Shoutout to the 1980s fixer-upper in Spokane I almost passed on for a new build

I chose the old house needing a new roof and furnace over a turn-key condo, and after six months of sweat equity, I'm glad I have a yard and a garage, but does anyone have a good lead on a local contractor for a kitchen reno that won't break the bank?

2 comments

2 Comments

jake_kelly241mo ago

How much of the kitchen work are you willing to do yourself? That's the real key to keeping costs down. My buddy saved a ton by demoing his old cabinets and doing the painting after the pros did the hard stuff. For a contractor, I had a good experience with a smaller crew called Stone Creek Remodeling. They were fair on price for the countertop and cabinet install, but they get booked up fast. Just make sure you get a few bids and check their recent work in person.

tyler3681mo ago

Man, you nailed it with that "key to keeping costs down" part. I did the same thing with my place, ripped out the old tile backsplash myself over a weekend and it was a mess but saved me like 800 bucks. Stone Creek did good work on my buddy's bathroom too, but yeah they're tough to get on the calendar. For real though, anyone going cheap on a contractor is asking for trouble down the line, I learned that the hard way with my first hire who ghosted me mid-project.