Almost all done, smaller budget, 1941 Colonial!

10 years ago

Well, I finally managed to take photos and have time to post a reveal!
I still have a few details to take care of; the carpenters need to come back to finish a bit of trim, I need to strip wallpaper from the basement stairwell and paint that area and the back door (who knows when I will get to that), a decision needs to be made about the phone jack. Oh, and something for the windows (suggestions welcome!)

Here are a few before shots:

You can see that counter, storage and general layout were very awkward and inadequate. And the lighting! operated by a pullchain by the fridge!

When we tore out the cabinets and stripped the wallpaper, we were able to see the ghosts of the original layout:

a large window was here originally

and I could see the traces of large tile on the walls once we removed the wallpaper. We found the stub of a gas line on the wall by the door to the dining room so assume the stove was originally there. I guess that some past owner moved everything to one wall to make room for a kitchen table.

When we removed the 3 layers of flooring (including the original linoleum) we found this:

I was variously told it was red oak, white oak and pine: Pine it was. Believe it or not, all that glue residue cleaned off fairly easily with DIF (and cat urine-- what is it about a newly bare floor that makes some cats want to baptize it? My refinisher said it wasn't unusual!) and sanding.

After refinishing:

Had some difficulties with the granite install. First of all, I had picked a stone that was a lovely soft green-gray: Verde Lavras. The installer asked me if I wanted an "enhancing sealer" applied to darken it and I told him NO. But he forgot, and applied it anyway. Plus the seam work wasn't too great either:

This first photo shows the difference between the color I selected and what the sealer did to it:

And the seam:

He did come back after some time and redid the seam, also tried to remove the enhancer to only modest effect. The counter is now lighter but still the green is lost.

The seam is really only visible now if looked at straight on:

Remember the view from the doorway? Some things, like the mess in the basement stairwell, haven't changed, but I think that overall this is much better!

Pantry with rollout shelves, microwave, and a still-empty top shelf -- I am still organizing and reorganizing:

Trash, recycling, compost and a few misc. items under the sink on pullouts:

I need to decide what to do with the phone jack here. They didn't leave enough room for the phone to hang on the wall, but reused the old wall plate and didn't finish the wall under it. I can get a new phone (if I can find one) that will fit on the wall, or move the jack and fix the wall:

It is still a small kitchen! but I have soooo much more storage, counter space, a larger sink, better lighting.... I am so happy with it, even with the things that weren't done as I wished.

The colors don't show up well in my pictures, I think. The rug was my inspiration:
The cabinets and window trim are Martha Stewart 'Gull'; the ceiling is Valspar 'Transparent';
the walls are Valspar 'Ante Meridian".
The baseboards and basement door are also 'Transparent' but I think that I will be repainting them to 'Gull'; I like transparent on the ceiling but it looks too cool on the trim.

The new appliances -- frig, dishwasher and stove -- were all floor models from the major department store scratch & dent outlet.

The sink is Blanco Stellar Super Single from Amazon Warehouse

Faucet is Price Pfister Sedgwick via eBay
Garbage disposal is Waste King (so quiet!)
Range hood is Air King

Ceiling lights: Sylvania retrofit downlights (had to use these on 4 inch boxes, as there was ductwork in the ceiling that didn't permit cans) from Lowes

Over sink light: Litex 7.25" in brushed nickle

Cabinets made by Harmon Hardwoods, Dover, Ohio

Because I decided to have the cabinets made instead of using Ikea, and went with the more expensive granite, and refinished the floor instead of using the clearance engineered hardwood, and replaced all the appliances, I exceeded my original target budget by at least $4k -- all told it came to just about $20K. The kitchen remodelers were quoting me about $25k, so I think that I did okay in the end.

PS. I don't know why some pictures are sideways, or different size -- they are all okay on Photobucket!

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Comments (29)

bpath
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
So pretty, and so efficient, you really packed a lot of beauty and workability into your space! That sliver of space to the right of the range, I'll bet its usefulness far exceeds its size. It's all so pretty, and I'm lovin' the rug!! Happy cooking :)
decordummy_gw
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes prettier and more functional - well done!
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Thanks, everyone for the suggestions. Yes, the fridge clearance is an issue but I was thinking maybe a 2-3 inch gap would do it, or have the door open on the right (not ideal, I know, but I've lived with that before). The eating area in the nook would not be isolated - the opening there is 4 feet wide and I can see all the way to the back corner if I stand at the current range location or where the new range would be. Anyway, my kids are 6 and 4 so safe enough alone for a minute; and right now I don't have any view of them at all when I go back and forth to the kitchen from the DR. Not earthquake country in upstate NY as far as I know :-) What an interesting suggestion, John. How much space would we need to make the chimney into a pizza oven? It goes up from the basement and through the 2nd floor to the roof and my guess is that it is the original chimney for whatever cooking range was in the house when it was first built (because there is another chimney in the LR with two flues for the fireplace and the boiler in the basement). Maybe the kitchen chimney even has an opening already. I can't wait to uncover it! A few months ago we tried to bash a hole in the dry wall over it to see what was back there but all we hit was wood framing. Then we lost our nerve and didn't want to make a huge mess so we stopped. We've hung a chalkboard over the dent in the meantime:-) Sorry for the fuzzy pictures - I will definitely try the Google Sketchup when I have a little time later this week. And I'll make a new post to ask about the layout. I still have lots of doubts and questions about the best changes to make. Debrak - I've got some of her books and I love them. Although I don't totally go for her devotion to open plan living, I like a lot of her ideas, especially because they mesh so well with our Arts and Crafts house. I bought her new book on remodelling, which I highly recommend, because she takes you step-by-step through all the different ways you could improve your house's entire layout before you get to the point of adding on. I especially like what she has to say about views through the house to windows onto the garden (which is one reason I am wondering about NOT closing off the doorway to the LR).
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Thanks again to everyone else who has posted their kind comments :) Rhome, I do not have plans. My old boss, drew up and informal before and after. Just enough to pass through our building department, who did not require an accurately scaled set. In fact, I was allowed to "sign and seal" the set on my own. We never actually lived in the house with the "old" kitchen - what you see was how it was when we looked at the house. The prior Owner wasn't living there, but left all his stuff in the kitchen while living elsewhere. I mean, there was even some things in the fridge! It was kind of weird if you ask me. We left the sink and oven in the same place for two reasons. One, I didn't want to move the plumbing and liked having the small window above the sink. Second, again, I didn't want to move the gas service, trying to keep costs down where I could. I couldn't get a 36" in due to a structural situation (that beam runs across the room right there and, the waste stack goes up inside the wall there also - would not have been cost effective to move that since we were not able to address the bathroom above yet). The refrigerator, we had to move and wanted to. It's old position made no sense on the back wall at all and since a sliding door was going in, it had to go. Putting it across from the sink and stove, was a much better solution, along with the microwave. The kitchen, flows well in that I don't have to walk very far to get to any of my appliances from each other at all. I designed the cabinets to hold what I need near each appliance. The two lower cabinets at the stove are all pull-outs and hold pots and pans (surprisingly a large amount of them fit into these). The large lower cabinet to the right of the sink on the corner is a double trash bin, easy to dump out leftovers before they go into the sink. Most dishes (and pots/pans) are stored right over the dishwasher and near stove. Glassware and serving pieces are over the counter where the toaster and coffee maker are 0 LOTS of space in these two. Pantry items are easily accessible (the one near the fridge is mostly dry goods; cereal, pasta, tea, coffee, cookies, etc.) and I included 3 drawers under the largest one to use for a bread drawer, a drawer for bags/foils/wraps and the last as my junk drawer. The cabinet under the microwave holds canned goods and the one next to it holds medications (I don't keep them in the bathroom) and some other miscellaneous things which I like having at hand in the kitchen. Under the sink is a pull-out, which houses the usual stuff. I have a cabinet specifically for herbs/spices and one specifically for oils/vinegars/smaller baking needs. I have 3 glass front cabinets for some of my Fiestaware and other decorative items and one other large pantry, as I mentioned, for larger cooking items, baking pans, and other things. The triangular end cabinet is a kind of catch-all for chopping boards, measuring cups, what have you and the lazy susan has colanders, plastic ware, casserole dishes and some other stuff. Oh, and the large cabinet over the fridge holds roasting pans, my huge lobster pot, and I'm not even sure what else right now lol. Eventually, the sort of empty space where the table now sits needs to be finished off somehow. I envision more cabinetry on the wall, probably with a TV inside it. Perhaps some more storage at the bottom with a counter coming off the wall. Or, a very small table, with cabinets. Just not sure yet. Ok I've blathered plenty. BTW anyone that has ideas for a backsplash feel free to toss them out for me. I just really haven't seen anything which has wowed me yet.
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Deedles, the uneven cabinets is not my favorite, but short of putting the range in the hall (DH is against this) or removing all the ducting to move the sink (pipe access blocked by ducting) it is the best I can do. Not that big a sacrifice considering the rest is working out pretty well. Function is definitely my priority over form in this small space! Oldbat2be, I love your kitchen! It's a great use of space, but I'm short and clumsy so I fear I would stretch over the 30 inch counter and accidentally knock the extinguisher back into the cubby! I think the small double angle corner upper will house our extinguisher. It's even on the way to the exit as recommended! I'll have to get a hanging tag to identify the location, but after that thread a while back it was definitely in my mind! A2gemini, I'm excited too! We discussed the 12 inches to the left of the range, debating between 9 and 12. The cabinet company actually has been doing full kitchen remodels in our area for 40 years (specialize in kitchens). I hope they would have advised me about any code restrictions there, but I will ask! After reading here the past several months I'd definitely rather check now! I think drawers under the Advantium will work well. It is 19 inches tall if I remember right, so plenty of space above for unruly large items! May_flowers, I did sketch that up at one point. It actually worked pretty well, but didnt get the fridge out of the eating area so clearance was still an issue, and DH didn't want the range in the walkway, which I can understand. Looks like things are closing in. Thanks so much for pushing me to consider things from all angles, I really appreciate the suggestions. Any additional comments are welcome!
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raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks, bpathome! That little lower 9" cabinet has a spice pullout, and it is full! We love to cook with all kinds of spices. The upper 9" cabinet holds my tea, coffee and powdered drink mixes.

I am using the base corner cabinet for sodas, wine, larger appliances and large soup pots. So far, not finding it difficult to reach things in there.

The workability -- a lot of it came from ideas that I found here, as I've mentioned on other threads. I am so grateful for the suggestions and help that I received here (and also on Ikeafans).
magsnj
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What a vast improvement! You must be thrilled. Your choices really suit the house, and you've dramatically improved the function.

Now for the pictures that are confusing me. I can't tell where the pendant is in the picture about the one showing the phone jack. Also, I can't figure out where the fridge is.

And now I've gone back up and I can't see the faucet!!!

How do you expect us to profess our love for your choices when we cant see them!!!! :)
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Magsnj, thanks for the compliments and sorry for the confusion! I will try just a single piccie to see if it posts better than the photobucket.

Here is that over sink light:
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
the sink and faucet

Funny how oddly the colors are photographing. The wall is reallya pale blue-green and the cabinets are not at all pinkish!
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The view from the basement door
User
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks so much for your sharing your reveal! It looks fantastic, and as someone with a kitchen the size of some of the butler's pantries on this site, it's doubly inspiring to see something so great in a small package. Congratulations, and hope you're enjoying your new space.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
And the view from the other corner, by the stove.
The lower cabinet by the frig is a pullout that holds the buckets of pet food. I didn't leave much room for feeding the animals, though; that is something that I would do differently -- make that cabinet with a little alcove for the pet dishes, and use narrower containers for the food. As it is now, the dishes sit in front of the open basement door.
magsnj
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It looks fantastic!!! I was thinking the fridge must be in a different area. The pendant looks great. Don't worry about not making room for the pet buffet. When you have limited space you can't plan for everything. I'm currently feeding mine in the dining room. :) I figure there's the same wood throughout the house (old pine as well) and that's were eatng is supposed to be done.

Now for the serious question. Did you realize you weren't truly living before you had the pull down faucet? I had mine installed in October and I couldn't believe I had ever lived without one.

My sister has your sink and she loves it! Great choice!
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes I love the faucet -- it really works well, feels solid and it is so convenient; Price Pfister isn't a brand mentioned often here, but the price was right and it has all the features I wanted. Hopefully it will hold up well. And the sink -- the sink is just the right size, not too big but really roomy enough! The setback drain allowed me to fit the pullouts under the sink. I am really pleased with the combo!

(edited to add:) I confess that I was nervous about the faucet just because it looked so HUGE at first, and still seems a bit out of proportion with the light above.

This post was edited by raee on Fri, Jan 31, 14 at 10:00
williamsem
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wow, what a transformation! It looks so neat and cohesive. Great job!
texasgal47
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Very nice job. You really made the most of your space, yet it still looks airy. I like the layout, how the cabinets are true to the style of the house, and that rug.
tea4all
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I am always so amazed by the befores/afters and yours does not disappoint. You did a great job creating a kitchen that looks like a joy to cook in-- great organization, efficient, and lovely. What a great find under the layers of flooring. The refinished pine is really pretty. Love your pendant too! Congratulations on a job well done!
Gooster
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Congratulations! I love how you maximized your space. And the pet food bin is great.
rockybird
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The cabinets and floor are beautiful! It really all ties in nicely with the counter. I love that light too. Considering that you had custom cabinets, refinished wood floor and new appliances, I dont think 4k over budget is bad at all. It looks great!
romy718
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm so glad you posted more pics. I think your granite is lovely - it looks like a good match with the rug. You put a lot of nice details in your kitchen. I love your pendant & the crown molding above your cabinets. I also forgot to include an eating area for the dogs. Have to add that one to the GW kitchen planning list.
deedles
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Much, much better layout, wow what a difference! Everything looks smartly done and you chose really nice finishes. Look at that nice stretch of counter space now! Time for some KAWs.

