Hit $15,000 on my kitchen reno this week - way over budget

I was aiming for $10k but the countertop quote alone was $4,800 plus the plumbing moved added another $1,200. Anyone else have a renos estimate that just kept climbing like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret_lane1mo agoTop Commenter

Used to think people were crazy for blowing past their budget, but @theabennett's story about the subfloor rot is exactly the kind of hidden crap that kills you lol. That countertop and plumbing quote alone would've wrecked my original plan too.

taylor_barnes5919d ago

and then there's the stuff you actually read about but still can't believe until it happens to you I saw this article the other day where the average kitchen reno ends up like 20% over budget minimum and that's if nothing major goes wrong. Your countertop and plumbing alone ate up 40% of your original budget before you even bought a cabinet or a sink. That's crazy but honestly pretty normal for old houses where nothing is standard sized anymore. I talked to a contractor once who said they always add a 30% buffer to any estimate they give because people just don't realize how much the small things stack up. So yeah you're not alone on this one. Did the countertop at least turn out looking nice?

theabennett1mo ago

Had a buddy swear his bathroom reno would be a quick $8k flip. Turned out the subfloor was completely rotten under the old tile, and that alone added $2k before they even picked out a toilet. He ended up finishing it about six months late and called it the "money pit special.