Series: An 80's Kitchen DIY Reno- {Part 3- Demo, Carpentry, and Design Plans }

Today I had planned to talk about demo, but realized I want to share the design and demolition plans I had for the kitchen.  When I work on a project one motto that comes to mind is 'begin with the end in mind'.  If I know what the end goal is, that guides and shapes all of my design, carpentry, and demo decisions.  It also helps me map out an order of projects. 

Design Plans

The end goal of design scheme for the kitchen was white painted cabinets, natural wood, gold hardware and fixtures, black windows, and PLANTS!  I walked around the house with samples trying to envision how it would all work together.

I also ordered most of my materials before work began to coordinate finishes and so that the project wouldn't be held up for the trades I did hire. ( Like this sink that was on back order for months because there had been a fire at the plant.)

(Sink | Strainer)

I'm going to do another post about all of the design selections, but before getting to the pretty finishes and fixtures, I wanted to reconfigure some areas of the kitchen to help it function better and update it aesthetically.  I had three major areas that I wanted to demo and three major carpentry projects that would help accomplish those goals.   

Demo and Carpentry Plans

First, I wanted to remove the cabinets over the window.  I thought it dated the kitchen and blocked a lot of the natural light.  Removing them would allow me to add sconces, tile the wall, and add floating shelves.

Second, I wanted remove the existing peninsula walls.  It wasn't an actual cabinet, just two pieces of plywood. So by rebuilding it, I could add actual cabinetry on the side, in the picture below, to hold a microwave and create extra storage.

 

And finally, I wanted remove the half-depth refrigerator surround.  This was a challenge to different contractors because these cabinets are not individual boxes.  The framing runs across the entire length of the upper cabinets all the way over to the oven cabinet.  I will walk thru how I dismantled it.  But ultimately, I wanted to create a full-depth refrigerator surround.  I didn't want to see the side of the fridge!

 

Below are the other pictures and sketches that helped to get my plans finalized.  

So these are the decisions and plans leading up to pulling out a crowbar and beginning demolition on my kitchen.  I believe DIY is possible for most of us.  But it works best for me when I have a plan.  So I take time to plan out what is the end result I'm hoping for.  I search for inspiration on Pinterest, Instagram, and in magazines.  I can't tell you how many photos I've saved and how many boards I've created, but that helps me narrow down the look I'm going for! Once you've got a plan, you're ready to get to work.  So tomorrow, I promise, we're going to delve into Demo Day!  Let me know if you have any questions.

(Post may contain affiliate links.  There is no charge to you if you click the links, but allows me to make a small commission to help support this blog!)

{An 80's Kitchen DIY Reno Series}

 

-Part 1 - Before and After

-Part 2- Modifying a Cabinet to Replace an Old Double Oven 

-Part 3- Demo, Carpentry, and Design Plans 

-Part 4- Demo Day

-Part 5- DIY Peninsula and Fridge Surround

-Part 6- Ordering Materials and Fixtures

-Part 7-Running Wiring for Sconces thru a Header Beam

-Part 8- Matching an Older Door Profile

Read More

Series: An 80's Kitchen DIY Reno - {Part 2- Modifying a Cabinet to Replace an Old Double Oven}

Welcome back to the walk thru time on the kitchen reno. Today I'm going back to the beginning, shortly after we moved here.  One of the first big things we did was go looking for new appliances.  We ordered a new dishwasher, fridge and oven after catching a Labor Day sale.   With a double oven, you have to pay for and schedule a 'measure' for it, and once you order your new one plus the install that initial measure fee goes toward your balance.  So we scheduled a measure and later placed an order for a new oven.  The new one came, it was significantly smaller than the original opening, and the installers had nothing to offer to fill the gap.  So back to the store the oven went .  We would need to find a larger oven.

  

I searched high and low in big box stores to find a larger oven.  Perhaps on the higher end brand of things I would have found something, but I couldn't find one the same size in the everyday brands.  I guess they just made things bigger in the 1980s.  

Unfortunately the original eighties oven was so old we had no plans to use it.  I had actually purchased a full size toaster oven to cook in while we waited for the new oven to be installed, but that gets old after a while.  So we adjusted and began to use the original oven.  Would you believe that it actually worked very well up until the day we replaced it?!  The owners over the years had even left the original manual, haha!

