http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0307394514459.html?2 6

Many of you have seen progress pictures along the way and given us so much valuable feedback and advice. With the forum's help, we have an incredibly functional kitchen in which it is great fun to cook and entertain.

Our home was built in the mid 60's and the kitchen used to be on the back side of the house, facing north west (never any sun). Our architect suggested relocating the kitchen to the front of the house, and came up with a very functional new plan, which included moving interior walls and adding a skylight dormer, mud room and pantry. We found a builder to perform the demolition and manage the construction. We built a temporary kitchen in our family room, moved the fridge in there with our camping gas burners on a card table, and started the long process of renovating. In the midst of this exciting and frustrating roller-coaster ride, my mom passed away. She was an amazing cook and would have loved watching the progress and seeing how everything turned out. This reveal is dedicated to her.

Cabinetry quotes for all the new areas (kitchen, island, desk area, bookshelves, pantry, mudroom) ranged from $35,000 to $75,000, uninstalled. Long story short: in order to economize, we went with an online Conestoga reseller (Brian Long/theCabinetJoint), who sold a ready to assemble/RTA cabinet, for around $23,000. This included many custom pieces; 18" deep uppers, custom width upper cabinets, 2 custom depth floor to ceiling bookshelves, and custom drawer widths and heights. While we've been very pleased with the quality and functionality, I wonder what the final effect would have been with different cabinets and/or a different cabinet style. DH and I assembled the cabinets ourselves and our builder's crew hung them. DH installed all the appliances (several, multiple times), built a steel bar support system for the island, and did so very much electrical, plumbing and carpentry work. He is one in a million.

As you look at these pictures, I would welcome finishing suggestions. What did we, as DIY-ers, miss or mangle? What stands out as unfinished to your eye and what could I add to a punchlist for a finish carpenter or DH and me? I won't be offended, but to be totally honest, I am not posting any of the bad pictures :)

When it came time to pick a backsplash, I found I had too much white and disliked how the upper run of cabinets looked. With a ton of help from the forum, I picked a bold tile which draws the eye away from the cabinets. (Special thanks to Hollysprings for reminding me that I liked a lot of contrast in my inspiration pictures and to onedogedie, for introducing me to kj patterson).

Before
The kitchen was small and my countertops were always crowded. Still, I feel the need to acknowledge how many wonderful meals came out of that space.

We bumped out the front of the house 5 feet, replacing the foot print of the old covered porch.

We learned we could replace a structural post which would have been out in the middle, with an LBL beam. (Huge thanks to jeff_from_oakville, live_wire_oak, remodelfla, sjmitch, karen_belle and bmorepanic).

Assembling and installing cabinets. There was no magical truck pulling up outside and crews bringing in beautiful, assembled cabinets....

After

Desk area to the right, fireplace to eventually be replaced with gas:

Bookshelves flanking the desk - houseful, you gave me the idea of using 2 of these, to balance the desk area, and I love how this works. Nothing warms a room like books! We also keep the phone and answering machine here.

Birds'-eye view, skylight dormer:

We love our recycling center and the inset composter:

Custom wood hood built by DH. Upper cabinets are 18" deep.

Recycling center on island and shallow cutting board cabinet:

Tiled fire extinguisher niche. This is located behind the ovens; countertops are 30" and ovens were pulled forward by 6".

Upper cabinet knobs:

Baking Area with 30" countertops: (we keep things out on them and still have room to roll out a pie crust or make biscuits).

Top drawer: (note my new XMAS presents, my pink thermapen and my yellow lemon juice squeezer, thanks to zelmar and Breezygirl!)

Middle drawer:

Bottom drawer:

Next drawer stack over to the left, fun storage:

Bottom drawer:

I like the Rev-A-Shelf pull-outs (DH HATED installing these with a passion) but they are flimsy (wobbly) in comparison to my Blum Blu-Motion drawer glides.

