Our DIY Kitchen Remodel

I’m so excited to be able to not only finally share our kitchen remodel with you, but to also just be D-O-N-E!! I I think that the progression from concept to completion went very smoothly with only a few tweaks (tile and range hood) in the overall original design. I’m also very sure that I will want my cabinets in any future home setup like this, with open cabinetry below closed cabinetry, it just works so well for all of us and no extra dusting required!

So here is where we started (that’s the home inspector at the island), my hubby took photos of the house as he was inspecting it. What we have is a nice, open, good sized kitchen just not exactly what we wanted.

The first stage for us was replacing the can lights for pendant lights, new fridge, microwave, sink, faucet, dishwasher and updating and painting the island.

Stage two was the easiest and quickest, installing marble subway tile backsplash…

It remained like this for just over 2 years, but I always knew that painting the cabinets was next…

The third stage was to update and paint the butlers pantry, it was also my “test” for the kitchen cabinet paint color (Benjamin Moore White Dove).

Then FINALLY the last stage, raising the original cabinets to the ceiling, making new open cabinets to install below, adding decorative molding, installing more tile above stove and sink window, installing new range hood and adding a decorative cabinet above stove and fridge and painting all of the cabinets and installing new hardware… WHEW that was a mouthful and I’m pretty sure a run-on sentence!!

I hand painted (with a combination of foam roller and soft bristle brush) with Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint line all of the cabinet boxes and trim, but I spray painted the doors in the garage. I always follow the same routine, clean the cabinets with Formula 409, fill imperfections, lightly sand, wipe down with tack cloth, spray prime, sand, clean, spray paint color and repeat as many times as necessary. I sprayed 4 coats on each door side, letting them sit for 24 in between each coat and a week before I flipped them from the back to the front (always paint the back first). The final finish looks great!

The molding I added is the same we added to the island and helps disguise where the 2 cabinets are connected.

So much easier to access glassware and everyday dishes now!

We love our new hood, it works so much better than the microwave vent and because it is mounted much higher than the microwave was it helps open that space up.

My one small decorated area…

The wall color in the kitchen is Benjamin Moore Chelsea Grey.

Some before and after comparisons for you…

Well that’s it! No more phases left to do, whew!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this walk-thru of our kitchen renovation!

Updating, raising and painting kitchen cabinets

I know that there are a bunch of cabinet painting posts out there where it only took a couple of days to paint the cabinets… well that is clearly not how fast my project is going. Now I will say that I knew going in to this project that it would take a lot of time, be messy, tedious and pretty much a pain in the ass, but if I wanted painted cabinets I was going to have to suck it up, put on my big girl panties and get started!

So you know I finished the butler’s pantry a couple of month’s ago… which I am so happy with!

Then I took a little beginning summer break and me and my hubby started working on raising the kitchen cabinets and adding open lower cabinets. So our kitchen currently looks like this, nope I didn’t even straighten it up for you, no glamour shots here… but I can see how much I’m going to love the finished product already!

I removed all of the dishes from the cabinets and all of our everyday dishes are temporarily housed in the butler’s pantry, everything else is laid out on the dining room table… it looks like I’m getting ready to have a rummage sale in there and I’ll have to wash everything that’s there when I’m done due to all of the dust I’m creating…

The cabinet below was a H-U-G-E pain in the arse for my hubby to build, but I think he did a fabulous job and I love the fact that it is one large cabinet rather than 3 individual pieces, it will give us so much flexibility for the space. He also added an electrical outlet in it in case we want to put a microwave or something else in the cabinet.

As much as I know my hubby would love to be done with the cabinet making part of this project he still has a rather simple one to add to the top of the stove and refrigerator space. We also added a wire from the under cabinet lights to this area so that it can be lit at the same time. This will be the only area in the kitchen cabinets where I will have decorative items, all of the other open cabinetry is for everyday dishes, glasses etc.

We also changed our mind on the range hood and decided to install this hood instead of a custom wood surround.

I think that the black of the hood in combination with our black island cabinets will be a very nice contrast to all of the white cabinets. So we had to remove some drywall, install a 2×4 support and shift the electrical over so that it will be hidden by the hood as well. When we were done we just patched the area with 1/2” plywood and I will patch and prime the entire area in preparation for the tile. Yet another scope creep item, we will be installing the tile backsplash all of the way up to the ceiling behind the hood… did we need to do this, no, but will it look better if we do… yes, I think it will look stunning!

