Needing to replace kitchen cabinetry in one side of class C duplex

[Ann Downer]

We have our first duplex in Bradenton, FL and the cabinets in one unit look home made and bad at that. Some are falling apart. They need to be replaced. First, for a rental, should we just go with very basic cabinetry, perhaps from IKEA or is there anything particular we should watch out for or look to get? Is it worth going with drawers in place of regular cabinets on the bottom in a rental?

[Chris Grenzig]

@Shawn McCormick I'm going to ask you for that cabinet guys info just a heads up lol

@Ann Downer Go with something solid but basic. White shaker, oak shaker, or a light gray shaker style is fairly classic and timeless. With C class, the easier it is to maintain the better, and shaker cabinets are in abundance so if you have to replace a door or drawer in the future that makes it easier. Go with standard size options, don't do anything custom. We usually go with a cabinet specific company that also installs, I think it's probably a bit cheaper than home depot lowe's, but I don't think either option is bad. 

I would 100% go with hardwood cabinets over particle board. We did that on one of our properties to save about $1,000-1,500 per unit and I regret it. They look nice, and they'll last decently well, but any water and it deteriorates way faster. And the hardwood options are basically plywood cabinets, not like a solid piece of wood cut from a tree. A quick Google search can explain the differences better than me. 

I would also go with a granite or quartz counter. It's extra money again, but more likely to last longer than Formica. If you are going to go Formica, there are different levels for it with better options for longevity, don't go for the cheapest option. I'm assuming if you're replacing cabinets you'll need new countertops. 

A couple more things to consider as you do this, and I've overseen 100+ apartment units renovation that we've owned and managed so I have some experience in this. 

- If you're already tearing out the cabinets, maybe see how much more it would be to re-pipe the water lines or re-place exposed sewer lines. You probably will already have to do some drywall patching from pulling out cabinets, now is a good time to do it while the cabinets are out. It'll be worse to have to do it after new cabinets are already in a lot of the time. 

- If you're doing new cabinets and countertops, look at what other comps rent for and what other improvements you could do to help raise the rent. Easy options are new appliances, flooring, light fixtures, mirrors, etc. Calculate your ROI by taking the annual rent increase and dividing it by the cost of renovation. ROI on value do the same but divide the increased value by the reno cost.

- If you're doing kitchen cabinets, do you want the bathroom vanity to match or does it also need replacing?

For some very rough numbers by the way, here's what I would be using. 

- Cabinets $4-7k hardwood installed, maybe more if it's a bigger kitchen and 2 bathroom vanities. 

- Counters $1,500-$3,000 quartz or granite

- Appliance set $1,800-3,000 depending on what you need, style and how nice. Anythig over $3k is too nice. No side-by-side fridges and take-out ice makers for C class in my opinion. Also, remove garbage disposals. If you don't have an over-the-range microwave ask an electrician how much to add a circuit, it could be pretty cheap, but it might be expensive too. Depends on the current setup. 

- Flooring $4-6/SF for 12 mil click plank supplied and installed, maybe $2-5/SF for glue down. Carpet is probably $1.50-3/SF but I'm less sure on that. Buy an extra box or two of planks to keep for future replacement if you do. 

Feel free to ask questions or DM if I can help more.