In the upper cabinets, DH has built custom spice racks for us:

We were able to find a caulk which matched our grout. We dealt with a local metal working shop to create our stainless steel surround and custom hood liner:

Pantry:
Linen closet at left, eventually washer and dryer at far end. The base cabinet at the end has a single large pullout; this will be for clothes sorting bins.

Filing cabinets and beverage fridge:

Cabinets: Conestoga RTA Cabinets and Doors, Crystal White, Door CRP-10875, Cordovan stain on island.
Counters: Cambria Torquay
Bar stools: Carrington CourtDirect Mitchell 26" bar stools, with COM and custom stain.

Wall paint: BM Aura Vancouver Day

Tile: kj patterson, Fireclay Debris

Cabinet hardware
Upper Hafele Knob Clear/Polished Chrome - HAF-135-75-420
Lower: RH Bistro Pull

Lights:
Varaluz, Nevada (table)
LBL lighting monorail, Lava II
Undercabinet: Philips powercore profile LED strips

Appliances/Fixtures:
Kohler Karbon faucet
KWC Sin Faucet
48" Capital Culinarian
Solon Inset Composter
Sharp 24" MW Drawer
Hood: Prestige insert with remote blower
Franke Peak SS Sink
Silestone Silgranit Sink, Biscuit
TapMaster
Hafele Food Pedals
Miele Futura Dimension

btw, I'm sorry to hear about your mom :(

Your kitchen is beautiful, hope you and DH enjoy it!

So sorry to hear about your Mom - I'm sure she would have been amazed at the transformation and so proud of all the help you give people around here!

I hope you enjoy your gorgeous kitchen and what a good idea for the hiding of the fire extinguisher!!

The laundry room is.......I cannot even think of an adjective with enough expression right now!! Perfect.

My mother would have loved my new kitchen, too.

Nancy

TFS!

The bold back splash tile -- I want something similar, but in blue
The fire extinguisher hidey hole -- something all of us should incorporte into our designs
The big windows over the sink -- nothing equals good windows
The neat pulls -- just a little thing, but I like them

The bold back splash tile -- I want something similar, but in blue
The fire extinguisher hidey hole -- something all of us should incorporte into our designs
The big windows over the sink -- nothing equals good windows
The neat pulls -- just a little thing, but I like them

I am so impressed at how each detail has been incorporated so beautifully. From bookshelves (no home is complete with out lots!) to file cabinets, to laundry. And of course, our beloved drawers. :)

I am also a fan of Brian at the Cabinet Joint.com. He's extremely patient and no order is too small. He's my hook for any beaded inset cabinets I can save and buy. Did I mention patient? Can't say enough good things.

Dearheart, as expected, you did a fabulous job. Your mom would be honored, roll up her sleeves, wave a rolling pin in the air, bang it on a pot bottom and scream, "What'er you waiting for!? Let's break this baby in and get COOKING!!!"

I am sorry about the death of your Mom...I bet she is smiling to see your completed kitchen. c

Your mom is probably sitting up there with my mom drooling all over that kitchen. Angels do drool, don't they? I'm so sorry she wasn't here to express how much she loves it to you, but I do believe she sees it and somehow she will give you a "wink" to let you know, you just need to keep your eyes open for it.

Best wishes for good times ahead in that kitchen.

now, to bookmark it. (and can I pin it?)

Bee

Enjoy!!!!

PS Thought I had added my condolences on the loss of your mom and realized I hadn't. I am sorry for your loss and I am sorry you never got to share your beautiful kitchen with her.

My deepest sympathy on the loss of your mom. She would be proud of how nice your kitchen turned out.

Couldn't DH make some custom spice racks for US? Out here in GW land? Those look great!

Please forgive me if I don't respond individually to all!

mrspete - I am looking forward to seeing your tile, hope you do end up with something similar.

CEFreeman, you crack me up! I enjoyed your channeling of my mother. She's probably playing bridge and smoking as I type this:)

Bee, thanks! If you would like to pin, please feel free.

