Before
We have been talking about doing a kitchen makeover almost since we moved into this house (17 years!). The kitchen was small, dark and inefficient. We knew we needed to do something but we weren't exactly sure what to do thus the procrastination (that and, of course, the cost).
So, what propelled us into action? Appliances! This is how we went about our renovation - some chance, some research and planning...
Step 1 - Select Appliances
In April 2011, the adventure began. We walked into Corbeil Appliances on a whim and left having purchased a new KitchenAid stove, fridge and microwave/range hood. Now that we had appliances, we had no choice but to move on with the renovation.
Step 2 - Research Cabinet Makers
As we discovered, the next step was to seek out kitchen designers and cabinet makers. We knew we wanted to go the custom cabinet route. With little space to work with, it was important that all the space we had was used efficiently. We visited several cabinet makers and found a handfull that we felt good with going forward to the next step. We had designs done by two companies (the third company didn't show up). This process actually took quite a bit of time (the process was interupted by summer vacation and a trip to BC at the end of July).
Step 3 - Select Kitchen Design
We worked with Michel Seguin from Sebo Woodwork, who designed a very nice layout. We had some ideas of what we wanted - we knew for sure we wanted the wall between the kitchen and dining room removed and that we wanted an island with pots and pans drawers. The rest was up to him. He switched the fridge and stove locations to make for more efficient workspace, added a beautiful island with counter height workspace on the kitchen side and bar height on the dining room side. Dining room built ins completed the design. We finally signed a contract with Sebo in September.
Step 4 - Hire Contractor
We already knew who we wanted to hire for the kitchen work. We have been hiring Jonathan Barlow for all our renovations for the past several years. He does very good work and we trust him to come through. We just needed to make sure he was available at the same time that the cabinets would be ready.
Step 5 - Select Finishes
Granite; Flooring; Backsplash; Cabinet Style, colour and handles. This was a very tough job. We had already started looking at these choices before we left on summer vacation and had pretty much picked out the cabinet colour and granite before we left. I used a board on Pinterest to help in this process - it helped to see how our selections were coming together - a virtual design board. Selections are (and the order that the selections were made):
- Cabinet Colour - we loved one of the display kitchens in Sebo's showroom - it was a big inspiration to the design and also colour selection. We chose a mix of dark and light colours with Sugar cabinets in the kitchen and Ebony for the island and dining room cabinets.
- Granite - Caledonia from Majestic Granite - finishing by The Granite Shop
- Cabinet Style - we chose Maple cabinets in a simple straight design with an inside bevel. There are so many options available when chosing cabinet style... (Sebo offers 40 some bevel styles!). It is easy to feel overwhelmed. Best advice is to make a selection and come back another day to review the decisions to make sure you are still comfortable with it. Michel drew our first cabinet selection into the designs and I knew right away I didn't want it (we had a curve on the top cabinets). I am thankful we changed that to straight lines.
- Floor - the original tile we chose was RAK Earth Stone Cement Grey from Euro Tile. We had to make a modification once the renovation was underway and ended up going with a different floor tile which was very similar (I will have to look up what it is called). I was so overwhelmed when I was looking for flooring. The saleswoman was amazing - she talked to me about what I liked and the style I was interested in. Within ten minutes I was walking out the door with three samples (one of which we selected).
- Backsplash - again, the saleswoman at Euro Tile was amazing. She helped me select gorgeous glass tiles that matched the granite perfectly - Bellavita Bamboo Pearl Grey. This was very overwhelming as well - so glad that she understood what I was looking for and found the perfect tiles! As the job was being completed, our awesome contractor suggested brushed nickel strips to accent the tile - it really finished it off!
Step 6 - Prepare Temporary Kitchen and Old Kitchen
The cabinets were scheduled to take 6-8 weeks to build and finish. We used this time to prepare our temporary kitchen space in the basement. We were planning to be out of our kitchen for at least 4 weeks and I didn't want to be too inconvenienced in case this took longer than expected (as these things normally do). We had a small utility room in the basement that housed our freezer and other storage. We decided to sell the freezer and purchase a small second fridge and put more cabinets in this room surrounding the fridge. We moved our small appliances here for cooking (microwave, slow cooker, rice cooker, toaster, etc.). The laundry sink was our water source and washing station. It served us well!
