Yep, brand new to me, and my first house! I'm very fortunate that overall the house appears to be in great shape, it's just cosmetic issues. The home inspection went very well, for a house this age. The roof is about 10 yrs old, it was partially replumbed, and a lot of electrical work was done. So ironically, it's the cosmetic stuff that was ignored. It was a big relief because I had to walk away from a beautiful 1924 Craftsman after the home inspection because there were so many serious safety issues. The market in my (low) price range, in my area (SoCal) is incredibly competitive. So finding this house with only cosmetic issues was really fortunate. But I naively thought since the house was so small (750 sq ft) that I could fix it up on a shoe string budget. But as I'm sure everyone reading this knows, it's not working out that way! I've thought about reglazing. The rough quote I got from sending a picture was $125 to reglaze + $50 to remove the peeling old glaze. But the biggest worry is no local company I've found offers a warranty on sinks. So to spend $175, since no warranty is offered, it will obviously be a limited lifespan, and when I can afford to replace have to break the new tile countertops, I'd like to avoid that if possible. I totally get the logic to live with something for a while and then being able to know exactly what I want. But on the other hand I fortunately don't have to move in right now, I can continue to live with my mom for as long as I need. I've lived through full interior painting and flooring, and that really sucked. Also, I travel a lot for work. Over the next 3 months I'll be out of town for 10 of those weeks. So I feel like if I can have the work done while I'm not really able to live there anyway, I should take advantage of it. (The person doing the work is known and reliable & my mom and other friends can handle anything urgent that comes up and I'm away.) My bathroom lacks any character what so ever! What I need to do in there is replace the weird, worn out and grimy wall liner. I'm not sure if it's original or added in the 60's to 70's. no who's seen the house has seen anything like it. It's like a fiberglass shell, but only like 1/8" thick. My original idea was to replace it with a new shell from HD, because those are cheap. But of course those are all standard 60" and my space is 59". So now I'm going to go with tile, I think. I'm thinking all white tile with baby blue trim and maybe a few blue sea life relief tiles. Thanks again for all the advice!

Thank you! You have given me a lot to think about (that is why I posted!). Re-reading my OP, it is obvious I am not a very good communicator. If we sell this house, it will not be for 10-15 years. My resale fear comes from the fact that this house sat vacant for upwards of 4 years and the realtor said it was because everyone hated the kitchen and did not want to buy a house for the price the seller was asking and have to go in and do an immediate kitchen remodel. I have a set of plans from a local renowned KD commissioned by another potential buyer. I did not like them because it got rid of the island. Although our kitchen is not big enough by NKBA standards to have an island I really love its functionality. I just do not like the way this one looks. We tried to cosmetically update it by painting it black, adding corbels, and putting on a cherry butcherblock top and it was a huge FAIL. It looks too stripey. So that is why I am trying to find something "timeless" and that will appeal to the masses. I know that eventually we will sell but it will not be anytime soon. This kitchen overhaul will not be an investment. It is for my pleasure alone. I am actually the one who convinced my husband that the kitchen was purely functional three years ago and there was no reason to rush into a remodel. Simply stripping the 90s wallpaper and replacing the plastic wire cabinet pulls and lighting made a world of difference. The most unappealing and dated effects are the awful gray laminate countertops with PVC edging and the soffit above the island that we affectionately call the "Tumor." At one point, we WERE planning to just paint the cabinets the same color as the living room walls (looks a little different when it is semi-gloss) and replace the countertops with granite, but after perusing the beautiful kitchens on this website we decided to go big or go home! Then we decided we really, really wanted an open burner gas range. I still do, but think I could compromise with a 30 inch model as I really only need 6 burners over the holidays. That area below the current cooktop is nothing but wasted space because of the Jennair downdraft (all the rage in the 90s!). I could also fit a 30 in under cabinet range hood. I do not like that look and that is not an ideal size, but again I guess this is about compromise. I could probably even get along with a 30 inch rangetop, but would really like to have the extra oven. Again, only necessary on holidays. I will think about that one and compare prices. Thank you for reigning us in! I had planned to pay cash for the high end appliances and charge the cabs because the appliances would deplete our reserves. You can always get 18 months same as cash at Lowes, so as long as the cabs were under $18K that would be manageable (perhaps I am being naive though since I never actually priced the cabs, but it is not a large kitchen.). Greendesigns: My brother is the most skilled HVAC person in the U.S. and since his wife does not cook, his labor charges are usually only a home cooked meal or two. Just outside this window is my husbands grill porch (we pass food through the window). Gas is piped there, so I do not think it would be too difficult for DB to run it around the corner to where the gas range would be. I am checking with him, though. The ventilation would be no problem for him and make up air can come from cracking the nearby window. Again, maybe I am being naive! Ginny20: Thank you for the info on the butcher block. That is exactly what I was looking for. I went to BN and they already had the Aug This Old House mags out, but I will see if I can order a back-issue of the July mag online. So! Is this a better plan: - Replace cabinet doors only. Should I put glass in any of them? If so, which ones? The local cabinetmaker who installed the current cabinets is still in business so I have sent them an email asking if they can do doors only. That is a great idea and I wish I had thought of it!! They also have a beautiful style of door called Painted Classic that I love. My concern with replacement doors is this silly curved door. Hopefully they will agree to build a replacement since they installed the original. Also there is a lot of cracking. Not sure if it is the paint or the actual wood. I can live with it. Some pay extra for distressing! - Replace 30 in downdraft cooktop with 30 in range or rangetop. Add under the cabinet hood. - Replace sink with ss undermount and ss pulldown faucet. - Replace countertops with antique brown granite. - I will replace the fridge/wall oven/mw only as they fail (we have just had to do this with the workhorse ka dw as parts were no longer available) and not upsize. - Add BS (already have a great tile guy) and paint kitchen Tweed (already have an awesome painter). - Remove tumor. DH can build something less belligerent to mask the area. I can swing this with cash dependent on the price of the cabinet doors. Thank you for your concern and, of course, you are right! In the future, will remove soffits and add crown to cabs. I have already confirmed with the builder/previous owner that there is nothing behind them. Also want to replace the desk area with drawers so it looks more like a hutch. That desk is unused except for a messy drop zone. Thank you again! Michele

