We’re buying a house! let’s get some kitchen remodel ideas going!

5 years ago

So we’re finally able to buy the house we’ve been renting, however it needs some work done. The one major remodel we’d like to do is the kitchen. I had the idea of knocking the wall down that connects the kitchen and bathroom. The bathroom would be taken out and eventually we would add a bathroom to the master bedroom. The contractor is coming tomorrow to go over everything with us and what we want...this is where I need your help! I’m not sure exactly what I want like cabinets counters backsplash, placement etc. we like a modern farmhouse feel. The breakfast nook in the picture will stay we just built it and need to paint it (painting it white). However that table is not staying. Ignore the mess please! The door in the kitchen leads to the pantry/laundry room. Also the walls will be painted grey (worldly grey from sherwin Williams). The floors we like a light grey as well.

Featured Answer

sheloveslayouts

4 years ago

Can we revisit your layout plans? Floor plans are my jam--as are small homes--I'd love to offer up some suggestions. I draw with the Ikea planner, so if you're thinking of going that route I can help.

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Comments (54)

PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
5 years ago
Yes floor plan with wall removed will really help..I would think the stove, fridge and sink will need to stay where they are unless you are moving all the plumbing and electrical?
cpartist
5 years ago
Good design starts with a layout which means a floor plan.

How many bathrooms are on the main floor?
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juliannacorbo
Original Author
5 years ago
Right now it’s 2bed room 2bath, if we knock down the wall it will be 2 bedroom 1 bath. And in the future we would add a bathroom to the master bedroom. The stove and fridge would probably move places if we knock the wall down. My dad is a contractor and plumber so has no problem doing so. Is this a good enough floor plan? I’m sorry I’ve never drawn one
juliannacorbo
Original Author
5 years ago
Here is a floor plan if the wall was knocked down
PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
5 years ago
Could you bump into laundry instead and do a stackable in a small closet so you don’t loose your hall bath?...
juliannacorbo
Original Author
5 years ago
Yesterday my dad and another contractor came said they would run into problems going out that way...I forgot the reason why
PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
5 years ago
Ok new thought....move kitchen to Master bedroom opened up to Living room with big island....do master bedroom where kitchen is and add master bathroom...
PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
5 years ago
Small hall bath can be converted into laundry off kitchen.
PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
5 years ago
Laundry becomes new master bathroom.
btydrvn
5 years ago
Big mistake removing a bath....work with your floor plan or take a little space from bedroom....
PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
5 years ago
What are the sizes of the LR..K..bath..laundry room right now...I can do a layout with my kitchen app.
juliannacorbo
Original Author
5 years ago
@home interiors with ease I thought the same idea of moving around the bedroom but unfortunately we are working on a budget and it wouldn’t make it in there.
juliannacorbo
Original Author
5 years ago
I don’t find it a mistake.. we will eventually add a bathroom on the master bathroom. The current hall bathroom by the kitchen is ridiculously laid out.
juliannacorbo
Original Author
5 years ago
I’m not sure exact measurements I can measure when I get my son to sleep.
btydrvn
5 years ago
The solution to a bad layout is to fix it ...not remove it...removing a bath will seriously degrade the value of your home ...and adding another in the future is another challenge and huge expense to add the plumbing ...sewage lines..etc....while once again reducing the appeal of the home by making the master smaller...working with what you have leaves more money for upgrades that will enhance the enjoyment of your home...for instance turning the existing bath into a beautiful bath...and creating a kitchen that is efficient and a pleasure to work in....these are the kind of improvements that will add value and enjoyment to your home....
juliannacorbo
Original Author
5 years ago
The bathroom would not be taken from the master it would extend out from the master. Also like I have said above my father is a plumber and has no issues doing the work. You don’t think a more open floor plan and bathroom attached to master is worth more versus a smaller kitchen and smaller bathroom and not open floor plan? Please don’t take offense I’m truly just wondering your opinion on it. I appreciate your help!
PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
5 years ago
So where will a powder room be for guest to use when visiting? Is that the only bathroom?
mama goose_gw zn6OH
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Can the office be turned into the second bedroom, and the kitchen/dining extended into the current second bedroom? Wall between bedroom and LR removed:

Similar pantry:

Cabinet beside fridge:

Wall stays, and nook re-oriented, more cabinet and counter space:
btydrvn
5 years ago
First thanx for being open to ideas that conflict with your plan...Here is my point.....you need 2 bathrooms now ....if you add only a master bath later the cost from the foundation up to the roof will present an opportunity to expand a much larger space at practically the same cost.....it is really hard to be too specific as there is so little information on the details of this project....it is not possible to propose any changes without any measurements or details....but the bottom line is to not lose site of the appropriate proportions for this home
Brittney E
5 years ago
definitely remove the soffits if you can, will help open up the space if you can take cabinets to ceiling,
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Good morning everyone! Sorry for such a delayed reply, we had to put things on hold as we had to change things with the bank and the loan. We are now closing next week so began picking out a few things. Here is a picture of the kitchen inspiration we like. The second and third pictures are tiles we are deciding between for the floor, it’s next to the color of the walls.
PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
4 years ago
Why not keep the flooring you have? It is very similar to inspiration picture and adds warmth to the space.
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
The problem with the flooring is we have 3 different flooring through out the house and it’s a fairly small house. Also the floor you see in the picture is only in the living room area. None of the floors are quality either so we figured it’s best to just replace all flooring in the house.
fifamom
4 years ago
I love remodeling... I too am getting ready to replace floors and do a kitchen gut and reno.. grey floors, white cabinets, SS appliances and grey counter then choose an accent color for backsplash, light covers, your small appliances, canisters, etc...
PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
4 years ago
Ok agree on having the floors all the same...I don’t think it should be a gray but a light neutral wood...so beautiful and it will be timeless a gray floor may have a much shorter life when looking at trends...that inspiration image is what you should follow so gorgeous!
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Fifamom - it’s an exciting process that’s for sure! I love the counters in the first photo!
_sophiewheeler
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
So, you plan to spend the average mid grade costs of 150-200K for a new master suite and new kitchen and structural work? If not, what is your budget for changes? What is your experience level DIYing? Have you hired a structural engineer yet? A Kitchen Designer? An Architect? You’ll need all of the above.
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Home interiors with ease - I honestly don’t really like the floors in the photo it’s too much of an orange color and I really do like monotone colors here is a picture of another floor sample we have it’s more of a white with gray hues throughout
_sophiewheeler
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Unless you want a lifetime of repeated expenses chasing what is popular next, stick with natural wood tones for floors. That will be a one time expense if you choose the right material. Gray is just as out as the ebony floors that people found were too much work to keep clean.
mercurygirl
4 years ago
You are focusing on finishes when you should be planning the structural work. Give yourself more time to figure out the layout, and find pros to help.
btydrvn
4 years ago
As you are re-doing the flooring I would agree that the gray wood look is too trendy to last...however if you are doing a more stone/marble look .....that would be more timeless...also in a house this size with a small separated kitchen .....different flooring in that room would work...I remember your dad was going to do a lot of the work?...if so ...and in consideration of the size of the house and maybe even the neighborhood...keeping things within the limits of potential re-sale value are important...it may not be that long before you are ready to move on to a larger home and re-sale value should always be a consideration in any case....most of the budget should really go to making any add-ons blend perfectly with the existing structure
fifamom
4 years ago
the last layout you posted was good for the space and house you have... all one flooring is great whether it is open plan or not - i have all one floor now (concrete overlay butterscotch color - yes i chose it and yes i have loved it and no i did not think about the color choice for resale because honestly if i would have sold it the buyers could worry about putting in a floor they like) - it has been 10 years and it is not feasible to redo the floor without moving out for a week, moving our stuff out for a week and removing all the door frames and baseboards (redoing the concrete is a huge process better done in an empty space) so we are going with a white marble calacatta tile now (i think).. kitchen will probably be chocolate and counter white.. again we will do the same type of flooring on 1st floor throughout all the rooms including bathroom, laundry and guest bedroom... honestly you have to do what you like, choose the flooring that you like and will bring you joy.. whether it is the current trend or not should not matter because you live in the house.. It is a pet peeve of mine on these sites when others especially pros start picking at a post about 'do you know what you are doing and do you know how much it will cost and blah blah' because honestly most of us do.. we just use these sites to bounce ideas and get info... please post progress or after pics.. I am going to do the same soon.. have a happy day!! :-)
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Benjesbride - sure id love to see what you come up with! The house is actually a 100 years old too
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Sophie wheeler - I’m not sure where you got that we are redoing anything but the kitchen? So no I don’t need all of the above.
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Mercurygirl - yes I know I agree I am pretty excited about redoing the kitchen and the process is taking awhile so in the mean time I thought I’d post on here for some design ideas.
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Fifamom - I love your post thank you so much! I could careless about trends I’m living in the house and it’s not my plans to sell it actually I wanted to keep it in the family or rent it out if we move again. For now your right I am here bouncing ideas around, with people who are experienced in this area. I value everyone’s opinion and I’m open ears to hear anyone’s thoughts. But in the end I will do what we love.
sheloveslayouts
4 years ago
I’m on my phone and can’t tell... where the front door?
fifamom
4 years ago
can you tell i have nothing to do right now.. LOL i looked up farmhouse style u kitchens.. :-)
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Front door is in between bathroom and office see picture below
sheloveslayouts
4 years ago
Thanks! Any chance you can add dimensions to this?

