Walnut-Pegged Cherry Kitchen w/ Soapstone Counters & Custom Organization

• Kraftmaid Cherry Shaker cabinets with Walnut Corner Pegs 
• Soapstone and Cherry Butcherblock counters 
• Custom mosaic backsplash including Interstyle Barcode glass tiles
• Sharp MW drawer
• Custom storage solutions

• Kraftmaid Cherry Lynchburg Mission cabinets - $14169.54 but we received $2500 back in Lowe's rebate gift cards that were used for anything that doesn't have a dollar figure.
• Whirlpool Gold french door frig - $892 clearanced at Lowe's
• KB6524PS Sharp Microwave Drawer - $597 ebay
• 900cfm range hood - $190 ebay
• Ticor stainless steel undermount sink - $145
• Price Pfister Hanover pullout faucet - $70 ebay
• Glass pendant light (over sink) - $47.08 clearanced at Bellacor.com
• Pendant over peninsula - $49 clearanced at Pier 1
• Durodesign cork floors - $1586
• Black Venata Soapstone counters - $2688.80 M. Texeira
• Cherry Butcherblock counters - $356.39 Lumber liquidators
• Insinkerator Garbage Disposal - $118.05 ebay
• 13 Glass Barcode tiles - $1027
• The rest of the tile - $60
• Drywall, saw blades, drill bits, recessed lights, uc led lights, garden window, french doors, caulk, paint, wood for additional custom projects etc. all out of the Lowe's rebates.
• For a grand total of approximately $21695.56. Not quite an under $20k kitchen, but pretty darn close.

Super Efficient, Small Space Kitchen

• InnerMost cabinets 
• Kraus 30"" sink
• Kashmir Gold granite
• Travertine mini-versailles backsplash, customized

Modern IKEA Nexus Yellow Brown Kitchen in MCM home

Pool House Guest House Small White Kitchen DIY

• Cabinets: original (either cypress or oak), primed with Zinsser water based primer and painted BM White Dove in Satin Impervo water based. Trim was repainted in same color. I left one of the cabinets as open shelving and I like it. We left the upper cabinets up as it is good storage for the purpose of this house.
• Countertops: original formica
• Sink: original
• Appliances: original
• Paint:
  Wall: BM Aura Flat in Fieldstone
  Ceiling: BM Aura Ceiling Paint flat in a 50% mix of the Fieldstone
• Hardware: cabinet knobs & pulls from Coolknobsandpulls.com, silver satin finish.
• Lighting: track light the pendant from Lowe's
• Barstools: from www.westelm.com

Natural Hickory Cabinets with Corian Countertop

• Cabinets: Thomasville stock cabinets from Home Depot, hickory, plain overlay style
• Countertop: Corian
• Backsplash: stone tile
• Appliances:
  ~ GE 30" Induction Cooktop
  ~ Restaurant-grade undercabinet coffee maker to clear the counter (BrewMatic BICA)
  ~ Bosch 500 series wall oven installed below the cooktop
  ~ Bosch 18" dishwasher
  ~ Amana microwave
  ~ Amana refrigerator with bottom freezer
• Sink: seamless undermount Corian sink (#874, a 1-3/4 unit)
• Faucet: Moen Camerist, comes in ORB and has pull-out sprayer functions. Matching soap dispenser and filtered water faucet
• Pendants are by Kichler. We found them by using "pinecone mini-pendant" in Google.
  
  

