downsy's Kitchen

Kitchen Facelift, complete DIY under $7K

Contact: downsy (My Page)
Posted on Wed, Dec 10, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s475.photobucket.com/albums/rr116/downsymom/Final%20Kitchen%20Facelift

Details:

• Cabinets: existing cabinets painted BM White Sand with outline painting in BM Bittersweet Chocolate. Glaze is BM Umber Glaze (L30).
• Countertop: Baltic Brown Granite
• Backsplash: existing old granite tiles painted with bronze paint - added a wood molding to them so they look like tiles.
• Appliances:
  ~ new Kenmore 5 burner gas range
  ~ existing GE spacemaker microwave with hood vent
  ~ existing Bosch dishwasher
  ~ existing Kenmore Fridge - painted
• Sink: new Stainless steel sink
• Faucet: new Price Pfister Marielle single faucet
• Hardware: Decorite Atlantis cabinet handles in oil rubbed bronze. I spray painted the old hinges to match the new handles.
• Paint - wall is BM Northhampton Putty

I started my makeover about 8 weeks ago with painting my almond fridge black. I refinished the cabinets with a cream paint and umber glaze. I wanted a heavily glazed finish (yes, I know it looks dirty - but I like it!) The only appliance I replaced was the gas range. I was going to keep my granite tile on my island, but decided to put the Baltic brown on it once we got the new granite on the perimeter cabinets. I also planned to keep my wallpaper, but after I got the cabinets finished I didn't think there was enough contrast between the walls and the cabinets so I painted the walls too.
This was a completely DIY remodel and I did almost all of it myself with a wee bit of help from my husband. We also repainted the laundry room to match and added overhead cabinets in there in place of an old closet maid shelf.
My total between the 2 rooms was about $6500.
I put a basecoat of zinsser oil primer on the granite squares before I sprayed them with the bronze paint. I don't know how they'll hold up over time, but I figured the painting was worth a try. If it doesn't work - then I'll have to chip out the old granite square and find a tile the right size to put in there! However, the paint seems to be sticking fine and I don't really get the backsplash too dirty where I'll have to wash those tiles often.
I used Fleck Stone paint to paint the lightswitch plates. I happened to have a can on my shelf from quite a few years ago and it matched nicely with the tiles.
I used the epoxy appliance paint that I found at Lowes. I can't remember now who makes it - but its labeled appliance paint. To be honest - that is one thing I will NEVER do again. It was a major pain - the mist is very fine and carries everywhere. I started out in my breakfast room and realized the fine spray was going under my plastic sheeting and was all over my wood floor. I moved it outside on my deck to finish it. It was very hard to get an even coat and I wound up having to put a poly coat over it to get the finish to look nice. So in hind sight - it was alot of trouble, but it saved me the cost of buying a new fridge.
I added 2 boxes to change the height level of my upper cabinets and put up crown molding. I added decorative feet, boxed molding to the end cabinets and decorative baseboard molding under the granite and decorative baseboard molding to the desk so it looks like furniture. I took out the leaded glass on my corner cabinet door and put in a painted piece of decorative sheet metal.
I sanded the cabinets to remove the old shiny poly coat, then I primed 1 coat of Zinnser oil based paint. Next I put on 3 coats of BM White sand. I painted an outline in all the routed edges using BM Bittersweet Chocolate. I didn't do any sanding to reveal the old stain. I tried that on my test piece and it looked more rustic than I wanted. I did distress them with a hammer, nail holes and hit them with a bag full of lug nuts. I brushed the glaze over the paint and let it sit for a few minutes and then I wiped the glaze off leaving it heavier in some areas than others, and letting it stay in the dented ares. (I found a tip on here from soneone and I can't remember who - but she used Viva papertowels with her glazing and that's what I used to remove my glazing. They were just the right softness.)
Features:
DIY
Bay Window
Cabinets: Base >24"deep
Cabinets: Base >36"high
Cabinets: Wall >36"high
Ceiling Fan
Island: Multilevel
Lighting: Under Cabinet
Message Center/Desk
Reach-in Pantry
Leaded glass
Decorative wire screening

kpekitchen's Kitchen

Natural Cherry Kitchen with Emenee Linea Grande Backsplash

Contact: kpekitchen (My Page)
Posted on Fri, Jul 25, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/ee149/kperezed/

Details:

• Cabinets: Natural Cherry from K & H Cabinets
• Countertop: Kashmir Gold granite
• Backsplash: Emenee Linea Grande in Desert
• Handles & Knobs: Ikea
• Appliances: GE Profile & Advantium
• Faucet: Delta Leland
• Hot Water: Insinkerator
• Floors: Brazilian Cherry
• Walls: BM Manchester Tan
• Table: Crate & Barrel

Features:
Cabinets: Wall >36"high
Ceiling Fan
Corner Sink
Counter-depth Frig
Full Extension Drawers
Instant Hot Water
Lighting: Recessed
Lighting: Under Cabinet
Peninsula without Seating
Plug inside Cabinet
Soap Dispenser

nymommy's Kitchen

Plain & Fancy Kitchen with Mixed Cabinet Finishes

Contact: nymommy (My Page)
Posted on Wed, Sep 17, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s405.photobucket.com/albums/pp132/nymommy08/

Details:

• Cabinets: Plain and Fancy. Full overlay door (Kent doorstyle).
  ~ Lower cabinets are cherry wood with a cocoa stain
  ~ Upper cabinets are maple wood with a flax glaze
  ~ Island is maple wood with a red antique distressed finish
• Countertop: Madura Gold granite
• Backsplash: Jerusalem Gold (color enhanced)
• Appliances:
  ~ Thermador 36" freedom fridge
  ~ Wolf 36" all-gas range
  ~ Bosch dishwasher
  ~ Marvel wine fridge
• Sink: 30" Shaw Original Fireclay sink
• Faucet: Fontaine Bridge Faucet from overstock.com
• Floor: Handscraped prefinished acasia (walnut)
• Pendant Lights: rejuvenation.com
• Paint: wall color is BM vellum and the trim is BM mayonnaise

Features:
Air Switch
Apron Sink
Counter-depth Frig
Island with Seating
Lighting: Above Cabinet
Lighting: Pendant
Soap Dispenser
Trash Pullout
Wine Cooler

janefan's Kitchen

White Kitchen with Fratelli Oven and Marble Backsplash

Contact: janefan (My Page)
Posted on Sat, Nov 8, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk45/janefan8/

Details:

• Cabinets: Kountry Kraft Alpine White
• Countertops:
  Perimeters: Carrara marble, honed
  Island: Cabernet granite
• Appliances:
  Fratelli Onofri 36" Evolution—single oven
  Kitchenaid 72" French Door Refrigerator
  Advantium
  Zephyr hood
• Sink: copper sink, 14 gauge, Dark Smoke finish from Copper Sinks Online
• Faucet: Whitehaus New Vision Curved Handle
• Hardware: Rejuvenation Arched Mission Pull in Burnished Antique
• Paint: Benjamin Moore Nantucket Grey
• Rug: indoor/outdoor rug from Ballard Designs
• Floors: pre-finished oak (??) in gunsmoke
• Stools: JCPenney
• Lighting: pendants from bellacor.com.

