Why Cheap Kitchen Units are the Way to Go
The Myth: Cheaper is Lower Quality
Cheap kitchen units get a bad name sometimes, since many people (top end kitchen unit suppliers at least) would have you believe that the price reflects the quality of the item. In most cases, that simply is not true, many lower priced kitchen units are not only the same quality as the higher end stuff, but some of it even looks just as nice, and some of it still is the same higher end stuff purchased by a knowledgeable consumer.
Where to Buy Cheap Kitchen Units
The first place you should look when finding prices for your new kitchen is the internet, there are plenty of sites that will give prices that are very competitive with most home improvement centers. Of course you should also check out the home improvement centers’ websites, so that you can compare directly. Also be sure to check out the manufacturers website if you find a type you like, you could save even more that way.
Then, if you want brand new items, you will want to check out the home improvement stores themselves, since a lot of times they will have stock in that is different from their website, or they might be running an in-store special on certain items, you might get lucky and get some good cheap free standing kitchen units that weren’t advertised on their site.
If it is not important to you that your kitchen is brand new, you can try some second hand stores in your area. Habitat for Humanity runs some stores where you can find cheap kitchen wall units and the like that have been carefully removed from homes and donated to them, and the price is often very low.
How to Save the Most Money
If you want to save the most possible money when remodeling your kitchen, keep these tips in mind:
• If you’re not in a hurry to change out your kitchen, and have the storage space, shop around at all the sales, one week you might get cheap kitchen base units, the next all cabinet doors might be on sale or something.
• Shop at sales at the end of the season, when stores are trying to get rid of last years models for the latest ones.
• Try to buy directly from the manufacturer if at all possible, this tends to be the cheapest way to get what you want, they generally don’t charge for a high overhead cost since they make the items on site most times.
• Keep the basic layout of your kitchen the same, moving around major appliances, or the sink can lead to extra costs for moving the hook ups for those items.
• Get your cabinet doors with a veneer finish; a pine door with a cherry veneer finish is a lot less expensive then a cherry door.
• If you know of someone who is renovating their kitchen, and you like the look of their old stuff, it couldn’t hurt to ask for it, they will likely give it to you, or charge you a fraction of the cost of anywhere else. Offering to help remove them will only sweeten the deal.
• Another alternative to the idea above is to seek out people who are renovating and ask them about their old kitchen units, you might try the more wealthy neighborhoods as many in those areas remodel often.
• Basic cabinets are relatively cheap; you will pay a higher premium for trim like cornice, same as any bottle racks, glass doors and other add-ons, avoid them if you can.
• Do not go for trendy looks with your kitchen since they will look outdated much faster, and you will want them replaced sooner. The same goes with an unusual look, a few years down the road, if something breaks, you will need to replace everything instead of just one piece of hardware on easier to find pieces.
• Use stand alone appliances, they are much easier to replace when they wear out, whereas with built-ins it might take a more expensive model to replace the old one.
• Lastly, the biggest savings come from doing the work yourself. If you have the confidence to put up your own cabinets, hook up your own appliances, install a sink, etc, then you can save a large percentage of the cost.
That is basically everything you need to know on how to get cheap kitchen units. There really isn’t too much to it. In some cases, the unit itself isn’t even all that cheap, but with some savvy shopping, you can get it for a lot less then most other people will be paying.
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