If you guys have those cabinets for cookie sheets, etc., what do you keep in your ovens? 
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We donāt keep anything in our oven.
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This made me laugh because it was a running joke when we visited D1 at her apt to check the oven cause you could usually find dirty dishes she would shove in their when we were coming overā¦ 
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LOL. We keep the oven shelves in the oven. But I did know somebody that lived in a tiny apartment in NYC and kept sweaters in the overn. I would definitely need tape over the controls is I ever did that.
My grandfather hid money in the oven! (Might have come in handy for a big remodel 
)
A friend of mineās wife was a binge eater. If he or their kids had something they were trying to keep away from the wife, theyād put it in the oven. She was NOT a cook, clearly.
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I knew quite a few 20-somethings who did the same in NYC. Many never used their ovens to cook anything.
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Apparently one shouldnāt keep 9x13 pans with plastic covers in the oven. I swear I check the oven every time, but Iāve melted four of the plastic lids during 8 months in this rentalā¦kitchen rebuild will definitely have a BIG pots and pans drawer.
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My H buys a couple pans a year and never gets rid of the old ones ā āWe can use them for camping!ā AGH!!! We could cook for 50 people at a campsite with what we haveā¦
H likes to be able to see everything we have, so the pots and pans live on top of the stove. Drives me nuts, as they get dirty there even if weāre not using them. We donāt have cabinets for everything. I want drawers for pots next time.
I surreptitiously take old pans to the dump if they are not good enough to donate. Donāt tell him! 
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I donāt know the prices for kitchen remodels, but wow, $150,000 sounds too much.
I recently finished a bathroom renovation. We updated our master bath with new tiling, fixtures, and a fresh coat of paint. We didnāt go for top-of-the-line materials, but we also didnāt skimp on quality. It ended up costing us around $13,000, which felt reasonable given the improvements we made. So, if a bathroom costs this much, I canāt see how you can pay $150,000 for a kitchen. Maybe if you use luxurious material, then yes, I get it.
(Name of company edited out by moderator to comply with ToS.)
@alexsunny123 - what state are you in? For our kitchen remodel, half the cost was labor - and we got bids where the cost would have been upwards of 75% labor (Northeast). Our contractor estimated that the remodel of a tiny half bath would have been 10k! No thanks!
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It amazes me to see what some people are willing to pay for āturn keyā construction projects.
Recently I damaged a fence on our property. Knowing the local labor market, I estimated a contractor would charge $1000-1200 to repair it, if I could find someone willing to take the small job. I did it myself in a couple hours with an out of pocket cost of about $100.
On a larger scale, we recently had a water leak in our boat garage due to a frozen pipe. It flooded the attic over a 16ā high ceiling and water ran down some of the interior walks, necessitating removal and replacement of about 1000 square feet of drywall and the insulation behind it. Insurance didnāt cover it. We had a contractor give us a preliminary estimate of $20,000-25,000, which is a reasonable turn key price.
Because Iām retired and therefore my time has no value (haha) I decided to break it into smaller pieces and tackle them one by one.
I rented an industrial vacuum to vacuum out the blown in attic insulation and hired a couple guys to demo the ruined drywall.
Then I rented a scissor lift so we could safely get up to ceiling level, and sprayed all the wood to prevent mold.
Next I hired a buddy who used to install drywall, and helped him hang the drywall. Now heās taping the drywall and then heāll go on to the painting.
Then Iāll rent a machine to blow in the attic insulation.
It sounds like a lot of work but it really isnāt. My actual labor will total roughly 40 hours and Iām saving $10,000-15,000.
So when I hear $150,000 for a kitchen my head spins.
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Iām trying to wrap my head around that number as well. Seven years ago we remodeled our kitchen island which included new plumbing/electrical, sinks, etc. (before/after):
As well as creating this library/wine bar/office from a basically empty room (before/after):
Total cost, including scope creep, $44K. Maybe just less expensive in AZ?
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Prices have skyrocketed since Covid. Weāve been working on our old house since '18. The differences in materials and labor costs pre-covid and after are ridiculous.
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I really like this island. I could be tempted to do something like this and do away with our tiny dining area. No one uses the dining table except for the cat, who likes to skid across it full speed. 
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@ChoatieMom - I love that new island!
We are having a partial remodel done in one of our bathrooms. The old combination jacuzzi tub/shower is being removed and a new. larger shower will take its place. Thatās all. It is costing $30K+
@sherpa - its really great that you can do all of that, my H did a lot of projects on our home in the past and saved us a lot of money. Unfortunately not everyone has the time or skills to do so and some jobs are just too much for one person.
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I agree that prices (of everything) have risen since Covid, but construction has gone through the roof. Just before the pandemic, we had the same company that did the projects above redo our laundry space. I wanted to stack the washer/dryer to free up space for a broom closet and replace the formica counter tops with granite. This project, which included new cabinetry to match existing (these guys are masters) as well as a new sink area ended up around $10K which we thought was shocking compared to the āreasonableā price we paid for the kitchen/library. I donāt want to know what these projects would cost today.
Before:
After:
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Youāre absolutely right. It takes time and skills, and also one other thing, an understanding that none of this stuff is particularly complicated or difficult if you attack it methodically.
We did a master bathroom remodel last year. We had the fiberglass shower ripped out and slightly enlarged (taking a bit of room out of the closet) new flooring, new vanity and sinks, mirrors, new tile surround around the tub, new lights and new toilet. $30,000. We did keep the original tub and pretty much the same layout.
If you donāt have the time and you have the money then paying someone to do things works also.
A lot of people pay someone to do their taxes or use an online service, but it takes time and skills and also one other thing, an understanding that none of this stuff is particularly complicated or difficult or if you attack it methodically.
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