You can definitely do a remodel for under 50k, but it really depends on how much you're willing to go budget, whether you have a must-have list, and whether you're willing to do at least some of the work yourself. Either way, an Ikea kitchen is worth considering - they have good quality hardware and some useful interior fittings. Don't rule out a local custom or semi-custom cabinetmaker though.

Are the cabinets/counters in bad shape? I think it looks nice painted. Are you remodeling for you or for resale?

It depends on how much work you can do yourself. I didn’t want to do any of it. My last house was 80K, with a wall coming down and new everything. This kitchen was smaller and was still more than that, at 70K. My niece’s remodel in DC was 260K. My granddaughter‘s condo was about 50K, but it is very small. We had a rental house’s kitchen cabinet painted, with new floors, new lighting, and new counters, plus a few small things, for about 20K. But those old cabinets are not suitable to that type of redo.

The cabinets and drawers are definitely in bad shape. Some of the doors don’t like the close anymore. It’s time I think for replacement. no walls coming down. Just wondering if we could even get semI-custom for $50k

You can, if you keep your wishlist in check.. Are you planning to keep the soffits? Change the layout? Add lighting? All that costs money.

If your kitchen is from the 1960s, chances are the electrical does not meet current code. Each appliance now needs its own circuit.

While 50k is a lot of money, it's not likely to cover a SZ fridge, high/end range, quartzite counters, custom cabinets and tile. But it should get you a nice and functional kitchen.

I think you can, yes.

We splurged on custom cabinets(small space, U-shape, wanted maximum efficiency)-but saved on appliances (hunted open box etc).

We also had another cabinetmaker that we knew already from another project and that would do same job for cheaper, but our GC insisted on going with his guy-not that I regretted it, he was an amazing cabinetmaker. Just echoing that it's possible to get somebody good and pay not a lot more than for IKEA,when all said and done.

IKEA can be quite nice too.

A friend went for IKEA with Semihandmade doors(not that cheap either really, but then they DIY ed everything, all the house)-her kitchen could be in a magazine, both in terms of style and function. She's a great cook, pro level. They also made it much bigger footprint and completely redid the layout. I think that them DIY-ing everything helped a lot, a lot with the budget. But not with timelines, obviously.

I think our kitchen was around 30K , I'd say it's a bit smaller than yours. But that not including electrical, plumbing and paint-the kitchen was a part of a much bigger remodel, so it's hard to separate the costs. That's if I put together cabinets, countertops, backsplash tiles, sink, faucet and appliances-in short materials only.

We're in So Cal, I have another friend who remodeled several years ago in Milwaukee and from what she told then about remodel, seemed very cheap, surprizingly so. I don't know details though, and several years ago might be a different story.

First I want to say sorry about all the typos in my last comment—ugh! LOL.

I am not including appliances in the $50k also. I figure those will be extra.

we got a couple quotes from contractors who said $69-80k. That’s why I’m questioning what can be done. Originally I had wanted to change the layout but it’s not worth it with the other projects we have coming up. I’m waiting to hear back from a couple of other contractors as well.

First of all a contractor is not the place to start. You need a plan with a kitchen designer. You tell the kitchen designer your budget. They will help you get the best layout then steer you in the direction of cabinetry, counters, etc in that budget. A contractor will ballpark you but has no idea what price level of cabinetry, etc you will be choosing. And yes you can stay with in your budget if you do your homework.

Here's another thread with a lot of good info.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6072026/am-i-delusional-when-it-comes-to-kitchen-budgets-sigh