Kitchen Progress Week 3 & 4// One Room Challenge

 

 

We are four weeks into the One Room Challenge and our Kitchen makeover. The last week was the busiest and most exciting week in terms of updates. Lets run through them. 

• Countertops & backsplash removed 
• Bar top flattened to counter height
• Countertops installed 
• New sink & faucet installed 
• Backsplash samples ordered

Countertops

Before pictures*

Here is a quick run down of how our countertop process went for anyone who might be curious about the process. We picked our slabs a couple weeks ago and scheduled our install.  Then this week on Monday they came and removed the current backsplash, the current countertops, leveled the bar top and did their template. At this point they also removed the sink, so we were without a sink, dishwasher or counters for four days. But it was not too bad we made due with a makeshift kitchen prep area in our dining room, using paper plates when we could and doing dishes in the bathroom.

 

The leveling of the bartop was a quick project but did require a little extra work on the back end to re-route a plumbing pipe and the electrical. However I would do it again in a heartbeat because it makes the biggest difference. Our team then came back on Thursday to install the slabs. They arrived with the pieces pre-cut, wheeled them in then dry fit them into place. Then they fully installed them and drilled the holes for the sink faucet. 

Then the plumber to came re-install the sink and hook the dishwasher back up. Once that was done we had a functional kitchen once again 👏👏

Bar top leveled

As I mentioned above we had our bar top leveled during the tear out phase of the work! Below is a picture of the bar top before, as you can see it was just a small strip of countertop. It actually served no purpose at all, it was not enough of an overhang for stools so it tended to just collect junk. By leveling it we added functionality of a much bigger counter space that is also open to the dining area but we also opened up the sight-lines into the kitchen. The kitchen looks so much more open now from both directions and it makes the sink/faucet a visible show-piece as you enter the kitchen. I also think the large peninsula countertop will be a perfect serving area for food when we have guests, especially since it is directly next to the dining table. 

New Sink & Faucet 

If you are going to update your sink and/or faucet in your kitchen, while you are getting countertops is the best time to do it. Most countertop fabricators will even include a sink in the price of install, however the one ours was offering was not what I was hoping for so I ordered my own. Since they have to cut the sink hole, as well as the faucet holes in the countertop it is best to do it at this time. So we opted for single bowl workstation sink, and we are obsessed. A workstation sink comes with a lip to house sink accessories such as a cutting board, colander and drying rack.  Here is a look at ours now that it has been installed.

For the faucet I knew I wanted something that was like jewelry for the kitchen. I knew we wanted brass hardware so I opted for a brass faucet as well. I found this Kingston Brass faucet and knew it was the one because it combined the old world bridge look with a modern pull down sprayer. I paired it with the vintage style soap dispenser from the same brand, both pieces are in "brushed brass"

Backsplash Samples  

I am still not really sure what I plan to do for the backsplash. We are waiting to see if the remnants of our countertops would be enough to use at least behind the stove. Otherwise I am considering a zeilge or handcrafted style tile either in a subway or square size. I ordered 7 samples from Tile Bar that should be here in a couple days. I am excited to see them up against the counters and see how they look. I may pick up a couple other options as well to compare. 

Our Kitchen Sources: 

Countertops- Della Terra Quartz in Silver Stallion 

Our Workstation sink- https://rstyle.me/+p9NNNPtmUbWVNmo_Jb0rkQ

Our Facuet (brushed brass) -https://rstyle.me/+L4kBmAvyFG9olIOW5KPIMw

Matching sink soap dispenser (brushed brass)- https://rstyle.me/+fLawBhwpcmwi2VKJ0sEp3g

Kitchen Week 2 Progress// One Room Challenge Update

 

Hello and welcome to week two of our kitchen makeover for the One Room Challenge! 

I am ready to share some updates with you, while this weeks updates don't offer much to look at they are pretty big in the grand scheme of getting this kitchen done!

Here is a list of everything we have checked off this week: 

• Scheduled countertops - for next week 
• Ordered sink
• Ordered kitchen faucet 
• Removed ceiling fan 
• Removed kitchen desk- it is being replaced with a new cabinet this week 
• Measure for new cabinet doors scheduled for end of week
  

Like I said not much to look like, but by next week we will already be seeing big changes!

Countertops: 

A few weeks back I visited the slab yard and picked out the countertops I wanted. I went back last week to confirm and see them again before putting down my deposit. I was happy with the original choice, Della Terra Quartz in Silver Stallion. So we scheduled with our fabricator to complete the process next week. How they will do it is come on Monday, level out our bar top, take out the backsplash, and template for the countertops. Then 2-3 days later they will return with the finished countertops and install. So we will be without a kitchen for a week but at the end of it we will have: new countertops, a level peninsula (this is greatly going to change the look and function of the kitchen), removed backsplash, a new sink and a new faucet. 