What I Feel I Need to Justify:
1. My big, huge, barrier island. I posted a layout months ago and rhome410 and buehl both pointed out that my island would be a barrier between the range and the refrigerator. Thanks to rhome, I slid the fridge from the right end of that wall to the left which makes the trip from oven to fridge shorter. Thank you, rhome! My island still would be considered a barrier island, but the fact is that it really works for my space and my family.
2. Outlets vs plugmolds: I was torn here. For me it was outlets vs. hanging cords. I think most people who use plugmolds probably don’t keep the appliances plugged in, and as much as I’d like to say we unplug the toaster and coffee maker, we don’t. So, I just decided—it’s a kitchen, it has outlets. Let it be.
3. Giving up a separate, formal dining room—DH couldn’t care less, he was really the one pushing to lose the wall between the original kitchen and dining room. He doesn’t see the need for a formal dining room for us—we rarely have formal dinner parties. My "vision" was to make the dining area a little more formal. Not sure I pulled it off. Either way, this layout really works for us and we’re hoping to be in this house for a long time.
4. Airswitch—yes, I know the current finish is glaringly silver in a sea of brown! I ordered a special Mocha Bronze finish for the button. Still haven’t gotten the button. It’s on backorder and I was told that they now don’t have any idea when it will be available!! Ugh.
5. Molding oddities—because of the slight drop in the ceiling in the "alcove," the crown molding is at different heights—you can tell when looking at the upper cabinet to the right of the stove. Couldn’t be helped.
What Had To Be That I’ve Grown to Love:
1. Originally, the entirety of the wall between the original kitchen and dining room was supposed to come out; same with that shallow wall next to the doors leading to my backyard. One couldn’t be completely removed because of a major pipe. and the other couldn’t come out because it’s a structural support. That pipe is also the reason for the protrusion from that wall to the ceiling. Though disappointed about this at first, I now love how the cabinets and counter wrap around that wall; and with that on one end and the other wall on the other, a somewhat cozy alcove is created for that space. I think of these things now as architectural details.
2. Island countertop—my original vision was a beautiful, rich wenge edge grain countertop. Got a sample, LOVED it. Literally fondled it for an evening. My GC and DH were vehemently against wood for the island. Despite my assurances of super-durable, water-resistant finishes and the fact that I would welcome some dents and scratches as patina, they wouldn’t budge. I could’ve forged ahead without their approval, but decided to see if I could first find something that would be a happy compromise. I did—a granite called Cabernet. It reads a pretty flat chocolate brown with faint black movement. It gives the same general look as the wood, though the wood would’ve provided such a wonderful warmth that only wood can give. That said, I’m really happy with the granite.
3. The stools—this is very, very minor. Ideally, I would have chosen a dark brown woven stool, probably backless—similar to those seagrass Pottery Barn stools. However, cost, durability, and comfort had to come into play. With little kids, I just couldn’t see having backless stools and I with as much use as they’re getting, I worried about crumbs and such. So, these will do for now.
What I LOVE:
1. The sink—copper sink, 14 gauge, Dark Smoke finish from Copper Sinks Online. Love it. Everyone who sees it loves it.
2. Faucet—Whitehaus New Vision Curved Handle. Retails for over $700, got it for under $300 because it’s been discontinued. I worked directly with someone at Whitehaus via email and he was wonderful…found the matching soap dispenser at a lower price for me, too.
3. Cabinet hardware—ordered from Rejuvenation. Looks ORB, but is burnished brass.
4. Paint color—I just really like the way it works with the browns, greys, and white in the kitchen. It’s Benjamin Moore Nantucket Grey. Reads mossy grey/green.
5. The tumbled marble mosaic. This was a last minute decision when my GC said that taking the carrara slab all the way up to the ceiling (around the hood) was a bad idea. Turns out I LOVE the way the mosaic looks around the hood and I love how the band around the rest of the perimeter turned out.
6. The Fratelli—we’re not gourmets, but I prefer the look of the pro-style ranges. The Fratelli was a great option for us, not a bank-breaker, but great visual appeal and great function (as far as I can tell!). I really love the look of it, the "dainty" knobs especially.
What I Waver On Daily:
1. Pendant lights over island—LOVED these when they were up without anything else in the space and most of the time I still love them, but there are moments when I wonder if they’re all wrong!
2. Carrara marble—while I do love it, sometimes I worry that it’s a tad too grey for the white cabinets; I also think I would’ve been happy with the mosaic between the range and the hood versus the slab, but the slab will be easier to keep clean. I do like the slab under the Advantium—where it’s very nook-like.
3. Using different hardware on the cabinets in the dining space. I fell in love with the idea of a pendant pull, but didn’t want them everywhere. Sometimes I love them, sometimes I think I should’ve just kept everything the same.
4. Pantry Pullouts—when I first loaded these I thought they were a pain—too rigid storage-wise and I wished I had just done tall cabinets with pullout shelves. Now, though, I can see their value and I can reach the top on tippy-toes (I’m 5’6"). Could still go either way on this. Don’t love the hardware placement on them, but that really goes under a new category—Don’t Love It, But Can Live With It.
5. Position of cabinets between kitchen and dining—they’re not centered on that short wall, but mimic the cabinets across from them, by the dining window. I let my GC win this one and I sometimes wish I had pushed for them to be center on that wall.
6. Don’t really waver on this—I wish I had done all drawers on the window side perimeter. I just don’t think I gave it enough thought. Oh well.
Misc. Thoughts:
1. Why the gold/brown finishes vs. silver/chrome? While I love the silver/chrome finishes with the white cabinets, I gravitate toward browns and reds and yellows. These are the hues in our family room that’s open to the kitchen. That’s why I thought burnished or antiqued brass tones would work better for us.
2. I’m still trying to warm up the space. I know I could’ve gone with rich wood cabinets, but that part of the house is so dark—despite all the windows and doors, it gets only filtered natural light. Plus, I was always drawn to the white kitchens in all the magazines. I just felt it was the right way to go for this space.
3. Have contemplated putting corbels under the glass uppers…thoughts anyone?
4. Big blank wall between fridge and opening to mudroom—was originally going to put a black bench there. Now I’m thinking of putting two rows of white magnetic strips there for children’s artwork, holiday cards, reminders, etc.
5. Used magnetic paint on the shallow wall near the doors leading to the backyard (and on one wall in our mudroom). Not very strong, though, so I need to work on getting stronger magnets. Those plastic magnetic photo pockets (if anyone knows what I’m talking about) stick pretty good.
6. Will likely incorporate some window treatments at some point. Can’t decide if I should try to find a fabric that would work for roman shades or do a dark brown woven shade.
7. Though it’s counter depth, the fridge sticks out more than I expected.

Features:
Apron Sink
Beadboard
Blumotion
Cabinets: Base >24"deep
Ceiling Fan
Colorful!!!
File Drawer
Filtered Water Faucet
Inset Doors
Lighting: Pendant
LightingRecessed
LightingUnder Cabinet
Message Center/Desk
Open Shelving
Peninsula with Seating
Plate Rack
Reach-in Pantry
Skylight
Soap Dispenser
Trash Pullout
Tray Divider
Water Filter
Wine Storage

loves2cook4six's Kitchen

Eclectic Contemporary Kitchen with Two-Tone Cabinets

Contact: loves2cook4six (My Page)
Posted on Thu, Nov 20, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r26/LaniKaye221/Kitchen%20remodel/complete/

Details:

• Cabinets custom built by AYR Cabinetry out of Nappanee Indiana (they ship country wide). They're a mix of maple and Cherry with walnut accents. A shameless plug for them - they were FANTASTIC to work for, nothing was impossible and I don't have a single filler or wasted inch in the entire kitchen!
• All new custom cabinets (slab doors) in 3 finishes (maple, cherry and walnut) with mortise-and-tenon cabinet frames and French dovetailed, hand-fitted drawers and catalyzed hand wiped finishes. All cabinet backs are 1/2" and all shelves are 3/4"
• Custom color finishes to match (eyes downcast) laminate chips whose colors I liked together
• Boxes are all maple and the inside stain is the same as all the other maple even where the doors are cherry
• Nearly all drawers in the base cabinets except for corner units, under the sinks and trash. Drawer depths were 100% customizable to fit the contents. (HD could not accommodate this)
• Panels for the fridge, freezer and two dishwashers
• Two way trash pullout accessible from both sides of the island (HD could not accommodate this)
• Pullout pantry tower with toe kick release
• Angled pantry cabinet with two doors
• Angled base cabinet and angled upper display cabinet
• Angled corner cabinet
• 30" deep cabinets in the base and ALL the space is usable as custom made drawers go all the way back
• 15" deep upper cabinets
• Spice drawer with "hidden drawers" above to maintain line of drawers visually
• Bread drawer with Plexiglas cover
• Glass inset doors on some of the uppers with glass shelves in those cabinets
• Wine glass rack in upper cabinet
• 4 Toe kick drawers
• Custom-made can storage drawers
• Soft close Blum blumotion drawer guides on every drawer
• Soft close on all the doors
• 5 Custom cherry/walnut intarsia doors
• 2 Magic Corner II units
• 2 tilt outs under sink
• Tray storage above ovens deep enough to hold trays in double depth
• two hidden cutting boards that pop out - one next to the fridge and one above the microwave
• Instead of a cabinet filler, I also have a small area where I store a step stool. The door from the trash cabinet was made wider to cover this storage area.
• 3 cm granite – Marona Cohiba - gorgeous, with floating bar and custom stainless steel corbels
• Plugmold which we installed on angled trim
• Miele all refrigerator and all freezer - originally GE Monogram but we had huge issues so we replaced them with Miele units.
• Plumbing to move freezer water line
• De Dietrich induction cooktop from Salon Blue Ridge (fantastic to work with)
• Miele Double ovens with tray cabinet above
• Futurofuturo hood with 900 cfm,
• Relocated every appliance except fridge. Put separate freezer in butler’s pantry
• Relocated cleanup sink and installed prep sink,
• Ran water supply and drain for a prep sink,
• Built out a butler’s pantry into the garage space
• 2 Miele dishwashers (one was our old one which we repanelled and the new one is the Optima
• Sharp Microwave drawer,
• Kludi(prep) and eBay faucet (Cleanup)
• Blanco Sigranite sinks
• Water chiller and instant hot dispenser and tank
• Dual hot/cold water faucet
• 4 built in soap dispensers Delta Brizo
• 2 air switches
• Dual tapmaster works prep sink from both sides of island
• Tapmaster for clean up sink
• Recessed lighting as well as pucks in the upper cabinets,
• Undercabinet lighting,
• Custom glass island light pendants,
• 21 knobs and 60 pulls in stainless steel
• 1 Soho Manhandle – a total splurge!!
• Moved and replaced the kitchen window
• Moved the sliding patio door and rebuilt the concrete step on the patio
• Custom can storage (the two upper drawers are hidden behind the lower one so it lines up with all the other drawers)
• Pot hanger
• My absolute fav cabinet - the pullout pantry next to the ovens. It holds the Tupperware containers perfectly and when I pull it out I have EVERYTHING I need for baking right at my fingertips
• Cab above the ovens. It's 30" deep and holds SOOOO much
• Pot drawers
• Corner unit
• Two way trash pullout
• Toe kick drawers
• Cleanup area and fridge

Features:
Air Switch
Baking Center
Baking Drawer
Bar with Seating
Blumotion
Bread Drawer
Butler Pantry
Cabinets: Base >24"deep
Cabinets: Wall >12"deep
Cabinets: Wall >36"high
Colorful!!!
Counter >28"wide
Counter-depth Frig
Counter-to-Ceiling Cabinet
Cutting Board Storage
Dish Drawer
Drawer Dividers
Filtered Water Faucet
Frameless Cabinets
Full Extension Drawers
Garden Window
Glass Doors
Gourmet/Professional
Induction Cooktop
Instant Hot Water
Lighting: Pendant
Lighting: Recessed
Lighting: Tech
Lighting: Under Cabinet
Microwave Drawer
NeverMT
Peninsula: Multilevel
Peninsula with Seating
Plugmold
Plug inside Cabinet
Pot Rack
Prep Area (Multiple)
Prep Sink
Pullout Pantry
Reach-in Pantry
Rollout Trays
Sink tilt-out tray
Soap Dispenser
Spice Storage
Step Stool Pullout
Stone
Tapmaster
Toe Kick Drawer
Trash Foot Pedal
Trash Pullout
Tray Divider
TV
Unique Hardware
Water Filter
Custom can Storage
Haefele Magic Corner II units
Base drawers
Custom 28" drawers to fit 30" cabinets
Wine glass storage

alliern's Kitchen

White/Alder Kitchen with Coffered Ceiling and Arches

Contact: alliern (My Page)
Posted on Mon, Nov 24, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s213.photobucket.com/albums/cc97/alliern1/
Details:

• Cabinets: Perimeter Cabinets custom-built with BM Simply White paint. Island cabinets are custom-built Alder, stained Sherwin-Williams "Walnut Wainscot" SW 3120-B.
• Countertops: Perimeter countertop is Black Minas Soapstone from Dorado Soapstone.
• Island countertop is Honed Statuario Marble
• Backsplash: tbd
• Appliances:
  DW, Fridge, microwave/convection oven (Kitchen Aid)
  6 burner dual-fuel 36" range (Thermador)
  Thermador Traditional Silent 42" Hood w/remote blower
• Floor Owens PlankFloor 6" Walnut with Satin Water Based Polyurethane
• Delta Allura Faucet and soap dispenser
• Danze Pot Filler
• Cabinet hardware: Restoration Hardware's Duluth knobs and pulls in brushed nickel. The knobs are 1.25" and the pulls vary in size depending on the width of the drawers.
• Paint: The kitchen/DR walls are BM Titanium. The Great Room walls are BM Manchester Tan
• Lighting: mini cargo pendants by Wilmette Lighting (for Monorail).
• Fireplace: gas Quadra Fire QFP44

My island cabinet dimensions are 8'3" x 5'1" (that includes base moulding).
The marble countertop measures 8'5" x 5'4".

All of the trim throughout the home is made from MDF. My finish carpenter said that if I had decided to do the coffered box-beam ceiling out of wood, it would've cost 10x's as much! Yikes!

Features:
Beadboard
Blumotion
CabinetsWall >36"high
Dish Drawer
Drainboard
Full Extension Drawers
Glass Doors
Gourmet/Professional
Custom Hood
Inset Doors
Island with Seating
LightingAbove Cabinet
LightingPendant
LightingRecessed
LightingUnder Cabinet
Microwave Shelf
Potfiller
Prep Area (Multiple)
Soap Dispenser
Stone
Trash Pullout
Unique Window
Coffered/Box-beam ceiling

karalouise's Kitchen

Black and Ivory Kitchen with Antique Brick Arch

Contact: karalouise (My Page)
Posted on Sat, Nov 15, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk337/Karalouise703/finished%20kitchen/

Details:

• Cabinets: Shiloh cabinetry. The perimeter is Oxford painted maple in ivory with pewter glaze and the island is painted black with weathered, distressed, sand through.
• Countertop: 3 different granites - Red Dragon, Absolute Black and Black Mosaic Gold
• Cooktop: Jenn-Air from the new Pro-series line. It has a downdraft eliminating the need for a hood or worrying about one of those periscope draft thingies breaking! http://www.jennair.com/catalog/category.jsp?cat=12&N=56Purchased from http://www.bridgevilleappliance.com/
• Sink: copper
• Brick beams and columns
• Floor: Minwax dark walnut

Part of our remodel included a 400 sq. ft. addition to expand the size of our family room and kitchen. The biggest thorn in my side for this whole project was working around a dropped beam and 2 columns that had to stay because they were the structural support for an upstairs bay window. We have decided to arch out the structure and will be covering it in antiqued brick......this is my best hope at being able to (as another GWer said) "Embrace my beam"!!


