Get a Designer Worthy Home, Affordably
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the new design trends, and we could very well all go broke trying to make our homes Pinterest worthy. But what if there were another way? Maybe we can get that designer look by finding cost-saving, non-DIY (or maybe DIY if you’re handy) hacks.
Get a Marble Slab Look for a Fraction of the Cost
I love the quartz/marble slab backsplashes that stretch to the ceiling or even all the way to the upper cabinets. Unfortunately, quartz and marble are no cheap expense. One alternative is to use large format porcelain tile.
In this home, I used large format porcelain tile with a marble look to give me the look of a marble slab backsplash. Using real marble slab would have easily cost me between two and three thousand dollars. Instead, I bought three 48X48 large format tiles from Floor and Decor at $69 dollars each, totaling $207.
Of course, some people will want actual quartz or marble, but for those looking to save, you can achieve the same look for a fraction of the cost!
TIP: Try to make the veins in the tile connect and flow the same ways, so it looks less choppy and more like a slab. Also use small grout lines (1/16th) and grout with no contrast.
Get Beautiful Crown Molding for a Fraction of the Cost
You may not believe the next cost-saving alternative I’ve used to save on crown molding – it’s FOAM crown molding. Yes – foam. When I bought it online from Home Depot, I thought it was interesting that it said foam, but I was too impressed by the cost savings to get hung up on it. But when my contractor started putting it up, I began to worry. I mean – it was literal foam. But, I will tell you – that foam crown-molding looks like a million bucks.
Make sure you have a contractor who knows the nuisances of dealing with foam crown molding or check out this tutorial from The Craft Patch Blog. Foam molding is actually pretty easy to install.
Skip The Tile Back Splash All Together
While backsplashes are definitely functional, trends are changing. Backsplashes are going all the way to the ceiling, and at the same time, sometimes they are completely nonexistent. Consider a wall where you decorate with peel and stick wallpaper and wood shelves for the drama you’re looking for without the cost of tile.
In my renovation, I completely skipped a backsplash on one side of the kitchen, opting to expose the existing shiplap for interest and of course – cost savings.
Another option is peel and stick tiles like the one below.
I love the idea of using peel and stick wallpaper as a kitchen backsplash. Sure it doesn’t have the same functionality as tile, but it’s just as pretty.
Get Custom-Like Cabinets for a Fraction of the Cost
Custom cabinets are pretty pricey. There are a number of alternatives to custom cabinets like – non custom cabinets from Ikea. There are plenty of tutorials for how to make Ikea cabinets look custom like this one: https://lostluxela.com/7-easy-ways-to-make-ikea-kitchens-look-custom/.
I also found an in-between. I went to the design center in Seconds & Surplus in Richardson and found a number of brands that were a step above Ikea without the custom price-tag. The brand I used in my renovation was Woodmark, which you can also find at Home Depot. I ordered my cabinets without color, and had my contractor paint them Sherwin Williams Black Magic.
By painting them yourself with a non-traditional color, your cabinets will look more custom.
Consider Pre-Fabricated Quartz
If you know you want quartz, but don’t have the budget for slab, consider going with a pre-fabricated quartz with a reliable dealer. Make sure you’re actually getting quartz and not granite or some sort of mixed resin, but once you’ve found a reputable supplier, you can actually save a lot of money by going with the less glamorous sister of a quartz slab.
What cost-cutting ideas do you have that I should use next?!
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