Are you ready for it!? Here is my biggest money-saving secret!
(and I am not getting a commission to tell you this)
You may know that Craig and I have flipped four houses in the last six-ish years and that budget is critical when flipping houses. When two designers are in charge of a real estate investment, it can be easy to overspend all your profits. (It's so hard to have good taste, right?!)
So what is a designer to do when the budget is a factor, but having a unique aesthetic and a high-quality feel is also paramount?
Drum roll, please...
Our favorite trick is to apply custom fronts to Ikea cabinet boxes!
What you see below is a progress photo from our last home. Here you can see the white cabinet boxes we purchase from Ikea (only the white part is from Ikea).
And then, on top of those boxes, we apply custom cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and side panels from a third-party manufacturer!
Many designers and engineers have raved about the quality of Ikea cabinet boxes, hinges, and drawer slides. They are super functional, versatile, and hard-wearing... but Ikea only has a few choices for the material and finish of your cabinets. This hybrid option allows you to have a custom look but still enjoy the value of Ikea cabinets!
The house above had a ton of cabinets in the kitchen, three bathrooms, a laundry room, a coffee bar, and a fully built-in entertainment center. This cabinet package could have easily cost $100,000 plus on its own! However, because we used our little Ikea hybrid trick, we purchased six big rooms worth of gorgeous cabinets for just $25,000!
Remember, you will need to pay a carpenter to assemble and install the cabinets in addition to this material cost, but even after that, we come out tens of thousands of dollars ahead!
So now you are wondering where to find these 3rd party fronts! Am I right!?
Well, the manufacturer that we use is called Dendra Door, and I did include their information in my resource guide,
AND
If you purchase the resource guide, you will also receive a 20% discount code from Dendra! I mean, that's a no-brainer... you will basically make money by purchasing the guide!
Here is what that kitchen above looked like when it was all finished!
P.S.
Whenever you're ready, I would love to help you remodel or build your dream home! Here are 4 ways we can work together:
My free Live Material Board Workshop is a great place to start! In just one hour, you will have the design for your dream home materializing on paper!
My new book, Remodel Jump Start is packed with 100 pages of valuable information and worksheets to help you create a plan for your design, budget, and team!
Save yourself hours of research with my Remodel Resource Guide! I have compiled all my favorite suppliers for things like flooring, countertops, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, and hardware...
When you're serious about starting your remodel or new home, come spend six weeks with me, and I will walk you through the interior design of your project using my signature interior design program!
