5 Kitchen Budget Mistakes (And the One You Actually Control)

In this episode we break down the five process mistakes that quietly push kitchen remodel costs higher after you think your budget is set. We share the questions we ask before demo day so you can plan for surprises, protect your timeline, and stop “one more upgrade” from snowballing.

• Electrical and plumbing code surprises hidden behind walls
• Setting a realistic 15% to 20% contingency cushion
• Structural problems like load-bearing walls and rotted subfloor
• Permit fees plus inspection delays that extend timelines
• The real-life cost of living without a kitchen
• Scope creep and “while we’re here” upgrades that stack up fast
• Deciding whether an add-on is a want or a need

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Transcript

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Why Kitchen Budgets Quietly Break

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Most kitchen budgets don't blow up because of a bad decision. They blow up because of five specific mistakes almost nobody sees coming. And today I'm walking you through every one of them so you don't get caught off guard. Welcome to Design Your Home, the podcast that helps you design and decorate your home with confidence. I'm Sally Sorcelli, award-winning interior designer. Let's get started. Welcome back to the Design Your Home podcast, and today we're talking kitchen budgets, specifically the stuff that quietly adds dollars to your number after you've already locked it in. This isn't a you should have budgeted better type of episode. I'm calling these mistakes because they're avoidable, not because they're your fault. Every one of them is a mistake in the process, not necessarily a mistake in your judgment. Most of what blows a kitchen budget has nothing to do with your choices and everything to do with what's hiding behind your walls, your permit office, and your own good intentions once demo starts. By the end of this episode, you'll know what to ask before you ever sign a contract with your contractor if you are using one, or what you need to know on your own. So none of this catches you off guard in the middle of your remodel. So

Surprise Code Issues Behind Walls

SPEAKER_00 1:35

let's start with mistake number one. The one nobody sees or can see until demo day. And that's electrical and plumbing that isn't up to code once you or your contractor opens up a wall. These are plumbing and electrical supply surprises that are behind existing walls. Think older wiring, old pipes, a junction box somebody buried behind drywall decades ago. None of it shows up on a walkthrough because it's hidden behind the walls. So what you want to do is ask your contractor if you are working with one and you're not DIYing this entire project before signing about their track record with electrical or plumbing surprises in homes your age. What do they typically see? Do their bids already include a contingency line about it? Or is this something that you are going to get hit with each time a new surprise comes up? At least knowing what their plan is will help you moving forward so that you just don't keep getting surprise after surprise because it really throws off your entire remodel. Now, one quick number to hold on to is most experienced contractors, and again, if you're not using a contractor, I'm going to tell you to set aside 15 to 20% above your quote or what you're thinking you're going to spend if you're DIYing this as a cushion. Specifically for this kind of thing, you just don't know what's behind your wall, especially in older homes. You just have no idea until you open it up. If your contractor isn't bringing that number up themselves and isn't, and they aren't saying to you, hey, you know, you should set aside 10, 15, 20% in case something comes up, that is worth noting. It doesn't mean your contractor's bad, but you do want to bring that up. This is not you being difficult. Remember, this is your home. You own it, you get to make the decisions and oversee everything. So doing that small part to just have that conversation with your contractor is going to help set you up for hopefully some potentially expensive kitchen mistakes.

Structural Problems You Cannot Ignore

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Let's move on to mistake number two. It is a close cousin to mistake number one, and it can happen especially in older homes. And that are it that is structural surprises. So you can't just remove any wall you want to, in whether it's an older home or even a new home, and assume it's just a cosmetic thing. So if you do try to remove a wall, assuming it's cosmetic and you find out it's load-bearing, that's an issue. Another place this can show up, and you wouldn't know about it when you're walking through a home or thinking about your remodel, is that the subfloor is rotted. Now, the subfloor is that plywood flooring that you don't see underneath your tile or your LVP or your carpet. And if your subfloor is rotted, that will be an issue. This is actually something we don't have an issue with in California because we have concrete. However, in our Florida property, our little bungalow, it is a very old house built in I think late 40s, I think 48, maybe 50. And so that's a 70-year-old home, 80-year-old home. And she's an old girl. And when we were doing remodeling, we realized that some of the subfloor in the bathroom was rotted. So we didn't know it until we went in there. And of course, that adds to the cost because you've got to fix that subfloor. You can't put new flooring on top of a bad foundation. So you want to talk if you're working with a contractor. Ask whether they are going to do a structural assessment before the bid is finalized, or if they have a plan for when they see things, how much do they expect that to cost? Basically, the more numbers and planning you can do up front, the more success you'll have because you'll have budgeted for it and you'd be surprised how fast that extra 15 to 20% can go if you run into issues. So, one quick question about hey, do you do a check on this before? And if we do find something, what's the best and most cost-effective way to fix this? And that'll just help you get a good start on your project.

