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houseful_gw

How long did you dream...

houseful
17 years ago

about your new kitchen?

I have been working on just a floorplan for over a year! I am not even close to deciding on details, but I daydream about a new kitchen all the time.

I picture myself and all the kids making cookies or dinner at our a big beautiful island instead of our dinky one with a sink that takes up most of it and no room left in the walkways when they pull their stools around it.

I picture us getting ready for meals without bumping into each other. Or worse, getting stuck in the walkway with my pregnant belly and my DH's, uh, belly ;D

I picture sleek counters with more than a foot on either side of the cooktop.

I picture being able to put more than two pots on the stove or a big turkey in the a BIG oven.

I picture a dishwasher!

You get the picture, LOL!

In reality, it's probably going to be several more years before we do this, but I know it will be worth the wait.

Do you think it's wrong to secretly get excited when something breaks, falls apart or stops working :o)

What's your story?

Comments (18)

  • momcat2000
    17 years ago

    I started dreaming the first minute i entered my house back in 1982. that kitchen had to go! It took 22 years but it finally went...

  • dulcinea
    17 years ago

    My Dh owned the house aince I met him but it was tenanted. We lived there for 5+ years all along talking about redoing or adding or something.

    About 1 1/2 years ago we went to an architect and decided to completely rebuild our house.

    So to answer your question. 6 years of dreaming. 1 year of serious planning and 4 months of shopping ordering and nail biting.

    I do still dream of the day that it will finally be done and we move back into our own home, but I really appreciate how little you really need to get by very well.

    I have one room in the basement of my office where I have a stove sink and apt size fridge. It also has small table (we take turns eating), a futon and a TV. We sleep in a 2 bedroom apt DH, me and 3 kids in 2 beds.

    Every day, I thank my lucky stars that I have a roof over my head and food for the kids. A lot of people would give an eyetooth for a fraction of what we have.

    I dream of my "design" my granite, my faucet etc etc etc. and definitely get excited but it is more of a sober projection into the future rather than a drunken giddiness. If you know what I mean. The infatuation period was great but now the actual doing is even better!

    Sorry for rambling!

  • koala_em
    17 years ago

    Whimper...

    Ummmm... confessional moment...

    1 YEAR of trying to get the floor plan right!
    I am 99% sure it is nailed now.

    Have a Meile DW on order! Now that's something isn't it?
    Chose the floor tile yesterday. : )
    It is a ((((L O N G)))) process for me.
    At first DH wasn't too interested, but now HE is the one nagging ME to make the choices and get this kitchen done.

    Knew the kitchen was falling to bits when we bought it 8 years ago, and that appliances were failing 3 years ago!

    Ahhh...what is that? there is a tiny pin prick of light!
    I think it is the end of the tunnel!
    Em

  • tkln
    17 years ago

    My parents bought the house in 1978, when I was 5. I have not lived anywhere else since...not even during college. It's been just me and mom for the last 8 years...got engaged last March...decided we were going to add on to the house to build an apt for mom, and completely redo the entire existing.

    However...I've been dreaming about redoing the kitchen since I can remember...always knew pretty much what I wanted. The entire kitchen, appliances and all, were original to the late 60s, early 70s. Everything still worked though, which is why my mom was never in a rush.

    Started serious planning in March, 2005...demo began in November of 05. Finished right around New Years...

    It's a little weird having the dream finally become reality. I say thanks all the time for it - I sometimes feel like I'm sleeping and that I'll be back in that old kitchen when I wake up!

  • houseful
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Wow, 22 years! We have lived here 12 already, but I sure hope I don't have to wait 10 more, LOL!

    Dulcinea, you're right that we don't need as much as we think. Our family of 7 all slept in one room while we waited for our addition to be built. I sort of miss that now that we are separated.

    I am certainly not sad about not having a new kitchen, but I just really enjoy daydreaming about it. I don't post on this forum too much, but I do get excited for people as I watch their progress. And I am getting lots of good info too.

