The essential ingredient of any “do it yourself” home renovation project is to save money. By doing it yourself, you are taking out the labor cost which can often be more than 50% of the cost of any project. If you’re going to go out of your way to be your own contractor and do the work yourself, then you should know an important way to save money on the products your using.

Whether it be for sheer convenience or because they think they are getting the best deal, most homeowners make the mistake of running to the big box stores for all of the supplies for their renovation project. The large home improvement centers are good for items like drywall and lumber, but items like kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities are overpriced. Why is this? These stores “get you in the door” with a few low priced items (like drywall or lumber), but then the store will overprice other items. The consumer is already in the door of the store, so it is more likely that you the consumer will buy other products even if the prices are not good. So the key to this is to shop around and more importantly shop online.

Shopping online is now the number one way to save money on home improvements. A good example is buying RTA kitchen cabinets or RTA bathroom vanities. RTA products are found at any home improvement center. For those who are not familiar with the term, RTA stands for “ready to assemble”. It is merely an industry term for cabinets or furniture that comes to you pre-assembled. You assemble the product your self and save money because you’re not paying for an assembled product. So to continue with the example, RTA products online are thirty five to forty percent less than a home supply store like a Lowe’s or Home Depot. It may be hard to believe, but internet sites that sell RTA products are much cheaper than retail. This is mostly because internet sites have far less overhead and spend less money on advertising.

When looking online, make sure you shop around a bit. There are many RTA kitchen cabinet websites out there and prices vary greatly. Two things to look for: Quality and Price. If you are shopping around, you will see that the better RTA sites have lower prices or price guarantees. A good site will want you to shop around, because these sites will not be afraid to match prices. The other point to look for is quality. Amazingly enough, a large amount of home supply stores sell particle board cabinets. Stay away from particle board, it may be cheaper, but it is not a good product and it will not hold up in your kitchen or bathroom. When you’re looking online, look for RTA kitchen cabinets or RTA bathroom vanities that are made of paneled wood sides and solid wood faces. Remember, the good RTA cabinet sites will not offer particle board.

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Keep this in mind when you’re doing your kitchen or bathroom renovation project. You want to save money, so go online to help with the material costs. Along with saving money by doing the work yourself, you will also be saving a good amount of cash on the supplies needed. If you are looking for a program that will give you a flat stomach or an exercise program that will help you achieve your goals, get honest, unbiased reviews of all the top fat loss programs at http://www.thefitnessbookreview.com