So I’m slowly working on adding trim to the sides of the cabinets, caulking, filling and priming, in general I’m having no fun, but it’s better than being outside in the hot muggy hotness that has decided to reside over the Louisville area for weeks!!!

I will (eventually) be painting the interiors of the open cabinets the same color as cabinets themselves, but I’m pretty sure I will be using paper or fabric as a removable colorful backdrop in them.

Just so you can see a comparison to where we were before we started this project and today, it’s getting there slowly but surely!

What you can’t feel is the sense of height that raising the cabinets to the ceiling gives you when you walk into the kitchen, it just seems so much more grand for some reason, I love it! Obviously getting to the top shelves will require a step stool, but I am planning on storing all of my china and rarely used dishes and cookware on the highest shelves so that I will rarely have to get anything down from there. Well I guess I have stalled long enough from working on the kitchen… better get back to work and get this project done!

Until next time!

July 25, 2016 4

A few thoughts on scope creep

Wikipedia defines scope creep as: in project management refers to uncontrolled changes or continuous growth in a project’s scope. This can occur when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled. It is generally considered harmful. (I underlined that last little statement just for emphasis.)

My definition of scope creep: necessary changes made to ones plans in order to achieve a better overall plan, or to increase function and custom look.

My husbands definition: Additional work that Susan deems “necessary” but in reality is a nice to have not a need… also this usually means more work, more money and a longer timeline for the project. In addition I completely concur with Wikipedia’s final sentence “it is generally considered harmful”, however, we usually end up doing it and the end result is worth it.

SO… I did confer with my Hubby about the scope creep in the kitchen as originally I was just painting cabinets and replacing cabinet hardware, but I had a thought one day while sitting at the island enjoying my lunch. You see I like the idea of open shelving in the kitchen, just not the function of keeping it all nice, neat, clean and overall perfect looking. What I do like about it is the ease of getting the item you need or putting something back in its place quickly, so nice right?! So my plan is to raise the cabinets to the ceiling and add an open cabinet/box under the cabinets in order to have the best of both worlds. Similar to this but without the bead board back.

I much prefer this look to open shelving as to me it has a decidedly more professional, cohesive and finished look to it.

The main issues with this plan is that we also have to reinstall the under cabinet lighting, install a ceiling mount speaker to replace the wall mount one and build about 5 boxes. Not too big of a deal right?

The other areas I wanted to “fix” are where the TV is located, just totally looks junky to me.

And the microwave over the stove (just don’t personally care for the look).

I found this idea while browsing kitchen cabinet photos and thought it was genius! Now I don’t want my cabinet to come all the way down to the countertop, but the general idea seems perfect for me!

The main issues with this plan is that we have to move the cable outlet, remove the corner cabinet and build a custom one to take its place and add an outlet for the TV and microwave.

The third (and hopefully last) update is to add a hood over the stovetop and make a custom range hood, similar to this…

Which is a TOTAL DIY project that Jill over at the Rozy Home wrote up a step-by-step tutorial for and I just think is drop dead gorgeous and cheap to boot at only $65 for the project!!!

The main issues with this plan is that we need to buy a new stovetop vent and make the hood.

So overall I’m thrilled with the new plans for the kitchen and I think the changes will make it more efficient and give it a much more current and custom look. Plus I really like the idea of having the best of both worlds with both closed and open storage in the kitchen.

As you can see in the photo below that I have already finished updating the base cabinets and I am just starting the process of getting the upper cabinet doors ready to paint.

I’m hoping that my Hubby and I will try and move up one of the upper cabinets this weekend so that I can live with it at that height for a while. At only 5’5 I’m certainly not tall so I’d really like to see how the cabinets will function before I commit to the project. Also, I’d need to do some rearranging of items so if I have any pieces I need to get to with any regularity I can do so without getting out the step stool! This needs to work more efficiently not less…

In closing I’d like to say that I look at scope creep as inevitable and plan for it in my plan as part of the plan, does that make sense? What about you? Are you a stick to the plan person or do you feel like scope creep is inevitable as well?

Thanks so much for stopping by…

May 20, 2016 5

Kitchen Updates, Tile, Lights, Paint

Hey all! This post has been stuck in my “to finish” pile for a while but I wanted to share with you the kitchen updates we have completed so far. We still have some cabinet painting to do, but that is a project that I might get started this winter.

