Over the past 4 or so months, I’ve noticed a trend to delay kitchen renovations. Some of the reasons for that include:

• the economy: it’s tight, unpredictable, and folks want to be safe.
• the election: related to the economy, direction of government is no longer as much in question.
• the holiday season: it’s here, no doubt.
• indecision: uncertainty about design, budget, duration of the project

Actually, the only one of those things we can’t do anything about is the economy. The election’s a done deal. As for the budget and design conundrum, it may be worth a closer look. And maybe the holiday season is not the hurdle it appears to be. (Unless you have to spend it with your in-laws, with whom you share no common political ground. In that case, we really can’t help you.)

Budgeting for a remodel: look again

There is also an increasing trend to be more creative within kitchen design budgets. Two of my most recent clients opted to go with IKEA® cabinets in their remodel projects. The savings on the cabinets gave them more to play with for their countertops and appliances. One even decided to upgrade her master bathroom cabinets as well!

For $4,100, we were able to get 14 IKEA® cabinets for the kitchen and bath I designed, including:

• hardware and inserts,
• sinks,
• a dishwasher and
• over-the-range microwave
• assorted fixtures and fittings

She still has to get countertops and some other finishes like flooring, but what a fantastic price on the bulk of her remodeling components! Additionally, she was able to take advantage of a special 15% off sale, so timing was also an advantage. She opted to do most of the assembly herself, and is hiring out for the cabinet installation, plumbing and electrical, carpentry for wall adjustments. Not bad.

Bottom line: it’s entirely possible to significantly optimize costs within the design budget.

Still debating?

Check out our IKEA® Pros and Cons info in our post here. There we cover info about all IKEA® products, not just kitchen cabinets. Like everything else, IKEA® may not be for everyone. However, we seem to be finding no shortage of people who do love it.

Proudly Enabling the IKEA® Habit

That’s our new tagline! Countless people have written in, ecstatic that they can continue to get their IKEA® “fixes” in the Raleigh area, even without a store closer than a 4 hour drive away. So we thought the adjustment in the tagline was fitting.

[diagram images courtesy of jessica hagy and indexed]

Chew on This has a wheel to help figure out what herbs can be used for what dish.  It covers 40 commonly used herbs – how to identify & preserve them, and recipe suggestions for inspiration.

Whole Foods in Raleigh had a pumpkin smashing shindig today. Other than the sheer fun of smashing ‘em up, the bigger point was keeping them out of the landfill. Why? Because they take a lot longer to decompose where there’s not enough oxygen to speed it along.

We could keep 100 million pounds of waste out of the landfill if a mere 10% of the pumpkins we buy annually were composted instead of tossed in the garbage.  I wish I’d known about it sooner – I’d be right there in the smashfest! Next year.

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