mrs pete: why so negative, always? "As someone else said, IKEA's butcher block is really, really cheap. Yeah, it'll need replacing in five years or so (assuming real cooks live here)..." Wrong! We've lived with Ikea solid beech butcher block counters for more than ten years now and they're in perfectly good condition. And yes, both DH and I are serious cooks and we bake a lot too. (We oil them about twice or three times a year and do not cut on them, we use cutting boards). Well, we're soon starting a kitchen remodel, and we're planning to reuse them for our new island counter. All we'll do is a light sanding and oiling for that totally new kitchen look. The perimeter cabs will either have quartz or stainless steel. Ikea carries now also a veneered version of "butcher block", the usefulness of which must have its limits, but the one used in the OPs photo looks like they're the solid type like ours. At any rate, imho, it's much better looking than all those horridly busy overpriced stone counters that people keep putting in their kitchens. Haha, totally by coincidence, I've just received a text with photo from my daughter who's apartment hunting: the photo is of an expensive stone counter which was so offensively fleshy looking, she declined to rent the place. Her verdict: it would be like cooking on an oversized cold slab of raw meat..ugh! And she LOVES rocks (in nature), jeez she's a geologist! Bon appétit!

OK, so it sounds to me that you are trying to do this little kitchen on the sly. I'm going to say you need a drain for a washer/dryer and sink. Yes you have one where the sink is now, but I'm advocating moving the sink. If it is possible to move the window near your sink, I would. I'd put a stackable washer/dryer in a cabinet to the right of that window. I'd have lower cabinets along that wall with a corner easy reach wooden lazy Susan. Then I'd put the kitchen sink under the next window (yes, have the window above the sink). The dishwasher to the left of the sink and then more cabinet space, then a counter depth full size refrigerator/freezer also in a cabinet (which could have an icemaker) and a pull out cabinet. The seating area would be in the middle. In the space between the doors, I would put pantry storage. It might have to be two 42" wall cabinets stacked on each other with extra depth (yes, you can do that). Check out Starmark cabinets. They've got all kinds of great organizational cabinets and even a bread board. Their reputation is good and they appear to have quality cabinets. I know about them because I'm designing a new kitchen for my small space and have researched about 40 cabinet manufacturers. You could have your microwave under the counter or on top. Code requires a landing space within a certain number of inches from a fridge, which is why I put some between it and the sink. It's always nice to look outside while at the sink. Also, it's probably not that much to move the windows up or replace them (worth the money). Smaller appliances cost as much as the full sized ones, so I wouldn't compromise on the fridge/freezer. All this being said, if you cannot move the windows, then I would put a storage cabinet where the current sink is, a bench seat under the window, then sink, dishwasher, stackable washer/dryer in a cabinet. Left of the next window would be a refrigerator and cabinet space. The seating area would still be in the middle. The narrow depth pantry space would be the same as previously mentioned. Since the whole area is small, it's not far from the fridge to the sink and you still have landing space around everything. Good luck with your project! Oh, and you can get counter top induction cook tops (2 burner) and wonderful convection microwaves, both plug into regular wall outlets. I get that you just put those windows in, but it's still better to replace the one near the current sink than to have a horrible layout. Can it just be lifted the 10" you need, having it start at counter top height?