Most insane splurge: Hattie thinks about this for a moment before saying, “We probably spent the most on the new countertops. There’s that pretty big stretch of bar, so that was probably the biggest ticket item, followed by the tile.”
Sneakiest save: Not having to replace any of the appliances, which were recently updated by the previous owners, allowed Hattie to keep the costs down quite significantly.
Favorite part: “Definitely the cabinets,” Hattie says without hesitation. She expands, adding, “I loved seeing them get painted. That to me made such a huge difference, and I would say we could have just changed the cabinets and the countertops, and it would’ve completely changed the kitchen.”
What I’d never do again: Hattie laughs and says, “I would’ve checked for blocking behind that wall, so we could have known if we could do floating shelves or not.” But she’s kind to herself: She thinks about this project—her first entirely virtual renovation—and notes that it was an important learning experience. She says, “We had to do everything remotely, and that was really challenging at times. It helped me grow a lot as a designer because it pushed me beyond my comfort zone.” Luckily, everyone was very happy with the final kitchen—even without the shelves.
Final bill: Right at budget around $25,000
