As much as you try to stick to the budgeting guidelines you and your remodeling professional worked hard to break down, it can get difficult. Maybe you budgeted for the “Good” but you fell in love with the “Better” or “Best.” The heart wants what the heart wants, right?

Luckily, if you’re in the midst of planning a Chicago area remodeling project with us, you can’t really go wrong, as we work hard to get you the look you want within your budget comfort zone. Alas, you may find yourself wanting to splurge in one area, and forced to cut back in others. So, what should you leave out?

Cutting back to save budget

If you notice yourself going over budget and needing to curb your spending in areas, we suggest cutting back on areas that don’t cause as much disruption when adding or replacing them at a later date. For example:

• Cabinet rollouts – Although they’re a convenient addition to the cabinets, it is possible to add these to your existing cabinets at a later date.
• Hardware – If you stick to the same type of hardware (knobs for knobs and pulls for pulls), you can upgrade easily down the road.
• Appliances - Just make sure your desired appliances will fit within the same dimensions when you upgrade.
• Countertops – A good way to save is to get laminate when your budget is tight and switch it out later for the stone or solid surface of your dreams.

Spend a little more on these

Go ahead and spend now on items that are not so easy to change without disrupting everything else, or adding to the cost dramatically:

• Your cabinetry – Making changes to cabinet door styles and finishes is a large project and a big expense that will disrupt many other pieces of your remodel. We suggest splurging more on your cabinets now, so you won’t have a big mess to figure out later.
• Overall layout – Changing the footprint of your kitchen is going to affect a lot of other pieces, including plumbing and electricity usually. If you want to eventually change the overall layout of your kitchen, you may want to hold off until you’re ready.

Take time to think through your needs and wants, and then talk with your designer about pieces that are easier to change at a later date, if you can’t afford everything now. They may even be able to make suggestions to achieve similar solutions within your budget.