    Koala, I love that feeling you get when you finally make some decisions. It's like a big weight lifting. It may not be in my budget to get the high end appliances, but who knows? Yesterday my DH said I should get a new oven. I told him I will not spend a dime on anything until I can do it ALL! My appliances say "Lady Kenmore" - now how old is that?!

    Lneresian, that's neat they bought you that when you were five. Even better is that you always knew what you wanted. I can't even decide on a floorplan. I'll have to check out momcat's and your kitchens in the gallery.

    Well, I'm off to HD to help my mother shop for her kitchen remodel. At least I can live vicariously thru her!

  • mjsee
    17 years ago

    Since we bought this house--nine years ago. 4-5 more until the dream can become reality...pesky kids and college.

    melanie

  • houseful
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Okay, so I must have had a gut feeling that I would be dealing with a remodel sooner than later when I created this post. The frame around one of my wall ovens broke and the glass is sliding out. Duct tape is not working!

    Time to start scanning the threads and taking lots of notes! :o)

  • mahatmacat1
    17 years ago

    How strange is that, houseful? :) Lady Kenmore knows you're talking about her and feels rejected...

  • bungalowbees
    17 years ago

    18 years.

  • houseful
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    LOL Flyleft! She's held up well until the last year or so.
    However, I found out today that I need $2500 worth of dental work. Should have had those silver fillings removed years ago! :( Looks like I'll have to find a good welder to repair the old "Ladies" instead!

  • kkay_md
    17 years ago

    Ten years. Felt like 20.

  • lavender_lass
    12 years ago

    Hmmm....guess there have been dreamers on the forum for years! :)

  • jakabedy
    12 years ago

    Wow, I guess I'm the Formula 1 driver of kitchen executors here, and I thought I pondered a lot! We moved into the house in July 2007 and I started toying with the IKEA planner in 2008. We bought a few things as time went on (open box sink, closeout range hood, Sears closing liquidation range and fridge) in 2008 and early 2009 and finally placed the cabinet order in October, 2009.

    Remind me to tell DH that those few grueling years of pondering were actualy breakneck speed!

  • blfenton
    12 years ago

    We finished our whole house reno last September (well moved back in - deficiency list still isn't finished) and with a couple of stuttering starts, probably about 3 years of planning, looking at magazines, drawing floorplans, looking at other reno jobs, talking to potential GC's etc.

    Dreaming of bringing it up with my DH was probably a couple of years before that. However, our whole house reno started as a job of replacing the floors. Between starting that and deciding to go ahead with the whole thing we had 2 bathrooms start to leak and the kitchen sink break and cabinets start to split.

  • coastal_modern_love
    12 years ago

    Took me about 4 years of planning/preparing/saving! And still only 80% complete. We started with finishing the basement (4 rooms) then the kitchen and decorating. We still have 2 1/2 bathrooms and some 2nd floor flooring that needs to be changed. I estimate another 3 years to say I'm done! Dreamer? Some might say yes. I think not. I like to be prepared.

  • doggonegardener
    12 years ago

    We bought our house in '98 and I knew I hated the kitchen the minute I walked in. However, it was the workshop center of the house as we restored each and every room...slowly but surely. We redid every major system; heating, windows, roof, floors, plumbing, electrical, plaster to drywall, paint, finish carpentry, landscaping, sidewalks, fencing. Then, last year we started talking about adding a garage and having contractors rebuild the Victorian front porch we had torn off (helped it fall off really) years ago. We tore out the kitchen right before they started with the garage/porch. That makes 12+ years with a carpeted, golden oak abomination. Even only partially done it's already better, by spades, than the old one.

    Ne

  • claire_de_luna
    12 years ago

    Well, I had 8 years of dreaming, then 18 months of planning. It's a process, isn't it?

  • houseful
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Oh my, I can't believe it's been 5 years! Well, I finally got my new kitchen. It's still needs the final touches like paint, backsplash and flooring, but it's up and running! It functions beautifully, however, part of me is regretting the great room concept. It's very noisy.