Hola! As promised, I am starting to unveil the process of the new kitchen today. For part 1 of this series, I want to show you all of the plans. It’s a lot to take in.
First, let’s start with a look at the original kitchen in all its dreadfulness. This is actually a picture from before we moved in. The first thing I notice (and hate) is how dark it is. Like dungeon dark. The black appliances, the cherry cabinets, the laminate floor all read about the same boring color scheme. We have already painted the walls an off-white and patched the many holes. The ceiling had spaghetti sauce spots all over it but those have been removed.
As you can see, we have many plans and new projects going on here. Notice the very small fridge. That is getting the overthrow. About the only surface not being changed is the cabinets. They are in great shape, and I was not allowed to paint or otherwise change them per the hubby. He wanted a Tuscan kitchen, and I wanted light and airy traditional with whimsical charm. As with any DIY between hubby and me, compromise is key. Otherwise, he will give me the guilt trip for a decade.
The new breakfast bar is the game changer of the kitchen. One of the things I hate about this bar is the proximity of the gas stove to the eating area. I (or my son) can literally stick their hand in the gas fire while eating Cheerios. To remedy this, the base of the bar will be extended to about where the lip of the current countertop stops. Then it will rise about six inches and a new breakfast bar will be added. The electrical outlets are being moved to up top for efficiency and safety. And the full bar will receive the full faux stacked-stone treatment. Finally, a new granite countertop will replace the ugly, burned, and peeling laminate ones. We are keeping the range due to cost. A new one would be around $1700 because it is bottom vented. I did order new grills though.
This picture is pretty self-explanatory, but the impact is gonna be so awesome! The biggest DIY question we have is what we will find under the peeling laminate that is behind the sink. We are convinced that there will be mold of some kind, but the extent is not entirely known at this point since it was like that when we moved in. Next week, I will show you how we extended the bar which is the first step in our process.
Budget Breakdown
- Granite Counter tops and Sink : $4300
- Faucet : $79
- Cabinet Hardware : $167
- Airstone Kit and Breakfast Bar Wood: $350
- Fridge : $1038 (originally over $1900 before rebates and 30% off sale)
- Replacement Grills for Stove: $242 (full replacement would have been $1700)
- Miscellaneous and decor: $500
- Back Splash Tile: about $220 for 20 square feet plus grouting costs
- Paint: Already purchased for other project
Total: ~ $7000
Next week, I will be sharing how we extended and built the new bar. Thanks for stopping by!
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Shally says
I know it’s been a year and a half since this post, but I cannot find the final results of your completed kitchen. Where can I see it?
Rachel says
Thank you for your comment. Here is the link for the kitchen today! In the menu at the top or that lined symbol on mobile, I also have a “Home Tour” where you can see all of our progress thus far – https://www.cravingsomecreativity.com/home-tour/ To be honest, we haven’t entirely finished the kitchen even today. We have a relatively open floor plan and the entire floors (1500 sq ft) have to be installed at the same time so those haven’t been replaced quite yet. I am hoping to save enough to have them all done by Christmas this year. Fingers crossed!
Nicole says
What is the name of the granite used in your kitchen? It looks very good with your backsplash. ..
Rachel says
We got ours from a supplier through Lowe’s. It was called Blanco Gabrielle but I know that it goes by a different name depending on where you get it. Hope that helps!
Rebecca says
OMG I AM ALL OVER THIS SERIES!!!!!!!! I cannot wait to see the final product and I know it’s going to be good because everything you’ve ever done is amazing!
Seriously! The anticipation! I love it! SO FUN!
Rachel says
We are getting there! This project is really interesting for me because it is a total compromise between my taste and my husbands. I wanted the airy-light cafe feel with open shelves and kitchy details. Hubby is all about the craftsman and tuscan styles. Think dark woods, huge ranges, and uber masculine wood fired ovens. It’s beautiful because it reflects us both I think.
Sharon - Her Organized Chaos says
I’m excited to see the progress! I think you have the perfect kitchen to remodel. Its making me curious about my kitchen. We have a small kitchen but it’s very open space and I for some reason thought it would be CRAZY expensive but yours doesn’t seem that bad for such a large kitchen. Thanks for linking this up to Totally Terrific Tuesdays last week. I just started co-hosting and hope to see you this week! Thanks for sharing!
Sharon
herorganizedchaos.com
Rachel says
Thanks for stopping by! I am definitely joining each week. Kitchens can be crazy expensive remodels which is why we are doing as much ourselves as possible. The single biggest cost those is cabinetry. We decided it wasn’t worth it since our cabinets are in great shape and pretty functional.
Sarah J says
Popping over from Totally Terrific Tuesday =) I hope to redo my kitchen this summer. But all our cabinets will be torn out and replaced. I may be getting ones similar to yours =) Be sure to share your crafts & DIYs at Two Uses Tuesday over at Sarah Celebrates if you don’t already!
Gentle Joy says
It is so much fun to re-do a part of the house…. and especially the kitchen. 🙂 So glad it is going well for you.
Stella Lee (@Purfylle) says
How exciting to get your kitchen renovations started! I really want to tackle my kitchen, but reading your budget leaves me wondering if we will ever get to it. Our colour scheme is very similar to yours, it must have been very popular once.
Rachel says
I have heard that the average full kitchen remodel is like $25,000. The biggest cost is replacing the cabinets but we are (thankfully) able to keep our existing cabinets. Even though our budget is a bit higher, over half of it is the granite counter tops. There are some more economical options out there. I have even come across some painted counter top options that looked pretty good in pictures. I hope that you will be able to make your dream kitchen one day!
Stella Lee (@Purfylle) says
Thanks! I will have to content myself with our new splash-back for a while I think.
Amanda @ The Kolb Corner says
I LOVE kitchen renovations. Well, OK, I love seeing OTHER people’s kitchen reno’s 😉 I love the layout of your kitchen though! It looks like it’s pretty functional, and I’m jealous of your gas range and separate double ovens! I agree with you about dark cabinetry, but I think that you can easily lighten up the space with the other elements. Our kitchen is SO dark with a dark cherry stain on the cabinets and BLACK granite tile countertop and backsplash. Hoping to change that soon. Good luck on your reno!! Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Rachel says
I can’t wait to show some of the progress! The counter tops let the light in like I was hoping. I do love the kitchen layout too. I about died when I saw the kitchen because our previous townhouse had a horrible and very small galley kitchen. You literally could not walk into the kitchen if the dishwasher was open. I think this color scheme must have been very popular 10-15 years ago. Now I just want get the black out!
Jen says
How exciting!! I can’t wait to see it all come together!
Rachel says
I cannot wait to show the step by step progress. It is such a big change even though the cabinets are the same.
commercial construction Mackay says
Choose a good neutral tone for the majority of your furniture, and then opt to have one or two pieces in a color or pattern you enjoy. This way, you’ll stand a better chance of still loving your furniture years down the road as your style changes.