• The space we had was 'land locked' by a stair and back door that we did not want to move. We also did not want to make any changes to the exterior walls or windows to contain the cost.
• Use appliances, materials and details that are the easiest to clean and maintain.
• Establish the budget necessary to obtain good quality appliances, materials and construction with limited regard for high-end design or decoration.
• We felt that it was within our capabilities to lay out the kitchen as well as design custom elements to achieve an optimum design. We are confident that one can trade research for experience in matters like this but knowing one's limitations is the key to success.
• We were able to accomplish much of the carpentry and all of the plumbing and electrical as a means to reduce cost while gaining the highest quality in materials, installation and function.
• We have lived in our house for 25 years and have made the decision to stay here as long as we can, thus making investments to meet our personal objectives, both short- and long-term, with only modest concern for resale.
• We have a master plan that has evolved for fifteen years encompassing interior and exterior renovations. The kitchen area has been under consideration for this entire time with many concepts, ideas and experiments contributing to the final design.
• Since we simply had too much kitchen to put into the space available, it was necessary to move some of it into another area. As it happened, several years ago we built a screened porch onto the back of our house and added a door for access from a back bedroom. At that time (as part of the master plan) we decided to turn this room into a utility space so in our present concept we included a desk area to act as command central and a 'buffet' as storage and display space for our pottery, dinnerware and large service pieces. In the kitchen proper we have only a few basic service pieces with four place settings of daily dishes, retrieving what we need for events and rotating settings on a monthly basis.
• When our house was built in 1928 there were no refrigerators so our fridge was crammed into a small closet at the back door a few steps away from the kitchen. Thing one was to move the refrigerator into the kitchen. In so doing we would make it possible to have a passageway between the kitchen and the new utility area with a straight path to our beloved porch. We had to move a radiator, however, before any work could begin.
• The next major change was to remove the bearing wall between the kitchen and dining room to make way for a peninsula that would give us more work space and open up the whole area. This required installing a beam as well as moving another radiator that had piping running in that wall. Both challenging conditions that required some careful thought. We developed techniques to remove the original studs and install the new beam while leaving the top 12" of the dining room lath and plaster in place to avoid having to rebuild a cove and picture rail or match the existing textured plaster surface. We were able to fit new columns into the existing wall cavities for a flush finish. There was a good chunk of engineering and additional construction that went into this to deal with eccentric loads so it is not for the faint of heart.
• Removing the dining room wall and adding the passageway to the utility space made it feasible to block up the door from the old kitchen to the central hallway making this space available for the cooking area. The space for the doorway also made it simple to install a duct for the hood with an inline fan mounted in the joist space below. This avoided lost cabinet space above the cooktop or construction for overhead ducting. We were then able to use the space over the cooktop for the microwave. We built a recess into the wall so that, in addition to 15" deep cabinets at the cooking area, it was possible to install the countertop-sized microwave that we wanted.
  The cleanup area remained approximately where it was to avoid moving major plumbing. Our master plan fell down here just a bit since we actually moved the sink over a couple of feet and piping that we had installed several years ago in a laundry room renovation just below the kitchen had to be moved. Oh well. The plumbing lines for the sink and dishwasher were very carefully laid out and some of it was even mocked up to be able to reduce the space dedicated to plumbing to an absolute minimum.
• We removed a broom closet from the kitchen and moved that function to an existing closet in the utility space. We had the old fir floor removed and replaced with narrow red oak to match the rest of the flooring on the first level (something we could not handle). We removed old wall lath and plaster up to 54" to simplify electrical, plumbing and cabinetry installation, but did not remove the rest of the wall or the ceiling since it was sound. It is a tossup as to whether one removes and reinstalls walls and ceiling. New drywall is nice to work with but because we were doing the work, it was possible to match surfaces and retain old materials rather than filling a dumpster. One of the first construction tasks, however, was to get new light fixtures into the old lath and plaster ceiling. Careful layout and a RotoZip saw with circle attachment made it happen.