We had started purging the old kitchen long before the work began. We got rid of stuff we no longer used (both dishes and food). Any food that was still good, in packaging and we weren't going to use while the renovations were underway went to the food bank. We sold our old dining room set and gave away the old fridge and stove. Timing is everything and the pickup of the appliances occured after the new fridge arrived for the basement and prior to the demolition.
Just before the work started, I packed up the old kitchen - whatever was needed during the reno we moved to the temporary kitchen. The rest went in boxes.
Step 7 - Let the fun begin!
Demolition started on October 16. It was during the demolition that we decided to carry the ceramic tiles right across the kitchen and dining room space. It was sad to pull up the perfectly good oak flooring but this was a very good decision and really makes what was once two small rooms become one open space.
Preparations were complete at the beginning of November (wall repairs, flooring repair and installation, electrical, painting, etc.). The cabinets were installed in mid November, appliances arrived shortly after and the granite was installed in early December.
There were decisions to make as the process went along, of course. We chose our sink and faucet from Boone Plumbing. We wanted high quality fixtures - we have replaced three sink faucets in the time we have been in this house and I was getting a bit tired of that. We chose a Grohe faucet and Kindred sink. The faucet is German made with solid stainless steel - should last as long as we are in this house. The sink is a single, 23" wide sink, 10" deep. It is amazing!
Actually, we had a bit of an issue with the first sink we chose - when the granite guy came to produce the template for the granite we discovered the sink wasn't going to fit due to the pop out shelf we had chosen in the cabinet and the style of faucet. So, we paid quite a bit more to get a sink that was 3/4" smaller (depth) - go figure. Something to think about when you choose cabinet options...
Paint colour was another decision. Right from when we started picking out the granite and cabinet colour, I was drawn to using green in our design. Those that know me know that I LOVE green! We chose C2's Al Green for the walls. We searched high and low for dishes with green accents as well and found Nugget and Stitch by Spal at Linen Chest. I bought a few pieces from Linen Chest to get us started and placed the remainder of the order on-line through a company in Portugal (the dishes are made in Portugal).
Step 8 - Enjoy the finished product
We love our new space. Even though we didn't increase the square footage, it seems so much more spacious. I love to entertain and we haven't done much of this since we moved to Ottawa. The layout just didn't work well for people or visiting. I can see this changing once our new dining room table and chairs arrive!
Tips for a Kitchen Makeover
If you are planning a major renovation, here is what we have learned with the last few renovations we have done (including this one):
- Establish a realistic budget and plan for it. We knew we were doing a significant renovation and that it would require a big investment. Our kitchen reno budget was $40K (including appliances). We went a bit over due to some changes but we were close.
- Buy as high a quality as you can afford. There is a difference between the $150 from the local hardware and the $700 faucet from the plumbing specialist. Remember - you get what you pay for. We learned this lesson the hard way when we did a major bathroom renovation a few years ago. We went with low bidder, bought mid quality components and will be re-doing this bathroom in the next year (that renovation deserved a visit from Mike Holmes!)
- Hire a kitchen designer - well worth it. They are in the business of designing kitchens and know about the latest things on the market. I would not have known to include the things that I now love the most.
- Engage the services of a lighting specialist. We didn't do this but I wish we had. Lighting is a significant investment and you want to get it right. I am not saying we are not happy with the lighting - we actually are. I just may have done the ceiling pot lights a bit different than we did.
- Be patient. Everything takes longer than you expect it to.
We just need to do some decorating touches now - window treatments, wall decor, etc. I am looking forward to this next stage. We have ordered a new dining room table and chairs and it should arrive in February. Once it all comes together I will do an update.
Renovations aren't over in our house yet though. Next is the laundry room, then the entrance and powder room, followed by the main bath. I have started refreshing the living room as well - new paint, baseboards, crown moulding and we are starting the search for new furniture. By the time we are done, our house will be totally refreshed!
A few photos during the renovation process (click on the photo to see it full size):
