Thank you so much for the kind words of support and enthusiasm for the big Blank Slate Laundry/Office reveal. I think that everyone who initially voted to paint the room white went to the dark side with me when I changed my mind. Choosing Mount Etna felt like a gutsy move. Several of you worried about it feeling like a cave. I get that. However, with the large windows, adjacent breakfast nook, and white ceiling and trim, even on the gloomiest days, there is plenty of natural light.
Now that the project is complete, it’s budget breakdown time. Money is often a loaded subject, but I try not to shy away from talking about it on this blog. Understanding the cost of DIY and old home maintenance is key to planning projects, and I hope it is helpful.
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Cabinetry and Decor
- Cabinetry (5 cabinets units total) $527 – These units are 10% off at Lowe’s until June 3, 2019. Use your Lowe’s credit card to save an additional 5%.
- Drawer Pulls (eBay) & Knobs (Lowe’s) – $29
- Rolling Laundry Hamper $70
- Fabric for the Upper Cabinets (six yards) $72
- Soffit Lights (four at $27.13 ea.) $109
- Office Side Sconce $50 (currently only available in brushed nickel)
- Office Chair $70 (on sale at Office Depot)
- Clear Protective Floor Mat (not pictured) $30
- Plants $20
- National Park Posters (coupon codes) $105
- Curtain rods $50
Total: $1132
Supplies
- Paint $70
- Wood for the DIY Countertops $80
- Shoe Molding $35 (I reused all the baseboards.)
- Wood for Upper Cabinets, Soffit, and Shelf (We used some scrap.) $230
Total: $415
Electrical Work
I include this in the total as a reference, but it is really a maintenance item rather than a One Room Challenge item. We chose to take care of it during this project. Since we added on a couple of things (noted), it is difficult to parse out the exact laundry room/ office costs, but here is what we paid for:
- Inspect and terminate all knob and tube wiring (Five areas – 3 lights/2 outlets)
- Add electrical for soffit lighting including a switch/outlet combo
- Rewire office sconce and add a switch (We also did this on the opposite wall in the breakfast nook.
- Add two new outlets (one on a dedicated circuit to support a large space heater.)
- Hang soffit lights
- Repair outlets in the boy’s rooms. (unrelated)
- Repair front porch light/motion light switch (unrelated)
Total $1600
Grand Total:
- Cabinetry and Decor $1132
- Supplies $415
$1547 (without electrical work)
- Electrical $1600
Grand Total $3147 (including electrical work)
By far, this is not our most budget-friendly project, but I feel like we got a huge bang for our buck. The office side of the room is an entirely flexible space. We now have storage and more importantly, safe electrical wiring and fixtures on both sides. The budget included wiggle room for a few meaningful splurges too, like the national park posters and the Rifle Paper Co. fabric.
I always hesitate to ask this question, but how do the totals line up with your expectation? Does it make sense that we spent this much, or do you believe we were way out of line or even out of touch?
-Stacy
18 Comments
Chad
My first impression: wow, the electrical work sounds expensive compared to what I paid for the whole house.
Second thought: our per square foot costs were pretty close, I think. I shop around before writing big checks like that, but I’m pretty nonchalant about writing them for something like electrical work where I don’t really have a choice
Stacy
I definitely didn’t hire the cheapest electricians, and I have no regrets. They did the new 200 amp panel when we moved in (2014) and the kitchen electrical work too. The 2-year-old upstairs outlets, installed by a cheaper company, had wires that were melting which is why they stopped working. It’s a wonder they didn’t catch fire! That thought terrifies me. The porch switch was a similar scenario. It was sparking intermittently.
This company works on old houses all day, every day. They recognize every scenario from the beginning of household electricity to the present. They make us feel safe. They can take my money. Ha!
Marta Rose
It seems really reasonable to me. I think it definitely makes sense for you to look at electrical as a separate/maintenance expense that you would have had to do regardless, and I’m sure you got the best price possible. From my perspective, if I am looking to do over a similar room, I’m only going to look at the $1500 price tag, which seems really reasonable for everything you did! Thanks for sharing, it really helps me as I make plans for my own renovations/decorating (thinking seriously about doing the next ORC!)
Stacy
I elaborated about our electrical expenses on Chad’s comment. I did not get the best price, but it was worth every penny. For your project, I do think $1500 is a smart amount to set aside just in case.
Yes! Please do join in the next ORC.
Emily
I figure for this kind of work, you can’t get an electrician out for less than $1K (at least in Boston). I think for the scope and amount of work you did, $1600 is right on the money.
I think you managed to get a lot out of the remaining $1500 bucks. I’m impressed, and I think it’s well worth the money.
Stacy
Thank you, Emily. Thanks for weighing in on the electrical costs in Boston.
Christina Biles
I would say your budget was, if anything, a little low. I would have added a hanging rod and a pull out drying rack and a concealed ironing board, and and and … and a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff that added another 1k+ to the budget because I have no self control.
Stacy
Those are all good ideas! I do plan on adding a drying rack. I bought a pull-out type, but I didn’t end up using it.
Betsy Purves
This budget makes sense to me – except for the pulls/knobs, which I’m impressed you managed to hunt down so cheaply! We’re finally going to try switching out a light fixture ourselves, but the cost of electrical work is what keeps us from doing a lot of the projects I dream about. For instance, I would love to have sconces on either side of our bed to free up room on our nightstands (and because I like how it looks), but I don’t want to spend the money on that work if the master is going to turn into a kid’s bedroom when we renovate in a few years. Yargh!
Stacy
I thought I was buying vintage drawer pulls, but it turns out that they were cast-iron replicas. They ended up only costing a little over a dollar each! I dotted them with gold paint and antiquing wax to make them look more authentic. 🙂
I understand about holding off on some permanent changes due to future room shuffling. We that in our old house for years!
Vanessa
Electrical is one of the things that you can point to at the time of resale, and if you can do that with the comfort of knowing the work was done correctly, well that really has value and is totally worth what you have paid. I find your expenditures to be very reasonable, especially for the size of the house.
Stacy
Those are really good points, Vanessa. Thank you.
Ann
To Betty Purves, Why not get wall-mounted swivel arm lamps with on/off switches built into the cords? You can hang them on the wall and free up the space on your nightstands, and run the cords down the wall to the plugs. The on/off would be a little thumb thingie that’s build into the cords. Cheap, easy way to solve your problem w/o an electrician.
Aileen
Slightly off topic question, but I trust you and am having trouble finding reliable voices on this. How do you like your washing machine?
Stacy
I’m happy to answer your question. The short answer is that I would not buy this washer again. Extra large loads often become unbalanced, and that extends the wash time by minutes to hours! Also, I’m not convinced our clothes get as clean as they should. It is an ultra-high-efficiency machine, and that may be why. There are some features that I love and would look for again:
1. Delayed wash (set timer for later)
2. Delicate cycle
3. Speed wash
4. Tub clean
I hope that helps!
PS: I love the dryer! It operates with natural gas.
Aileen
Thanks! I appreciate the thorough response. That helps a lot!
Norah
That price does not surprise me.
Is it cheap? No.
But, did you overpay? No.
Is it worth it? Absolutely yes.
Emily Henderson recently said on her website that expensive and overpriced are NOT the same thing. It has really stuck with me. Quality work is not cheap, but a high price tag does not necessarily mean that you’ve paid too much.
Your rooms looks functional and beautiful! And it’s a reflection of your own hard work and skills. Bravo!
Stacy
Thank you, Norah. 🙂 Emily made a great point, and I’m glad you shared it with me. Some things just cost what they cost.