Need some kitchen ideas...

[Lynzee]

The adjuster finally made it yesterday and the news wasn't good--or was, depending upon your point of view. With the exception of the appliances, which are fairly new, everything in the kitchen has to be replaced--as does the framing/sheathing/siding on the exterior walls.

So...I am looking for ideas, words of caution, suggestions and words of wisdom from those of you who have remodeled a kitchen. I always thought I knew what I wanted, but it turns out that I really don't. Or I'm just terrified of making the commitment. :p

These are some of the things I'm considering at this point...

The black and white flooring on the diagonal
A white sink
Adding a dishwasher
Subway tile backsplash
Open shelving instead of upper cabinets

Pros, cons, other ideas and suggestions?

TIA

[Gigi]

You're plans sound awesome!

My family has been building, restoring for over 30 years---and it sounds like you have some work ahead of you. Believe me one thing may lead to another (that's not all bad)...

Advice: Ummm...While you are doing the exterior/interior work- it may be the time to anti-up your electric panel, etc... and it would be time to add or replace windows, etc... Gosh there is lots talk about...keep us informed!

I hope you have a Home Depot or good home improvement store near by- it helps for the many trips that any project takes.

[annielinz]

Lynzee, your plans sound good.

If and when I ever get around to getting my kitchen done I also want to do the black and white floor on the diagonal. I have a galley kitchen and I thought it'll visually open it up. I'm looking to do a farmhouse sink. I like the idea of open shelving but I need all the storage I can get. Regarding the backsplash, I don't think you can go wrong with the white subway tiles. I was going to do beadboard but have been waffling and may go the subway route, unless I find something else that catches my eye.

I agree with Gigi regarding the electrical.

What kind of countertop are you looking at?

[chyna]

I think your plans sound awesome. Are you thinking all open shelves or a mix? I have a mix in my kitchen, there are some things I'd rather not show the world. :p

[Breezy]

Lynz ~ I love your ideas. The kitchen will be beautiful when finished.
I can't really give much advice on redoing your kitchen other than if you hire out make sure it's a reputable company or someone with lots of references. We used Lowe's and they did excellent work. Best wishes.:)

[yarborough house]

Lynzee,

sounds great. We too are going to do a checkerboard floor when we remodel. But we are going to do it on the hardwood floor so it would be black and hardwood- then distress it and poly the crud out of it.

I have a kitchen that has all the appliances on one wall overlooking the back yard - then an island in the middle then an L on the other wall. It is alot of cabinets and though we'd love to do a gut with nice new cabinets (ours were built by the previous owner) I think we'll just have to tweek these.

I do want a new countertop as ours - well he did it too and it looks like he took tongue and groove thick flooring hooked it all together then poly'd it and made it the countertop..yuckie..
My island has soapstone but we all know that is expensive and anyway that is going into the craft room and a new island is going to be built that is longer.

My neighbors just redid their kitchen - that house used to be ours..long story short- we owned the 1925 french eclectic and wanted to add on a family room addition- couldn't find a contractor willing to deal with the historic commish so when this one came up for sale we bought it and sold that.
Anyway - she painted the cabinets black then distressed them. Then she ordered granite countertops. She did the floor like we are going to do - I told her it would look nice and built and island she will paint grey. It looks really good I'll get some pics and post them for you all.

Well I love home reno - my husband says we moved because i was getting bored with that house - :)

[cheapdiva]

Our renovation started on Sunday. I'll post photos when I get home tonight. Got home to 2 big gaping "doorways" yesterday and we already have had to make some adjustments . . . kitchen getting done side by side with bath and laundry because it easier for the electrician and plumber to do it all at once.

What was going to be a "pay as we go" is now going to be "what the heck, it's only money and isn't Home Depot offering 1 year same as cash?!":D

[Lynzee]

Thanks for all of the replies. I am absolutely overwhelmed with all of this. I have been through my notebook numerous times and I think I've seen every cottage kitchen picture on the internet. Still can't decide. On anything! :eek:

Gig ~ we have an electrician in the family and he is willing to do the upgrades. There are only two electrical outlets in the kitchen so, yes, it is definitely a priority. Also, we are planning to add a dishwasher and will need additional electrical for that.

