Kitchen Cabinet Refacing by Home Depot

This past weekend I finally moved into my new home and have already come up with a million and one things to do. The kitchen wasn't exactly high on my list of priorities, but I was approached by a dude in Home Depot who offered 'free' consultation for kitchen remodeling. Of course, I had expected a sales pitch, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to start getting ideas of what a kitchen remodeling would cost. I also requested a consult only for cabinet refacing since I didn't really see the need to tear out the whole kitchen.

To cut to the chase, the quote was roughly $7K (after I balked about the $8K). This included about 33 sq ft of refacing, new cabinet doors, drawers, and trimming. Their workers are also insured, and given the name recognition of Home Depot, I don't doubt that they would provide quality work at less than the price of their competitors. Then again, this was my first 'quote'. I wasn't about to sign-up for a remodeling job before I was even done unpacking. Also, I didn't really want to remodel just the cabinets. I want a new counter top and new appliances. The appliances are under warranty for a year so I don't expect to replace them before then. A new granite countertop would probably cost me another $3-4K (incl. installation). I'm not sure that I want to plop down $10K before I even see my first months of bills.

Home improvement is definitely on my mind though. Even if I don't do it now, I probably will remodel the kitchen at some point. My bathroom is a bit higher on my priority list tho. Not to mention all the other little things around the house that should be addressed at some point. So in the spirit of my new hobby, I have also signed up for couple of free classes at Home Depot. (I should probably rename this site to Life of Ms. Home Improvement or something). Hmm... I wonder if I could make money writing home improvement books geared towards women. Seriously, if a girl as clueless as me about home maintenance could do a kitchen project, anyone can. I guess that's assuming I can.... Hey, even if it takes months, if I can do the kitchen in $5K instead of $20, it could be worth it.

Now for those of you who are disappointed that I am losing my ways, fear not. All this is my grand master plan. I am going to make millions in my line of home improvement books. Then I will make loads when I go to sell the house because of these home improvements. Then I will start a line of travel books after I pick up traveling again. See?