Features:
Apron Sink
Bar with Seating
Beadboard
Counter-depth Frig
Exposed Stone/Brick
Island: Multilevel
Island with Seating
Lazy Susan
Lighting: Recessed
Lighting: Under Cabinet
Microwave Drawer
Trash Pullout
Walk-in Pantry

gglks' Kitchen

Classic White and Chestnut Kitchen with a twist

Contact: gglks (My Page)
Posted on Sat, Nov 15, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s329.photobucket.com/albums/l383/gsteinga/

Details:

• Cabinets - Omega/Dynasty Wyatt door style in pearl. Island is alder/chestnut
• Countertops - Costa Esmerelda granite
• Backsplash - by Elon tile - raised alabaster basketweave with ming green.
• Hardware - Restoration Hardware - Gilmore pull and plain knob
• Lights - Ballard Designs - "Westport pendant" in silvered glass
• Sink - Kohler Verity stainless farmhouse sink
• Faucet - Price Pfister Treviso
• Appliances -
  cooktop: Thermador 6 burner
  microwave: Bosch convection
  all others: Jenn-Air
• Paint - Sherwin Williams grecian ivory

Kitchen dimensions:
The dimensions are 21 1/2 ft by 14 1/2 ft. based on kitchen designing rules, our aisles are a little tight.....3 ft between sink and island and 42 inch between refrige wall and island (which has seating). I am a one cook household so the sink being close to the island is actually perfect for me. As far as the aisle with seating, the wine cooler and one pantry are behind the stools. Sad to say, but the wine cooler is my one area that is a little tight to get into!!!

Banquette details:
The banquette is 8 ft. by 5 1/2 ft. - that was basically the space we had to work with. I put a base cabinet and then a wall cabinet that comes down to the counter in the corner (right next to the banquette) for cookbooks, junk and crafts for the kids. Since the base cabinet is 18 inches, that is what we decided for the depth of the seat. The contractor built a sloped back which is 3 inches so the actually seat is 15 inches deep. We also had 3 inch cushions made which I totally recommend. It is very comfortable for us. We had to work with certain restrictions so you might want to make the seat deeper....say a 22 inch seat with a 4 inch sloping back. My contractor had me sit in different chairs to determine what would work for us.

Features:
Air Switch
Apron Sink
Banquette Seating
Bench Seating
Beverage Center/Bar
Blumotion
Bread Drawer
Drawer Dividers
Glass Doors
Custom Hood
Island with Seating
Knife Drawer
Lazy Susan
LightingPendant
LightingRecessed
LightingUnder Cabinet
NeverMT
Rollout Trays
Soap Dispenser
Spice Storage
Trash Pullout
Tray Divider
TV
Unique Window
Warming Drawer
Wine Cooler

---

yolande_1951's Kitchen

Finally...99.9% finished

Contact: yolande_1951 (My Page)
Posted on Sat, Nov 1, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn134/yolande_1951/kitchen/kitchen%20for%20garden%20web/?start=0

Details:

• Cabinets: finished in BM Decorator white, matched to subway tile, drawers all full extension, Blumotion soft close
• Countertop: Angola silver polished granite
• Backsplash: glossy beveled subway, painted by local artist
• Miele double ovens
• Miele 36 inch induction
• Jenn Aire 36 " 25 CU ft FD, sunk into the wall
• Vent-a-hood 42 " blower
• Kenmore Elite DW and Insinkerator GD from old kitchen
• Rancilio Sylvia and Rocky espresso and grinder
• Oak flooring
• 3 inch pot lights
• KWC Inox faucet, pullout at single SS Kindred sink
• New Form XT pulldown faucet at Franke SS prep sink.
• Floor: red oak stained with a custom blend of nutmeg and Early American with a semi gloss finish. We ran the boards perpendicular to the other floors. The boards are pretty narrow.
• Hardware: Amerock mulholland satin pulls 96 mm and knobs

Island is 105" x 52", including a 12" overhang.
Bar with Seating
Blumotion
CabinetsBase >24"deep
CabinetsBase >36"high
CabinetsWall >12"deep
Coffee Center
Filtered Water Faucet
Full Extension Drawers
Glass Doors
Custom Hood
Induction Cooktop
Island with Seating
Prep Sink
Pullout Pantry
Spice Storage
Trash Pullout
VacPan
Water Filter
Knife Storage
Cappuccino Bar

prettykitty1971'S Kitchen

Classic Vintage White Victorian Lacanche Kitchen

Posted by prettykitty1971 on Mon, Oct 6, 08
Link to prettykitty1971's Gardenweb finished kitchen post
Link to prettykitty1971'2 kitchen photos

Details:

• Cabinets: cabinets are creamy white with feet for an unfitted look. The main cabinets go all the way up the 12 foot walls, it is quite impressive looking, but fits the style of our home.
• Countertops: 4 counters - unpolished black granite (which looks a lot like soapstone) marble, polished granite and stainless steel.
• Lacanche Range, Sully Model - High performance, dual-fuel, double-oven stoves from France, one oven is electric, the other gas, top is gas and has the French cast-iron simmer plate over one of the two 18,000 BTU burners. Sixteen colors and finishes available www.lacancheusa.com
• Bosch Dishwasher
• Kitchenaid refrigerator drawers
• Range vent-a-hood: Rangecraft
• Ice maker - Marvel Industries
• Compactor - Kitchenaid
• Sinks: Shaws Original Fireclay Apron Front Farm Sink by Rohl and Blanco stainless steel bar sink
• Faucets: Perrin and Rowe nickel plated sink faucets and sprayers Stainless Steel Countertops and range shelf by Bray Sheet
• Antique fixtures bought on ebay, polished and wired by local craftsman
• Sliding doors on barn door hardware (Barndoorhardware.com)
• Instant hot water
• Pull-out trash bin
• French Doors, screen doors & back door, = Spanish Cedar. These doors were supposed to be painted, but I couldn’t cover up such beautiful wood. Our “old house” contractor uses Spanish cedar on exterior doors, porch floors, sometimes fences, as it hold up to the weather much better than other woods, however, it is pricy.

We began designing a rework of our home in 2004. We actually got started in September 2006 and moved back in April 2007 under duress - it was not completely finished, but we could not stand living on top of each other anymore. It was finished by August of 2007 with me having to throw tantrums every few days at my contractor to get workers here to finish the kitchen. At one point I threatened to wear a sandwich board up and down our street, reading "you would have to been crazy to use (my contractor)"
Okay, back to 2004: The back of the house (where the kitchen is located) was okay and livable, but it did not flow or have any stylistic continuity to the front of the house, which is so amazing in itself. I felt like I was in a different house when in the kitchen. The main part of the house was built in 1890 and still has a Victorian feel, the kitchen and breakfast room and porches were built about 1920 in the Craftsman era and kept being added onto and changed � to the point that an "extra" half bath had been added jutting out into a hallway and disrupting important flow. There were a few things that had been done that would make me stare and say "why???" The kitchen also felt very far away from the living areas of the house.
The house was near museum quality in the front rooms, but it was like entering the twilight zone in the kitchen and breakfast room, breakfast room (yes, 2 of them) and bathroom(s). Our house had 2 nightmarish half baths downstairs, one of which had been built in the middle of a major passage way and was so small a space that the previous owner who had built it bumped out the opposite wall just a funky bit to accommodate the space. I would not even allow people to use that bath as it was not vented properly (think smelly) and would not flush well (think plunger). Mainly, we wanted to restore the architectural integrity to the back of the house, which included removing a diagonal path and countertop that was the main path to the kitchen, raising doorways up to 10 feet to match the doorways in the original house � kitchen doorways etc, were all 7 & 8 feet, one directly behind a 10 foot opening, so it was readily apparent something was amiss. Another goal was getting a back door and opening up our back porch which had been totally enclosed and door removed � the room that went nowhere with a window looking into the current kitchen. I also was determined to have French doors from the kitchen that went out to a deck which was the same elevation as the kitchen floor, to the North, shady side of our property.
We hired an architect that we had worked with previously with great success - we saw eye to eye on everything. After several attempts, he fired ME - not the other way around. He would not draw what I wanted, kept giving me drawings of what he thought we should do, that we should work with what had been done to the house - "don't open the old back porch, build on a new one; put the bathroom in the old porch," etc. That was $3000 down the tubes, we were already starting out in the negative! A dear architect friend of mine said she would work on the design. She drew what I wanted. I would ask for suggestions, but she assured me that my ideas made sense and would be really improving our home. The drawings were not cheap, but it was well worth it and we are even better friends, although, I was afraid I would be fired at any moment!
I have to say that I am proud of myself for coming up with this design, the architect drew it, but it was all me and my husband thinking it out and after living a year in the house, we knew what we needed and how we need it to look. I am picky if you haven't figured it out.
The basis for the design was figuring out where the openings had to be in the rooms. I wanted the French doors on the north wall, we had to have the passage to the dining room, and we needed a double opening to the breakfast room. So with all that, that dictated where we could and couldn't have cabinets, a stove, a sink, etc. We were also returning the flow to the back of the house, so that made it easier to figure out where the back hall need to go and what was left over would become the new full bath. I will admit that in the days leading up to the wreaking crew coming, I was still trying to figure out if we could get a better layout out of the space.
I bought most of my reproduction hardware from Van Dyke's restorers, Old House Parts, and Rejuvenation, all online. I have different types of drawer and door pulls, just one or two in key areas, to help the kitchen look as if it evolved.

