I have a condo (middle unit of a 3 flat) that is pretty outdated to the mid 90s. It is one of the least nice homes on a VERY nice upscale block in a great hood of Chicago.

The home is nice and perfect for us - but needs updating, mostly the kitchen - to make it enjoyable.

It is a galley kitchen and we need to knock down a wall to open it up.

The condo was purchased for 269K in 2000 (close to market peak), and maybe now worth 330-350K. It's a perfect "rental" but we plan to stay at least 4-5 years more.

I assume we would NEVER recoup major reno costs because of it's size etc - so wondering what kind of kitchen budget would be SMART and Reasonable. A top of the line euro style kitchen would be too much for the house. I am thinking $17,000 not including appliances (which i have to spring for more expensive ones as I need some unusual sizes based on space limitations). I just made that number up though - any advice would be greatly appreciated.