Jackson Heights Life

I really really recommend that you do not get the Ikea cabinets!!!!  They are crap and will begin cracking and falling apart in record time.  You have what looks like might be well built older cabinets - I suggest you look into either painting them or replacing the doors and hardware - much less expensive and if the cabinets are well made will last much longer.  I went to Home Depot for a counter top and they installed it.  They did a good job and were reasonably priced - depends what kind of top you buy.

We recently bought an apartment in need of renovation work, but by golly our cabinets - original from the 1955 build - are solidly built and really good quality. (Sure, there's contact paper in them, but its clean and we only see it when we open the cabinets) So, we decided there was no reason at this time to replace them, and would rather save up to buy equally solid, high quality cabinets that will bring our kitchen in to the 21st century.

We're also looking at repainting and replacing some of he hardware. I think you might be a little luckier than we are. Our bottom cabinets have a big corner in them that if I were buying new ones today I'd look at putting in a big lazy susan in that location. Now, we have to use that space to store the things we don't use that often, and then curse when we actually have to retrieve it. I swear, when I cleaned the kitchen before unpacking our things, I practically had to climb in to wipe down to the corner.

Apartmenttherapy might be a good resource for cheap kitchen makeover ideas.  Here's one link that shows several kitchens with $500 and $1000 makeovers.  http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/kitchen-remodel-makeovers-20-great-transformations-for-every-budget-203286

QueensGal, one thing to add...

if you really want to stay in budget and you are not changing the configuration of your kitchen, I notice that your cabinets are wood, so you could easily have them painted.

I painted mine myself (google Renov8or) and they turned out great.

If you paint yourself, here's a product I wish I'd known about before I did mine:

http://t.homedepot.com/p/Flood-Floetrol-1-qt-Clear-Latex-Paint-Additive-FLD6-04/100198078

It keeps the paint from drying quickly and leaving brush marks so you can get a smooth finish.

Also, Ikea Numerar countertop is very inexpensive and looks like butcher block. I had it in a previous apartment and loved it.

I'm in a similar situation and am weighing whether I'm going to do cosmetic upgrading or something more serious. I'm having my cabinets painted (I have 38 doors and drawer faces in a kitchen of similar size to the one posted, so it's a bigger project than I feel like dealing with diy) and am changing the hardware myself.

I would like to do a new countertop and backsplash too, but currently there is Formica covering nearly every surface of this kitchen and I was told it would be tricky, i.e. more expensive, to remove it all without destroying cabinets.

I tried Sweeten recently with mixed results (only one contractor responded and he doesn't seem to get my aesthetics and wants to do way more than I would like). One thing to keep in mind with that service is that the minimum suggested budget is $10,000 and that's more like my absolute maximum, including new appliances.

I'm curious if anyone here has had success with contractors and smaller projects. This is more than a handyman job (I'd also like to install a dishwasher where there has never been one). I've reached out to some mentioned here on past threads and have had a hard time getting any responses.

AllI'd like to add and ultimately point out is that there is no backsplash in this kitchen, and may be a good idea to do one at the same time as when you are replacing and choosing the countertops. We've had clients obsess over the decision of bacsplash and countertop combination choices, but ultimately all did it at the same time.

I'm thinking of doing a not-so-major kitchen renovation and this thread is so incredibly helpful.  Thanks everyone!

I'm guess I'm lucky that if I buy the materials my super will do the installations for free but I might still pay for someone because I worry they will do shoddy work.