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LOVE IT! ~~~~ So happy for you! Kinda funny you had one draw front missing, because our door below the sink was removed, as I mention the builder was a perfectionist, we could not see it but something with the handle was off this really bug him, it was back a week latter. LOL.... We also had the same deal as you with the corner sink peninsula between the kitchen and breakfast nook, so things were tight! Now we have a lot space and room to roam, plus I got my much needed island~~
LOL I know what you mean - our contractor is totally a perfectionist and it's driving him crazy about that one mysteriously missing drawer front! Now they have to make another one, prime it, paint it in oil based paint, let it dry and then install it.
He's more obsessive than I am because he's already called me twice about it. He wants the entire kitchen done before my husband gets home, which is Tuesday, but the contractor is going out of town till Monday night. So - he made the drawer last night (or had it made, whatever) and the cabinet maker is painting it and letting it dry over the weekend, and the contractor is coming out at six am Tuesday to install it before I go to the airport!
His idea, not mine - I was fine with it just being "some time next week," but he wanted it done Friday so even this is driving him crazy!
Kathryn, the kitchen is AWESOME! You have a real eye for design and it clearly shows in all that you undertake. Now sit back and enjoy all the hard work you've done. (and the mess you had to endure!)
Last edited by Sweet*Tea; 11-01-2014 at 11:15 PM..
Reason: clarification
Kathryn, the kitchen is AWESOME! You have a real eye for design and it clearly shows in all that you undertake. Now sit back and enjoy all the hard work you've done. (and the mess you have endured!)
Aww, thank you - this is the biggest project I've undertaken but even though it was very stressful at times, I have to say overall I enjoyed it!
You know what's crazy? This is how important layout is - when we were considering buying this house, my husband's biggest concern was "The kitchen is too small." And believe it or not, in this obviously spacious area, it WAS too small! That's because they had a stupid corner sink and a big, fat, useless peninsula jutting in between the kitchen area and the breakfast nook. THEN they had a tiny, ridiculous (and tile topped - ugh) island right in the middle of the kitchen, that only gave 32" clearance on either side between the island and the stove, or the island and the dishwasher. And it was right in the middle of "the kitchen triangle" which is definitely an easier layout than having to walk around that island to do everything.
Anyway, there wasn't even a place to put a trashcan. It was a terrible layout, but I kept looking at the space and I told my husband, "But the room isn't small - it's actually BIG.
This was an expensive project. The only break we got on it was that the previous owners had recently upgraded all the appliances (with very nice ones too - not cheapo ones). Thank goodness, because I'll tell my business - the final bill for the whole thing, including the powder room, was about $31,000.
But we got the house for about $45,000 less than it should have sold for, and the main reasons were because the kitchen and flooring sucked, and the backyard was so overgrown that it seemed overwhelming to try to fix everything. (We had to cut down SEVEN big trees back there and lay sod, but none of that was very expensive - and we still have tons of trees back there!). So we had room in the "budget" to make improvements without pricing the house out of the comparable market. We've put about $45,000 in it total now so we have to stop!
I do want to redo the master bath one day but that will have to wait. I couldn't stand Mexican radio and dust and people everywhere a day longer!
Our apartment was on the market for A LONG time. We got the unit for FAR less than any other unit sold for in our building in ages---I mean, someone bought a studio for more than we paid for our one bedroom. I figure ~10K for the bathroom (I didn't do the final tally yet but that's my rough estimate) and ~10K for my kitchen (the next project---I guess having a tiny kitchen is okay when it comes to having to spend the money and it's going to be a nice, simple Ikea kitchen since this is a starter apartment.) Then maybe another ~5K for other things (updating the lighting, the doors and ATTEMPTING to do something with the floor) and I think we'll be okay. (By that I mean we should at the very least break even when I sell this thing.)
