Twenty-first Century Kitchen Renovation: Costs and Pay-offs

by Wendy Croix
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

Nothing dates a kitchen like dark 70s colors and gloomy brown wood cabinets. Getting rid of that harvest gold, burnt orange, or avocado green is a kitchen renovation with costs you'll recoup, in owner pleasure and possibly in resale value.

Recouping Kitchen Renovation Costs

A moderately-priced kitchen renovation places first on Remodeling magazine's latest "Cost vs. Value Report," which compares improvement cost to resale value of popular remodeling projects. Improvements include cabinet refinishing, new ovens, cooktops, sinks, and faucets, laminate countertops, and new flooring. Were you to undertake this kitchen renovation, you'd recoup 92.9% of your investment, according to National Association of Realtors estimates. If yours is a hot market, you may well profit.

Budget Kitchen Remodeling

Maybe Remodeling's kitchen renovation, coming in at around $15,000, costs more than you can afford. You can try a budget version, choosing a handful of projects to update your kitchen's dated features.

• If you only cook on Sundays and if your vintage avocado appliances are in mint condition, consider building a retro remodel around them. Use light, bright walls to refresh the green or gold.
• Think pot rack, not spice rack
• Add clean, uncluttered, open shelving
• Update your lighting to brighten dark areas
• Add chrome for shine
• If cabinet replacement is a budget-buster, consider painting those dark wood cabinets. Fresh, light paint is much more attractive than wood that screams 70s.
• Consider tiling your countertops. Or, tile around them. Surrounding a dark counter with a tile trim that picks up its lightest tone actually makes the countertop color itself appear lighter.

There are plenty of options for those who want to improve the look of their kitchen and possibly increase their home's resale value. Take time to consider which could be best for you.

Sources:

• ImproveNet
• RemodelingOnline (May 4, 2005)
• Spence, William P. Encyclopedia of Home Maintenance & Repair. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 2000.

About the Author
Wendy Croix, Ph.D. is a creative writer, freelancer, and self-confessed home improvement junkie. She's also a professor with more than twenty years experience in the field of education.