I decided that I would wait until I retired to begin a remodel project and in January 2016, that's what I did.
Actually, I started this project a year ago by looking at websites like Houzz and HGTV for kitchen ideas. If I found a picture of something I liked, I saved it in a folder on the computer. I also researched prices of big-ticket items like appliances and cabinets in order to stay within my budget of $30,000.
I didn't know where to start with hiring people to do the work, so I hired a contractor, Scott Bentz of Bentz Remodeling in Tallahassee, FL. The prices of the other contractors I investigated were much higher and it helped that I had known Scott for 35 years. My first year teaching, he was one of my favorite students in one of my 10th grade classes. It was nice working with someone with whom I had a history and felt like I could trust.
Scott told me to first visit certain business and select the cabinets, tile, granite, appliances, etc. His list of contacts was great as all the recommended people knew their stuff. It was obvious from the start of the project that Scott had built a network of tradesmen who were professional and who had years of experience. I always felt comfortable with them in my house and they never had down time. They came in, did their job and left. Scott had a detailed calendar online on which I could see who was coming to work on which date which was extremely helpful.
This remodel took about eight weeks to complete. During those weeks, I washed dishes in the bathroom sink and we killed many trees using paper plates and cups. There were a couple of hiccups but nothing that wasn't corrected quickly. One major problem was my fault. When I ordered the appliances, I thought I wanted a really big refrigerator which is what I ordered. When the deliverymen came with it, I knew before they unloaded it that it was too big. Fortunately, I bought all of my appliances from a local business and they happily helped by replacing it with a cabinet-depth unit without charging me a restocking fee. Thanks Mays-Munroe! The refrigerator is smaller, but I kept my old one and put it in the garage so I have plenty of storage for extra items. This was definitely one time when buying local paid off. I don't think one of the big national stores doing all of this for me.
Here are my before and after pictures of the remodel. I'm really happy with how it all turned out.
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The cabinets were in good shape but needed updating. I found that replacing the cabinets was about the same cost as refinishing the original ones because of labor. The lights were fluorescent tubes recessed into the ceiling and covered by a plastic grid.
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| Hi Drew! |
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The kitchen tile joined the parquet in the dining area. I wanted something lighter that would make the area brighter and feel bigger.
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The original pantry was like an abyss where everything got pushed to the back and out of sight.
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First came the new lighting -- LED can lights on the outside and a ceiling fan in the center of the recessed area. These lights are awesome -- very bright but no heat is coming from them. I love having the ceiling fan in the kitchen, too. I didn't want to close off the recessed area and make it level with the rest of the ceiling because I felt that it would make the area really small. (Note: The electrician on the right is a former student. They are everywhere!)
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The kitchen and dining room were completely gutted to make way for new 20-inch porcelain tiles set on an angle.
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Next came the cabinets -- Shaker style in honey maple. I don't like white or painted cabinets which is what seems to be popular right now. I like wood tones but wanted to lighten everything.
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| The new pantry has pull-out shelves. Now I can see what's in the back. |
The paint color for the dining room is Crushed Cinnamon by Benjamin Moore. The granite color is Crema Bordeaux. It's hard to tell in the pictures but there are specks of cinnamon color in the granite.
  
All of the appliances are GE. I used almond-colored subway tiles for the backsplash. I wanted something neutral that would not compete with the granite.
The only extra cabinet I added was for the trash can. The old can set here and I hated having it exposed to the dining area. (There was still paint touch-up needed when I took this picture.)
I bought the faucet at Costco. I wasn't familiar with the brand, Hansgrohe, but my plumber said it was fantastic. I paid $269 but the next month, Costco marked it down to $189. Since mine hadn't been installed yet, I took it back and re-bought it.
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| No one ever noticed this cabinet before. We use it for storing pool items, flower vases and dog food. I requested the pull out shelves to make it easier to get to items. |
All in all, I'd say this project was a good one. I might even enjoy cooking now.
Here are links to some of the businesses who did all the amazing work:
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