Evolution of a Kitchen

So the house we purchased recently had a 30+ year-old kitchen. When we bought the house, we did so knowing that we’d take the opportunity to remodel the kitchen (and while space and budget precludes making this a true dream kitchen, it’s certainly going to be a lot closer than any kitchen we’ve previously cooked in.

Here’s what the kitchen looked like to start.

Unfortunately, while they were solid-wood fronts, the cabinets were constructed of low-grade particle board, so were degrading badly. Additionally, they featured a stylish 70s-era dark brown stain, enhanced by what appeared to be at least a decade of kitchen grime.

Adding to the problems, the dishwasher and reverse osmosis system under the sink both had serious leaks, for some time from the look of it. In the case of the dishwasher, it had an active leak (it was inoperative, but apparently when we did the inspection, the act of attempting to run the washer created enough back-pressure in the system to slowly fill the tub which eventually lead to a slow leak, and to our having to rip out the laminate from the kichen area (which had been our plan all along, but this just expedited things, and revealed the lovely vintage linoleum). The upshot of the leaks was that even if we’d wanted to salvage the cabinets, at least some were going to have to be replaced due to rot.

The next step was to rip out the cabinets themselves, a task left to our contractors. (While I enjoy demolition, the idea of lugging the old tile counters out did not appeal as much.) Fortunately, the subfloor was spared from any real damage, though the water staining is evident in the photos. And the drywall behind the sink area obviously had to be replaced.

While they were at it, the contractors also put in a separate faucet for the refrigerator’s water-supply line. I suppose these are becoming more commonplace, but I was tickled by the idea (particularly the plastic insert which helps protect the drywall when the supply hose eventually leaks – they always do at some point).

Just for kicks – here’s the old kitchen in a different form-factor:

We also opted to remove the soffit over the kitchen to bring the ceiling up to the same height as the adjoining rooms. I understand the notion of creating a visual delineation between the family room and the kitchen, but the fact was that the low ceiling just made the kitchen feel more closed in than it should have. So we ripped out that soffit, and in the process will gain close to 10” of headroom.

And that’s where we stand. After many hours debating options and layout, cabinets and appliances (black, not the de rigueur stainless) are on order and should be here within the week – once those go in, I’ll update this post to reflect the progress.

UPDATE

A few weeks later, the lights are in, and hey, there’s the new ceiling…

Moving on, the cabinets are in but need some modification…

And here, the oven’s in place, awaiting some trimwork…

And finally – here’s the almost finished kitchen – the countertop is in, all that remains is the flooring and installing the last few appliances:

The floor pre-grout, and the custom-fit microwave area…

Almost Final Update – 4/25/08
It’s been a long time coming, but here’s the (almost) final kitchen:

We still need to add a couple pendant lights over the return, and there are a few final pieces of cabinet trim that are on backorder…but the kitchen is usable, and we can start moving in.