Kitchen Remodel

I admit it: I'm not a very good blogger. While many people knew I was remodeling out kitchen over the last month, I did not post a single entry to share the process. Between work, school, and remodeling, the chances to blog have been few and far between. So, without further adieu, here is our new kitchen. Completion time: 6 weeks.

In the beginning.....

When we first moved in, the kitchen wasn't much to look at. Okay, it was terribly ugly.

With some TLC (read paint and cheap flooring), we were able to fix it up into something a little more charming; however, our budget remodel from a few years ago didn't solve our floor plan issues.

As with most old houses of the era, it was built with privacy in mind. Guests were not supposed to wander into the kitchen: that was the cook's space. The kitchen also included a pantry between the kitchen and dining room. This left us with a 10x12 dining room, a 3x6 pantry, and a 7x10 kitchen. With a little one on the way, there was no room for even a high chair in our kitchen.

What to do? Open it up.

I took of the week between Christmas and New Years to demo, then worked nights and weekends to finish the rest, with various helpers along the way. We now have a 10 x 25 kitchen/dining room combo with over 18 feet of counter space and more storage than we know what to do with. Here's the view from the dining room.

For perspective, here's the old view from the dining room.

As you can see, we kept the rainbow trout. We also kept the look of the tin tile back splash.

The wood floor in the kitchen is actually a pretty good match to the rest of the house. Better yet, it's pre-finished: no-need for sanding!

Because of the chimney, we did end up with some empty space behind one of the new walls. This was nothing compared to the almost 4x5 empty chamber I found between the kitchen and dining room, but I wanted to maximize every inch. So, I ordered a 95" tall cabinet with drawers and shelves that fit perfectly in the space.

We also added stained glass lighting for some color.

In review:

Hardest part: Ripping up the old kitchen floor. Seriously, there were like five layers of flooring. Unless you know with certainty that you hate the people you are selling your house to, please remove the old floor before putting down the new one.

Biggest splurge: Leaded glass doors on the end cabinets. I felt bad ripping out the old china cabinet. Originally, its character was one of the selling points of the house for use. The new glass doors seemed like an appropriate trade in terms of historical character.

Favorite part: The openness. When I walk in the front door the house seems huge!

Best buy: 42 inch wall cabinets. Though more expensive, these basically add another shelf to the inside of the wall cabinets. Not only is this good for extra storage, they make the kitchen seem super tall!