Ikea Kitchen
Budget, time and functionality was we wanted for remodeling the kitchen. We had already gutted the kitchen and needed to have a plan in order to move forward. The off the shelf kitchen cabinets at the big box improvement stores were within the budget, but did not have the functionality or quality we were looking for. So we got a quote for custom kitchen cabinets, $9,700, definitely not in the budget and that did not include the granite. So my husband suggested Ikea. Hmmm…I have browsed their kitchen section a couple of times, and was impressed with the style, options and price, so why not?
Before we headed out to Ikea, I had drawn up a floor plan, looked on their site of the variety of cabinets that would fit. So I felt I was prepared. But I was amazed on how Ikea has all their different style of kitchens set up so you can actually see what it would look like in a real kitchen. You got to open and close the cabinets, feel the finishes, look at the quality, it was really amazing. And they had options galore. And the prices were displayed as well. The thing was, we wanted mainly drawers for the lower cabinets. To me drawers add so much more functionality to a kitchen than a regular cabinet door with shelves. With doors, you have to bend down look what is in there, and most of it you can’t see because it is buried in the back. With drawers, you just pull it out and everything is there in plain view. No hunching over, digging through pots and pans looking for that one lid you put in there.
Craig’s list finds for the kitchen remodel
I love Craig’s list! It has been my “go to” resource in the last 6 weeks for this remodel. Case in point, the glass tile back splash you see here. Sometimes you just don’t know what you are going to get until you actually go look at first. Well, I was SO surprised when I got there and saw the label on the box, Walker Zanger! Are you kidding me? That is high end quality tile! It retails for about $25 for a 12″ x 12″ sheet, and what did this gentlemen want? $5 a sheet! He had enough to do a whole bathroom! I didn’t even negotiate with the guy, I already knew it was a deal, so I just handed him $150 (that is how much I needed to do the back splash) and left with a HUGE smile on my face .
Since the sink didn’t have a window in front of it, I wanted to add a little eye candy to look at when you wash the dishes. I had plenty of this tile left over from my kitchen
and so I used it for an 18″ x 18″ design centered above the sink wall. And you can’t beat the price…free. Plus I got rid of some tile I would never use again.
Kitchen Remodel
Well, the kitchen at my daughter’s house is now complete. My daughter and son-in-law are ready to move in and start making their house their home. It has been a long 6 weeks, but oh so worth it. I have so much to show you, but I wanted to start with the kitchen remodel first. It went from a 90′s style “L” shaped kitchen with very little cupboard space and A LOT of wasted floor space.
{Don’t be alarmed with the black stuff on the very back wall. It isn’t mold, it is actually the remnants of sound proofing foam that was taken off those walls. Right off the kitchen there was a set up for a recording studio from the previous owner. Go figure. }
Once we gutted the kitchen, I laid out the new floor plan {orange tape, very professional} to maximize all the space we could. We took down the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room which enabled me to add an island.
Eliminating that wall also brought more natural light into the kitchen
And here it is all finished! {well minus a couple of cabinet pulls that we forgot to get} Can we get a WOO HOO? I am so happy with how it all turned out. The kitchen has so much of a brighter felling to it now don’t you think? Can’t wait to find some cool bar stools to add that finishing touch to the island.
Gutting Is Never Easy
This was the lovely kitchen layout last week in my daughter and son-n-law’s first home purchase. There is a lot of wasted space in this room. Not to mention very little cupboard space. 
The tiny wall opening was the pass through from the dining room/living room area. It really gave the kitchen a closed in feeling. I knew if we removed the majority of that wall, it would make the kitchen dining room area feel so much more open. So out came the wall.
Ah, much better. Now to fix that silly layout of the “L” kitchen. I wanted to utilize the long wall for a better layout. So I taped the layout out on the floor. The refrigerator is now at the end of the long wall, which allows me to utilize the old refrigerator space for a nice pantry and desk area. I added a small island in front of the long wall. {that round table is my visual of a bar stool, it was in the back of my car, and I needed a visual, works for me!}
The sink pipe needs to be moved against the wall, the contractor said this wouldn’t be a problem. I met with the plumber two days ago to go over all the plumbing tasks I will need him to do, including moving this pipe. He asked me what type of foundation it was. Hmmm… “don’t really know, I don’t have the plans for this house but why do you ask?” He proceeds to tell me that if it is a post tension slab there could be a problem. Without getting into too many boring details, the bottom line is this. When they pour a post tension foundation for a house, they run these tension cables in the concrete in a specific grid pattern and then tighten them to bolts. The tight grid of steel cables support the slab. Unlike conventional “inactive” rebar, post-tension tendons continually contribute to the structural integrity of home. If a contractor puts this type of foundation in, they stamp the floor of the garage. We looked. Nothing. So we are good to go. The next day, we start saw cutting the concrete. 
Crap! You see it? That black rope looking thing next to the pipe? Yep you guessed it, post-tension foundation! Shoot! The chances of that are like 1-100 in this area to have that type of foundation. I called my contractor and he said tell him to STOP!!! I guess it is dangerous if you break one of those cables, it will snap and could kill you from the tension it has on it. Great huh? So now what? I can’t go back to that “L” shaped kitchen layout, but if I can’t move the sink, there isn’t another layout that would work. Today I meet with the plumber and contractor. I guess there is a way to slowly chip away the concrete without jeopardizing the integrity of the foundation, but we need to take a closer look at it. Wish me luck!