Since you were kind enough to ask, here are a few more pictures.

The new exterior (still need to landscape and put in a walkway):

From Drop Box

Sink Area - love the bump-out window and my Kohler Karbon

Island organization:

My new white Apilco Hemstitch plates (love them):

Island Outlets (one on each side). These are not finished (but are of course functional); still need to patch a little, stain again and paint the screws. Before you ask, I couldn't find a brown/black outlet with a USB in it.

Bread cabinet, above toaster oven:

And finally, layout (may be a little out of date):

Wonderful job on the kitchen! I really like many of the details - the tiled interior on the cabinet for cutting boards & paper towel, the knobs on your uppers, the light over the island. Of course the backsplash is fantastic.

Your kitchen is wonderful! So spacious and clean and warm all at the same time. I am always so impressed with the DIYers around here. I love your stools, backsplash, skylight, windows and your pantry....I could go on. All of it!

I remember a thread discussing what you would do around your window. What did you decide? I think it looks great AS IS. The view is the STAR there. ENJOY!

Laundry room. Unfair to me :( (j/k, well mostly) Slightly green with envy here. In the words of Napoleon Dynamite: "LUH-KEY"

It's so lovely. And condolences on your Mom's passing. I miss my Mom, too, esp. when I'm in the kitchen as she was such a good cook that I naturally think of her there.

No doubt you're enjoying already! Have fun in there!

Your old porch was adorable, but what you gained was well worth its loss.

I love everything about your kitchen - the large island, the compost and recycle center(I wanted one but just not enough counter space to do it :-(
Love you backsplash and of course your "jewels" - your cabinet hardware.

Love your new "tools" - I am sure you saw my little bins to organize the drawer (compliments of Grumpy Dave). If you feel motivated - it really does help - my drawers always were a mess and now everyone thinks I am super organized!
I followed GD advice and put common items together and then played with the bins until they matched the function - I have changed them a bit since my post - but that is what is great - I just keep tweaking them.

I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I lost my dad during the planning stages of the kitchen and was dealing with mom's medical problems during the reno - so hard. My dad is no longer struggling to breathe and is at peace. I am sure he was there to meet your mother when she joined him in heaven. God Bless you.

You have made a beautiful and original heart of the home. Of course I love your old kitchen now that I've seen it so thank you for giving us a peek and for giving it its due.

Is there anything more sobering than losing loved ones whilst reaching for a more perfect heart of the home? Bittersweet, with a heavy emphasis on the bitter. So sorry for your loss.

Congratulations on a well-designed, functional and beautiful renovation. There are so many elements I love. Of course that backsplash is tops on my list! The paper towel and cutting board storage is perfect. Wish I had thought to include one in my kitchen. I especially like the tile in that area. It makes sense because we use wet hands to grab the paper towels.

Your house style is beautiful. There are many similar in my community. The renovation enhanced the beauty. And the mature trees! I would LOVE to have mature trees again. I am sitting in the living room looking at barren dirt sans the snow.

Congratulations dear GW friend! You did it and it is smashing!

Where to start? There is just so much to admire in your kitchen. I particularly love the backsplash ... btw did you post in the 'does your kitchen match your dog' thread, because your dog totally matches the backsplash. And I love love love that big island with the seating on both sides ... wow, just wow.

Also love that sink in the island, it's so cool and different. And your knobs, and your stainless rangetop surround, and your filing cabs, and your homemade spice holders, and ... well I could go on and on but you get the idea. And you certainly don't need to apologize for the cabinetry, it looks amazing!

Great reveal thread with the details you shared -- I always so enjoy looking in other people's drawers. :) Congratulations on your beautiful new space!!

your kitchen is so lovely in a classic way, yet all of the finishes you chose make it fun and unique as well. i am totally in love with all of your tile choices and lighting especially. you and your DH did an incredible job! hope you enjoy many happy meals in it!

