Budget Kitchen

	Photo: Mitch Tobias

    Pierre Harriet and Gena Owens love their new East Bay home. It’s perched on a hillside with a majestic view, and with engineering help, they painstakingly designed and built the 2,100-square-foot frame house from the ground up, after settling on the lofty lot that fronts a meandering, quiet street.

    The house boasts expansive decks, lots of glass doors, some eco-friendly materials like bamboo flooring and a very modern, cost-conscious, Euro-styled kitchen with gourmet touches that suit Harriet, a professional chef, and Owens, a nurse, to a T.
    Harriet, 38, for the most part left behind professional restaurant trappings such as stainless steel counters and a hulking Viking range, explaining that he didn’t want to be reminded of work once he stepped into the sanctum of his own kitchen.
    “I’m at work everyday,” he says. “Plus, you don’t use a kitchen at home in the same way.”
    But because he does love to cook and entertain, Harriet did insist on some chefly features—lots and lots of clutter-free counter space, thanks to a large pantry for storage; a cooktop with flush burners for easy dragging of pots and pans; fiery-hot and efficient Gaggenau convection ovens; partially see-through upper cabinets and an abundance of lower storage cabinets—that no professional cook could do without.
    “As a chef, there’s never enough counter space. The more you have, the better it is,” he says. “The pantry saves everything.”
    Other accoutrements that set this kitchen apart from less well-endowed country cookhouses include a deep, square Blanco-knockoff stainless steel sink; a sleek, stylish kitchen faucet; and an undercounter Sub-Zero refrigerator (for drinks) and a Sub-Zero icemaker.
    What’s intriguing about this upscale kitchen is that it didn’t cost a fortune to build or outfit. Because Harriet and Owens faced a limited budget, they had to be creative in how they approached designing and outfitting it. For starters, they did most of the work themselves, but more importantly, they spent hours upon hours researching what they wanted and looking for deals so they could afford the high-end touches a professional chef needs. They were willing to buy used goods, though new was in many cases their best option. The bottom line was that they were unwilling to settle until they were positive they had truly landed their must-have item.
    “We like the philosophy of buying and recycling things,” Harriet says, mentioning that the home incorporates some green building practices.
    “And we didn’t want a Home Depot house,” Owens, 33, says, rattling off other suppliers the couple used for the rest of the house: Urban Ore, The Sink Factory and a Habitat for Humanity surplus store. Their best sources for kitchen appliances, sinks and faucets were Craigslist and eBay, though scratch-and-dent outlets and overstocked rooms at bigname retailers proved invaluable as well. The hunt was part of the fun, Harriet and Owens say. And they have stories to tell about practically every appliance and fixture in their kitchen.
    Sure, the couple admits, it might have been lovely to purchase solid-walnut cabinets, but the expense was prohibitive, so instead they did some consumer research on cabinetry and decided to eschew wood altogether. They went the Ikea route, choosing glossy fire-engine-red acrylic-laminate lower cabinets (with replaceable facing, should they tire of the color or decide it is a liability if they ever want to sell their house) for their base; the upper cabinets’ glass doors have just enough transparency for distinguishing spirits from spices. Harriet saved tons of money on labor costs by recruiting a friend to help put together and install the units.
    Friends and family members, the two say, were willing to pitch in on overall construction, especially when they were thanked in kind with Harriet’s skills.
    “People are always willing to help when Pierre’s cooking,” Owens says.
    Because the couple was frugal in so many areas, Harriet and Owens were able to treat themselves to certain interior-design aspects that notch the kitchen up to gourmet status. For instance, the couple splurged on their countertops, choosing pricey gray Silestone Quartz as an eye-pleasing and muted contrast to the shiny red cabinets below. (The countertop and cabinets were the most expensive elements of the kitchen.) They also sought out fashionable Design Within Reach lighting over the bar. Additionally, Owens chose exquisite but costly glass tile for a mosaic backsplash over the Fisher & Paykel cooktop, one of the few new purchases they made. Harriet adores the stove, because it is easy to clean, the burners are flush and the control dials are a cinch to use.
    This DIY approach may not be for everyone, but for these first-time homeowners, it has enabled them to have the house and kitchen of their dreams—for the most part. Harriet had longed for recessed gliders out to the upper deck but settled for a less expensive modification.
    “To do it yourself, you have to have the time to sit back and evaluate and make changes,” Owens says, stressing that homeowners on the DIY budget track must be flexible and willing to compromise should preferred choices prove undoable. “You can’t get stuck on specifics.”
    About her kitchen’s appliances, she has this to say: “They match good enough.” Harriet seconds that sentiment, agreeing that with their approach, “not every single appliance is going to match.”
    But for those who love a good bargain and also have the time and energy to invest in the search, it’s a tactic that can stretch the budget and result in high-end living. Just don’t be in a rush.
    “Don’t buy right away. Hold out till you find something you really want,” Harriet counsels. “There are definitely deals to be had by people.”

The Scavenger Hunt

Amana Refrigerator: Sears Retail Outlet, San Leandro, $600
Gaggenau Convection Ovens: Craigslist, Marin County, $400
Fisher & Paykel Cooktop: eBay, $500
Hood: Expo, $100
Blanco-knockoff Sink: eBay, $300
Faucet: eBay, $25
Cabinets: Ikea, $4,800
Art Glass Tile: Import Tile Company, Berkeley, $9 per square foot for 9 square feet, $81
Silestone Quartz Countertop: Stone Center of California, Dublin, $4,000
Bosch Dishwasher: Lowe’s, $700
George Nelson Crisscross Pendant Lights: Design Within Reach, $330 each
Bar Chairs: Wal-Mart, $25 each
Undercounter Sub-Zero Icemaker and Fridge: Craigslist, Marin County, $500
Bamboo Flooring: ifloor, Hayward, $3.50 per square foot for 180 square feet, $630