I couldn't give up though.  There HAD to be a way to replace this oven!  I mean I know they eventually break for some people, and there's no way that people just put in all new cabinets just to accommodate an oven!  So I went back to Lowe's and talked again with their sales agent, and this time I was told that there were these decorative metal trim kits you could buy to cover the gap.  Why nobody told me about this in 2016, I have no idea!  The oven would sit on the existing shelf in the cabinet and the gap above or below would be covered by the metal grill.  They were around $300+ depending on the size and style.  If you aren't looking to refinish or paint your cabinets, it could be a decent option.  But it still wasn't quite the look I was going for. 

 MicroTrim

So I started brainstorming on what else I could do cover this gap.  I finally had an 'aha' moment.  What if I could have a carpenter raise the platform to remove the gap and just add that extra space to the bottom and have a larger drawer made for down there?  So back to Lowe's I went to schedule a measure.  The installer liked my idea and agreed to implement it.  Finally a solution! 

{Double Oven}

Here she is all installed. I went with a GE brand double oven.  We've had and used it for a little over two years now and I love it!  One reason I went with them was the reviews were good.  But also, at the time they offered a 'Guaranteed to Fit' warranty where they would reimburse you up to about $300 if you needed to modify your cabinet.  With that credit, the cost of the cabinet mod plus the new drawer was a wash.

Now I just had to take new drawer measurements to a local cabinet door shop and have them build me a drawer.  And it worked out too, because the cost of the drawer plus the cabinet mod was about the same price, maybe a little less even, than the metal grill I could have purchased. 

{Double Oven}

 

I used a local company, Harris Door and Drawer, to build the drawer.  They're out in Buford, and they have been wonderful to work with.  I love them because they work with builders all the way down to individual homeowners like myself.  I used them again last year to make a few new doors for me as well.  Well, I got the oven installed, but the cabinets stayed unfinished for almost another year.  Up next, moving on to demo, carpentry, and design plans!

(Post contains affiliate links.  There is no charge to you if you click the links, but allows me to make a small commission to help support this blog!)

{An 80's Kitchen DIY Reno Series}

 

-Part 1 - Before and After

-Part 2- Modifying a Cabinet to Replace an Old Double Oven 

-Part 3- Demo, Carpentry, and Design Plans 

-Part 4- Demo Day

-Part 5- DIY Peninsula and Fridge Surround

-Part 6- Ordering Materials and Fixtures

-Part 7-Running Wiring for Sconces thru a Header Beam

-Part 8- Matching an Older Door Profile

Read More

Series: An 80's Kitchen DIY Reno- {Part 1: Before and After}

I'm approaching the one year mark of my kitchen renovation and the four year mark of moving to this home.  I still pinch myself everyday with how far it's come since we moved in. I thought I'd do a Kitchen Renovation Series over next few weeks and share the changes that were made, the challenges faced in modifying an older home, and the solutions that I came up with.  My hope is that if someone else is updating an older space and having some of the same dilemmas, it may give them some ideas.  

Cabinet Knobs | Pulls

{Keurig opt 1 | opt 2 | Gold Silverware | Sugar Dish}

This was the kitchen shortly after we moved in 2016.  On the initial walk-thru I envisioned painting the cabinets white, removing that upper cabinet over the windows and replacing it with sconces and floating shelves, and replacing the appliances.  Living in the space, new ideas came to mind over time, like making the refrigerator built-in, enlarging the peninsula to make room for a microwave, and putting in a vent hood.   I felt these new ideas were outside of my skill set, so over the years I met with various carpenters and contractors.  Every time I was ready to move forward, something else would pop up and take priority.

Last year we had a water leak that left us with holes cut into the wall and ceiling, so we couldn't put off doing repairs any longer.  Ultimately, it was a contractor who canceled 2 days before work was to start that made me finally realize I could (or had to) do a lot of the work myself.  Nothing breeds determination like desperation!

When you look at the pic below what most dates this kitchen?  The wallpaper?  The cabinet color? The oven?