We also did pick a different countertop for the island, but we are going to have that installed later once the island is complete.  Here is a picture of the main countertop sample next to what we are thinking for the island. I love the contrast it would give and the veining it has.

Kitchen Desk 

In true 90s kitchen fashion our kitchen featured a nice little desk in the corner, however we knew we would not have any use for it. Plus once moving in we realized it was very low and a standard chair could not even fit under the desk for sitting, so it was not at all functional. We had the desk removed by our handyman and asked if they could build us a basic base cabinet to replace it. We could not buy a stock cabinet because it is an odd shaped cabinet. The other side of the kitchen mirrors the side with the desk so they made a copy of the base cabinet on the other side. It is being installed in the space as I type this! 

Cabinet Doors 

As soon as we decided that we wanted to do a kitchen makeover, not a gut renovation I knew that I wanted to replace the cabinet doors, rather than just paint the existing cabinets. I wanted to do this for several reasons, the first being it is an easy way to change the style of you cabinets, we are going to get shaker style doors to modernize the space. The second reason is because you can get the cabinet doors in paint ready materials, or some companies will even paint them for you. This ensures a professional paint job on the cabinets that hopefully will not chip. 

I will have a video up soon about the process of ordering new doors and several companies you can use to order new doors to reface your cabinets yourself. I looked into many options and had a company picked out. My realtor is a family friend and she saw my video about our reno plans and suggested I call her cabinet guy, because he can order cabinet doors for me and professionally install them, he also gave me the option to have them painted. For all of these reasons I decided going through him would be our best option, he is coming on Friday to do the official measure for new doors and place the order. They have a 3 week lead time so in about a month hopefully we will be installing new doors!

 I cant wait to share next weeks update, when we will hopefully have countertops in (fingers crossed) 

 Thanks for following along! 

 Emily 

BEFORE Kitchen Makeover - One Room Challenge Week 1

 

 

Hello everyone, I could not be more excited to be writing my first post about the Spring One Room Challenge! For those of you who are not familiar, twice a year Better Homes and Gardens runs the "One Room Challenge" which gives participants 8 weeks to make over a room in there house. 

I signed up for the Spring challenge hoping to makeover our kitchen during that time. We have been doing a lot of the background work on the kitchen for the last couple months since moving in. However we haven't gotten started, so I thought this was the exact push we needed. The kitchen is one of the most important spaces to us in a home, we spend a ton of time in there preparing meals and it is a busy space for our family. 

 

To start this challenge, we need to go over where the kitchen is now and our plans to update it. In this video below I walk you through the whole kitchen and go over our plans. Take a quick watch to see where we are starting. I will also go through it here. 

 

 

 

We bought this house in November and it was very much a 90s builder grade fixer upper. We did some work to other parts of the house before moving in but had not yet touched the kitchen. The kitchen itself is very 90s builder grade with orange oak cabinets, laminate countertops, white appliances, a fan, florescent light and floor tile backsplash. However the footprint and space is all there for us. It actually is very functional for our family, especially in comparison to our last home. 

 

Since the space is very functional but not aesthetically pleasing we are going to do a kitchen makeover but we will not be gutting the space. Here are our plans, possibly in the order we plan to complete them. 

• Paint Walls- Done before we moved in with the rest of the house
• Replace flooring- Done before we moved in with rest of the house
• Remove florescent light & fan, install can lights 
• Remove desk area and replace with a regular lower cabinet 
• Replace countertops 
• Take bar top to counter height
• Replace sink 
  
• Remove & Replace backsplash 
• Add center prep island 
• Swap for new cabinet doors
  
• Replace Appliances
  
• Remove above stove microwave, replace with vent hood 
• Add cabinet hardware 

Phew I think that's it, seems like a crazy lot when I see it in list form. However some of these will be done together and some a quick pieces once the others are done. 

 

 

To get to this point we have done several things and laid out the design vision for the space. Here is my original design inspo before we moved into the house. A couple pieces have been updated that I go over in the video but the design vibe and vision remain pretty much the same. Once we knew the design we were going for we went to pick out our countertops, tested paint samples of potential cabinet colors and got the materials for the kitchen island. 

 

Next on our list is having a team help us with the electrical for the lights and build a new cabinet for the desk area. Then we will be ready to have countertops installed. As part of that process they will take our bar top to counter height and replace the sink. So a lot will be done there all at once. They will also remove the current backsplash, or it will be done before the countertop install. 

 

During all this we will also be building our kitchen island for the center of the space and I will need to order the new cabinet doors as soon as possible since they will take awhile to come in, but those will go on toward the end once many of the other pieces are complete. 

After that we will need to pick and install a backsplash/ hardware and shop for new appliances. I am so thrilled to take you along this journey and I hope by the end of this challenge we will have a new beautiful and even more functional kitchen space for our family. 

Check back next week for updates! 

Emily