Home 4 Money-Saving Renovation Hacks One Design Blogger Swears By These tricks helped her save so much money on her kitchen and bathroom remodels. By Katie Holdefehr Katie Holdefehr Instagram Website Katie Holdefehr is the associate editorial director at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 11, 2023 Fact checked by Isaac Winter Fact checked by Isaac Winter Isaac Winter is a fact-checker and writer for Real Simple, ensuring the accuracy of content published by rigorously researching content before publication and periodically when content needs to be updated. Highlights: Helped establish a food pantry in West Garfield Park as an AmeriCorps employee at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center. Interviewed Heartland Alliance employees for oral history project conducted by the Lake Forest College History Department. Editorial Head of Lake Forest College's literary magazine, Tusitala, for two years. Our Fact-Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Katie Holdefehr When Stacy K. Allen, a photographer, and blogger behind Mountainside Home, decided to renovate her kitchen and add on an extra bathroom to her home in Cahaba Heights, Alabama, and she knew she had to get creative. Sharing a 1,400-square-foot, 1950's-style ranch home with her husband Jarrod, two kids (Jude and Eva), a dog, and a cat, Stacy wanted to create a stylish, family-friendly space, but for a fraction of the cost of a designer home renovation. The solution? She and her husband (who happens to be an industrial designer) decided to "hack the system." By hacking supplies from big box stores, making friends with the pros, and finding affordable alternatives to their favorite materials, they were able to get their dream kitchen and bathroom—while maintaining a modest home renovation budget. The next time you're planning a home remodel, keep these thrifty remodeling hacks in mind. 01 of 04 Make it yours. Katie Holdefehr "When we go to do a remodel, our style isn’t necessarily represented at the big box hardware stores," Stacy explained when I took a tour of her beautiful, creative home. Rather than rely on builder-grade basics, Stacy used finds from IKEA as the "building blocks" for the design, adding a DIY touch. For example, the couple used IKEA cabinets in the kitchen but paired them with modern hardware to make it theirs. In the bathroom, they used an IKEA countertop, but they hacked the trendy waterfall countertop look by also installing the material down the sides of the bathroom vanity. The end result: a custom waterfall countertop, but for an IKEA price tag. 02 of 04 Use the leftovers. Katie Holdefehr When trying to make every dollar stretch during an affordable home renovation, it pays to use leftover materials. In the open closet on the side of her new beautiful bathroom addition, Stacy decided to repurpose some leftover IKEA countertops into floating shelves. She was able to sneak in a little extra storage, and she didn't have to shell out for brand-new shelves. 03 of 04 Make friends with the pros. Katie Holdefehr When Stacy priced out the cost of a custom shower door, she initially thought it was outside her budget. Luckily, her husband Jarrod is an industrial designer, so he was able to order a custom shower door (and two bathroom mirrors) from a welder who he knew. The frames were welded and powder-coated, and Jarrod installed the glass himself, bringing the total cost of the shower door to around just $200. Even if you're not an industrial designer, you can still reach out to a local welder, woodworker, or specialist in your area to get a cost estimate for a project you have in mind. And especially if you're willing to DIY some portion of the project or do the install yourself, it can save you thousands of dollars. 04 of 04 Find a cheaper alternative. Katie Holdefehr "Flooring can get really expensive," Stacy warned, as I admired the gorgeous tile floor in her kitchen. "We love the look of marble, so instead, we got a marble look in a ceramic tile," she explained. The finished look is every bit as luxurious as real marble, but it's much more affordable—and it won't stain as easily (which is a big plus in a home with kids and pets). Want to see more of Stacy's stunning home? Follow along on Instagram and check out what she's writing on her blog. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit