After 6 months, it's done!!

15 years ago

Finally finished our kitchen, 6 months of mostly DIY work that DH and I did together. I really didnÂt post many questions to the GW, but I read everyoneÂs posts DAILY and learned so much from all of you. Thank you!

We DIYÂd just about everything including demo, electrical, lighting, plumbing (gas & water), drywall repair, painting, backsplash, appliance installation, venting, molding (crown, base, shoe), etc.

We saved a lot of $$ by doing our own kitchen design (we spent years discussing all the different options). We couldnÂt change the space, but we did change the layout from the old kitchen. We also saved $ by purchasing as much as we could via the internet. We stuck to our limited budget and came in $500 under!

So here it is (more pics at link below):

Details:

Custom maple cabinets Â cinnamon color stain

Granite counters Â Golden Beach

Flooring Â Mannington resiliant New Brighton Sahara Beige #162191

Backsplash Â 4x4 tumbled travertine Â Durango cream, pencil rail Â Noce, decorative inserts Â stained copper leaf riace glass, grout Â linen #122

Refrigerator Â Kitchenaid KSCS25FTMS Â counter depth

Range Â Kenmore Elite #36723 Â gas on glass top, convection oven, warming drawer

Microhood Â Kenmore Elite #80823 Â convection microwave (eliminates need for 2nd oven)

Dishwasher (existing Kitchenaid) Â ordered custom SS panels to convert from black

Compactor (existing Whirlpool Gold) Â ordered black & SS repair parts & paint to convert from white

Disposal Â ISE Evolution Pro Compact

Sink Â Blanco silgranit anthracite 511-707

Faucet Â Kohler Forte R-10433 vibrant SS, soap dispensers & air gap Â also Kohler

Lighting Â Low voltage 4" recessed and fluorescent under cabinet

Chandelier Â Forte desert stone 2271-03-09

Switches, outlets, wallplates Â Lutron desert stone

Paint Â BM Squire Hill Buff #1068

For all of those who are in the middle of your project it is all worth it! We love our new kitchen!

Here is a link that might be useful: Slideshow of more kitchen pics

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Comments (25)

Laurie
15 years ago
Soooo beautiful!!! You and dh could easily go into the remodeling business! I tried the link to the slideshow, and just get a black screen with a photobucket icon.
pharaoh
15 years ago
beautiful work! As I always do, hats off to DIYers. It looks professionally designer and installed. So you get extra points for that!

So when are you having us over for dinner ? :)
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Oh, Gwent, definitely not DIY and we had a lot of design help. The basic idea for white perimeter cabs and natural cherry island, along with the Cornufe, which was supposed to be the focal point, was ours. And we knew we wanted a terra cotta floor. We got the idea for the ceiling from a kitchen showroom that we visited, but my contractor built us a much nicer one than what we had seen. Layout was a painful process, that was part us, part a KD from a cabinet company that bailed on us, and part our final KD. We picked all the light fixtures, faucets and appliances on our own. It was our idea to do the glass-front bookcases, and the double-sided glass cabinets, but he designed them. Big picture was us. I give my KD credit for a lot of the details, and the execution, slow as it might have been sometimes. All that woodwork was really his design, to fit with the rest of the house. He convinced us to do the two granites, I would never have done that. He picked the backsplash. I was impressed that he came up with it so quickly and easily, until he took us to see his house. It is the backsplash he had in his kitchen, except he used only one color of insert tile instead of a variety of colors. The border around the floor on the island was also totally him. The butler's pantry floor was him. He gave me input on the knobs and handles, although we picked them. It was my idea to use the walnut for the bookcases, his to use it for the peninsula. We picked the vintage poster and stools and the pantry door. All in all, it was a collaborative effort.
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maydl
15 years ago
It's just lovely. You must be so happy standing in there, looking all around, and saying "We created this beautiful space!" I'm sorry about your little Shelley, though.
gshop
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you for the compliments!

Laurie2008, wait on the black screen a few moments, there are a lot of pics to load. It looks like other people are getting the slideshow. Good luck!

Dinner will be served when I finish reading all of the new appliance manuals!
raehelen
15 years ago
Nice!

Looking forward to when I can create my own slide show for viewing- love the comments.

Sorry to hear about Shelley- :>(
brachl
15 years ago
very nice - and I'm so impressed that you did it -- I am sorry to hear about Shelley -she seems to have been a wonderful companion
janeincolorado
15 years ago
I love it! You did a great job! I really like how your floor looks and wondered if you like how it looks in person and also how 'sturdy' it will be? Any info will be greatly appreciated. I love tile look but my husband hates real tile. Yours looks like a great compromise. Thanks, Jane
malhgold
15 years ago
Great job!!! Love those drawer banks flanking the range. Nice touch!
writersblock (9b/10a)
15 years ago
Beautiful--you thought out the colors really well. So sorry to hear about Shelley. She looks like she was a sweetie.
bluekitobsessed
15 years ago
Ngng, greetings from somewhere else in SoCal -- that is truly an amazing transformation! Your granite, glass tile, and cabinets all go wonderfully together! I am always in awe of the brave DIY'rs -- your first few meals should be for your hardworking DH and yourself! (after that the horde of hungry GW'rs can descend upon you)

I notice that no credit whatsoever is given to Homeannex :)
brutuses
15 years ago
Very, very beautiful. Congratulations!!
gshop
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments!

