The most frequently asked question after we revealed the fireplace wall, "how much did this cost you to do this??" ...and I'm finally answering it for you all!
We tried our best to keep all the receipts and keep track of how much we were spending... but if you've ever completed a home improvement project, then you know... You know that there are way too many unplanned trips to Home Depot and all the little things you keep forgetting can really add up! So, here is the best cost breakdown I can provide!
In all honesty, this is a pretty good representation of what we spent - I was only missing one receipt that should have included the cabinets and butcher block... so I looked up those prices online.
I also promised to provide a breakdown of how you could achieve a similar look without spending as much. Below I've provided a breakdown of our cost AND a breakdown of what changes you could make to bring the cost down!
We spent $3,034.29 on our fireplace built-in wall - but we also added items that weren't truly necessary... more luxuries for us and we looked at it as an investment for our home. If you want a similar look but want to spend $1,000.00 less - listen up!
THINGS YOU COULD DO DIFFERENTLY - FOR LESS $$
+ You could easily use shiplap on the fireplace instead of tile. Love the look of our black fireplace? Paint the shiplap black! We honestly considered this in the beginning, but we ultimately decided we wanted a stone look.
+ Don't add puck lighting inside/underneath the shelving. Not only will this not require you to purchase puck lights, but it will also save you a TON of money on wood. We had to buy nearly 3x the amount of wood in order to make the shelves hollow to accommodate the puck lights.
+ Don't use wine racks in the middle of the base cabinets - those wine racks came at a hefty price tag of $300.00! It made sense for us to add them, but if you're looking for a typical built-in storage look, you could easily use Ikea cabinets... this would have saved us money not only by not purchasing the wine racks, but also the cabinetry would have been less expensive.
+ We also opted for a larger fireplace unit. There are different sizes available and originally we were going to order the 26" unit, but Nathan thought the 30" unit would look better (and I completely agree and I'm happy we made that change) - BUT the 26" unit is cheaper!!
+ Small things that made a difference... we bought two different stains. The first stain we bought did not match the wine racks (which was the goal), so we ended up having to buy another one. Didn't break the bank, but still! Money is money people! Also, we had to buy extra black caulk for the base of the fireplace unit. We thought the lip of the fireplace frame would cover the raw tile edge... but it did not. Whoops!
Below is the savings you'd see if you attempted this project with those items in mind! (the pricing below is an estimate; as we have not attempted the project in that way & pricing may differ if you decide to take on the project).
In the beginning of this project, I talked about that fact that while this was a "DIY" project, it didn't necessarily mean that it was an inexpensive project. Sometimes DIY means just that - you're only saving money because you're doing it yourself! If we had hired someone to do this, it would have been at least 2x more expensive!
Talk soon!
- Kay