When Jenna and Carlos moved into their Sacramento fixer-upper, they loved almost everything about the house—except the kitchen. Think linoleum floors, cabinets that looked like they were built during the Nixon era, and one sad overhead light that buzzed like a mosquito.
They didn’t have the budget for a full contractor-led overhaul, but they did have weekends, determination, and an epic supply of coffee.
This is the story of their DIY kitchen renovation, and how they turned a cringeworthy cooking space into the heart of their home.
The Problem: A Kitchen That Was Stuck in the Past
- Cabinets were chipped and barely opened
- No storage system in sight
- Ancient appliances and mismatched tile
Worse yet, the layout was all wrong—Jenna described it as a “crooked U-shape designed by someone who never cooked a day in their life.”
The Game Plan: One Weekend at a Time
They knew they couldn’t do it all at once. So they broke the Sacramento, CA kitchen makeover into doable phases:
Phase 1: Demo Without Drama
Out came the old upper cabinets, one whack at a time. They preserved the lower cabinets to reface later. (Bonus: No dumpster rental!)
Phase 2: Flooring That Didn’t Suck
Peel-and-stick vinyl planks went down over the linoleum. It was budget-friendly, waterproof, and looked like real wood—because miracles do exist.
Phase 3: Paint and Personality
They sanded and painted the old lower cabinets a moody forest green and added gold pulls. Jenna installed floating oak shelves (leveling them three times, but hey—she nailed it).
Phase 4: Lighting That Didn’t Flicker
A $50 pendant light from a clearance bin changed the whole feel of the space. Carlos added under-cabinet LED strips—plug-in style, no electrician needed.
Phase 5: Butcher Block and Backsplash
They installed butcher block counters with a food-safe sealant and used peel-and-stick subway tile for a polished finish.
The Final Fix: Storage That Works
They installed drawer organizers, mounted a magnetic knife strip, and built a DIY pantry cabinet with open shelving.
No more clutter. No more chaos. Just a beautiful kitchen that finally worked.
The Takeaway
This DIY kitchen renovation wasn’t always pretty (Carlos may still be peeling paint off his forearm), but it was 100% theirs.
The total cost? Just under $9,000. The pride? Off the charts.
Because the best Sacramento CA kitchen makeovers aren’t about perfect. They’re about personal. And when you build it with your own hands—imperfections and all—it’s even more beautiful.