So here is a BEFORE shot my hubby took while doing the home inspection (that’s the inspector at the island).

This I took just after we moved in, we had not yet replaced any appliances or done any work.

Here it is after we had replaced the dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, sink, faucet, added pendant lights and painted (Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore). I had a VERY difficult time deciding on a paint color, I kept trying to go light but I didn’t like any of the combinations. As soon as I saw this color I was smitten, but a little concerned it may be too dark… I loved it the moment I started painting. It was the perfect choice for us!

We installed the backsplash using Queen Beige tumbled Amalfi marble. It is a nice neutral color that worked well with the existing counter. I normally would have removed the 4” granite backsplash and tiled all of the way down to the countertop but they had also installed the backsplashes on the sides of the oven cabinets and I wasn’t sure what would happen to the cabinets if I tried to remove it…

My Hubby replaced all of the outdated florescent under cabinet lighting with new LED lights. I like the cool bright light here vs. the warm yellow hue. Also, I LOVE using my vintage tool box to hold the tools, oils and vinegars that I use most frequently.

I “shopped” in my storage room and found this antique scale which was the perfect color to coordinate with my toolbox. The measuring cups I purchase from Anthropology several years ago and are not only pretty to look at but it is handy being able to have them setting out.

This was the original sink and faucet setup (and no I didn’t bother to clean it before I took this picture)…

We hired a plumber to come replace the sink, faucet and garbage disposal… my sweetie is very handy but plumbing is not his best skill set so we usually leave the pluming up to the professionals

I cannot begin to describe how much I L-O-V-E this sink! It is SUPER deep which is great for leaving dishes in and the single bowl just works so much better than double bowls for us. I can fit sheet pans, baking pans or a child or two in here… (just sayin’ it’s awesome)! We also had an extra hole (where the sprayer was) so we now we have a hand soap dispenser and a dish soap dispenser!

I bought a set of the new blue jars and frog inserts to go with them. Eventually I hope to have pretty, fresh flowers from the garden in them, but for now I just adore the way the sunlight from the Sunroom filters through the blue glass.

This little area to the right if the refrigerator we have setup for all of our drinking “tools”, coffee maker, Magic Bullet, Soda Stream. We keep all of the coffee mugs above and the blender cups and big blender below. Having a drink / coffee bar area just works so well for our family.

This is what the original eat in area of the kitchen looked like. This light was in such a weird place for the traffic pattern to work. I think they had it setup for a round table there…

The whole kitchen / eat-in area are painted the same Chelsea Gray, I took down the light blocking valances and put up curtains and rods. I just cannot get rid of our farm table even though it’s just the 3 of us most of the time eating there. We bought the table 13 years ago and it is made by Hoskins Creek Table Company. The tables are made in Virginia, by hand, and are put together like they were long ago with beautiful joinery and old looking nails. There is a bench on the one side (for lots of little kid butts ) but the chairs are vintage hand carved with original rush seats. The rug is from FLOR and is really carpet tiles, easy to care for and they can be cut to fit ANY area.

I do love the beaded chandelier we purchased to replace the oriental looking one that was here. It’s hard to see but the beads are a washed out gray color, I bought it at World Market and I thought it was a great price considering what similar ones are being sold for elsewhere.

From the kitchen you can see somewhat into the Family room. I originally thought I’d want to remove the wall that the bar is on, but I really have come to like the setup as it is now.

We bought this bar set from Pottery Barn about 4 years ago and it fit in this space like we built around it!

I will eventually paint this pantry area as well, but I’m still on the fence with a couple of choices I need to make. The speaker above the cabinets is wired in from the TV in the family room so we can listen to music or whatever.

We added these pendant lights where there used to be can lights and I really love the way they look. We found them at Shades of Light if you’re interested in them. I wrote a previous post on the island update we did and you can find it here.

One of these days I would LOVE a new Thermador gas stove and double oven combination, but I’m thinking that might not happen in this house (or ever), but I can still dream right?!

We have come a long ways with our kitchen, but to finish it up I need to get these cabinets painted. I painted the cabinets in our last home 5 years ago and I still remember the “pain” of it, so I’m pretty much putting it off until I can’t put it off any longer…

Hope you all are feeling some Fall weather, it’s just gorgeous here today in Louisville, KY!

Thanks as always for stopping by,

Until next time!