I saw a dated space with good bones that could be tweaked into a modern aesthetic.  These are the original cabinets and most of the original doors, original floors, and original windows.  One of the major things that updated them was replacing the two-piece doors with one solid door for the three upper cabinets.  Another thing that updated them was replacing the exposed hinges with hidden euro-hinges.  Finally painting the cabinets and adding new hardware finished bringing them up to date.

{Gold Sconces | Faucet | Soap Dispenser}

{Glass Jars}

Four years after moving in, we've got almost everything done.  I just finished building the vent hood a little over a month ago. I still have dreams of installing floating shelves between the windows, but it will happen.  

{Gas Cooktop | Dutch Oven , Dutch Oven}

{Gas Cooktop | Dutch Oven , Dutch Oven}

{Keurig opt 1 | opt 2 | Gold Silverware | Sugar Dish}

The bulk of these updates were completed over the course of about three months last year, but there's so many things that happened over the years.  In this series I'm going to start at the beginning and talk about modifications that were made all along the way.

One thing I learned is that installers and contractors often have a way they are accustomed to doing things.  When you have ideas that are not the norm, they tend to push back and say it can't be done.  You have to have clear in your mind your vision for your space and be willing to come up with solutions when people feel like it can't be done.  Below are the changes that I'm going to cover in this series.  I'll update the list with links as each post is added.  If you have any questions or anything I'm leaving out, let me know!

(Post contains affiliate links.  There is no charge to you if you click the links, but allows me to make a small commission to help support this blog!)

{An 80's Kitchen DIY Reno Series}

-Part 1 - Before and After

-Part 2- Modifying a Cabinet to Replace an Old Double Oven 

-Part 3- Demo, Carpentry, and Design Plans 

-Part 4- Demo Day

-Part 5- DIY Peninsula and Fridge Surround

-Part 6- Ordering Materials and Fixtures

-Part 7-Running Wiring for Sconces thru a Header Beam

-Part 8- Matching an Older Door Profile

Read More

Life in COVID-19 as a Homebody

We asked ourselves at the beginning of the month, how many days has it been since we began actively staying at home.  As of today, Monday July 6th its been 115 days for us.  We began this period strictly staying home...literally only going out for groceries once per week.  We slowly added a in a few restaurant meal pick ups, and some runs to Home Depot/Lowes.  I think last month my husband, GB, went to his office a few days.  But not venturing out beyond that.  Now that cases are on the uptick here in our area, we have wound back down again to literally groceries.  And even that I am attempting to just pick up.

My heart and appreciation goes out to so many who work the front lines, in hospitals, grocery and drug stores, gas stations, and so many other areas.  Even more so to those who've lost jobs and especially those who have lost loved ones.  I don't take for granted that I have been incredibly fortunate thus far.  I do wonder sometimes if this will be our generation's equivalent to the Great Depression.  Not in terms of unemployement per se, though there have been high numbers, but to the sharp disruptions to life as we knew it.  You read stories of how people from that generation didn't believe in waste... they never wanted to go without like they had to during that time. What would be our great takeaway?  What would be your great takeaway?

I took this thing seriously when we were asked to stay home, but I honestly thought we would all go home for two weeks + the week of spring break at the end of March, and it would all be over.  I couldn't understand why people were panicking about losing their jobs over a two week shutdown.  But here we are.  

So here's something I've personally learned/confirmed so far. I am a homebody.  I already knew this about myself.  I like being home, taking care of home, having my people at home...knowing they are safe.  I sorta secretly relished being able to be home and have nowhere I was required to be or do.   I know this isn't everybody, it probably isn't most people, lol!  But in this moment in life, it has been an advantage.  

That being said, I am human. I have still mourned the disruption and loss of normalcy.  I love my little tribe, but we all get on each others nerves.  I want to go explore parks and nature, and travel, and have friends over in person.  I miss all of that.  I miss being able to just go to the store and find toilet paper at will!  (At least that part has slightly improved!)  Having no foreseeable end in sight makes people have what I am calling 'vigilance fatigue'.  We get tired of staying on our toes of conscientiousness.

BUUT...all that being said, I still take this virus very seriously and value life.  So we trudge on, good days and bad, and do what is necessary and what is in our realm of control to keep ourselves and our neighbors safe.

What about you?  Are you a homebody or a social butterfly? What's something you've learned or confirmed about yourself since the pandemic began?  

Read More