Annielinz ~ I love the black and white checkerboard! I cried when the guy from Service Master was ripping mine up and I knew in my heart I wouldn't put anything but that back down. I am also having trouble deciding between beadboard and subway tile. I love them both! I really don't know about the countertop yet, but I am leaning towards staying with a laminate. Or wood, maybe.

Chyna ~ I'm thinking about a mix. I'm like you...there are some things I just think the world doesn't need to see. :D

Breezy ~ thanks for the tip about Lowe's! We have never used them for installation but, since they are the only game anywhere near this town, it looks like we will be this time around. We also have a reputable contractor who will oversee the work.

Yarborough House ~ My husband was active duty for over 20 years, so we moved every two years or so and I always had a new and different canvas to work with. I'm finding that it's much more difficult knowing I will actually have to live with my choices forever. :eek:

CD ~ I'm looking forward to your pictures! Please tell me...how are you staying sane through this? We have not had a kitchen in a month and it could be a month or more before we have one again. I am not coping well at all!

Some other things I am thinking about are:

A farmhouse sink
Replacing the wall oven and cook top with a regular stove
Replacing the breakfast bar with a banquette
Replacing the T1-11 interior walls with beadboard

I won't be able to do everything, I'm sure, so I'm trying to get a feel for getting the most "cottage look" for the bucks.

[yarborough house]

Lynzee-

I have beadboard backsplash and the only thing is - it is great everywhere except behind the sink. When water splashes up there it does leave spots and you can only wipe or scrub down any paint for so long. So, I would lean towards subway tile.

Just my 2 cents worth :)

[cheapdiva]

Okay -

here is the start of the work. This photo is my bud Victoria who came over Sunday to help me smash walls. The contractor, electrician and plumber have been in and out for two days and I am SICK of the mess!!! I have started a photo album to show the progress.

Lynz -

SANE, HA!!!! I need to get the dining room straightened out and buy another shelving unit. We have packed many boxes of items and put them into our basement storage unit (and in the common areas because we have so many boxes!). The sink and dishwasher came out today so this means paper and plastic plates and cups. Because I hate doing this, we will keep it to a minimum and once a day take our dirty dishes down to our neighbor and wash them by hand and try to keep this to a minimum.

We had beadboard for backsplash and I loved it. I didn't have the problem of water spotting or paint "washing away". I'm also looking at a farm sink!

This process started out by changing our half bath and "funny room" into one large full bath with the laundry pair and plenty of storage. We had planned on also doing the kitchen but after this project and in stages. Turns out the plumber and the electrician needed to get into a common wall so out came cabinets, sink, dishwasher, etc.

We are moving the door to extend counter space, make better use of the space overall, eliminate two doors by adding the new door, etc., etc., etc.

So I'll keep adding photos and telling you all just how fed up I am by the dirt, dust and money going out the window.

Lynzee - we may become best buds through all of this!!!!

[airsides]

Hi Lynzee,

I'm sure you're feeling overwhelmed! I just redid our kitchen last October (and it's still not done...) but the best advice I could give you is this:

Make a list of everything in your kitchen and decide where it's going to go. Write down where the paper towels go, the saran wrap, the dishtowels, the toaster, the pots & pans, the pantry items, the cutting board, etc. etc. and that should also help you with the open shelves idea.

The only things I wish I did was an appliance garage and a better spot for the cable outlet for the tv.

Hope that helps just a wee bit!

[Lisa S]

Lynzee,

Deep breath! I know feeling as though you're under the gun to make decisions can make everything more difficult.

It sounds like you've made a decision about the flooring. That's good.

