Reader Kitchen: More Space in San Francisco for $36,000
Adding cabinets and swapping out appliances help improve the function of this California kitchen
This series profiles kitchen remodels shared by homeowners on Houzz.
This couple improved the aesthetics and added storage space in their midcentury kitchen in San Francisco — one of the more costly cities for renovation, according to Houzz data — for about $35,600. Read on for more details in the latest installment in this kitchen renovation series, in which Houzz readers share their remodeling stories and costs.
This couple improved the aesthetics and added storage space in their midcentury kitchen in San Francisco — one of the more costly cities for renovation, according to Houzz data — for about $35,600. Read on for more details in the latest installment in this kitchen renovation series, in which Houzz readers share their remodeling stories and costs.
BEFORE: The kitchen in Christa Martin‘s San Francisco home had good bones, but she wanted to add counter space and base cabinet storage, update the appliances and brighten up the room, while keeping it consistent with her home’s original midcentury design. The daughter of home flippers, and a creative manager and graphic artist herself, Martin designed her own kitchen. She considered opening up the room by converting the fridge and oven cabinet to a kitchen island.
AFTER: In the end, Martin decided to maintain the separation from the main living area that the architect had originally designed. Shown here are the refrigerator and oven cabinet after the renovation.
AFTER: Here is the back of the refrigerator and oven cabinet, as seen from the living area.
AFTER: The built-in microwave, refrigerator and oven are new. The refrigerator blends in with the cabinetry thanks to its wood-toned door. Martin and her husband replaced the old kitchen sink with a deeper, wider sink.
The couple kept the existing mahogany cabinets and refinished them, replacing the stainless steel knobs with recessed brass pulls. The couple also refinished the wood ceiling. As shown in the lower left foreground of this image, Martin added 3 linear feet of base cabinets, which she had custom-built to match the existing cabinetry.
Cabinets: custom; sink: Elkay
The couple kept the existing mahogany cabinets and refinished them, replacing the stainless steel knobs with recessed brass pulls. The couple also refinished the wood ceiling. As shown in the lower left foreground of this image, Martin added 3 linear feet of base cabinets, which she had custom-built to match the existing cabinetry.
Cabinets: custom; sink: Elkay
Under the sink are three storage bins from Ikea, which Martin uses to separate trash, recycling and compost. “I think hiding the trash stuff is a huge part of making a kitchen look tidy,” she writes in an email.
Martin added a pullout pantry between the refrigerator and the wall ovens.
She also added pullout drawers for the lower cabinets. “The three drawers that I added for base cabinets are for silverware, snacks — chips, nuts, pretzels, granola bars — and for dry bulk goods: flours, sugar, rice, beans,” she says. “These aren’t glamour shots, but I do think they are helpful to people planning their kitchens.”
Martin removed the old black granite countertops and replaced them with clean white Caesarstone. Further brightening the kitchen, she removed the upper cabinet above the range and added open shelving. She also added a backsplash from Heath tile — the price of which she described as “don’t ask.” The gas cooktop is a new five-burner Gaggenau.
Martin thinks of her new kitchen as having three zones: a cleaning zone (sink and the dishwasher), a cooking zone (between the cooktop and the sink) and a prep zone to the left of the cooktop where dishes, snacks and drinks are kept.
Martin thinks of her new kitchen as having three zones: a cleaning zone (sink and the dishwasher), a cooking zone (between the cooktop and the sink) and a prep zone to the left of the cooktop where dishes, snacks and drinks are kept.
One of the renovation adds: a ceiling pendant over the dining table.
“When we have guests, they sit at the table and chat with us while we cook, or hang out on the deck and look at the views,” Martin says. “The main living room has a built-in cabinet with 18 linear feet of storage, which we use for extra pantry goods, barware, serving platters and cooking tools.”
Walls moved: No
Plumbing moved: No
Plumbing replaced: No
Professionals hired: General contractor Eric Pankonin of Integrated Smoothness; Martin did the interior design work
Special features added: Countertop and base cabinets, open shelves
Splurges: Gaggenau speed oven, wall oven and cooktop, Liebherr refrigerator, Heath tile backsplash
Savings: Keeping original cabinets
Cost breakdown
Appliances: $17,000
Cabinets, sinks and countertops: $7,000
Faucet: $600
Tile: about $2,500
Labor: $8,500
Total: About $35,600
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Walls moved: No
Plumbing moved: No
Plumbing replaced: No
Professionals hired: General contractor Eric Pankonin of Integrated Smoothness; Martin did the interior design work
Special features added: Countertop and base cabinets, open shelves
Splurges: Gaggenau speed oven, wall oven and cooktop, Liebherr refrigerator, Heath tile backsplash
Savings: Keeping original cabinets
Cost breakdown
Appliances: $17,000
Cabinets, sinks and countertops: $7,000
Faucet: $600
Tile: about $2,500
Labor: $8,500
Total: About $35,600
More
Reader Kitchen: More Storage in Illinois for $27,500
How Much Does a Renovation Cost and How Long Does It Take?
From the Pros: 8 Reasons Kitchen Renovations Go Over Budget
Who lives here: Houzzer Christa Martin and her husband
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Size: 90 square feet (8.4 square meters)
Cost: About $35,600
Construction time: Three weeks