Home renovation is an expensive process, no doubt about it. Here are a few tips to keep your cost down:

• Shop savaged yards and recycle. Not only will you save the earth, you can find a lot of cool stuff. Habitat and Humanity have opened stores that sell savaged items from demolished homes. Call your local contractors, especially the ones that do high end homes. A lot of contractors tell us they have to throw away brand new kitchen cabinets and appliances just because the home owners decide to go with a different look. More often than not, you can get the items for free if you are willing to hall it away. Check Craig's list, it's a good source for free stuff.
 
• Think about minor things that you can do that can create a different look without spending a lot of money. For example, instead of replacing the kitchen cabinets, which can be costly, you can paint it, replace the insert panels with glass (most glass companies can do this for you), or use simple shelves for an open look. Call your local stone/counter top vendor for left over slabs. Quite often they will have enough left over slabs from other jobs for your project and can sell them to you cheaply.
 
• Sometime the least expensive way to instantly update a bathroom is to replace the shower glass with new glass and frame. It makes a bathroom looks new, immediately. Update your toilet and sinks. Retile your counter with inexpensive new tiles that look like limestone and marble. If you do a very tight grout, this can look very nice and expensive. Replace the standard builder glass with a nice mirror with frame.
 
• Finally, a majority of the cost involved in home renovation is labor cost. Shop around carefully. Always get at least three bids, and the most expensive ones are not necessarily the best. Get references and if you can, go to see their actual work if possible.

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