Shots Across the Bow

There are actually two nightmares. The first is the kitchen itself; the second is that we are going to completely demolish and renovate it.

In 9 days.

Yep. 9 days from kitchen pathetic to kitchen fantastic, and we're doing all of the work ourselves. Well, except for fabricating and installing the countertops; we're letting professionals do that. But everything else, we're doing.

1. I'm building custom cabinets.


2. We're doing all of the demo work ourselves.


3. We're taking out a wall, one sliding glass door, and a window.


4. We're installing a larger window, a smaller door, and not replacing the wall.


5. We're rewiring the kitchen to bring it up to code, and improve the lighting, which right now sucks.


6. We're replumbing the sink, garbage disposal, dishwasher and refrigerator.


7. We're moving the stove to a more useable location.


8. We're repainting, installing a new subfloor, and new flooring.

And we're going to do it all in 9 days.

We will be doing some prep work ahead of time. Obviously, I'll have the cabinets built and finished prior to the day we start, and we'll remove the appliances and empty the cabinets before we begin. I'll also clear out the attic over the kitchen and pre-stage some of the electrical wiring for the job, Other than that, and the 2 week wait for the fabrication of the counter top after we install the cabinets, everything else willo be done during the nine days from March 17th to March 26th.

I hope.

Follow the link to see some images of what we have now, and where we're going to be soon.

Dark. Dingy. Dated. Cramped. Boring. Other than that, what could be so terrible?


Counter space is lacking. Counters are a Formica woodgrain laminate straight from the big box home improvement store and ugly.


Seriously lacking.

By the way, did you notice the floor? The tiles looked good when they went down, but they tended to spread out pretty soon afterward.


Note the cheesy 70s paneling? And the unfinished sliding glass door?


Unfinished book shelves and stuff stacked everywhere.

So, how are we going to change things? Well, here's the new floor plan:

We've opened up the space in the kitchen and increased the counter space. We've added additional counters and cabinets along the lower wall, moved the stove up against the outer wall, installed a much bigger window over the sink and replaced the sliding glass door with a french door.


This is a rendering of the floor plan showing the main area of the kitchen.


And this shows the new cabinets and the refrigerator on the inner wall.

We're updating the materials as well. We're replacing the vinyl tile on the floor with a hardwood floor and we chose Brazilian Koa, AKA Tigerwood for the flooring. And yes, I've already made the jokes about Tiger Woods laying in our kitchen. Lissa was not amused.


Brazilian Koa.


This is the countertop material we chose; Called Peacock Green or Labrador Gold. It is granite and gorgeous.


This is what we're going to use for a backsplash material. Maybe; Lissa is still working on that.

As for the cabinets, they will be plywood with a maple face frame, and we're probably going to go with a natural finish, although the red tones in this kitchen look good as well.


So, that's the plan. I didn't talk about the lighting, or adding internet access, but don't worry; I will.

The last part of this nightmare is that we will be posting pictures and videos of the work in progress. DIY has a show called Renovation Realities and we're going to do our own version of that, so that should be interesting. Of course, since we're shooting it ourselves, we can edit out all the embarrassing stuff. Unless of course DIY wants to come in and shoot the project. I'll take some embarrassment for some help meeting the budget on this job!

Hi,
We know that you’re looking for kitchen doors which will last for years but won’t cost the earth. Our manufacturers are based in the UK and create the units to order, ensuring you’ll receive items of exceptional quality at hard to beat prices.

<a href="http://www.kitchendoorsdiy.com/"> KITCHEN DOORS </a>

Wow, that is quite the change from the original to the rendering! I love that you're going to lighter colors! Definitely will feel like you have more open space. Seems like a very costly project though because of the dramatic changes that are planned for. Can't believe that you're going to set a deadline of 9 days and do it yourself! Lots of props! In the meantime, for those of you who cannot afford such dramatic changes in the kitchen, but wish and dream of change, here's a link that gives you 10 affordable options you can take towards improving your kitchen: <a href="http://www.mymove.com/tips-advice/home-improvement/remodeling/10-tips-for-affordable-kitchen-makeovers">10 Tips for affordable Kitchen Makeovers</a> . Save time and money with MyMove’s helpful moving tips, tools, checklists and exclusive deals.

I allowed the two above comments, even though they are advertising, and technically spam, but they are directly related to the post in question, and in the case of Robin's, she actually read the post and responded appropriately.

And that works for me!

Being an Electrician i have seen many many renovations, biggest mistake i see is people use designs that you can see will age quickly, use a timeless design, brick and timbers usually look out of date quickly ( but your house design may mean its your option) think about bench heights, light and power switchs, bin cupboard, where is your fridge going and will its doors get in the way when its open? over head cupboards, soft closing draws and cupboards, pot draws etc etc.
you could get your bench resurfaced and new cupboard doors or paint them for a budget make over. hope this helps.
Fraser

Commenting is not available in this site entry.