• Induction cooktop for simplicity of use and ease of cleaning. This is a wonderful device. We chose the GE 30" since it was available with a frameless glass surface, fit into standard cabinetry, met our space limitations and had an optimum configuration of burners. There are others with more features and maybe even better layout, but they were eliminated for one reason or another, not the least of which was cost. (We also have a full set of Le Creuset cookware. After a month of use we are *very* pleased. We had dual fuel before and find that the heating is more uniform in the pan and much more responsive.)
• Restaurant-grade undercabinet coffee maker to clear the counter (BrewMatic BICA). This unit is hooked up to filtered water and only hums a bit when it runs. It draws 14 amps, however! Very industrial strength.
• Central filtered water system in the laundry area below with runs to the coffee maker, refrigerator ice maker and faucet at the sink. We used 1/4" polyethylene tubing rated for high pressure use with inserts at the connections. We have used this detail for 12 years now without a problem. Filters were custom fabricated from filtersolution.com
• We could not find a hood that met our particular requirements so we engineered our own. It took a bit of research and discussion to find a fabricator, but the folks we found cut it out of 16ga stainless steel with a laser and folded it up like origami. The front edge is tempered glass to let in light and provide visibility. The fan is rated 400 cfm from Fantech. We had some acoustic and noise control issues that needed to be worked out, but it just hums now.
• Bosch 500 series wall oven installed below the cooktop. We chose the 500 series because it has knobs for most functions that are easier to use than touchpads at this height. The oven is 27" wide to provide ventilation space around the unit so as not to overheat itself or the cooktop. We used filler panels instead of a cabinet for the installation since the unit is 24" deep. Bosch was rated very high by Consumer Reports.
• 18" dishwasher to gain cabinet space. We chose the smaller unit based on the experience of friends and since it is just the two of us most times. We run it daily since it uses less water to do a load of dishes than we would use doing them by hand. We chose a Bosch since it was the only 18" unit with a stainless tub. It was a fully integrated unit, however, that required some thought to fit with a door. This brand was also rated high by Consumer Reports.
• Full-size microwave over the cooktop. We wanted a full-sized microwave, but did not have counter or wall space and since we have had a full-size microwave over the range on a shelf for 20 years (but without a hood) we wanted to replicate that again. We designed a simple shelf into the cabinetry and with the recess noted above it works great. We chose an Amana unit because it was the largest unit that would meet our depth limitations and was also rated high in Consumer Reports.
• The refrigerator/freezer is an existing Amana that we chose because it had a bottom-mounted freezer. The surrounding cabinetry is 24" deep but it seems to integrate well enough.
• We installed a foot-operated valve (Fischer #3070) with mixing valve (Legend Anti-scald) at the sink to make it possible to rinse hands without touching the faucet. This installation bypasses the faucet valve but uses the spray head thanks to some specialized fittings we had to make. We are finding it to be very useful. We can use two hands to hold a pot that is filling and since it operates more quickly, we will often use that for a short blast of water rather than operating the faucet. The mixing valve is set for 110 degrees to avoid scalds when the water in the lines is hot. We need to add water hammer chambers, however.
  
  The foot valve is a separate water flow system that bypasses the faucet valve. Tapmaster uses the faucet to regulate temperature and flow. Tapmaster can be fitted to almost any faucet but it is then necessary to use that method for control all of the time. Ours makes it possible to use either the foot valve or the faucet as needed. In the end the cost is nearly the same but it requires a pull-out style of faucet and a custom fitting at the pull-out hose to bring the foot- and faucet-flows back together as well as some special plumbing and cabinet work.
• Multi-level, zoned lighting to avoid the need for undercabinet fixtures. There are two surface-mounted lights at the ceiling for general illumination even into the highest cabinets. Five downlights are recessed into the ceiling for high-level illumination on the work surfaces. Pendant lights at the peninsula provide supplementary work light but are dimmed for ambient use. Miniature downlights over the sink provide additional work light there but are also dimmed to provide ambience and grazing illumination on the wall. The hood has supplementary lights as well.
• We chose Moen for the faucet (Camerist, comes in ORB and has pull-out sprayer functions), soap dispenser and filtered water faucet so these items would have the same finish. As part of the master plan, we standardized on Moen faucets 25 years ago so that we now have only one type of cartridge in six faucets and valves to simplify maintenance.
• Corian counters were used to gain a seamless undermount sink (#874, a 1-3/4 unit that works great for us with a small dish drainer on the counter) as well as ease of cleaning, maintenance and repair. In fact, the installer (Corian can only be installed by certified installers) located the cutout for the cooktop 1" off so the opening had to be 'moved'. It is only possible to see the correction by careful examination of where it was done.
• We wanted oil rubbed bronze baskets for both the disposer and deep side of the sink so they would match as well as provide some protection from things going into the disposer inadvertently. Our disposer was a WasteKing (highly rated) which required an adapter since there are not many baskets (Cucina) available for disposers.
• The stone tile backsplash was chosen to remind us of Italy where we spent a couple of wonderful weeks last spring.
• Finally, we are building a mechanism to open the garbage bin by pressing a switch with one's toe.