by any chance were the bathroom and office a front porch that was closed in? It’s an interesting layout, but I understand how old homes evolve. 1/3 of our little house is the original cabin from the donation land claim days in the late 1800s.
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Unfortunately I don’t know the measurements and of course lost my tape measure. I believe it was a porch at one time because on the other side is our living room and there is this weird white shelf thing which I’d assume was once a window.
sheloveslayouts
4 years ago
No problem. Can you sketch out how the bathroom between the kitchen and master is laid out? If there's a built-in closet on the bedroom side, please include that as well. Thanks!
sheloveslayouts
4 years ago
Where's the door to the 2nd bedroom?
sheloveslayouts
4 years ago
Sorry so many questions. My brain is trying to sort this out. It kind of reminds me of my grandmas little 1926 house.

Is the laundry room wall (yellow) exactly in-line with the kitchen wall (blue?)
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
I’m sorry I had an 18 month old who’s super clingy at the moment lol once I get him to bed I can sketch some stuff out ☺️
_sophiewheeler
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
You don’t still want to get rid of a bathroom do you ? That’s a no go.
juliannacorbo
Original Author
4 years ago
Here is the sketch updated with bedroom doors and 2nd bath placements. Also to answer your question the laundry room actually isn’t enclosed that’s part of the project as well. But no it’s not even with the kitchen door it goes out a bit further.
sheloveslayouts
4 years ago
Oh, man. Any chance you can get a tape measure and provide some numbers? I'd love to try out some ideas, but it's not possible to do without dimensions.

What are you using the front office room for?
sheloveslayouts
4 years ago
Here's a suggestion. It hinges on ditching the side porch.

Right now your public rooms (kitchen, living) and your private rooms (bedrooms, bathrooms) are all jumbled up. It's better to have public all together on one side of a small home and private on the other. To achieve this, I drew your kiddo's room + the front bathroom as a master suite. I'm hopeful that closing up the existing doorway and opening a new one across from the vanity is an affordable project.

Another bummer about your existing layout is the disconnect between your living spaces including your back yard. To remedy this, I put the kitchen where your master bedroom is. It would be so nice to have one larger, open living space that peeks to the backyard.

It's hard to tell if it's feasible, but I thought that by closing off the master bedroom door you could create a closet for a stackable washer/dryer outside the bathroom.

I'd enjoy working this out on graph paper if you have a chance to measure your rooms. Yours is one of my favorite kinds of . projects!