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My husband and I have decided that we want to move back to our home state. In order for us to put the house on the market, we feel we will have to revamp our kitchen. No major demo, though. We want to replace the countertop and sink... and then add a backsplash and do new paint. While looking at different materials for the countertop, we decided that we like both Silestone and Quartz. The counter space we need to replace is actually not very big--- maybe 15 sq ft, and that's not factoring in the space the sink goes in.
Have any of you put these in your kitchen?
Also, because this is a reno primarily for resale purposes, we are trying to be as frugal as possible. We'd like to budget $2K for the whole reno--- does this seem reasonable? What did you all pay per sq ft? Suggested vendors?
And for the realtors and agents out there---Which one do you think is more attractive to buyers?
This was our first house, so we have not gone through the experience of selling before, so any input is appreciated!
Silestone is a quartz product just with a different name, some would say name brand. Find a color that works in the kitchen in both options and pick the cheaper price. $2k sounds somewhat doable but it depends on the kitchen itself and what options you go with. If you go unlaminated square edge you could get it for that pretty easily. If you have about 7 linear feet of space with no bends and no overhangs, like an island, then $2k is a fair price but maybe a little low if you have large overhangs then it would be low, polishing the edge can be expensive.
I would find a local top shop and see if they have a scrapyard you can pick from. I worked for one for 4 years so my price is lower but I put custom cabinets in my master bath, built myself they are extra deep for a vanity with a shelf around it 3" deep. The top for it and the ledge around it is granite and cost $600 total including sinks from scrapyard material it is about half the sq ft you have.
$2000 for quartz countertop, sink, paint, and backsplash? Even with you doing all the work (not even sure if that's the case), I don't think that budget will be sufficient.
The area we are doing is not that big. We have a contractor that lives a few streets away that did our gut- job on our only bathroom in the house. He did a great job and it was about $6K. That bathroom was only 50sq ft or so, but it was a major reno. So, I am basing my budget somewhat off of what we have seen (product- wise) in showrooms and what we can estimate as labor from our contractor. We would do the painting and backsplash ourselves.
sink- $250
faucet- 175
backsplash and supplies- 150
paint- 75 (we have painted every room in this house and have all the brushes, etc saved, so this is just paint cost)
total= $650
That leaves $1350 for labor and the countertop.
As you can see in the picture, the actual size of the countertop should not be that big.
(Note: We did not pick this color for our kitchen--- that was the previous owner's decision. It is EXACTLY as terrible as it appears in the pic).
That being said, I would put down granite and that's what I did.
You will likely be able to find it for under $50 sq ft.
Whatever anyone tells you here or elsewhere, it is a timeless material that has been around for decades if not centuries. Who knows if quartz will stand that test.
Pick something neutral that's not to busy and doesn't have wild striations of color.
Especially if your market is for first time home buyers, they may want whatever they deem is most current, but they will be happy to get something modern and other than formica in a resale.
Check what your competition has. My guess is contrary to what you will hear here most who have upgraded installed granite and because of the trendiness/price of quartz now, granite is a bargain. If you like quartz, put it in your new home, not the one you are reselling.
The goal in a resale is to make it something that most people can live with at the cheapest possible cost to you the seller. Most people buying resales are people who cannot afford to buy new and have everything exactly like they want. Just give them something they can live with until they can afford to move up or rip it all out and make it exactly what they want, especially if you are just doing a partial renovation.
The big box stores have quartz starting at around $50/sf installed. That's $750 for your job. If you add in $3-400 for a sink, $100 for a faucet, and a few hundred for a plumber, I think you can do it for your budget. Keep in mind, if your kitchen isn't already updated, whoever buys the house will probably tear it all out anyway. Quartz and (especially) granite are very personal design decisions.
You'll likely not get any of that money back, but it may help you sell faster. I'd keep it plain and low end.
1. what is the price point of your home? modest? move up? high end?
2. how hot is your market? sellers? buyers? neutral?
3. does your home otherwise look drab so that you need to make a major splash?
I ask because our $300k+ former home sold in under 48 hours and it had neither granite nor quartz counters. I didn't have a fireplace. I didn't have hardwood flooring.
Our current home, more expensive, has tile counters (soon to be removed).
Moral of the story, you don't HAVe to replace the countertops in order to sell. If you are at a moderate price point in a neutral to seller's market, I'd concentrate on making sure the flooring isn't stained/damaged, minor repairs are done, and everything is presented in **** and span condition.
Tiny space like that go find a local top company they will give you your best deal. Like I said before go look at their scrapyard take a measurement from wall to wall that is all they need, looks to be about 100" give or take 10" or so it is hard to tell in pictures. Kitchens are 25-1/2" deep normally including overhang, yours looks standard judging by the sink, so they don't need that though they will most likely want to measure it themselves. You are looking at under $1k and they may be able to throw in a promo sink too for cheap or free.
Avoid the box stores they mark it up like you wouldn't believe and they don't do any of the work themselves.
Thanks everyone for the advice---- I think we are going to go and look at scrap granite this weekend. I hate granite. But I also hate living in this city and want to sell this house ASAP...... and if I can save money along the way to use in our future house, I can get over my distaste of granite.
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