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Not So Small Kitchen Remodeling Project! Guest Remodel

28 July 2010

Here is a great kitchen remodel that has some fun ideas from Angela at Unexpected Elegance, check out her story and of course wonderful before and afters....

I thought I would take you on a tour our kitchen remodel that took place Jan. 2009. We did a lot of the work ourselves, but the major things like the cabinets and counters we hired the professionals. Here is what the kitchen looked like right before we moved in. It was builder cabinets, green counters, and purple walls. I can’t say it was horrible, but I had bigger plans for it!
We started by removing all the cabinets ourselves. We saved all the uppers and moved some to our laundry room and gave some to a neighbor for her laundry. The previous owners had just recently put in the hardwood floors, so that saved us a lot of $$. The next task was to increase the size of the opening between the kitchen and living room. Thanks to my dad we did it ourselves…he had to move a pipe!
I also wanted a pot filler. I went to a big home improvement store and they said it would be $500 for the filler and my plumber gave me a “discounted” quote of $250 for installation. I mentioned this to my dad in passing expressing there “was no way we will be spending that kind of $$!” and before I knew it, he was installing a pipe in the wall. I found a filler on Overstock.com for $200, after a discount! ALWAYS, ALWAYS check for online coupons before you buy! All together it cost about $210…a savings of $540!
Next the cabinet guy, yes one man, came to install my cabinets. I also used a coupon on these! I ordered them semi-custom from a home improvement store who was already having a sale. I think I saved around $1500 in the end! I had gotten a quote for granite from the same store and wasn’t sure how I was going to fit it into my budget. So I called around to local suppliers and got the counters for a little more than half of the quote from the improvement store. They had also said it would take about two weeks AFTER the cabinets were installed to get the counters…I have two kids, I NEEDed my kitchen back!! Anyway, the local supplier came to measure as soon as the base cabinets were in and installed the counters two days later, before the “cabinet guy” was even finished!! (If you live in the Indianapolis area and want granite I will give you the name of the supplier we used!)
Now that all the work we were paying for was complete, it was time for me to get to work!… I will finish the remodel tomorrow and reveal the finished product!

(2nd Post)

When the professionals left, I had the task of installing the tile. (on a shoe-string budget) A few years back I had bought 4 boxes of tumbled travertine tiles for 50 cents at an auction. Less than a dollar for that much tile is unreal! It was an impulse buy but I knew I could use it somewhere, one day. So when we moved, the tile moved with us. I had this tile but it was a little plain, so I found the tile to make a rectangle around the pot filler. It still needed something so I found bronze tiles at a home improvement store. The catch was, it was discontinued and they only had a few. Another little bump, so again I had to improvise. That’s when I came up with the idea to cut each tile into four smaller tiles and “sprinkle” the design around the remaining back splash. This was my first tile job and I was glad the theme was rustic, but I am very happy with the results.

The color of the walls was a real challenge. This is the third color I painted. That was 6 coats of paint…I was SO SICK of painting!! I couldn’t afford all the appliances I wanted, so a little improv. I had a specific range in mind. I searched the internet and finally found a brand new one on Craigslist for half the price. Someone had bought it for their remodel and then decided to move. Score for me! I had to buy the microwave before the cabinets were installed. I priced around and some stores will meet and beat prices. I got it for the lowest price plus 10% off! I had to wait a few months on the refrigerator, because the one we had worked fine and the one I wanted was WAY out of the budget. I wanted it to be a counter-depth, which of course are more expensive. My advice, when you are purchasing something like an appliance make sure it is something you are going to happy with for a long time. I ended up finding one at a scratch and dent for less than half the price. The imperfections are so small and I have kids that are just going to add them, so it worked for me. At this point I absolutely did not have $$ for a dishwasher and the one we had worked fine. I checked the internet and ordered a stainless steel panel and just replaced it myself. Make sure you measure well before you get anyone to custom cut something, I had to learn from experience.
Little changes can go a long way!
So here’s the somewhat finished kitchen. (I’m always changing things!)

I LOVE the new island, I want one of those pot fillers! and I think it all looks wonderful.   
What do you think, could you whip up a few gourmet meals in there?

9 comments:

ChRiS July 28, 2010 at 7:56 AM  

nice job doing the leg work to find better prices and getting a beautiful kitchen......love it oh i do the the island!

Star Talks July 28, 2010 at 11:25 AM  

what a great remodel! love the pot filler. did you install the backplash tiling yourself? if so, was it difficult?

Judy July 28, 2010 at 11:38 AM  

Wonderful post.. What a transformation. I love it. I love white kitchens! I'm redoing my cupboards right now, and am in the throes of choosing/buying a new countertop AND backsplash.. do tell all regarding your backsplash installation!! I'm searching for a cheap and fabulous granite supplier in the Vancouver (BC) area.. and am thinking of doing the backsplash myself, but don't think I have the confidence.. thoughts?

Judy July 28, 2010 at 12:05 PM  

duh... realized I was asking you all these questions after I posted.. I see that its really Angela from 'Unexpected Elegance' I should be asking.. thanks for the guest post.. Yet another blog to follow!!

cortney mae July 28, 2010 at 12:52 PM  

Oh you kitchen is beautiful! I love your blog! I have been searching for a china hutch for SO long and I saw your post on it! I wish I was as creative!

diamond in the rough July 28, 2010 at 10:38 PM  

Ok, so I googled pot filler before I got to the picture because I had never heard of it before. That is such a cool idea! If I ever remodel a kitchen (and there is a possibility) that is tucked away in my files!

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