A year in the making. My new kitchen w/pics
Our home is a simple 1840 Canadiana. We were living life quite comfortably when we drove by a home we always jokingly said we would buy if it ever went up for sale. Well, there it was, a big for sale sign in the middle of the lawn. Long story short we moved from our 4 bathroom home to one 1/3 the size with one bath that also happened to be off the kitchen. We immediately set out to design a small addition which included a kitchen. That was three years ago. With the exception of the foundation and framing, this has been a complete DIY project. After a year and a month of doing dishes in the bathroom I now have a kitchen. It doesn't have alot of bells and whistles and although we didn't necessarily want a period kitchen we did want one that suited an older home.
Details:
Ikea Tidaholm cupboards, professionally sprayed in Cloud White with alot of customization. Unfortunately, these have since been discontinued.
AEG Electrolux 36" freestanding stove. Bought for less then half price because someone bought it, used it once and returned it because they decided they wanted gas. We don't have gas and recently put in Geo Thermal heating/air conditioning. Wasn't in the budget to bring in propane. Stove was so reasonable that if we decide to do so later we can.
Liebherr 30" freestanding refrigerator. Purchased for half price because it had a dent dent in the bottom half. Bought a new door so it was good as new, until they delivered it and dented the top half. They replaced the door. Neither will be installed until house is complete (just in case).
Ikea farmhouse sink and dishwasher. I'm actually very pleased that it works as well as it does.
Perrin and Rohl Aquatine faucet in polished nickel.
Island and Jam cupboard - Special Order from Camlen Furniture in Quebec. Purchased with hand planed top in pine and may or not replace with marble. Will live with it for a while.
10" random length pine floors. All hand finished and dinged and finshed with Waterlox. This alone took us several weeks. We love the finish.
Honed Absolute Black granite. Bought the kitchen at Ikea's 20% off sale. Rather then cash back you get Ikea gift certificates. Used these and another $1300.
Faber Inca Pro hood
Light fixture- Sescolite, Burlington, Ontario
Finished kitchen, $19 thousand including all the small stuff.
I would like to thank the GW community. I found you when most decisions had already been made but early enough to make some positive changes based on the vast amount of information shared on this site. I didn't ask for much advise but I can assure you that I read everything written on the subjects that I researched on this site and then some. I do not have the incredible knowledge that so many of you do who share so willingly to those who ask but have from time to time tried to help out on the very few subjects I know a little about. I have taken much more than I have been able to give. I am grateful to have had a place that I could frequent with people who share the same desire to have a kitchen of their dreams no matter their budget. And to those who think their day will never come, keep the faith. I never thought that I would get here. After seeing so many unbelievable kitchens, big and small, elaborate and understated, new and updated thanks for looking at mine.
Comments (155)
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12 years ago
oldhouse1
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Help bash my landscaping (new home w/ pics)
Comments (62)It's a vast improvement over the shrub-engulfed house we first saw, merely by being cleaned up. One thing that jumps out to me as not enough, is the groundcover, which are few and far apart. The goal is usually to get groundcover to grow into a solid mass for the best look and so as not to need top dressing with mulch anymore and still have weed suppression. But I imagine you'll be doing some tweaking over the next year. As far as watering, it's hard for someone, by remote, to tell you if you've watered long enough. There are a lot of variables in how you might be doing it and with what equipment. If in doubt, dig down and see. It won't take you long to discover the right timing formula....See MoreMy 'Happy New Year' pic
