Why a ‘Cheap’ IKEA Kitchen Is Actually Expensive

The ordinary kitchen reno expenditures about $25,000, with a large close closer to $40,000. The expense is dependent on a great deal of elements, from your geographic site (it is a ton cheaper in the South, for illustration) to your style and the measurement of your kitchen. Nonetheless, no make a difference how you slice it, renovating a kitchen is an high-priced job.

So it’s not surprising that purchasing your kitchen from IKEA is a tempting option. There’s definitely no doubt that IKEA kitchens are a good deal less costly on paper—on normal about 50 % the value, and quite possibly even reduce based on the options you choose. IKEA sells every thing you need to have for your kitchen area in a person location, from appliances to flooring, cabinets, countertops, and finishes, so it’s also a quite effortless way to transform.

If that appears far too very good to be real … it type of is. While the base-line prices of an IKEA kitchen area are very low, there can be a great deal of concealed fees that many home owners don’t foresee in phrases of each money and sweat equity. Here’s why a “cheap” IKEA kitchen is actually pricey.

There are excess costs concerned

IKEA keeps its kitchens cost-effective the exact same way it keeps its furnishings economical: A deficiency of customization and a Do-it-yourself approach to assembly and set up. If you have at any time puzzled in excess of the inscrutable assembly directions for an IKEA bookshelf or desk, you have some tiny glimmer of an strategy of what lies in retailer for you when the kitchen area cabinetry arrives. There is a lot of Diy work—like, a large amount of it. These cupboards will arrive flat-packed, and every one has to be put with each other before you can put in it.

For example, this man or woman put in a manufacturer-new IKEA kitchen area for $14,493.45—which is a great price tag for a brand-new kitchen. Observe the a single $.00 in her selling price listing, although: Installation. If you’re moderately useful and you have a whole lot of time on your hands, assembling your cupboards and then setting up them will only price tag you sweat fairness. If you are hectic or not self-assured with equipment, spending IKEA or an impartial contractor to assemble and install your cupboards will operate you an excess $2,000-4,000 based on the size and complexity of your kitchen.

If you want an IKEA specialist to support you plan your kitchen, that will run you about $150. You most likely want to do that for the reason that the deficiency of customization implies fitting everything you need into your kitchen utilizing IKEA’s preset cupboard measurements can be demanding. Working with IKEA’s on line setting up software is not uncomplicated, possibly. It has a very steep mastering curve and can turn out to be a “time suck” that finishes in frustration. Of course, you can also uncover an interior designer who is effective with IKEA kitchens, but inside designers are expensive ($65-$250 an hour, normally, and the rate can be as substantial as an excess $10,000 on best of your other prices).

Oh, and supply will price tag you anyplace from $49 to $99, which is extremely cheap taking into consideration you are receiving an complete kitchen area. A little something to retain in brain is that IKEA will charge you that rate just about every single time you have anything shipped, whether it is the whole kitchen or a single drawer pull you forgot to include things like the 1st time. If you know you require some added matters as you go alongside, you could wind up paying a couple of hundred dollars in further shipping and delivery fees. Be aware that you can opt to pick up your kitchen area you, but this in all probability needs leasing a truck unless of course you are installing a very compact kitchen area.

If you really do not like the look of the stock cabinet fronts that IKEA offers—and a large amount of individuals don’t—you’ll have the excess price of purchasing tailor made doors from a third-occasion (Semihandmade is extremely well-liked). In simple fact, several folks want the cost-effective IKEA frames but decide to invest further on the exterior bits (doors, trim, and many others.) in purchase to make the fairly basic IKEA kitchen glimpse “luxe.” 

Finally, if this is your very first important reno task, you may well need to commit in some superior-high-quality applications in purchase to total the do the job, specifically if you are setting up to customize your cupboards you, which is just a different value you will need to have to take into consideration.

Sweat fairness is its personal value

If you choose to genuinely lean into the Diy factor of an IKEA kitchen area in get to continue to keep charges as low as probable, you should really take into account the actuality that sweat equity is a form of charge. You will put in a whole lot of time in buy to put in your IKEA kitchen area yourself. Your checklist of time factors will consist of:

• Setting up time. You are going to have to map every little thing out online or in-keep.
• Vacation time. You will travel to make the acquire and select up if you opt for not to have it sent.
• Shipping time. Shipping is scheduled by the day, with no particular time and no get in touch with beforehand, and IKEA will not deliver if no a single is residence. You are going to have to block off the whole day.
• Inventory time. The moment supply is produced you have 48 hrs to inventory anything and contact IKEA if everything is lacking. That implies you need to have to get to work opening packing containers and checking from your get appropriate away.
• Assembly time. On typical, fairly good grownups should really be ready to assemble 10 cupboards in about eight hrs.
• Set up time. If you have under no circumstances done a important renovation/transform prior to, this will take you considerably, substantially extended than you consider. If there is no key plumbing or electrical do the job to be finished, this is almost certainly one to three days of get the job done, barring disaster.

Those people several hours include up, and your time is useful. Just anything to think about.

Materials price, way too

Ultimately, whilst IKEA cupboards get excellent opinions in standard and appear with a restricted 25-calendar year guarantee, the outdated adage that you get what you fork out for arrives into perform in this article. The other motive IKEA cupboards are cheap is what they are produced of: Most custom made or semi-tailor made cupboards are created from stable wood, which feels sound and substantial—and is amazingly resilient. IKEA cupboards are designed from medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which is not as strong, and is significantly susceptible to inflammation in damp regions, which isn’t great for kitchens.

Here’s the bottom line: These cabinets probably will not have on as very well as stable-wood cupboards. Several IKEA kitchen owners have pointed out that the paint chips very effortlessly and the cupboards clearly show don and tear inside just a calendar year or two. Ultimately, you may well have to have to exchange your kitchen substantially faster than a single created employing customized cabinetry, which indicates your “cheap” IKEA kitchen may well not be so affordable soon after all.

In the stop, an IKEA kitchen is a sound solution for individuals with lesser budgets. With careful planning, some sweat equity, and appropriate care, an IKEA kitchen area can be a gorgeous, functional way to update your home, but it’s simply just not heading to be as cheap as you believe it is.