The exterior renovation is very nice too. Great job on pulling all of that together. It truly is fantastic.

Enjoy!

Seriously? DIY?!?

You have done a fabulous job. I love all of your choices.

Please do post close ups for your tapmaster and the hafele foot pedal.

Your DH deserves some special cooking of his choice in 2013.

Your house is gorgeous and I love its wooded setting. I'd put up with any sort of kitchen to live in a location like that. However, your kitchen is spectacular and clearly a labor of love. I remember the thread about tiling the open space in your island. I think it looks fab.

Whenever I see your kitchen I will think of your dog chewing a bone on the counter. One must never take oneself too seriously. :)

Ok, I have to ask, how is a USB port used? I know I have them on my computer, but what do you do with one in your house? Do you run small electronics through the port?

I love that you dedicated this reveal to your mom. I believe she is smiling down on you and your new kitchen. I hope that you enjoy many years in your new warm, bright and wonderful space. Congrats!

Springroz - we started planning mid 2010, started demo around Mother's Day 2011 and were finally ready for countertops in early December 2011. So... lived out of a temporary kitchen for almost 6 months.

Trailrunner, you're the best, thanks. Knowing you, anything that makes you smile, probably makes you cook, too :) (Keep posting those pictures and recipes, I love them).

Thanks ck_squared. Good luck with your remodel.

tea4all - I too love the pantry tile. Actually, love everything I've seen from Fireclay! I've added a few more pictures in the main thread too (lovely to be able to edit).

legallin, thanks!! We'll be watching for your posts :)

localeater - if you're ever in the area, definitely stop in, it's rarely dull here! Too funny about obi-wan (would that be OBWK?). Here's another shot of the star and cross tile; this is an 18" space. Fireclay, malt, debris series. I will probably either decoupage these outlets or redo them (plugmold at top since these outlets are rarely used). Another lesson learned too late...

annsch - I am planning on redoing the sink window trim (fairly easy) and am still searching for the right integrated refrigerator. I love the warmth in this one but actually really like the darkness (contrast) of the black I currently have. Maybe one day....

Hi deedles, we're very happy how the cutting board nook turned out. I'd been concerned it might clash with the quartz but it's fine.

cawaps - the old house did have a lot of charm but the new one is so much more functional.

a2gemini - thanks for remembering the lights (and for your help in finding them). They're Troy Old Town, love love love them. We put 3 up flanking the garage doors and an add'l two on a 10' fence post (didn't like the gooseneck option they offered for a lamp post).

Hi NATEBEAR, uppers are 18" deep. Great for storing big platters. (I haven't added vertical dividers yet, eventually).

More later - must feed little ones and then off to hockey.

motherof3sons - I loved the story of your mother playing bridge until 3 hours before your birth. We have a 100 acre woods behind us; it tickles me that I can still get lost.

taggie - haven't posted in the 'does your kitchen match your dog' thread, that might be fun to resurrect! (I don't think I had a backsplash when that came out). Thanks for your kind words.

secondhalf - doing the bump-out did transform the house. Neat to hear you did it too. At this point, no-one is particularly respectful, but things are holding up well (just lots of dings on the toe boards). The counter tops take lots of abuse without any staining or etching. Our dog is a long haired shepherd.

Autumn4, divastyle, GWlolo, wags848, fouramblues - thanks!!

olivertwist - I use the compost bin all the time, love the convenience. The trash can is 16" deep and is lower than the bottom of the bin. I originally had 3 tilt outs over these bins but after some thought we retrofitted a 12" drawer on the left most one. DH used 2 part epoxy to secure to right side of sink. He also built a shelf at the back of the cabinet to hold the detergent for the neverMT.