After receiving yet another delivery from ebay, my husband asked how many historic fixtures I had purchased, my quiet response "I don't know..."

Barndoorhardware.com - I have the horseshoe shaped hangers(part that attaches to the door), but they also have a square hanger. They slide so easily, everyone that sees them likes to play with them. There's no doubt about it they are cool - you will love them. You can also order handles, but I want something different for handles and I haven't found it yet. With my rustic theme I have been considering using antlers as handles. My screen doors don't have handles either, for the same reason!

How I came to have a Lacanche range (www.frenchranges.com): One day I was researching Thermador rangers and ended up on the Gardenweb forums. Someone had written that if you are considering a Thermador then you should take a look at one of these and provided a link to a photo of what turned out to be a Lacanche range. I showed the photo to our neighbor, who we had been taking care of everyday for the past 2 years, just to show him. He was always taking cooking classes, taking photos of his food, practicing garnishes, buying every kitchen gadget on the market, etc. He had a digital Wolf range that he was in love with so I knew he would appreciate seeing this beautiful stove - I didn't know such a thing even existed. Paul saw the French Range - the Lacanche - and said "You NEED that in your kitchen!" I said "No, I don't need anything of the sort" (our previous range was 30 years old, so anything would have been better, a camping stove would have been an improvement!) and he said "You NEED that stove!" He insisted on buying me that stove as his gift to the kitchen, it was also his idea that our cabinets go all the way up the 12 foot walls - "you might as well go all the way with this." My husband likes to say he had to pay for the kitchen to go with the Lacanche!
Given how my main hobby has to do with historic preservation, I knew I wanted a classic kitchen. I wanted marble countertops and inset cabinet doors and those French doors! I spent hundreds of dollars buying kitchen magazines and found several key ideas from that process. The glass front cabinets and the stainless steel countertop on either side of the French Lacanche range came from one layout I found, the open shelves from another and the pink pantry from yet another photo from a magazine (theirs was bright yellow!). Our butler's pantry was actually in our historic house plans from 1920, so we just recreated it. About our butler's pantry: the bottom 2 cabinets on the left are false fronts - they don't open - they are where the air return in located. The vents are on the opposite side in the back stair hall, so this just camouflages the box of the air return.
The glass cabinets, I thought about that problem of food storage and how unattractive that is and how to make glass front cabinets work for me. I just felt glass would be more appropriate for the look I wanted - it just looks elegant to me and says "original" although I'm sure that most true Victorian cabinets had wood fronts. I planned what would go in the cabinets before we got too far in design. I have about 3 complete sets of china in addition to two sets of everyday dishes and needed a place to put/display them, so then I needed a place for food. It's hard to visualize how much space you need for food when your food is all packed up for construction! I happened to have a little nook (it was our downstairs half bath, you could get your knees knocked off if someone tried to enter the bathroom while you were on the toilet!) that we originally designed as a desk area, that I made into "the pink pantry" which actually goes around a corner and is behind the refrigerator, where all the mess of the pantry is along with microwave and toaster oven. The part of the pantry that is visible (if you're at the main sink or range)stays neat and tidy given the way that it is designed - narrow shelves for spices, baking ingredients and display. I saw it in a magazine with its Victorian-ish trim and gave it to my carpenter and he just went to work. The counter in the pantry is just wood - out of money for any other surface and since there is not a sink in there it is not a problem. It is painted pink as that is the color that my 4 year old picked out - it was a compromise as she wanted the entire kitchen to be pink! She also wanted Dora the Explorer knobs - yes, there is such a thing - but I put my foot down on that! Everyone really thought I was crazy to do the pink, I don't know how many times the painters asked if I wanted to change the color along with the green in the back hall. Now everyone loves it.
Where the "extra bathroom" had been removed at the back stairs and other demolition had taken place near the new/old back door, we found exterior sub walls under the plaster and sheetrock. In old houses this material is something like 1 x 6 set on the diagonal. I had been thinking about paint colors and what I was going to do with all this extra wall and I decided how wonderful it would be if it were returned to its exterior foundations - wood siding. I love texture and my contractor thought I was nuts, but he did do the siding for me and milled corner pieces for near the back door. We painted the siding the cream trim color like the rest of our interior house. This really added a wonderful historic and unique quality to the project. The house really looks like it's evolved and been added on to in a rather careful way.

For our back hallway we mimicked the wainscoting that is in our foyer and dining room, but on a cheaper level - we used bead board and MDF. The bead board wainscoting is the cheaper stuff: it does not have as deep cuts/lines/beads as the good stuff and the flat vertical and cross pieces are not wood, they are that MDF that they are always making stuff out of on HGTV. The top piece is wood trim

When I was picking out materials for our kitchen I finally reached a moment where I was afraid that the kitchen would be nicer than the rest of the house - which I did not want at all - so I began to try to pick out elements from the original house that could be reproduced in the kitchen, if only in variation, like the wainscoting and the slider doors instead of pocket doors.
We have 4 countertop surfaces(it works because you can only see 2 at anyone time), one of which is unpolished black granite, which looks a lot like soapstone, then marble, polished granite and stainless steel. I really wanted a veined marble for the island and despite everyone, even the marble contractor telling me I did not want that as my island, I got it.
I chose polished marble on the back splash so the gray veining would pick up the gray of the stainless steel, but I also considered bead board (we used it on our butler's pantry, I really love the look and it can be an economical choice if you get the "fake" stuff) and painted pressed tin. We have the marble island and love it and all of it's etchings that my 3 kids inflict upon it. They are not really noticeable unless you look for them.
We have slider doors on reproduction barn door hardware (www.barndoorhardware.com) that divide our kitchen and breakfast room. Our house has pocket doors, but we could not afford to build 2 walls, so this was another research project and something we are really happy with and that everyone marvels over. I really think it turned out better than pocket doors would have and it is unexpected, which I like.
Our cabinets are creamy white with feet for an unfitted look. I did choose to get appliances that will take a custom panel, to be hidden into the cabinetry - careful if you get inset cabinet doors (where the door closes flush into the cabinet box) appliances that take a panel are designed to take full overlay doors - we just barely avoided a crisis situation that would have required me to be tried for murder. The main cabinets go all the way up the 12 foot walls, it is quite impressive looking, but fits the style of our home. Our bathroom cabinet is painted a red to give the impression of old wood - I could not afford to have "good wood" so came up with a color that happened to work really well for us. I bought most of my reproduction hardware from Van Dyke's restorers, Historic House Parts, and Rejuvenation, all online. Also Lee Valley Hardware Catalogue has some great hardward, my drop pull came from them. I have different types of drawer and door pulls, just one or two in key areas, to help the kitchen look as if it evolved (Two are fish pulls, I love them!). Our kitchen finally feels like it goes with the rest of our home.

fish handle - everyone loves this one handle in the middle of all our Victorian cup pulls and amethyst knobs!

