Kitchen is done!

Well, after nearly three months, our minor kitchen remodel is finished! I think it fits nicely with the period of the home (1921) yet feels modern and updated. Thanks to a very handy husband, lots of elbow grease, smart shopping and a small budget of $2,500, here's what we got:

• repainted cabinets,
• new hardware, (found them on sale for 1/2 off!)
• new wiring (not in the original scope, but needed),
• new Formica countertops, (nightmare experience, but easy once we got them!)
• new tile back splash,
• new sink and faucet, and
• new lighting.

Luckily, we did not need new appliances, although a stainless stove/oven would finish off the room perfectly! (maybe in a few more months) The only thing we hired out was the tile work, but we were able to find white subway tile at Loew's for a great deal, making it worth it to hire a professional installer.

It's not my dream kitchen, but it's new, fresh and updated; making it much more inviting and fun to be in. By keeping the cabinets, we were able to save thousands of dollars and a fresh coat of paint really does make them feel new again. We also saved a ton of money by going with a cheap countertop. We contemplated higher end countertops, but knowing that the cabinets will need to be replaced some day, we decided it didn't make sense in the long-term to spend the extra money. (and, waste the materials) Besides, the Formica is very durable and will last a long time.

Stay tuned for more pictures, as my camera wasn't working well when I took the pictures above. If you have any questions on how you might be able to freshen up your kitchen space, don't hesitate to send me an email!

My Kitchen Remodel Part 1

I've owned my home for nearly 11 years. And during that time, we have remodeled every single room with the exception of the kitchen. In looking at our priority list, having a little more square footage always took precedent over a nice, fancy kitchen. Yet, no matter how small or big your house is, 95% of the time people seem to congregate in the kitchen. And thus, my dilemma. I love to entertain but I hate my kitchen. With everyone always wanting to hang out there, I just can't take it anymore!! Something has to be done!! The cabinets are cheap and old, we have pink counter tops and the flooring is cheap as well. I've held out on remodeling because I want that designer kitchen (of course!). But, in today's economy, we just can't afford my dream kitchen. So, the cabinets are staying (as cheap as they are) and we're going to repaint them and add some new knobs. The flooring will stay, but we are going to buy new Formica for the counter tops - no fancy paperstone or granite - but anything will be better than pink!

(my kitchen before the remodel - yikes!)

Luckily, my husband is very handy and can do most of the work. The bad part is that he's a perfectionist, which means more time and generally a little scope creep. Case in point: we weren't planning to rewire the room. But, after further inspection, the original wiring (circa 1921) was worse than we thought. Before you knew it, he's pulled out all of the lathe and plaster off the wall and is rewiring! It's great and probably needs to be done. However, this so-called "minor" update or refresh project is nowhere near being done!

(walls out getting ready to sand cabinets)

So, stay tuned for updates to this project. Our goal is to be done by Christmas (which means probably not until the first of the year!).

Oh, yeah -- and where is everything at while this project is being done? In our dining room, of course! (and other scattered places throughout the home -- which makes cooking really fun!)