I'm Getting a New...

KITCHEN!

Husband and I have been planning to gut our kitchen and completely re-do it for a year now. We were going to start the design process in October, 2006. Suffice it to say we are already behind schedule. We settled on our design one week ago. Our overall vision is a Mission/Arts & Crafts style. I'll post pictures as I have them to give you a better idea of what I mean.

In the coming weeks and months I will be blogging about our experiences with this project. As it stands now we have ordered custom cabinetry and ordered our appliances. The cabinetry should be here at the end of May. I expect June to be our busiest month.

Here is a before picture (taken waaaay back in October):

Tuesday two guys came and tore down the wall between the kitchen and dining room. I was amazed at how much light was let in by our French doors in the dining room. Without that wall to swallow up all the light, the kitchen is now completely bright! I love it!

Of course, even this little chore--which really should have been pretty cut and dry--opened up a new can of worms. We knew that there is about a foot difference in the heights of the ceilings in the kitchen (about 8 feet) and dining room (about 9 feet). After removing the wall, it was apparent that our kitchen ceiling is actually a false ceiling and was inexplicably lowered to be 8 feet. It's also stuffed with insulation for some reason.

Now that we know we can pull down the existing kitchen ceiling and raise it to match the dining room, we are going to do that. However, instead of paying another $1000 for a crew to do it, Husband and I will be getting our hands dirty over the coming evenings.

We are going to tear down the drywall and deal with the insulation (yuck) and tear down the beams. Then a drywall guy will come in and hang a new ceiling and an electrician will come and fix all the electrical stuff.

We are off and running. So far, anyway.

Comments

[Trista]

I'm so terribly jealous!!!! I want a new kitchen, but instead of a remodel..I'd like a bigger house with a bigger kitchen! Can't wait to see the journey and end result!

[motomom]

Ooh, fun. The demolition is my favorite part. Something about wielding a sledgehammer - it's so satisfying. Unfortunately for my husband I love DIY projects around the house. We began updating our kitchen a few years ago and got stalled. My cabinets are now painted white, after removing all the wood grain contact paper. However we then decided to reface them, so I have no doors. Now we are looking to replace them at some point.
I look forward to updates and pictures.

[Everyday Mommy]

Oh, I'm thrilled for you! What an exciting experience. I understand patience is key, but it's worth the wait.

What color are your cabinets?

[Randi]

Oh, lucky you! My hubby is a ceramic tile contractor so he does this kind of thing all day long. When I bring up our kitchen, he just grimaces. I suppose he doesn't want to bring his work home, you know?

[Shalee]

A new kitchen?! That's like a mom's dream come true...

Are you going to take cooking lessons so that you'll feel more at home in it when it's all finished? I'm just saying...

[Jill]

Very exciting! We have been waiting since November to get some work done on our kitchen and it's supposedly happening this month too...we shall see!

Have fun with the remodel and with your new kitchen when it's done!

[Jill]

Very exciting! We have been waiting since November to get some work done on our kitchen and it's supposedly happening this month too...we shall see!

Have fun with the remodel and with your new kitchen when it's done!

[Kelly]

I am a total house junky, and I'm totally excited for you. Have fun!

[Karen]

Remodeling is a LOVE/HATE relationship for me. I LOVE the fact that I'm going to do it, but I HATE the fact that the house is in utter chaos during the transformation. Looks like you guys will be eating lots of take out over the next few months!!! Have fun!

[Christine]

Oh, my!! Fun stuff, Chili. I can't wait to see the finished product. And good luck demolishing the ceiling; methinks your hair is about to get a shade lighter...

[Rocks in my Dryer]

Oh MAN that is a lot of work. Want me to bring by some iced tea? ;)

[daring one]

Oh, I don't envy you all that work but I seriously want a kitchen makeover. I'm excited to see pictures of what yours turns into.

[Michelle]

This will be fun, we're redoing ours as well and I'm just waiting on my cabinets and coutertops before the real stuff begins. Yours will be a bigger process as we're leaving our walls in place and are only replacing one appliance--but if you're looking at a new stove you ought to read the article I'm posting on Saturday. The local high-end appliance dealer here in Anchorage approached me about writing for a local publication here and doing reviews of some of their stuff and they're giving me a new cooktop as payment. This thing is amazing and I'm posting on it Saturday if you're interested, if you like to cook it'll change your world. Intrigued? :) Yes, I'm half salesman.

[pogonip]

What a fabulous space to play with--and there's nothing more fun than demo work. We've done 2 kitchen remodels and the microwave became my best friend. Looking forward to checking on your progress!

[peach]

So cool, gettin' to tear things up on purpose. Hope it's that time and you can kill two birds with one stone -- direct that anger at the demo. Better yet, get a megaphone and play Ty Pennington while Husband does most of the work!

[Antique Mommy]

This project is going to give you so much blog material - just the workers alone. You'll be in my prayers.

[Kara]

Sounds like lots of work! I bet it will look so great when you are done! We want to change our kitchen too, but it'll have to wait until we finish our yard.

[GiBee]

AWESOME!!!

I just got a new refrigerator ... one with the french doors, and I really love it! I was so excited when it was delivered.

But a new kitchen? That would just drive me over the edge!