If you decide to go with a wood counter top, I recommend checking at Ikea on line. They have a very nice butcher block that they sell for a decent price. I wasn't very gung-ho about butcher block when I opted for our mahogany counter, but I've since changed my mind. It's a great look.

We have bead board as a back splash. On the positive side ~ it's cheap and very easy to install. On the negative side ~ it does require regular washing behind the sink. Maybe decide that last. You can see if it's an area where you could save some money in order to splurge elsewhere.

One of my favorite features of our kitchen redo was building a box for the refrigerator. It really hides it nicely. I had a built in shelf made to store cookbooks and stuff.

Imagine: Black and white flooring, butcher block counters, a farmhouse sink with a pretty little curtain behind it... Sounds great so far!

(Who took a picture of me cleaning the stove ~ it's not THAT noteworthy!)

[annielinz]

Lisa from what I can see, I love your kitchen!

I may just bite the bullet and get cracking on my poor ol' kitchen. I'm taking notes on all that you recommend.

[yarborough house]

Lisa,

I love what I can see of your kitchen. Did you do all your lower cabinets one color then the uppers white?
Do you think you could take some more pics of the kitchen for us to see?
I have all my cabinets painted a light sage green - and well at the time it was nice but I dislike it imensely now :) I want a look more in keeping with the house..so white, black, I don't know.
I thought maybe brown lowers and distressed cream uppers.
But I'd like to see all of yours it is lovely.

[cheapdiva]

Lisa -

I think I see markings on the door frame - measuring the kids? Love the idea of the box for the fridge - am going to steal it. Since the side of the fridge is going to be exposed, this will hide it and I could put a bulletin/chalk/message board on the side.

Yes, more pictures of the kitchen!!!!!

[shadylady]

I agree with Cheapdiva...more pictures please! Do you have an island? Is the sink there?

[chyna]

I saw on one of those Sell This House/Flip This/That House where they boxed in the fridge and thought Brilliant!!!! Talk about a duh moment. :o they put a corkboard/chalkboard/dry erase center on the side and it was just great. I've been trying to figure out how to do that at my house. Unfortunately I can't visualize that huge fridge being there forever. :p

[mac78]

I absolutely LOVE your kitchen.

[Lisa S]

Thanks!

No island... Yes, Maria those are growth markings on the door jam. All the neighborhood kids are measured here (and a puppy or two!). My son has grown more than two feet since we bought the house.

[Lynzee]

Yarborough House ~ The problem you had with beadboard is the same problem I have with the T1-11. It is impossible to clean! I want something low maintenance this time around.

CD ~ We didn't have a chance to box anything up. Our priority was finding and stopping the leak, so we took everything from the kitchen and starting throwing it into other rooms. When we'd fill up one, we'd move on the next room. What a mess! I'm really dreading this, but I'm looking forward to having a project buddy as we move though it!

Airsides ~ What a great tip! I would have never thought to do that and would have ended up playing the "what in the world do I do with this" game. :eek:

Lisa ~ I think I've forgotten how to breathe! I always thought I'd be able to do this slowly and leisurely. I looked at the Ikea butcher block and loved it but wasn't sure about maintenance and upkeep. Is wood pretty low maintenance? Also, I was wondering about your white sink. Is it high maintenance?

I think that if I splurge on anything it will be the farmhouse sink. BPG (the man who says I don't like anything long enough to spend a lot of money on it) said a farmhouse sink and subway tile are the two things I haven't changed my mind about in years so, in his mind, the decision has been made. I just haven't jumped on the train yet. Maybe today will be the day? :rolleyes:

[Zuzu's Garden]

Lynz,

I grabbed my decorating notebook to see if there were any other ideas that might help. We must have the same pics in our notebooks! :p I love all the ideas you are sharing.

I don't think you've mentioned lighting yet. I put a light over our kit sink and love, love, love it. Hubby insisted on easy access to all plumbing lines, so we have false bottoms in the lower kit cabinets that pull up to reveal all the plumbing.

I have a white sink, which requires more care than a stainless (like being careful not to bang pans against it while washing them), but I love the look.