Some other creative things that worked out really well for us: you will notice in the web pictures that originally there were 2 windows on the wall where the stove goes. The outside of our house is a rough stucco (it was "smothered" in stucco about 1920, the Victorian gingerbread and elements are under the stucco - visible in our attic!) and I doubted that my contractor could match the stucco to my specifications - we had already had previously unsuccessful attempts on other stucco repairs. On the outside of our house, the windows appear to be there - I had wood shutters installed in the openings, the windows simply look shuttered. It-s a nice touch to our exterior and I did not have to worry about the stucco being less than perfect.

One reason our glass front cabinets look so nice is that the shelves all line up across the horizontal mullion piece, so it makes quite a uniform look. The shelves are actually adjustable, but I will never move them as it looks just “wrong” (to me anyway) to have the shelves out of line with the mullions. Same thing with the butler’s pantry.

We had a TON of ups and downs with our project. We were supposed to be in construction for 4 months, but it really took a year and we were out of our home 9 months (we moved in with Paul our next door neighbor - all 5 of us!) Toward the end, May 2007, I actually said to our contractor over the phone, in my most stern and reprimanding voice "it's hard to appreciate how beautiful you have made my kitchen when you keep screwing up even the new stuff that you put in!" His response, "I know." He did not want to put the siding on the wall, but later came back and asked me if "he" hadn't had a good idea(he was kidding, telling me I had done good). Ask me sometime about what happens when the concealed appliances don't fit far enough back into their holes!

Features:
Air Switch
Apron Sink
Bar with Seating
Beadboard
Beverage Center/Bar
Bookshelf
Butler Pantry
Counter-to-Ceiling Cabinet
Full Extension Drawers
Custom Hood
Ice Machine
Inset Doors
Instant Hot Water
Lazy Susan
LightingPendant
LightingRecessed
LightingUnder Cabinet
Potfiller
Rollout Trays
Sink tilt-out tray
Sink >30"wide
Trash Compactor
Trash Foot Pedal
Trash Pullout
TV
Unique Hardware
Walk-in Pantry
Wicker Baskets
Wine Storage

mfrog's Kitchen

Victorian Kitchen

Contact: mfrog (My Page)
Posted on Thu, Oct 2, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s400.photobucket.com/albums/pp81/gumboot_gourmet/

Details:

• Cabinets: most of the cabinets were salvage (fir), all fixed up and painted the same cream. The lowers were custom made maple because we wanted deeper & higher cabinets.
• Countertops: beech - purchased from wholesaler, not from IKEA (theirs were too expensive)
• Stove: the 1951 GE restored double oven stove, purchased from an appliance store where it was rewired & completely overhauled.
• Sinks: main sink is Kohler cast iron, bar sink is Kindred
• Faucets: Delta for both main sink & bar.
• Undercabinet lights: Pottery Barn; on clearance, 3 for $20.
• Floor: refinished original fir
• Stained glass windows: also salvaged
• antique flour bin

The entire kitchen including period lighting, custom cabinetry cost about $9,000.
We put in extra deep & tall cabinetry. All the lighting is period, restored. I had a custom cabinet made for the dishwasher. Alot of the cabinetry is antique, one of the best things is the built in flour bin.
The antique dresser was cut in half (the top half hung above) The flour bin is on the left, if anyone is a baker they should consider having one of these.

Features:
Beverage Center/Bar
Broom Closet
Ceiling Fan
China Hutch
Coffee Center
Full Extension Drawers
Inset Doors
LightingPendant
LightingUnder Cabinet
Microwave Shelf
Open Shelving
Pet Area
Prep Sink
TV
Unique Hardware
Unique Window
Wine Storage


collected; unfitted

---

vjrnts' Kitchen

Finally!

Contact: vjrnts (My Page)
Posted on Wed, Oct 8, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://gallery.xcski.com/v/Our+House/renovations/finished-kitchen/

Details:

• Cabinets: M.R.S. Kitchens, Oak, coffee stain, shaker style door, inset
• Countertops: Soapstone, M. Texiera, Santa Rita Venata
• Backsplash: subway tiles are Subway Ceramics in bone, decorative tiles are Terra Firma Tiles
• Floor: Marmoleum
• Range: GE Profile gas-on-glass convection range
• Refrigerator: GE Profile freezer-on-the-bottom French door
• Microwave: GE Profile
• Dishwasher: Kitchenaid
• Pulls and knobs: Lee Valley Hardware
• Sink: Sienna sinks
• Faucet: Delta LeLand

Features:
Air Switch
Blumotion
Full Extension Drawers
Inset Doors
Knife Drawer
Lazy Susan
Lighting: Recessed
Microwave Shelf
Plug inside Cabinet
Reach-in Pantry

grendal_fly's Kitchen

Completed kitchen

Contact: grendal_fly (My Page)
Posted on Thu, Oct 2, 08
Link to kitchen photos: http://s359.photobucket.com/albums/oo32/grendal_fly/

Details:

• Cabinets: Custom cherry shaker style w\Hazelnut varnish to protect color. Drawers full open with BLUMOTION, Glass doors also have BLUMOTION hinges.
• Knobs are Amerock Forgings Pyrm Knob BP4429-WI
• Pulls are Amerock Forgings Pyrm Pull BP4428-WI
• Countertop: ocean stone granite with boos BBIT30252 top on lower island prep area
• BackSplash is 3"x6" , 3/4" thick "China White" handmade crackled subway with 1"x1" Pewter pyramid decos insets
• Floor is unstained solid Brazilian cherry with 3 coat of water based finish
• Island lights are Hudson Valley HV3824 Brushed nickel adjustable pendants
• Under and over Cab lights are Juno Trak 12
• SubZero Pro48 Fridge
• Wolf 484DG Range with 20" riser
• Wolf PW542418R Hood
• Wolf 120-REM remote blower
• Sharp KB6024MS Microwave
• Main Sink Ticor ss508
• Main faucet Kohler Vinnata K-690-BN
• Main Disposal ISE EVO essential with BN airswitch
• Main Soap K-9619-BN with neverMT
• Vacpan under main sink with Yellowjacket vac
• Prep sink Ticor ss208
• Prep faucet Kohler Vinnata K-690-BN
• Prep Water Insta-hot HC-VIEWSN-SS
• Prep Disposal ISE EVO essential with BN airs witch

Features:Air Switch
Bar with Seating
Blumotion
Bookshelf
Bread Drawer
CabinetsBase >36"high
CabinetsWall >12"deep
CabinetsWall >36"high
Cutting Board Storage
Filtered Water Faucet
Full Extension Drawers
Glass Doors
Gourmet/Professional
Instant Hot Water
IslandMultilevel
Island with Seating
Knife Drawer
Lazy Susan
LightingAbove Cabinet
LightingPendant
LightingRecessed
LightingUnder Cabinet
Microwave Drawer
NeverMT
Pet Area
Prep Area (Multiple)
Prep Sink
Soap Dispenser
Spice Storage
Stone
Toe Kick Heater
VacPan
Water Filter

lissa711's Kitchen

Cream Cabinets with Dark Cherry Island

Posted by Lissa711 on Fri, Sep 26, 08
Link to Lissa711's Gardenweb finished kitchen post
Link to Lissa711's kitchen photos

Details:

• Cabinets - Crystal Cabinets
• Perimeter - Frosty White with Van Dyke Brown Glaze
• Island & Butler's Pantry - Cherry with Black Highlights
• Countertops: honed Absolute Black granite on perimeter and honed Imperial Danby on island. Perimeter is eased edge and island is ogee.
• Backsplash - Sonoma Tile Makers. Field tile is Otter color shiny with crackle glaze.
• Country Classic Door Style
• Appliances:
  Fridge: Subzero 642 - 42" side by side with cabinetry panels
  Dishwasher: Miele G2180SCVI with panel
  Rangetop: Wolf SRT366 36" Sealed Rangetop
  Ovens: Thermador POD302 Double Electric Ovens (Top is convection)
  Hood Liner: Vent a Hood 600 CFM Liner BH234SLDSS
  Microwave: Sharp Microwave Drawer 24" KB6024MS
  Sink: Ticor (learned about on this forum) SS508 30 5/8 x 18 1/8
  Faucet: Steamvalveoriginal.com
• Hardware: Top Knobs Satin Nickel. Pulls M808-96, Knobs M326, Fridge Handles M808-12
• Lighting:
  Hudson Valley Pelham Pendants in Aged Brass from Croft and Little.com
  Ceiling High Hats are LR6 LED lights from Lightingonthenet.com. We're very happy with the lighting from these. Indistinguishable from incandescent and still dimmable.
• Floor - wood to match rest of house. Varied plank with pegs. Stain is a mix of Minwax Provincial with Jacobean.
• Paint - Benjamin Moore HC81 Manchester Tan. Trim is Linen White
• Butler's Pantry: Same cabinetry as kitchen. Counters also honed Imperial Danby. Sink is Ticor bar sink, smallest they had, don't remember number.
• Faucet is Blanco 157-106-ST Terra Single Lever Bar Faucet in Satin Nickel from Faucet Depot
• Filtered Instant Hot/Cold is InSinkErator F-HC2215SN Country Series Satin Nickel from Faucet Depot
• Wine Fridge is Marvel - bought as a sample from appliance store
• Undercounter Beverege(sp) Fridge from ULine with Crystal IceMaker, CLRC02175B00 - with cabinetry panel. Don't like this at all. The back keeps freezing up and then melting (have had service call) and the ice maker is incredibly noisy.
• Lighting: Chandelier is Corbett Venetian 1 Light Ceiling Pendant 78-41 from Capitol Lighting. I love the Capitol Lighting website (1800lighting.com) I ordered quite a few lights from them throughout the house and was very happy with their pricing and customer service.
• Mudroom: Cabinets custom built and painted in semi-gloss BM Shadow (eggplant color). Washer and Dryer are Maytag Epic. Very happy with these. Floor is Charcoal Gray Slate from boxes of slate I picked up at Expo. Also very happy with this. The cubbies were custom built by my contractor.
• Still have to get switch/outlet covers and window treatments and wall art. Otherwise so happy to be done!

Features:
Appliance Garage
Beverage Center/Bar
Blumotion
Bookshelf
Broom Closet
Butler Pantry
Coffee Center
Drawer Dividers
Filtered Water Faucet
Full Extension Drawers
Glass Doors
Gourmet/Professional
Custom Hood
Ice Machine
Inset Doors
Instant Hot Water
Island with Seating
LightingPendant
LightingRecessed
LightingUnder Cabinet
Microwave Drawer
Rollout Trays
Sink tilt-out tray
Spice Storage
Trash Pullout
Tray Divider
TV
UCFrig
Water Filter
Wine Cooler
Wine Storage

mountainbasketmaker's Kitchen

$13K Middle-of-the-Road Kitchen Remodel

Posted by mountainbasketmaker on Tue, Sep 16, 08
Link to mountainbasketmaker's Gardenweb finished kitchen post
Link to mountainbasketmaker's kitchen photos

Details:

• Cabinets - Timberlake/American Woodmark, Sonoma, Maple Honey
• Countertop - Wilsonart Laminate, Deepstar Agate
• Range - Kenmore
• Dishwasher - Bosch~mw
• Sink - Kindred Estate Radiant Silk stainless
• Faucet - Grohe Bridgeford
• Floor - Armstrong Laminate, Glace
• Over the sink light - www.Rejuvenation.com
• Pulls and Knobs - www.cabinetknob.com
• Rugs - www.rugs-direct.com
• Paint - Sherwin Williams' Scotch Thistle

My reno came in at $13,000. We did most of it ourselves, with the exception of the cabinet installation ($900) and the plumbing ($250). I call it the "middle of the road" kitchen because I didn't do anything real fancy or unusual... just a completely new kitchen!

 Features:Lighting: Under Cabinet
Microwave Shelf

rmkitchen's Kitchen

White Kitchen with Full Marble Backsplash

Posted by rmkitchen on Fri, Aug 8, 08
Link to rmkitchen's Gardenweb finished kitchen post
Link to rmkitchen's kitchen photos

Details:

Cabinets:

• ~$55K
• custom frameless painted (catalyzed lacquer) a custom white, island painted BM Onyx
• all drawers full-extension with Blumotion glides and all doors with Blum soft-close hinges
• one Rev-A-Shelf wood drawer divider
• one Rev-A-Shelf plastic double tier flatware divider
• custom wood drawer dividers (five drawers)
• steel pegboard "broom closet" pull-out (thanks to dianalo for sharing inspiration pictures)
• three chrome pull-out pantry units (Rev-A-Shelf)
• four spice pull-outs (Rev-A-Shelf)
• pegboard with wood "divider" dowels in (three) dish drawers
• foot pedal four-canister trash / recycle unit (thanks to lowspark and alku05 for the foot pedal instructions), Rev-A-Shelf
• magnetic chalkboards (two)
• hood (design inspiration courtesy of mwardlb’s lovely hood)
• maple butcher block island countertop with bow detail
• tempered, safety glass-front doors and glass shelves
• delivery and installation of these cabinets and attached custom crown moulding (but not including cost of custom crown which was ~$350)

Appliances:

• ~$22K
• refrigerator: Thermador 30" Fresh Food Freedom Column T30IR70
• freezer: Thermador 30" Frozen Freedom Colum T30IF70
• oven: Gaggenau 30" BX281610 convection double oven, (thanks to the supportive folks in the Appliance forum who talked me through this decision & held my hand as we waited five+ months for its delivery)
• cooktop: Thermador Professional Series PCG366E 36" gas, six burners
• vent: Broan 900 cfm external blower 332H
• microwave: Sharp Over-The-Counter R-1214
• refrigerator drawers: GE Monogram 24" ZIDI240PII
• (delivery and installation of above appliances was ~$700)
• instant hot / cold faucet and tank: Mountain Products Little Gourmet MT1401
• under-sink water filter: Culligan
• sink: Bates and Bates S2133.SS stainless apron front
• faucet: Pegasus Professional Kitchen, from Expo (thanks to susanandmarkw)
• soap dispenser: Danze Parma
• dishwasher: KitchenAid KUDS03FTPA
• air switch for above-sink light: Mountain Plumbing, stainless
• disposal: Insinkerator Evolution Cover Control

Hardware:

• ~$1,100
• pulls: Restoration Hardware 4" Gilmore Pulls, polished nickel
• knobs: Restoration Hardware 1.25" Cut Glass Knobs, polished nickel
• fridge / freezer pulls: Hickory Hardware Studio 13" bright nickel
• broom closet pull: Hickory Hardware Studio 5" bright nickel

Lighting:

• ~$300
• undercabinet lighting: Pegasus Associates Microfluorescent T4 fixtures
• lighting inside cabinets: line voltage (120V) xenon pucks, American Lighting

Countertop & backsplash:

• material, fabrication and installation ~$19K
• Calacatta Xtra (seriously, that’s its name), honed, 3cm, with eased square edge – thanks to mnhockeymom for the inspiration!), runnels and a dishdrain
• backsplash: Calacatta Xtra, 2cm
• island butcherblock countertop provided by cabinetmaker

Paint:

• ~$1K
• walls: BM 871 Pearl River, Regal Matte Finish
• ceiling: 50% BM 871, Regal Flat Finish
• wainscoting: BM Impervo, custom to match cabinetry
• toekicks: BM Onyx (which I painted myself with "help" from our puppy)

Floors:

• price unknown as bundled in with installation of hardwood for entire first floor and staircase
• red oak, "popped" with water then one heavy coat of Dura-Seal Ebony Stain (thanks to my husband for finding out how to get the dark finish I wanted from red oak), three coats of Bona Satin Water-Based Sealer

Construction:

• ~$16K (I think, as it was bundled in with a nearly-whole house remodel)
• removal of old cabinets, closing up old doorway to dining room, framing new entrance to dining room, moving almost all electrical plus some new, moving all plumbing plus much new, drywall (inc. smooth-coating existing orange-peel), fabricating / installing wainscoting in breakfast nook and sink wall facing family room and new casing around sliding door and window, crown moulding installation and painting

Kitchen designer

• $3K
• we contentiously parted ways v. early in the process, but not until she had suggested moving the doorway to the dining room down the wall, and we love this change

Our kitchen is approximately 13’w x 21'l (not completely true, as only one side is 21' long; the other wall is 11 1/2'). Our ceiling is 9’ high (the upper cabinets are 47 ½" high with crown moulding running from the top of the cabinets up to the ceiling).