Permits Fees And Inspection Delays

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Moving on to mistake number three this is paperwork that nobody warns you about. And this has nothing to do with tile or cabinets. This is permit fees and inspection delays. So depending on your city, permits can cost real money. And a failed or delayed inspection can stall your whole timeline, which has costs on its own. Now, I'm gonna be honest with you. In truth, many contractors prefer not to pull permits, and I'm not going to say that that is good and bad. Uh I will say many contractors I work with have not pulled permits on client projects because they weren't changing structural uh elements that could compromise the safety of a home. If you're just changing kitchen cabinets, doing cosmetic changes, you might just be running, you know, new pendant lights in. I'm not gonna say you should always check with your city, but not all the time are permits necessary. But if they are, it's important that you know that. So always check with your city or jurisdiction or county to know that. But many contractors don't pull them just because it can cause added hassles and delays and extra costs, and they're on a timeline. But some kitchen updates, like I just said, are cosmetic without structural changes. So permits might not be needed. I'm not endorsing that necessarily, just sharing. But what you want to ask if you're working with a contractor is who's pulling the permits? Is that included in your cost, or do they expect you to pay for those on top of the fees you're paying your contractor? And what are the fees that typically run in your area? Just so you have that buffer to know what that cost is and also to know what time delays might be involved. And if your contractor can't answer that clearly, that's also information for you, too. There is a wide range of contractors, some that are amazing and I would trust my life with, and others I have seen some nightmare stories that that oversell and are underqualified. And so a contractor that has experience and is good at what they do should have answers for this for you. Mistake

The Real Cost Of No Kitchen

SPEAKER_00 9:30

number four. This is one that people really do underestimate. My clients definitely underestimate it, which is why I always go into it when we are preparing for the construction phase. I always prepare them because they just don't even think it's a factor. Same with my students in kitchen design essentials. I always want to remind them of this additional cost. And I experienced it myself. That's the cost of living without a kitchen while yours gets rebuilt. It gets old very quickly to live without a kitchen, and you really don't realize until you're living through it how difficult it can be. When you are used to having all your appliances out, and all of a sudden you're left with the bare minimum. I can speak from experience when I remodeled our kitchen, I moved everything mostly into our laundry room, which is upstairs, which is great that we have a sink up there. So we had a working sink. So that was a battle in itself that we got to solve. But to walk all the way upstairs, which we were living upstairs because we had remodeled all of our floors too. So we were upstairs for a while. But cooking in the laundry room where you're also doing your laundry, yeah, it could be a little bit gross. It is what it is. You get through it, but it gets difficult. You've got a mini fridge in there. Maybe you put your mini fridge in the living room or your refrigerator in the living room. You're eating for weeks, standing up at a table or at your sofa or above a laundry uh in your laundry room, above your washer and dryer. It gets old, and so it can get really convenient to want to eat out. But takeout, especially if you have a family like we do, it adds up when every time, you know, two or three times you're going out to eat, it isn't always convenient. So not only are you having cost of additional food, you might be buying some things to help you temporarily live. We started relying on paper products more, which we don't often because we just try to just use our regular plates and dishes, but we started not wanting to wash everything because it was getting inconvenient. So it can add up, and people underestimate how much they'll spend getting takeout because you know, $20 to $50 just starts adding up. And if you have construction delays, those costs can add up more. So one thing you want to ask is getting a realistic timeline up front. If you're working with a contractor, they can say, hey, this is gonna take two months, this is gonna take three months, and you need to set up and build a temporary kitchen and food budget for that window before that number escapes from you. Now, again, if you're DIYing this completely, you are going to want to talk to the different trades you're bringing in because it's not likely you're putting your own countertops in unless you're putting butcher block. That's a little easier. But if you're putting a slab material in, you just want to get timelines because normally once your cabinets go in, you need to have some time before countertops and sinks, and you've got all the things. These are things I go over, you know, again, in kitchen design essentials, but you want to think about a realistic timeline for how long you're gonna live without that kitchen. Again, I'm not trying to dissuade you from doing your kitchen remodel. Honestly, all the discomfort we went through was so worth it to have such a more functional and beautiful kitchen on, you know, as the end result, but it is an added expense.