LOL! I have no place to put a trashcan PERIOD. Mine is cabinet mounted and under the sink. I don't mind it. But really, this is my kitchen, which is legitimately small: //www.city-data.com/forum/home-...ld-you-do.html
Like you, I want to redo it but UGH we decided to wait until after the holidays. Too much stress and lack of sleep for me, since I am a night shift worker and I'm taking a class in school. I'm just sick of people being in my apartment!
Our apartment was on the market for A LONG time. We got the unit for FAR less than any other unit sold for in our building in ages---I mean, someone bought a studio for more than we paid for our one bedroom. I figure ~10K for the bathroom (I didn't do the final tally yet but that's my rough estimate) and ~10K for my kitchen (the next project---I guess having a tiny kitchen is okay when it comes to having to spend the money and it's going to be a nice, simple Ikea kitchen since this is a starter apartment.) Then maybe another ~5K for other things (updating the lighting, the doors and ATTEMPTING to do something with the floor) and I think we'll be okay. (By that I mean we should at the very least break even when I sell this thing.)
LOL! I have no place to put a trashcan PERIOD. Mine is cabinet mounted and under the sink. I don't mind it. But really, this is my kitchen, which is legitimately small: //www.city-data.com/forum/home-...ld-you-do.html
Like you, I want to redo it but UGH we decided to wait until after the holidays. Too much stress and lack of sleep for me, since I am a night shift worker and I'm taking a class in school. I'm just sick of people being in my apartment!
I just bumped your thread about your kitchen - lots of good advice in that thread! This should be a fun project for you. Honestly, I think you can do it for under 10K. One thing that was really expensive for me was that I had to change the footprint of the kitchen, which meant moving electrical, plumbing, and gas - even jackhammering through my foundation! Also, I had to have several cabinets custom made. And the painting was a couple of thousand dollars - oh, and they had to move some light fixtures and patch the ceiling and repaint it. It looks to me like you will be able to buy prefab cabinets and honestly, I'd paint those walls and ceiling myself since it's such a small space.
Oh, and pick one long and FABULOUS piece of art to hang on that wall that you face going in. Maybe even consider doing some sort of smoky mirror to reflect the stainless steel appliances that I know you're going to put in there. I mean, I wouldn't want a "real" mirror there - I think it would freak me out to see myself everytime I walked into the kitchen, but a long, big sort of mirrored thing with that smoky glass in it might look fabulous.
Our apartment was on the market for A LONG time. We got the unit for FAR less than any other unit sold for in our building in ages---I mean, someone bought a studio for more than we paid for our one bedroom. I figure ~10K for the bathroom (I didn't do the final tally yet but that's my rough estimate) and ~10K for my kitchen (the next project---I guess having a tiny kitchen is okay when it comes to having to spend the money and it's going to be a nice, simple Ikea kitchen since this is a starter apartment.) Then maybe another ~5K for other things (updating the lighting, the doors and ATTEMPTING to do something with the floor) and I think we'll be okay. (By that I mean we should at the very least break even when I sell this thing.)
LOL! I have no place to put a trashcan PERIOD. Mine is cabinet mounted and under the sink. I don't mind it. But really, this is my kitchen, which is legitimately small: //www.city-data.com/forum/home-...ld-you-do.html
Like you, I want to redo it but UGH we decided to wait until after the holidays. Too much stress and lack of sleep for me, since I am a night shift worker and I'm taking a class in school. I'm just sick of people being in my apartment!
So, did you get any ideas, besides IKEA, about what you intend to do (colors, floor, etc) from the other thread? If you can afford to lose the cupboard space, I strongly suggest you use a cupboard for pull out trash and recycle bins. It is so nice not to have a trash can sitting around.
The OP has done a great job and I am glad she is happy but, De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum.
Right. I created MY dream kitchen, no one else's. My money, my kitchen, my taste.
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I mean, I wouldn't want a "real" mirror there - I think it would freak me out to see myself everytime I walked into the kitchen, but a long, big sort of mirrored thing with that smoky glass in it might look fabulous.
