Kitchen Revelation...I mean...Renovation
By terryswalerLast year (yep. Not a typo) my SO gutted our kitchen. We are definite DIY'ers and this challenge, although overwhelming, was something we knew we could do.
You know how life sometimes takes sudden twists and turns when you least expect it? What? That hasn't happened to you? <laughing>
Our kitchen is still in a state of disrepair and we have few $$ to finish it.
What will we do? What will we do?
Contrive:
I found an entire set of kitchen cabinets (with sliding drawers, countertop, island, used double oven and corner lazy susan cabinet) on Craiglist for $1100. They're sitting in storage. I think I'm going to paint them or do something funky with them -- I havent' decided what yet.
Craigslist also supplied me with a brand new stainless steel double kitchen sink with a Moen faucet for $20.
Tile flooring is going to be put in by trading work with a tile guy.
Drywall is done by us. Electric, new electric panel, new outlets - we brought in a professional. There's some things we just don't want to mess with!
Appliances -- again (see the pattern here?) bought on Craiglist -- one year old -- owner wanted stainless instead -- so got refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher for $375.
We are determined to renovate our kitchen, have it look amazing (doesn't everyone?) for as LITTLE as possible. And that means we've had to be creative.
So...applying for the Curbly Spring Giveaway seems to fit into our definition of "by any means necessary" to get this renovation done and be something we can be proud of.
And...I'd like to be able to stop preparing food in the living room. Living rooms were just not meant for cooking.
Estimate for complete kitchen gut and renovation: >$4000.
Timeline to completion? Endless. No. Just kidding. I have told the SO that this would make a FABULOUS 40th birthday present -- so done by the end of May. Which means it's a 16 month project.
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terryswaler's blog (9 posts)
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Member since: 11/17/06
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I live in Upstate NY (Rochester) and live in a 1930's bungalow that I'm restoring. ...
KatNap
susan
Well, have no fear, you can do it and you can do it not only good enough, but in a fabulous way, trust me. I know, I did it on very little money, seemingly temporary, but it's still going strong (mostly) with no plans to redo it. At the time, our daughter was getting married and we couldn't afford the Long Island wedding (I won't even go there) AND a dream kitchen, and with family coming to the wedding from Europe and other family, it just had to be redone, there was no way around it. So, I figured I'd get to work and redesign the space and do it in a VERY inexpensive way. There was no other choice.
We reused our old cabinets, had them painted for $400 (they're worn now, it doesn't last) reused our old appliances, every one, added a ton of windows, and I designed the rest of the room with strong lines and numerous built ins.
The Lesson? Sheetrock (we call it sheetrock in our area) is a good thing, and it's CHEAP. What's cheaper than sheetrock is my husband's labor. Added together was a new kitchen. We even took space from an area beyond the kitchen.
Here's my finished kitchen, click on the big white arrow to see more images:
http://www.kitcheninteriors.com/portfolio/kitchen/chelsea_a.html
You can do it in a fantastic way. Good luck!
jasimar
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