We've just bought a old 650 square foot lakefront cabin in NE
Washington. The cabin needs to be completely renovated (and we're
adding a full semi-daylight basement to double the square footage)As
we've already seriously depleted our budget, we're not splurging on
materials.

Questions: What flooring is the best for the least. Contractor is
allowing $8/square foot installed. Is wood laminate flooring a good
way to go? I don't really want either carpeting or vinyl. So far
we've choosen ceramic tile in kitchen/bath/utility room and wood
laminate in bedroom & living room. The whole basement will have
stained concrete floors (Wish I could talk hubby into having it
stamped!)

What about kitchen countertops? We'll have to probably still with a
formica type. I saw one that looked like granite and was very shiny.
How would it wear? Any other suggestions?

Any other cost cutting suggestions appreciated.

Thanks!

Sandy

"Questions: What flooring is the best for the least. Contractor is
allowing $8/square foot installed. Is wood laminate flooring a good
way to go? I don't really want either carpeting or vinyl. So far
we've choosen ceramic tile in kitchen/bath/utility room and wood
laminate in bedroom & living room. The whole basement will have
stained concrete floors (Wish I could talk hubby into having it
stamped!) "


What flooring is best for the least is too open ended to be able to
answer. All the various materials at different price points have
advantages/disadvantages. A lot depends on the application. For
example, I'd never use laminate in a living room, but would use it for
an office space in a finished basement.

More importantly, I think you're looking in the wrong end of the
telescope. YOU are remodeling the house and should be deciding the
materials vs price for the whole job, not the contractor allowing you
$8/ft for flooring. And $8/ft for laminate flooring is so out of line
that I'd be looking real hard at what else this guy is overcharging
for. To be talking about choices of vinyl, carpet, or laminate at
those prices is absurd.

In article . com,
says...
We've just bought a old 650 square foot lakefront cabin in NE
Washington. The cabin needs to be completely renovated (and we're
adding a full semi-daylight basement to double the square footage)As
we've already seriously depleted our budget, we're not splurging on
materials.

Questions: What flooring is the best for the least. Contractor is
allowing $8/square foot installed. Is wood laminate flooring a good
way to go? I don't really want either carpeting or vinyl. So far
we've choosen ceramic tile in kitchen/bath/utility room and wood
laminate in bedroom & living room. The whole basement will have
stained concrete floors (Wish I could talk hubby into having it
stamped!)

$8/sq.ft. is rather pricey. You should be able to do a lot for that,
unless you're being gouged, as Trader4 suggests. We just did half of
our first floor with 5/8" TG bamboo for a little less than $5/sq.ft. ,
including the tearup of the vinyl and replacement of a couple of sheets
of subflooring (tile thinset stuck fast to the subfloor). The bamboo
flooring itself was $3/sq.ft. http://www.diyflooring.com.

What about kitchen countertops? We'll have to probably still with a
formica type. I saw one that looked like granite and was very shiny.
How would it wear? Any other suggestions?

If I had infinite money, I'd go granite. However...

Any other cost cutting suggestions appreciated.

Get bids from another contractor to make sure you're not being taken.
$8/sq.ft. sounds like a lot.

--
Keith