$545 Kitchen Makeover? Oh, yeah baby.

When we were house hunting, the real estate market was booming and every house we put an offer on already had about four or five offers ahead of us. It was very frustrating.

One afternoon we looked at the house we ended up purchasing. I hated, hated, hated everything about it. It had the wallpaper from hell. The kitchen made me want to curl up in a ball and cry like a baby. There was no separation between the living room and the dining room. The space didn't flow. At all.

After I spent a few minutes looking around I was ready to leave. Tom asked me to open my mind to the possibilities that this place had. So I tried. And I couldn't see any. We left, but Tom kept talking about this house and how great he thought it was. I thought he was smoking crack, because I promise you when I say there was not one charming thing about the place.

Because I love my husband (and wanted him to please shut up already), I agreed to look at it one more time. I am nothing if not (begrudgingly) fair.

We walked in and Tom immediately started describing the different things we could do to make it beautiful. I seem to have no vision when it comes to home decor. (Which is why I am in desperate need of help from The Nester. Go there. You'll thank me.) because I wasn't able to see what Tom saw.

I did appreciate a few of its qualities though. The neighborhood was one we really liked and this particular house was located in a cul-de-sac. The yard was nice and big and surrounded by beautiful trees. So, we bought it.

Since we didn't have a bazillion dollars (or $25,000) to have someone come in and help transform the place we did it all ourselves. And by "we", I mean "Tom". Well, I did help with some stuff. Like cleaning. And choosing paint colors. And handing Tom the whatcha-macallits when he asked for them.

We put knotty pine paneling in our family room along with gorgeous built-in bookcases (because books are my friend). We installed a wood burning stove to make us all nice and cozy on movie nights. And Super Bowl Sundays.

We pulled up the nasty carpet and put down wood floors. We replaced the hideous gold toilet and sink in the bathroom. And that was just plain gross.

Tom also put up wainscoting to show my much-desired definition between the living and dining rooms. Because he worships the ground upon which I walk. Doesn't it look great?

When the time came to remodel our kitchen, I felt like it was my wedding day. Except I wasn't pregnant.

We (and again, by we, I mean Tom) pulled off the HIDEOUS faux wood-grain countertop. We removed the nasty, dirty, chipped ceramic tiles from the floor and got rid of the sink.

While I was cleaning up his big, fat mess (he is a very messy home remodel-er), Tom painted our cabinets and installed new knobs. I just have to call your attention to my knobs. Are they not adorable? They're twigs!
They make me happy every single solitary day. It's the little things, you know.

We also put in a new countertop. It is faux granite, (and lovely), new flooring and a new (to us) sink. All for $545.00.



Here are some Before and After pictures to inspire your own Kitchen Makeover on a Budget.

Ok. First, ick. Look at those NASTY brown cabinets. I Know! I hate them too. And what about the faux wood-grain countertop? Could anything be more wrong than that? And what is with the weird counter arrangement? Don't worry. I came home one night to my Tommy with a power tool in his hand. He took care of that bad boy.

Here is another view of those hideous cabinets. Ugh. Look at the dirty looking grout on the tiles. Gross, no?

Ok, for fun, let's just take a peek through the door here at check out the wallpaper I told you about. I had to steam that nastiness off. It took about a month. Or maybe it just felt like a month. I don't know.

Now we will check out the fabulousness that is my new kitchen. Hi pretty painted cabinets! We are so thrilled to have you here.

Aren't my floors so warm and inviting? And my cabinets (again)! And my countertops? And my knobs! (You're wishing you were married to my Tommy, aren't you? Yeah, I don't mind picking up his socks off the floor. Look what he does for me. Plus, he's cute.)

Here is my new sink. Well, new to me, anyway. Apparently, it has some fancy schmancy garbage disposal unit that everyone raves about. I'm not sure how it is so much greater than your average garbage disposal, but I feel pretty darn special all the same. I heart Tom's brother for giving it to us. (Hey Nester!What should I do with my naked window?)

My coral/salmon/orangey colored walls make me smile. You know what else makes me smile? My lightened grout. I still need to tidy it up, but it looks so much better.

This green bin here to the left? That's Tom's catch-all. When he comes in the house, he throws random "stuff" in there. Let's take a peek and see what's in there today, mmm-k?

A gift receipt from Christmas. (He's a bit of a saver.) Chewing gum, razor blades (in case some type of razor-blading emergency comes up, maybe?), sun glasses, an itunes gift card (also from Christmas. Maybe I'll just use it.), his phone charger, a cell phone, bills to be mailed, and boat keys. For a boat that is in storage. Because it's February in Northern Michigan.
What's that?
Oh, and look what else. A picture of me and my dad when I was thirteen. Now, that's just the sweetest thing ever.

You're probably just dying to know how we were able to achieve all of this fabulousness for so cheap? Would you like me to break it down for you?
Flooring: $200.00
Countertop: $225.00
Mini Tiles: $ 25.00
Paint: $ 50.00
Knobs: $ 45.00
Sink: $ 0.00
Happy Honey Bunch: Priceless. Because, really. If I'm happy, everybody will be happy. Am I right?

Have you done a Home Makeover on a budget? Please share your tips in our comments, or post a link to your blog with your own story.

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