Here's from the side, looking towards the front of the cabinet:

linelle - too funny, I had a lot of fun sending that card out:)

sixtyohno - I too very much worried about the backsplash. In person, I am very pleased with the color. It's hard to photograph and I'm not so crazy about how it looks with my LED lighting (too yellowish). That, fortunately, we can eventually try to correct.

enduring - You can use the USB port to charge an ipod, ipad or other device. Handy at times but I don't encourage the family to use this as their regular charging station(s).

labbie - glad you like the bookshelves. I used to have shelves with bookends which were always falling over. I measured my deepest cookbooks to figure out the right depth.

The pantry tile is perfection. Must look in to the Fireclay brand as I am totally in love and inspired by your tile choices. The pantry is so darned big I could call it a bedroom in my house!

I love the way the kitchen shows how thought out it is. From the compost bin to the recycling center and island outlets, it's an example of a well planned layout. So great!!

P.S. I picked the same Veraluz chandelier for a project I worked on. Everyone commented on it. I love that it's made from recycled materials!

http://usbsockit.com/product/combination-outlet/

firsthouse_mp - I definitely recognized the Varaluz in your recent remodel post, it is such a fun fixture. I'm looking forward to seeing your new kitchen take shape, you have such a talent for creating an original look.

a2gemini - yep, finally a couple of inches. Figuring out the 'post' light took a while but we like how it turned out.

iroll - thanks very much for the kind words and the links to the USB outlets. DH actually recessed the outlets we bought and even built a jig to carve out the shape (or something, details, details!), so I'm afraid I am going to have to stick to the actual model we put in vs. go to a new shape.

Your doggie is really adorable too!

ppbenn - Thanks! It took me months to pick out the lights but I smile every time I look at them. Love 'em! I'm linking below to my thread which has some other pictures of them.

Hi wi-sailorgirl, yes it was such a big project. Not only the kitchen/pantry, but we also had to make decisions like: new front door, new windows, new roof, new house paint color....

Kitten1313 - seating for 5 works well. I like the square shape but originally wanted pendants and realized that a single light looked better over the island than multiple pendants. Good luck with your new island (remodel?).

Everything you did turned out beautiful. I'm so glad the renovation worked out so well, it really is lovely. I can't pick out one thing I love, too many choices here !!!

ENJOY!

I agree with Jfay though, the fridge does stand out a little.

Many thanks. This is all new to me!

Your kitchen is amazing! OMGosh! It's beautiful! I love everything in there! And I love the new front of your house outside. You guys did an awesome job!

Tell me, what is a pink thermapen?

MizLizzie, the composter is one of my favorite things in the kitchen. It's an inset composter:

Deb52899, thanks! The pink thermapen is a great new gadget, linked below. Works beautifully! (search for pricing, this is just default amazon)

We have moved away from the sink wall redesign for the time being and are working on the pantry (dry goods storage portion).

We're slowly making progress on vertical storage. We bought two sets of the Omega Tra-Sta organizers but DH says that he could have easily made these himself. Here's the upper oven cabinets (love this space now):

And in the pantry corner cabinet, which is fairly deep, we maximized space by measuring what we wanted to store and mounting the vertical slats to the required measurements.

I'm not sure what we'll do with the upper portion of this cabinet, perhaps keep for tall vases (um, when I get around to buying any...). I'm currently trying to figure out the best place to keep heavy serving bowls.

rikerk - Yes, the SS surround runs behind the rangetop, and we also have another surround around the hood sump/capture area.

Rough dimensions are 34" from front to back, 10" on both sides, and 9.5" in the back.

This shows a little of the inside of the hood.

We are building a house and I'm in the midst of deciding on cabinetry.... I want a high-end look with a low-end budget, which is EXACTLY what you have created. Bravo!

Your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous. I love your home, it is so very charming. I lam so fond of a one story home especially as I get older. Our main home is two stories and more steps than I care for. Our other home is a one story that I love. Unfortunately hubby has to have garages and has two huge garages at our country home and there is no room for additional garage space in our other house.

I will definitely return to this post over and over again for inspiration. I can't imagine a lovelier addition. Best of luck to you and your DH!!!