Scope Creep And One More Upgrade

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Now, moving on to mistake number five, and this one is a big one. And I know this is something that my clients might bring up, and I bring it up to them, and they'll say, Oh, it'll be fine. Same with students, but it's a very common thing, and it is the one underneath all of these. It's not a surprise behind a wall, it's you standing in your half-finished kitchen saying, Well, while we're here, let's add one more thing. It's these just one more thing upgrades, that snowball. And yes, in full disclosure, if you're already in there doing construction and you already have an electrician there or a plumber there, and you say, Hey, while you're already putting the faucet in, I now want to add a water filter. Now, if there's electrical needs with that, it might be more complicated, but it's little things that you start adding up, changing the faucet that you were going to keep, upgrading the counter that you already picked because now you see it next to the new cabinets and you don't like it. None of it shows up on that original bid because you discover it or decide to add it after signing. I can't tell you that I have any clients that didn't want to add something in after the fact because, especially once they start working with me as a designer and I start sharing different ideas that we can do. Now, yes, of course, I share them originally, but due to budgets, people don't always listen, right? It happens all the time that I know what their needs are because we have gone through a lot of digging and information and a lot of conversations to know exactly how they want their kitchen to function or any space, but especially their kitchen. And then I suggest something and they're like, oh no, we're not gonna want to do that. I can't tell you how many times that we get in there and they say, Hey, remember that idea you shared with us? Yeah, we want to do that now. And sometimes it can be a little bit too late that we have to undo something we've already done. And that can add to it. So the more planning and preparation that I go through with my clients and my students, it really does help them later on to avoid some of these, hey, can we just add this one more thing? You know, it could be something like switching to glass doors on certain cabinets or adding under-cabinet lighting after the fact when you didn't think you wanted it in the first place. So what you want to ask before adding anything mid-project is ask yourself, is it a want you're adding because you can suddenly see it, or an actual need? Both are absolutely allowed. Just know which one you're saying yes to and know the number um moves when you add it. Honestly, this is why I do stress with my clients and my students that you don't just go swinging the sledgehammer and start remodeling your kitchen. It takes preparation. I have a whole process to help guide you to know exactly what you want for functioning with your kitchen. It is a process that works. I have repeated it many, many times with clients and students. And so I want you to avoid that just one more thing upgrade so that you don't get this extra budget buster with your kitchen remodel.

Your Plan And The Free Guide

SPEAKER_00 17:39

Now, none of this. The walls, the permits, the temporary kitchen, the just one more thing is about you making bad choices. It's about costs that nobody handed you a list of before you started your remodel. And that's exactly why I'm sharing them with you right now. Four of these, you know, you can't fully control, right? You they live on your contractor side because we don't know what's behind the walls or under the floors when you tear things up. You could have a mold leak. There's lots of things that can happen. But that fifth one, that scope creep, that one is yours to plan around. And I do have ways to help you avoid that because again, I want you to get the most out of your remodel at the most affordable price. The one mistake on this list that you do have full control over is number five. And it starts with getting crystal clear on your kitchen design plan before demo day ever happens. And that is why I've got a free kitchen planning guide, which is going to walk you through the first bit three big decisions you need to make with your kitchen remodel. This has been really a popular guide, and I have had thousands of people download it. You can get it yourself at nestorations.com forward slash kitchen, and it's free. And it's going to go through with some of the big decisions you've got to get you started. And again, I have more ways to help you in the Kitchen Design Essentials program, but we can talk about that another day, or you can send a DM about that. But again, get that guide to get you started, and I will see you on the next episode.