40 DIY Kitchen Remodel Ideas with Pictures

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Wow! 40 Amazing DIY Kitchen Remodel Ideas with pictures that will show how to save space, increase storage and build a functional stylish kitchen. Sign me up! A kitchen remodel is something that will add value to any home and doing it yourself will save you thousands!  You may remember reading about our big kitchen renovation at our old house a while back and that project added over 100K in value to our home after we had it appraised. Win Win! 

DIY Kitchen Remodel Ideas 

The kitchen projects that I picked to feature today all have one thing in common:  DIY.  The homeowners who live and cook in these kitchens did either some or all of the work to take their kitchens from drab to fab. 

Some of them completed every task from demo to electrical installation, while others designed their new kitchen themselves and let a pro take over from there.  Regardless, all of the kitchen remodel projects below used DIY spirit and tons of creativity to produce gorgeous new spaces.

Adding Light and Efficiency at I Wash You Dry

Farmhouse Style Gray and Blue Kitchen at Jenna Sue Design

Modern Bungalow Kitchen Refresh at Cush & Nooks

Kitchen Cabinet Remodel Ideas

One of the biggest things you can do when remodeling your kitchen if you are on a budget is to just replace the cabinet doors. You can have new doors made while leaving the existing base cabinets. If the upper and lower cabinets are in good shape, why not paint them and replace the doors? This remodeling idea will save you thousands!

Updating a Small, Builder Grade Kitchen at Design, Dining + Diapers

Low Budget Fix Up of a Vintage Kitchen at Manhatten Nest

Gray and White Kitchen with a Fun Gallery Wall at Yellow Bliss Road

Radiant Colors in a White Kitchen at Paper Daisy Design

Small Kitchen Remodel Ideas

If you have a small kitchen (like we did at the Split Level flip house – see here) and have the budget, consider taking down a wall and opening the kitchen up into a dining room or living room. This may require an engineer to design a structural beam (similar to the load bearing wall we removed here) but it’s money well spent to increase the size of a small galley or U shaped kitchen.

Black and White Kitchen at The Yellow Cape Cod

Oak Cabinets Painted White at The Blissful Bee

Butcher Block and Subway Tile at Go Haus Go

Pretty Blue and White Cabinets at The MomTog Diaries

Natural Wood Open Shelving at Our House

Statement Tile Backsplash at Hi Sugarplum

How To Plan a Kitchen Remodel

Planning a kitchen remodel takes time and patience. If you are looking for a checklist of sorts, be sure to checkout my post on designing a kitchen for the split level house .

I met with a kitchen designer (which they provided for free at Horner Millwork see more here) and they created the 3D renderings of the kitchen cabinets allowing us to maximize every square inch of our new kitchen. If you know what storage features you want inside your cabinets (ie. pull out drawers, lazy susan ect.) a kitchen designer can make sure that the cabinets are equipped with such needs and wants. 

Coastal Inspired Kitchen Makeover at Primitive & Proper

Big Family Kitchen Update at The Idea Room

Bright White Kitchen at The Graphics Fairy

Basic Kitchen to Beautiful Cottage Style at Cherished Bliss

DIY Kitchen Remodel Before & After

Searching google and pinterest for kitchen remodels before and after is a great way to get ideas and gain insight from others who have tackled a DIY kitchen remodel. One of the biggest things you can do is plan ahead. Have a plan for your backsplash (subway tile is classic and usually cost effective), appliances, countertop and flooring. 

Search for updated kitchens that feature before and after pictures with the type of flooring and countertop you want. This will help you visualize if your selections are really what you want for your space. Sometimes I think I want something and then I see it in a real space and I’m like, “no way.” -ha. 

Turquoise Tile + Stained Wood at Fisherman’s Wife Furniture

Ikea Cabinets Painted Yellow Inside at Cape 27

Tips for Using Ikea Cabinets at Lindsay Stephenson

Farmhouse Kitchen Updates at Rooms for Rent

1905 Cottage Kitchen Redo at Tatertots & Jello

Two Tone Kitchen Renovation at Finding Home

White and Gray Kitchen with Pops of Color at I Heart Naptime

Gray and Green Ikea Kitchen at Southern Hospitality

Industrial Vintage French Kitchen at So Much Better with Age

A Kitchen for Cooking at A Pinch of Yum

Blue and White Cottage Kitchen at Tidbits

Pretty Pastel Kitchen at Welcome to the Mouse House

Paternity Leave Kitchen Renovation at Design Sponge

Vintage Kitchen Gets a Neutral Makeover at Hummingbird High

Removing Upper Cabinets at The Inspired Room

A Turquoise Island at Flower Patch Farm Girl

New Look for a Dated Kitchen (that backsplash!) at Centsational Girl

Black and White Kitchen with a Rainbowtized Reading Nook at No Big Dill 

THis is our kitchen renovation from a few years that was featured in Woman’s Day magazine. 

The kitchen above and below is our old kitchen. The original kitchen was dark oak cabinets (see here) which we painted (above) to give it a quick update and then a few years later, we blew up the kitchen (see full kitchen before and after here) and tore down walls (see below) and installed all new cabinets, an island and mudroom wall. The kitchen added over 100K in value after the appraisal which was crazy!

Here is our latest kitchen remodel at the split level flip house. You can see the entire remodel here as well as the kitchen before and after pictures. This kitchen below was a tiny 8×8 1970’s dated kitchen with walls and tiny doorways that lead to the dining room and living room. We blew it up removing all the walls and opened up the ceiling. You would never know that this was a split level home by all the updating we did to the interior. Check it out here! 

Keep in mind, we sold that house when the market was just ticking upward (see house sale here) and the kitchen remodel was a huge factor in the sale price. You are never guaranteed to hit big when you do a remodel (when it comes to selling) but it can’t hurt!

If you are planning to tackle a DIY kitchen remodel, definitely check with your town to see if you need a permit to complete any of the work. These DIY kitchen remodel ideas are not only stylish and functional but add value to your home as well. 

This is our kitchen makeover above we did at our old house. We tore down walls, ripped out all the cabinets and replaced the floor. It was a major undertaking but was well worth it.