My kit is still not done. I'll be getting back to it when my job ends next week. It will be fun sharing pics as all these kitchen projects start coming together!

:)
Zuzu

[Lisa S]

Lynzee ~ I think butcher block is very low maintenance. I think my white sink is too. If I bang anything against it, it's pretty easy to scrub it out with a scrubbie. Every now and then, I fill up the sinks with water and add a couple tablespoons of bleach. It makes everything shiny and clean. BTW, I think a farmhouse sink would be wonderful!

[cheapdiva]

I'll be your bud, Lynz! We are far from getting everything boxed up. Initially we thought we'd tackle the bath and laundry until the common wall got opened up. That meant sink and dishwasher - gone. So now the plan is to get the electrical and plumbing done on the common wall for washer/dryer and sink/dishwasher. The plumber is there today. Hoping to get the electrician back in next week. Then the washer and dryer get moved, freeing up the shower space in the bath. But that will wait until we get the kitchen drywalled and cabinets and countertop done.

I feel like we're going at this ass-backwards now. And of course it is costing much more than anticipated for the labor. I thought there was a recession going on?! We spent nearly $900 having one wall taken down and a door cut out and framed in. NO drywall, no actual door hung - a total of about 10 hours of work. And if we stay with the current contractor he is talking about $5,000 to take down 2 more small walls (totaling less than 10') and drywall. EEEEKK! We're talking about two rooms maybe totaling 300 sq. ft. I'm in the wrong business! :mad:

Does this sound reasonable to all of you? I have sent some emails out to friends who have recently done some remodeling to see if their contractors are available.

[shadylady]

$5000!!!! That sounds high to me. I guess it will mean framing in and drywall? And that is the cost of materials included? My husband built a new dock at our lake place and the wood was almost $1000....and no labor. Did you get several estimates when you started?

[cheapdiva]

No framing in or drywalling and NO materials. Talked to a contractor this morning who is working at the museum and he gave me the name of a fellow - and also said what we have paid for the work so far is ridiculous.

We had 2 other contractors lined up - one had personal problems and backed out and the other guy got the plans and never got back to us. I now have at least 3 other contractors to contact and we have decided to take down the remaining walls ourselves - they're drywall, not plaster so it should be much easier than the plaster wall my friend and I took down last week.

I'll post photos this weekend (in my album) on our continued progress. On the plus side, my husband called me to tell me he has cleaned off the dining table and gotten everything boxed up and moved to a shelving unit!!! Now I can sew the curtains for my d-i-l since the table is clean!!!

[airsides]

Oh another thing I wish I had done was wallpapered the backs in the upper cabinets. May still do that it just seems like alot of work taking everything out of the cupboards....

[Lisa S]

That's one heck of a husband, Maria! I'm glad you're looking at other contractors ~ yours does sound a bit spendy.

Funny you should show this picture, Airsides. This is what I plan to do with one of the cabinets I bought for the lake house. In it's current state, mine is broken and unpainted... but I bought it for $10. Hopefully, it will lokk like this one when I'm done!

[airsides]

Lisa S I got it here if you want to see more:
http://www.bhg.com/decorating/makeovers/furniture-makeovers/beautiful-bookcase-makeovers/?afterSlide=true&page=1

[Lisa S]

I saw three of those makeovers in the magazine, but they had more great ideas on line. I especially liked the tv cabinet transformed into a laundry station. Thanks for the link!

[Lynzee]

Zu ~ Ever since we first posted about our notebooks on CL, I've often wondered how similar our notebooks would be if we were to compare them. :) We replaced the lighting when we bought the house. A light over the sink and a pot rack with lighting over the island. I loved them then and love them now, so they stay. We will definitely have an access panel in the cabinet and the wall so I can eyeball the pipes every so often. I do not plan to go through this again--ever!