• Used stock cabinets (Thomasville) from Home Depot. There are many details that would be done better by custom fabrication, but at commensurate increase in cost. We chose the best construction materials and operational components, however, to maximize durability.
• We had Home Depot install the cabinets as well to avoid sales tax and our own learning curve with some detail carpentry. It also made it simpler to resolve several issues caused by field conditions, saving us money in the end.
• We chose a simple style of door and molding. In our case a plain overlay style was the only one available in the wood we wanted (hickory; it is very hard and dense which we chose for durability as well as look) but it also simplified the installation details of many other components.
• We purchased nearly everything except the cabinets and counters online. We have had very good experience with this in the past and we clearly knew what we wanted. In addition, it gave us access to a broader range of components and manufacturers so that we could get exactly what we needed.
• Limit the scope of the work when possible. While one does not want to build-in long-term problems to avoid construction issues, there just might be simpler or less invasive ways to accomplish some things.
• Do as much work on your own as possible. We are thankful to be in the special situation to have the skills, tools and time for this, but many elements of the work seemed daunting prior to starting but with care and thought we got it done.
• More than anything else, it was careful planning that made it all work out in the end. Detailed drawings of all of the appliances showing clearances and installation requirements, full-scale drawings and mockups of some areas to be sure it would work (we joke that beneath our sink is like the engine compartment of a Ferrari) and a lot of research (much of it right here) to gain as much knowledge as possible from the experience of others.

DIY Low budget contemporary kitchen with sitting area

• Cabinets: Ikea
• Countertop: 45 sq. f. granite countertop (Impala black)
• Appliances: KitchenAid
• Floor: porcelain tile
• Some of the not-so-basic features we really love:
  SS appliances (close to the top of the line)
  Porcelain, granite and travertine mosaic tile
  Undermount sink (Kohler)
  Custom built-in sitting area
  Ralph Lauren paint
  Undercounter osmosis water filter
  Appliance garage
  LIGHT FIXTURES!!! (track light, pendants, recessed)
  Solid wood (pine) doors and cover panels

DIY Painted Bittersweet Chocolate Kitchen

• Cabinets: original oak cabinets, painted in BM Bittersweet Chocolate
  (see below for instructions)
• Countertop: Silestone Capri Limestone counters
• Sink: D-bowl stainless sink from eBay
• Faucet: Price Pfister Parisa pullout
• Wall paint: Benjamin Moore Iced Marble, a really soft (but not sweet) blue-gray not unlike Silver Sage.

• Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo Alkyd (oil-based) in Bittersweet Chocolate
• Purdy angled brushes
• Thick plastic dropcloths
• Sandpaper
• Mineral spirits and rags for clean-up as you go

• Remove doors.
• Clean with soap and water.
• Lightly sand, only where needed.
• Remove dust with a tack cloth.
• Rest each door on its bottom edge. Do not paint that edge -- you'll do it once the doors are re-hung.
• Paint the backs first with a thin coat of Satin Impervo. Thin coats give more of a handrubbed look and also avoid drips. If you do see some drips, try to catch them early -- once the paint starts to dry, you'll make a mess trying to smooth them out. Let dry at least overnight, preferably a few nights to avoid smudges when you flip the doors around.
• Paint the fronts in the same way.
• Let cure for as long as you can stand it. A week would be ideal.
• In the meantime, paint the cabinet boxes. I didn't paint the insides, and I've never regretted it.
• After a weeks gone by, re-hang the doors. Paint the bottom edge of each. Do any touch-up.
• Depending on your wood, the paint may keep absorbing in certain places. I kept the paint can in my kitchen for a month, doing quick touch-ups wherever necessary.