Things we love
or, what we did right
-Sans doute moving the opening into the dining room down the wall so as to make a U-shape kitchen was the smartest thing we did. It has increased the function / made better the ergonomics tremendously!
-Full Marble Backsplash. It's gorgeous and I LOVE getting to see my true love, the marble, from many different vistas. If we'd had the marble as just our countertop the only time I would've seen it is when I was working on that counter. Now I can see it when sitting in the breakfast nook, when walking into the family room. It is absolutely the star of our kitchen!
-Large, single bowl, apron front sink. Having all that continuous room for washing large pots / pans / baking dishes is so incredible! I love how the apron front eliminates any lower back pain– not far to reach into the sink. We also have no splashing, as opposed to what we had with a shallower, drop-in sink.
-Raised dishwasher. It just makes sense! I know many love their dishdrawers but as we run a full or nearly-full dishwasher nightly, it would not have made sense for us to have dishdrawers.
-Side-opening wall oven. I was on the fence a long time on this one: that oven set (the Gaggenau 30" double wall ovens) was really expensive, but oh how we love the side-opening mechanism! It just makes so much sense.
-Foot pedal trash. Hands full of broccoli remnants + foot pedal trash = genius.
-Magnetic chalkboards – my children adore them! My older son (four years-old) loves drawing his robots and writing; my younger son (two years-old) loves standing and "coloring." We love being able to keep our timer and grocery list in a central and easy-to-locate spot.
-Full freezer and full refrigerator: we wonder how we lived before with combined units. It sounds insane, but for our vegetarian family with little children we are absolutely utilizing these separate units to their fullest.
-Polished nickel hardware: it’s beautiful. It’s just beautiful, and it takes a lot of work to get them looking icky / dirty; plus, I have to say they are a breeze to clean (when they do get icky)!
-Integrated Dishdrain: we had it carved into the marble on the right side of our sink (our dishrack sits atop it), and we LOVE not having a puddling countertop. We love not having a wet dishtowel or a rubber mat.
-Flatware and Dish Drawers right next to the dishwasher. Unloading the dishwasher requires just the slightest turn of the hips – it’s an ergonomic dream!
-Getting our puppy one month to the day after the remodel started (and three months before it ended). It was such hard work – miserably hard, puppy-training and living amidst chaos (as we were doing nearly the whole house). But man-oh-man am I glad we did it all at once! I am so grateful to have had all the ick and dreck at once. (She’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and we swear she’s part-cat: v. gentle, smart, affectionate. She’s never ever growled / been angry with our two little children, and our youngest is not the gentlest. He loves the puppy, but his love can be a bit rough. Cavaliers are also known for loving cats, and our youngest cat is the puppy’s best friend. They adore each other. But the puppy really really loves the children.)
-Not fighting. In our normal lives my husband I occasionally bicker – we’re married and we’re both strong, opinionated people. But for some strange (and miraculous) reason, we never had a fight during the entire remodel; we got along splendidly and truly were a team. Well, maybe not a team: I was definitely The Chief, but he was 100% on board and totally supportive. I wish I knew why that was because I’d like to bottle it!
Things we don’t love
or, things we’d do differently
(There are only two things we absolutely wish we’d done differently, things which we notice [and which irk us] on a daily basis. I’ll list those two first.)
#1 thing which drives us crazy
-Think about where countertop accoutrements (inc. countertop appliances) would live when planning light switches. I had one undercab light switch put, I thought, in an inconspicuous spot near the corner. I absolutely should have figured out where I’d be putting our toaster because, as it happens, the toaster now blocks the light switch. We’ve tried moving the toaster around but that’s just the spot where it makes sense. But yet it doesn’t make sense because it blocks the light switch. This is already frustrating and totally stupid on my part!
#2 thing which drives us crazy
-Pantry pull-outs. HATE them! Maybe hate is too strong a word (not really), but we realize now we would have been so much happier with standard shelves, not even roll-out shelves! (although those are divine) We have the pantry units from Rev-A-Shelf and find a) they are "adjustable" in name only, b) they don’t hold as much as you’d think, and c) a space-waster. If we’d had shelves we could have stacked cans or seen at one glance all our dry-goods. As it is, we have to pull out three separate units and honestly, we think it’s crap. Never again!
(These other things are things which we’d do differently in the future but which aren’t frustrating us daily.)
-Broom Pull-out isn’t deep enough to hold our stick vac. We’d told our cabinetmaker it needed to be 6" deep, so the pull-out door is 6" deep, but the way he built the support for the steel pegboard eats up an inch, so the interior usable space is only 5" deep … and not enough to hold our stick vac.
-24" deep lower cabinets. Too shallow! We didn’t realize until too late (as in, unpacking into this kitchen) that our penultimate kitchen had 32" deep lowers. What a difference! In all fairness to myself (as in, trying to make myself feel better), given the tight quarters of this kitchen we could not have afforded even 30" deep lowers; well, we could have, but then we would have lost our island which we are really enjoying. Next kitchen will be really different!
-Symmetry. I don’t know if it’s just for symmetry’s sake or for my husband’s, but flanking either side of the cooktop are spice pull-outs. Granted, he’s got them both filled to the gills with his goodies, but I could really use those 6" in my stack of baking supply drawers. Given the particulars of the layout of our kitchen the symmetry there would not have mattered.
-Having our microwave built-in. My husband was adamant he did NOT want a built-in microwave (the kind which have the trim-kits, I mean), so we found the Sharp over-the-counter microwave. Turns out there was some sort of "miscommunication" with the GC (so I guess I’m responsible). The "problem" is that the drywall behind the microwave wasn’t removed and reframed so as to accommodate the 1.5" the microwave juts out past its surrounding cabinetry. It’s already not bothering me so much, but when I do think about it I think "I wish we’d been clearer." Hopefully I’ll learn to live with it because I just don’t want to pay for the work!
-Double Ovens. We’ve always (well, in the US) had double ovens and I love to bake, so I never thought of a single oven. But so far, I’ve only been using one oven and as we’re the strictest of vegetarians it’s not as if we’ll ever have a turkey in one and pie in the other. I think how differently the space (& money) could have been utilized …. Who knows?

Features:
Air Switch
Apron Sink
Baking Center
Blumotion
Broom Closet
CabinetsWall >36"high
Cutting Board Storage
Dishwaster:Elevated
Drainboard
Drawer Dividers
Filtered Water Faucet
Frameless Cabinets
Full Extension Drawers
Glass Doors
Custom Hood
Instant Hot Water
Island without Seating
Knife Drawer
Lazy Susan
LightingRecessed
LightingUnder Cabinet
NeverMT
Pegged Plate Organizer
Plug inside Cabinet
Pullout Pantry
Rollout Trays
Sink >30"wide
Soap Dispenser
Spice Storage
Trash Foot Pedal
Trash Pullout
TV
UCFrig
Water Filter
full marble slab backsplash

---