DIY Spirit and $8,700 Transform a Townhouse Kitchen

The townhouse that Annie Spano wanted to buy had gone to the dogs — literally. Previous owners’ large dogs had chewed up a lot of the molding and stained the floors with urine. “It was a wreck,” Annie says. Her husband, Michael, thought she was crazy for wanting to ostensibly throw money away. “When he walked in, he was appalled and disgusted,” she says. “He couldn’t see past the filth. But I saw a blank canvas and envisioned everything I could do.”

BEFORE: The kitchen needed considerable attention. The laminate countertops had chunks missing (shown here in the foreground). The appliances were broken and beat up. Without a backsplash, there was crusted food stuck to the walls. The cabinets didn’t have any hardware or molding. Poor lighting meant that even with white cabinets, appliances and flooring, the space still looked dark. Plus, the white tile floor was cracked in places and hard to keep clean, and the once-gray grout was black with dirt.


AFTER: Annie persuaded her husband to get onboard with her, and the two spent just about every waking moment outside of their jobs — she’s a product designer; he’s a consultant — over the next several months working on their new home.

They watched many YouTube videos and taught themselves how to do a lot of the work, like installing the beveled marble tile backsplash and undercabinet LED strip lighting.

They also worked with their local Home Depot to source most of the materials and appliances as well as handle some of the labor. They got new granite countertops, hardwood floors, appliances and light fixtures; a new sink and faucet; and new cabinet hardware. They kept the cabinets the same color but gave them a good scrubbing. “There was a thick layer of dirt, grime and food, but after a good scrub they turned white again,” Annie says.




Annie also created an ideabook on Houzz and used it to guide her choices. For example, she got the idea for the chandelier in the adjacent breakfast area from a photo she had saved for inspiration.

The couple’s DIY approach and careful budgeting made it a fun and headache-free remodeling project. Even Michael was glad he listened to Annie.

Here’s the budget breakdown for this project:

Appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and oven): $3,400
Granite countertops: $500
Marble subway tile backsplash and supplies: $700
Maple Sedona hardwood flooring: $850
Pegasus sink and Delta faucet: $600
Undercabinet wireless lighting: $250
Crown molding on cabinets: $50
Cabinet hardware: $82
Behr paint and all paint and tile supplies: $300
Crystal chandeliers: $200
Labor for sink installation and plumbing: $550
Tile removal and hardwood installation: $922
Crown molding installation: $300

Total: $8,704

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More: See a Complete Kitchen Remodel for $11,000

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