Remodels: Little ways to save big

Sure, cutting back on high-ticket items conserves cash during a remodel. But as TOH TV showed on the East Boston project, there are other creative ways to save - in this case, more than $70,000!

Roll up your sleeves
Roll up your sleeves
The original front doors to the house (which had been in the basement for decades) were a bit the worse for wear. But that didn't mean they couldn't be spruced up. Chris and Liz stripped the original finish themselves, then Tom and TOH master carpenter Norm Abram reglued some joints and patched the worst spots with epoxy. Some new tempered and insulating glass, and the elegant 1916 doors with egg-and-dart detail were ready for action again, for only $480 in materials. Similar new doors could have cost $2,000.

What They Saved: $1,520
Repair rather than replace Roll up your sleeves Little demolition Rob Peter to pay Paul Use luxuries selectively Adjust to your circumstances Add detail with paint Stick with stock Be open to shelves and doors Reuse existing materials
We canvassed dozens of industry pros to catalog ways you can wrestle your renovation costs back down to earth. (more)
A 4-phase plan for getting the kitchen you want at a price you can afford. (more)
An architectural designer aims to respect his home's heritage and simultaneously embrace its new parts. (more)

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.