Jane we love our floor. I have a bad back and knew from our previous home that I could not have tile in the kitchen. So resiliant flooring was the only option. It really looks like tile, in fact a guest was over and leaned down to touch the floor to see if it was real tile. We didn't get the highest grade of vinyl, we just liked the color, but we don't have kids so we weren't worried about the wear.

Blue, still waiting on the refund after 3 months, so no credit. And yes, another SoCal TKO finally finishes!
teapotter
15 years ago
A great job! You should feel proud of your work. And 6 months is great! I am at 6 months now on mine which is NOT DIY and it is only just now close to done. I think I am just a little bit jealous. I must add that I chose the contractor route even though I knew it would be costly because I know how slow DH is and figured it would be on the 2 year plan at the very least, if I agreed to the DIY plan. Again I must say nicely done!
cat_mom
15 years ago
Very nice! Great job on the backplash!
gsciencechick
15 years ago
Beautiful! The granite is awesome and looks fabulous with the black sink.

I'm sorry to hear about Shelley.
igloochic
15 years ago
Gorgeous and I love the accents in the backsplash. Want to come over and finish mine? :oP
loves2cook4six
15 years ago
Beautiful. I love your backsplash. Can you provide a link for the accent pieces?
susanlynn2012
15 years ago
I love your kitchen so much! I love the new floor, the beautiful stainless steel appliances, the blacksplash, the granite counters and the gorgeous Maple cabinets in that yummy cinnamon finish.
laxsupermom
15 years ago
Your kitchen is beautiful. I love that you created a tray ceiling in a DIY project. You and DH must be very talented, because the results are stunning. I love the banks of drawers beside the range. Job well done!
lyfia
15 years ago
Looks great from the one pic I can see. Flashplayer isn't supported on the system I'm on so I can't see the slide show.
katybuggs
15 years ago
Just Beautiful! Everything blends so well together. I'm impressed YDIY. Was there a particular reason you went with custom cabinets. I'm trying to figure out custom local cabinet maker vs ordering from a cabinet company. Yours are truly gorgeous.
gshop
Original Author
15 years ago
Everyone is so kind and generous with your comments! Thank you!

No link for the glass accent tiles as I purchased them locally in Anaheim. There is a street that is lined with nothing but tile and granite stores for several miles. You can negotiate and get really great deals on tile compared to standard tile stores. I did see some similar tiles at cooltiles.com, but I've never dealt with them. Or do a search on copper tile?

We didn't really plan the 'tray ceiling', it was the left over hole from the 1980's fluorescent lights. We had originally planned to expand the width of the 'tray ceiling' but ran into plumbing from the second story. So we just repaired the drywall after DH finished all the electrical and put up crown molding to dress it up a bit. Glad you like it!

Big and long decision to get custom cabinets. I had gotten detailed quotes from about 6 different places, including Lowes (Kraftmaid & Diamond), Buycabinets.com (Kraftmaid) and a couple of other local places with name brand cabinets. It is amazing how the prices varied with the same exact layout (free from Lowes) for the same type of cabinets. DH is a hobby wood worker and volunteered to make the cabinets (he made the office cabinets & family room TV cabinet), but I wanted them in done within my lifetime. We also looked at custom cabinets and SIL recommended her custom cabinet guy. His price was only $1000 more than the lowest quote, but not the most expensive. Since DH is very picky about quality (remember he can make them) we went with the custom cabinets. I was also able to get the exact color stain that I wanted. We were able to purchase extra stain to stain our own molding to match and saved a lot of $$. We are very, very happy with the design, quality and installation!
Buehl
15 years ago
Wow! Great job! You and your DH are very talented!

I'm so sorry about Shelley.

Now it's time to enjoy that kitchen!
morton5
15 years ago
You did a fabulous job! I hope you are enjoying an enormous sense of accomplishment. It looks VERY professionally planned! How sad about poor Shelley...
coppicefarm
8 years ago
I'm in awe of the thought you put into your project - thanks for posting all the detail when you finished. Its so well thought out you must still be in love with it :) From an earlier post on the topic of what granite does not show the dirt, I thought you were going for Golden Moon but see you chose Golden Beach. I am interested in Golden Moon because I think it will complement my Harvest Yellow Aga - do you know what country it's produced in or where to get it? (I am in UK.) Pam

After 6 months, it's done!!

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