Comments (7)Ron, as usual your work has no equal. But, I was wondering if I might prod your creativity/curiousity in a direction of possible interest to you.....in short a possible challenge lol. Could you, or would you make a rose-art scene depicting the changing of the year depicting falling rose BUDS, somehow dated 2007, then full-sized roses bearing 2006 in some manner (possibly roman numerals on all)and finally, the remnants of "spent" roses on a surface of water such as a pond or whatever suits your insight. The water it's self may be considered the end of 2006? Even a change of color of the roses as they progress may be a visual tool as well? Forgive me if I overstep myself by making a comment of this type, but I have seen others.....and considering your most capable skills..............you know!......lol. Of course this could easily be greatly expounded on with background symbolism in many ways. I was just thinking that your exceptional talent could bring this "dream" to a visual reality. Thank you for your time Sir and a Happy New Year to you, yours and of course the entire Forum! : ) be well, "Smitty" PaganOutlaw...See MoreMy kitchen is new but i hate it...(pics) what can i do to improve
Comments (37)Dear Polar Princess, I am happy to read of your recent survivorship and a getting new lease on life. I think your oak cabinets look very well made and can be a star with some new accessories. Oak is a timeless, beautiful wood. Here are the changes I would try for minimal cost: 1) As has been mentioned numerous times: remove the stenciling & ivy to freshen the look. 2) If you can easily remove the light bridge over the sink and add molding to the top of the 2 cabinets where it connected, that will also modernize the look, as previous poster suggested, for not much money. 3) Backsplash: Provide Maximum sizzle and splash, which will transform the kitchen with a shimmering glass tile mosaic. See link below as example. Your area is not big, so you could pull this off for only $200 to $250 in materials. 4) Definitely bring in the brown leather bar stools you like or even something very modern in style as a contrast. 5) Counter tops: white laminate is not necessarily bad. In fact, if you add a shimmering glass backsplash that is a nice counterpoint to the white counters, you may find they are now more pleasing to you, without going to the expense of adding granite. You already know how easy to maintain your laminate counters are. You might jazz them up with some interesting place mats or update your centerpiece to be more in keeping with the brown leather & mosaics. 6) Window valence: maybe replace the lace look with something more tailored to complement the new backsplash and stools. 7) Wall paint: See how the backsplash changes the look and decide if you want to add wall color or not. 8) If you still yearn for SS appliances, check into changing out the front panels of the frig and dishwasher with SS. Don't think that is possible with the stove. I would really keep the bisque because they will look nice with the new backsplash as well. The link is from a larger website with many different choices of mosaic color combinations. The featured one is Anima because I think it would complement your while/bisque and oak and brown leather. Also check out several of the Spectralight (with and without El Dorado), Shimmerfly (one is Honey Pearl)and others which might complement your adjacent room colors. Good luck with all your decisions. We celebrate that you are here to make them! Anna Lee F Here is a link that might be useful: Glass tile backsplash...See MoreJust started demolition and looking for help with kitchen.
Comments (37)Well, what sort of advance planning ought to have happened or not is, at this point, neither here nor there. Caroline, my advice would be to choose your floor first, as that's going to be your most limiting option. Then countertops. (And if you want white, I'd second the suggestion to look at white corian) Then cabinet color, and finally choose a backsplash when everything else is in place. You might also give a look at Holiday. They have some nice options and if you take a leaf from Helen's book and use a few inset cabs strategically, you can get very close to the look you want. It's sometimes worth also checking around for a local cabinet maker. They vary wildly in price and quality, but sometimes can be excellent bang for you buck. I do think you really want a KD in on this, so you get the best layout and options possible. While you look for one, set up some Pinterest boards with images that appeal to you - and don't forget to mark each pin as you save it to remind yourself what about that image you liked! Maybe go find the thread for CP's finished house, as well. Her kitchen is lovely, and I think has a lot of elements you'd find appealing. Use her as a resource, since she spent a lot of time assembling an excellent Craftsman style kitchen. I'd also suggest not going overboard on the Craftsman detailing - it won't work very well with your house. So, it's as well that you don't want to do the intricate woodwork on the doors. I'd probably also avoid the "prairie" style grilles on any glass-front cabs. Craftsman, done authentically, is a lot of look and it might fight with the other elements you have going on there. I think you want more "Craftsman Lite."...See MoreDinalovesDesign
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