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

• 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

Somersby and more

• DIY
• Cabinets: Somersby cabinet, cherry "nutmeg" finish, Lia door style.
  (Ordered from buycabinets.com and saved thousands of dollars compared to Diamond brand (virtually identical product)).
• Countertop: "Verde Marinace" granite. To us it feels like the riverbed of a Yosemite stream in spring.
• Backsplash: full backsplash is also "Verde Marinace" granite. ????? The short backsplash: We prefer it over full backsplash since we want see softer and warmer feel of painted wall with a custom color.
• Flooring: Bolivian rosewood floor
• Appliances:
  - Thermador 36" Harmony Pro all gas range w/ griddle
  - Thermador 42" PH hood with 1400cfm remote blower
  - Jenn Air diswasher
  - Sharp over-the-counter microwave
  - KitchenAid warming drawer (the lower right drawer in this picture is actually the warming drawer - it's hidden behind a regular wood drawer front.)
  - Magic Chef 24" wine cooler
  - Sharp Microwave, the height is ~14", and the wall cabinet above it is 24" high while the ones beside are 36" high. since our wall cabinets are 18" above the countertop, so the microwave is 16" above, or 2" closer.
  - we decided to replace our 7 year old white Kenmore fridge later
• Skylight: we hired a contractor to install the 2x4 skylight on the roof, but I built the tunnel after that.
• Faucets: both are Danze in brushed nickle
• Wall paint: The orange color is HomeDepot Behr color "Indian Paintbrush" to match the cabinet and countertop.
• Pendant lights: from lightinguniverse.com. The brand is "Forte" but don't remember the model#. I paid around $100 for all three.
• Bay window: Milguard vinyl bay window, size 6'x3.5', about 18" deep.
• Bay window sill: again Verde Marinace granite
• Glass doors: custom made by a shop in Ohio (found in internet, forgot the name). We chose the green inserts in the middle, trying to match the counter top color.

Cherry Kitchen with Hammered Copper Sinks

• Cabinets: custom; cherry
• Countertops: Taupe granite
• Faucets: Graff, antique copper
• Sinks: from Coppersinksonline.com
• Switchplates: hammered copper switchplates http://www.finecraftsimports.com/products/
  hammered_copper_switchplate.asp?pid=10202-7
• Flooring: Travertine

Forum Lurkers’ Thanks and Kitchen Pictures

• Cabinets: Shaker in natural cherry were made by our neighbor, Sal.
• Granite: Tropical Leaf from Brazil (the pictures don't really do it justice)
• Backsplash: Autumn Gold Slate, Tumbled 4 x 4. The little accent glass is American Olean Green Blend.
• Sink: Made to order by HandCrafted Metal in 14 ga. Stainless.
• Hood: 42" Independent, Santa Fe, SNFEI42SS
• Cooktop: Bluestar, RGTNB36-6B
• Remote Blower: Fantech, FKD10XL
• Fridge: Jenn-Air, JS48PPFXDA
• DW: Jenn-Air, JDB2150AWP
• Ovens: Thermador, SECD302BP
• Warming Drawer: Thermador Convection, WD36D
• Speed Cook/Micro: GE Monogram Advantium ZSC2001FSS
• Floor: 16" Daltile Donegal Verde through body porcelain with Spectralock epoxy grout.
• Paint:
  The lightest green, Lunar Tide (Lowe's - American Tradition) was used on the ceiling and inside the pantry. Yes, behind the glass door is a pantry.
  The medium green, Bayou Shade (Lowe's - American Tradition) is on the wall to the left of the island.
  The darker green, LaFonda Wild West Green (Lowe's - American Tradition) is in the nook and outside the pantry.
  The red around the windows is Spanish Tile (Lowe's - Valspar).
  The pantry is also beautiful inside. Doug built custom shelving and I painted the walls and the selving all Lunar Tide. I wanted an old fashion looking pantry.

White beaded inset kitchen with Jatoba island

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