What a score on the floor (? poet, don't know it), too.
desertsteph
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
You did a great job! more counter space, more storage space - love all the added drawers and the slide outs. It surely makes it so much nicer for you to find things and to cook in it!

thx for posting it - we need more of the smaller kitchens revealed on here. There are sooo many badly designed small kitchens in this world! Old houses, small houses, condos etc and their owners need lots of inspiration / help to update them and make them as usable as possible.
cat_mom
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Such a nice improvement!
Mags438
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wonderful transformation! As I have a small kitchen also, I love seeing how ppl make the transformation to a 'working/functional' kitchen. Great job!
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you all! It is a real pleasure to be able to share a years worth of decisions and fussing with you all!

Thanks also to whoever fixed my whackadoodle pictures in the first post!

It is a smaller house, only 1000 sq ft in the 2 stories. Since I like to stock up on things I use a lot when on sale (canned soup, for example, which I take for lunch at work most days) it is nice to have room to keep it handy instead of in the basement, plus now I don't have plates, mugs and glasses stacked to the max in one cupboard.

I could actually have made the new window bigger and the cupboard between them narrower, though -- I really didn't realize how much storage I was adding and the upper shelves are fairly empty.

Romy thanks for the compliment on the molding. It was actually not what I asked for -- I wanted something simpler, but by the time it went up and I saw what I had, I just didn't want to go through the fuss and wait for a replacement (I was ill at the time). So it is nice to hear that it looks good!

I did change the trim around the windows; the carpenters just put in quarter round and it looked both cheap and unfinished. I replaced it with the cove molding which I think looks much better (did it myself, too!)

My favorite thing about it all would really be hard to say; of course just having enough counter to work on without balancing things on the stove should top the list!

But, every time I pull open the base drawer to get a pot I smile!
chiefy
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What an awesome update! Absolutely beautiful.
sis2two
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
That looks great! I know you must be thrilled everyday when you walk into your new space. I too love a pulldown faucet and will never again be without one. Thanks for posting.
robo (z6a)
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Looks awesome! Smaller budget kitchens are my favourite!! I particularly love your sink area. Something about it just looks so timeless and welcoming. The pendant and faucet are so charming.
Kathy Rivera
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Great job! The prep space you created by changing where the stove/fridge are is just wonderful!
susanlynn2012
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Raee, I love the style of your cabinets and the white chosen to paint them. I love the spice pullout 9" cabinet! What a great idea! I am going to see if I can have that instead of some of the fillers that will be in my kitchen when I am ready to do my kitchen. I love the pull-outs in the pantry and I think my KD that took the sample boards back today was wrong to tell me not to have them as I can never find anything in the back of the shelves. I need to add them back to my kitchen for the bottom shelves. I also really love your faucet and can't wait to get one that is tall to fill my humidifier with as it will not fit under my low faucet now so I use the water on the door that takes forever to fill it. You are so blessed with a window over the sink. I now wish I got an end unit that had a window over the sink but I was so in love with the location of this particular interior townhouse as the end unit available at the time I was ready to buy did not have the privacy that I do in my backyard.

What an amazing transformation for such a wonderful price! It truly is so functional now and pretty! I love your kitchen!
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you for your kind words, Lynn. I really am enjoying it all. I hated the cabinet color at first, it just didn't seem to be what I had thought it would be, but once the counter was in and the walls painted just the right color I changed my mind and love it now!

The tall faucet was always a must on my list and this one has not disappointed me. So were pull out shelves in the pantry. I had him make them for only the bottom 3 shelves, but I am going to add them to the upper shelves eventually, also to the over-frig cabinet. I can't believe that your KD discouraged you from having them-- 24" deep pantry shelves would seem impossible to deal with, without them!

Pullouts for the narrow places must be one of the greatest kitchen inventions -- I can see my spices and it really holds a lot. There was no way to avoid having 9" cabinets, so going frameless allowed them to be practical even though narrow.

LOL, looking back at my post I see what a terrible photographer I am. I will put up some better-focused shots when I ask for help on a window treatment, hopefully the colors will show up correctly.
susanlynn2012
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
raee, thank you for letting me know that you did not like the cabinet color at first until the counter was in and the walls were painted. This is what I am thinking that when everything goes together, then it looks so nice and I have to stop being lost in the forest and look at the whole picture. I am so glad I vented yesterday since your reply and everyone else's really helped me. I will learn about more ideas so when tax season is over, I will be more ready to make decisions and complete my kitchen.

I definitely need pull out shelves in my pantry. I have short arms and it is difficult enough to find things. I want my kitchen to be more functional.

I love the spice pull-out so much! You did so great in designing your kitchen and making good use of space.

I am looking forward to trying to help when you are ready for your window treatments.

Almost all done, smaller budget, 1941 Colonial!

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