DIYbanter - Cost effective rehabs kitchens and baths

"news" wrote in message
link.net...
Hello friends,

Can anyone recommend any sites and/or resources for best designing and
estimating kitchen and bath remodels on a budget? The goal is to rehab
investment homes cost effectivly and maximize return on dollars spent. I'm
looking for design choices that will update many older kitchens and baths
(1960 - 1980), covering everything from cabinets, to flooring, plumbing,
and lighting.

What I did with my 60s era ranch home (now a rental) was to pull out all of
the bathroom fixtures, and replace them with new, mid-range white fixtures
and white and chrome cabinets and towel bars. Painted the walls white,
didn't do anythign with the terazzo floors. This gave the baths a neat,
neutral and clean look. I did some poking around at the high end style
stores (restoration hardware, mainly) and then duplicated the look I liked
with stuff from Home Depot. The thing you want to keep in mind is to keep
everything neutral. White and cream are great. Every tenant can imagine
her/his furniture and things in a neutral room. For the kitchen, I did
the same thing: kept the cabinets, but painted the interiors white to
freshen the look, and replaced the hardware with fun knobs. I upgraded the
fridge/stove and dishwasher with mid-range white appliances, put in a nice
secondhand farmer's sink (again, white) and left the countertops alone. By
replacing the easy-to-purchase stuff, the kitchen looked modern and neutral,
and I didn't have to do the expensive replacement of cabinets or counters.

Hope that helps.

Donna