Kitchen Reno – Demolition Day Approaches

Kitchen Pre-Renovation (present day)

Yes, the big day is almost here. Lots of work has happened behind the scenes in the 3+ months since we signed the contract and wrote the deposit check -- building the cabinetry; selecting materials, appliances and finishes; decision-making about window replacements and the like; etc.

Ilise and I have been ready and eager for the demolition/installation work to get underway for a while now, but have had to cool our heels waiting for “soon.” I’m sure it will be worth it to have the A-#1 best contractor and crew on our job, but sheesh, this is stressing me out. Demo is now scheduled to begin on Monday so we’ll pack up the last few boxes this weekend. This song captures my feelings on the subject:

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Everyone says it’s going to be a hellish 8-12 weeks while the kitchen is a construction zone and I believe them. Would rather get started sooner so it can get done sooner. We have a big deal social engagement in December – Annual Holiday Open House for up to 100+ hungry guests! – which is now in jeopardy because the kitchen might still be a work in progress.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Find my happy place. I need serenity … right now, dammit! 

Check out pictures (after the jump) to prove just WHY this kitchen reno is a must-do despite the stress.

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Our home was built in 1911. The previous owners were here for 40+ years, raising 6 children in this house. They redid the kitchen in the ‘70s – brown was big at the time (walls, cabinets, tile, linoleum – yes!) We bought the house in 2002 and made only a few cosmetic updates then – white paint on the walls and cabinets and new door pulls made a world of difference for the short term. But now the bells and whistles of modern kitchen design are much too tempting to ignore any longer, and there are real challenges with design and functionality in the current space.

Take a look at the kitchen pix from the era of the previous owner, to our move-in in 2002, to present day.

Click to enlarge the photos and read the captions.

Although it’s a large kitchen with decent workspace and eat-in areas, the shoebox shape limits our ability to make radical changes to the footprint of the space. We’re not blowing out walls or moving doorways (well maybe just one, just a little) and the peninsula shape will stay. But otherwise, everything must go.

Dropped ceiling – gone! Rust-colored linoleum flooring – uh huh, gone. Piece of crap dishwasher – double gone! Weird hanging cabinet in the middle of the room – oh you bet that’ll be gone. Old-fashioned cabinets and drawers that do not feature whisper-close hardware – gone! (Now that I know it exists I must make it my own.)

In future posts I’ll share design details and some work-in-progress pictures. Fingers crossed that this project will actually/finally start on Monday - wish us luck! 


Please share your renovation stories -- good and bad, there is no indifferent when it comes to home repair -- in the Comments!