Lisa ~ I really want a white sink. Whether or not it's a farmhouse sink will depend on the budget once cabinets are selected. I am still leaning towards the butcher block, but am wondering if I will like it with the subway tile backsplash. Decisions, decisions! :rolleyes:

CD ~ Buddy! :D How are you progressing? Did you get the wall down? $5000 sounds a bit high to me, too. I hope you are able to get some more estimates.

Airsides ~ I wallpapered my cabinets when I did my kitchen makeover at the beach house. I used wallpaper that looks like beadboard. I love it!

My sister and I spent most of the day at Lowe's. It was quite overwhelming. As much as I love my sister, I should have left her behind because she is one of those people who can make up her mind in a minute flat and never look back. She was quite frustrated with me before it was over. :eek:

The current decision I am agonizing over is this...I have a wall oven in a floor to ceiling cabinet that I do not want to give up. I am thinking about replacing the cabinet and cooktop next to it with a stove. Will having both--side by side--be too much? I really need a larger oven, but I just can't give up the oven and cabinet I have.

[chyna]

I personallly wish I had a wall oven, they look like they would be so much easier to cook/bake in and then maybe a stove on an island? Since you love it so much I say it stays.

CD- for that much money I'll drive/fly over and do it for you. That sounds a bit steep to me but maybe that is the going rate in your area. Hopefully you can find someone that will charge less.:)

[Lynzee]

I love the wall oven because of its height, but the oven is so small it is a nightmare when it comes to holiday meals. It won't hold a decent size turkey, so I always have to work around that. I'm just not crazy about the cooktop either, for some reason. The kitchen is far too small for an island stove. The only option would be where the cooktop is now.

I think we could all travel to CD's for less money than that contractor wants to charge. Now that would be a kitchen remodel for C & B to follow! :D

[cheapdiva]

I'll have hammers, drywall, mud, cabinets, countertops waiting!!
Actually posted an inquiry on Craig's List at the suggestion of our plumber and had more than 2 dozen people respond - to a straight $15 an hour. Now I just have to start narrowing it down, calling these folks, get references and check them out. You know, bonded, insured, etc.

[chyna]

Went to an antique store today and there was one of those old stove/ovens from decades ago and said I wish. I don't know if anythng would really fit in it but fun to wonder. :p:p

[Lynzee]

I sure hope one of them works out for you, CD. It would be great for you to be able to put that money into something you want for your kitchen instead of that contractor's pocket.

There's an "antique" store in town that has one of those old stoves, Chyna. Everytime we ride by and I stare at it through the window, BPG says, "don't even think about it!" :eek: :( It would be perfect though....:D

[Zuzu's Garden]

I follow the 'The Adventures of Elizabeth' blog (http://elizabethhousestlouis.blogspot.com/), and her kitchen makeover is featured in RH's June issue.

This pic shows off her beautiful old stove (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rkBFOMQr9fY/Se6d0vzTX9I/AAAAAAAABdU/6M8EzXWXMF4/s1600-h/Window+and+stove+low+res.jpg)

I wish there was a way that we could "drop by" to help each other with all of these projects! I guess cyberhelp will have to do for now.

:)
Zuzu

[cheapdiva]

OMG - What a makeover!!! But please, no more blogs. I can't keep up! I have to work (full time 50+ hours a week) and try to get something done at my house as opposed to reading about everyone else. :p

[Lisa S]

Wow! She did a great job for under $500. The brain is mightier than the wallet!

[annielinz]

Zuzu, I saw the makeover in Romantic Homes (which is a great issue BTW) and went to her blog.
I noticed she has the same ugly floor in the kitchen as me and it got my little wheels turning regarding painting it.

[Zuzu's Garden]

Elizabeth's blog has been bookmarked on my computer for years - it is one of my favs! I look forward to seeing the article in the June RH.
:)
Zu

[chyna]

You got me thinking of painting the checkerboard look on my floor. Just haven't found a good time to bring it up to dh. I have a feeling he won't approve. :( But I do have a back up plan in mind, painted rugs. LOL