents and they can still help me out, although not as much as they originally had planned. That's okay. I'm meeting the middle guy on Wednesday with his cabinet guy to see what we can do.

Believe it or not, the super high-priced guy had Ikea cabinets in his estimate. I'm pretty disappointed with Ikea stuff. Cheap construction and thin, thin laminates that don't last. Looks good, but not for long. I recently found a super cool mid-century modern dresser at the local Salvation Army. I painted it and changed the hardware and now I have very cool dresser for not much $ at all!

There's a Sears outlet in my city and they have closeouts and discontinued models, as well as dent-and-scratch. I'll also look at salvage, although I don't want old appliances, although slightly used would be okay. There's a Habitat Shop nearby that I'm going to check out. I think I'll be okay with this.

Thanks again.

[jesvetmed]

No advice here,... just wanted to wish you luck with the project. It can be so challenging to keep projects like this on your budge -- stand your ground! Send pics as it comes along!
Jes

[Dogmama]

Your GC should built everything to code. That means getting permits. Pain, I know, but if you ever sell there is a possibility that the buyer could make you rip everything out & bring it up to code.

I have a friend who is an inspector & she sees awful stuff. So, especially in a kitchen, you want to make sure everything is good.

[bmccasland]

Go with a licensed contractor. And get a copy of the license. The handyman type may be good for odd stuff, but if you're doing plumbing and electrical, you're going to have to get a licensed guy to do the work. Or you can call a licensed plumber and licensed electrician (essentially you're the GC) to have them do that work and use you handyman to do the other stuff. Don't forget to get the necessary building permits. You'll have to arrange the inspections unless your plumber and electrician does it - getting the permit and arranging inspections is something a GC would take care of.

I'd LOVE to find is a GC that makes a living doing the small stuff like I had in NoCal. Most around here are still doing total house renovations.

[tulip]

Thanks everybody! I'm feeling much better about this today; yesterday was a momentary panic is all. Good advice to sleep on it, CA. The middle guy comes highly recommended from my real estate agent, and he has good references. He is licensed and the contract states that he takes care of pulling all the permits, and it states that he uses licensed subcontractors (electrical and plumbing). This is a fairly old house (1939) and there are some mechanical issues that need to be addressed properly, and I just don't have the know-how to be my own GC.

He is sensitive to my cost situation and is working with me to reduce costs where possible. Things like tiling and painting I will do, since I've done that before. The cabinet maker is also aware of cost, and so we're going to discuss how we can reduce costs on the cabinets. My style is very minimal and modern, so I won't go for all those moldings and extra stuff on the cabinets. The cabinet guy also uses certified wood and does not use formaldehyde stuff, which is important to me (and I'm willing to spend there). The counters will be either a recycled glass terrazzo or recycled paper--still deciding on that, but they are less than stone and greener, too. I'm also looking forward to learning about framing and plumbing (I've done some). I work from home so I'll be here throughout the renovation and I really want to learn more about it to become more self-sufficient in these things.

Between all this and the appliances at the outlet, I think I'll save some off the original estimate (which also included a new hot water heater which I have already replaced since the old one went kaput a few weeks ago).

I find myself today with a bit of a GI problem. I think my little dorm fridge isn't cooling my paltry collection of food properly. Time for action.

[sfa]

Tulip, for cabinets check the DIY warehouse stores for returned cabinets. People order cabinets and then either change their minds or don't have the money to complete the purchase and so their orders just sit in the stores until they are able to sell them at a fraction of their original cost. It probably isn't quite as steady a stream of returns now as it was a few years ago, but I know more than a few people who redid their kitchens this way.

Another possibility is to check homes in your area that are being foreclosed on. I know this sounds predatory, but people who are going to lose their homes will often strip them of anything that can be sold for cash, including kitchen cabinets and nearly new appliances.

Sarah

[Zen]

Have you looked into cement countertops?
I'm not advocating, just curious. I've just recently learned of them and am intrigued by the concept.

[tulip]

Since I have completely hijacked this thread, this'll be my last post on my renovation. Maybe I'll start a separate one. I apologize for the hijack.

That being said, I chose bamboo cabinets and counters made from recycled compressed paper (called Paperstone). The ball is rolling.

Best wishes for everyone's finances, health, and happiness.

[redrhodie]

Cool! Good luck with the kitchen!

[Eden]

Have you looked into cement countertops?
I'm not advocating, just curious. I've just recently learned of them and am intrigued by the concept.

We have concrete counters in our kitchen - I quite like them, but you do have to be careful with anything acidic. Terrazzo is cement with chips of glass and/or marble embedded, then ground flat.