Friday, August 6, 2010

Blast From The Past: Kitchen Redo

I started this blog only a few months ago, but there I've done other DIY projects in the past. One of the biggest was our kitchen. We live in a cute little 1930's cottage in San Antonio. We love the house's vintage charm but the kitchen was hard to deal with. It looked ok but wasn't very functional.


This was the only counter in the whole kitchen. It was only 1'-4" deep, your counters are probably 2'. We only had 4' of actually counter space, and very little storage. I did make that colander light above the sink, I was sorry to see it go but it had to in the name of function! That door you see in the background lead to our bedroom. Good for the occasional midnight snack but not good when you smell garlic all night long in your bed. And there was no dishwasher by the way...

This is the other side of the kitchen. There was no counter space for me to put pots or ingredients when I cooked on the stove. So I would have to walk back and forth to the counter constantly. And the microwave was mounted really high up. Seriously? How did people in the 1930's do it? They cooked all the time and didn't go out to eat like we do. I love to cook but it was tough in this kitchen. So after about a year of this we decided to take the plunge and renovate.


The first thing we was close up the door to the bedroom and center the stove on that wall instead. The plan was to create a U-Shaped configuration of cabinets to make the kitchen more functional.


We created a "cubby" hole for the fridge to slide into, this way it wouldn't take up as much space in the actual kitchen.


We tore out the cabinets and this is what was behind them! Wow! Yes our walls are made of wood. It makes hanging stuff easy because you never need to find a stud but difficult as well because the wood is so hard! (Petrified from years of San Antonio heat I guess.) We had an electrician come and rewire everything. It was also interested washing all our dishes in the bathroom sink.


Cabinets going in! We found these at the ReStore (after many weeks of searching).

Things are coming together! During this time we ate a lot of food that I had cooked beforehand and frozen, this way I wouldn't have to worry about cooking and we didn't need to eat out all the time.



Counter tops and sink! And a dishwasher! I didn't realize how much I would miss having a dishwasher until I didn't have one for a year.


We got an awesome deal on the glass tile for the backsplash, it wa leftovers returned from another job. Since our kitchen is small we didn't need that much. We installed it ourselves to save even more money. I was pregnant at the time so I think this would have been an easier task if I didn't have a big belly in the way while leaning over the counter. Oh ya P.S.- this might be common knowledge for most people but I didn't know. Wipe off your grout in sections, don't wait until you have half the wall done. It will be almost dry and almost impossible to get off! My pain your gain!


Check out our faucet! It's one of those single handle ones!



We kept the original floor, it was in decent shape and by keeping it we saved a lot of money.


We installed the microwave ourselves as well. It was a chore, of course we had no idea what we were doing so maybe that's why.


The fact that our kitchen is small also helped keep costs down!


So- we went from a practically unuseable kitchen to one that is totally functional and fabulous! I hope you enjoyed reliving our kitchen reno with me. Has anyone else ventured into large scale home renovations? And good stories to tell?

Linking up to Visit thecsiproject.com

51 comments:

Korrie@RedHenHome said...

It looks great! I love your backsplash.

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

Great job on the remodel. It sure is a lot of work. We had our master bathroom done about 2 years ago. Did some of the work myself, but not as brave as you. I absolutely love the charm and character of the older homes. The floor looks great still.
Betsy

becky said...

What a beautiful kitchen! I luv redos! You are a brave soul to take on such a job. We need to start doing some projects around our house to get ready to put it on the market! You give me hope!

Bumblebee and Sophie said...

Wow! Good for you for taking the plunge and just going for it! I'm very impressed! I love the open shelves with the pops of red!

Lisa said...

It looks amazing! I can't believe you did that all yourself and added so much extra space! We really want to redo our kitchen because it's not functional either, but I'm nervous to take on such a huge project. We've done a lot of remodeling, but the kitchen is the hardest task in the house. How did you survive while it was going on? And how did you get it done as fast as possible?

Embellished Bayou said...

It looks really great! We just re-did our countertops and backsplash, but I can't imagine ripping everything out & doing a full renovation! Our backsplash is the glass tiles, too, I really love that look!

Unknown said...

Hey Lisa- typing a message to you right now!

Unknown said...

The backsplash rocks! Love it.

Happy Friday!

I'm following via Blog Hop Friday.

Have a great day!

Lisa

Debbie said...

What a transformation! Looks totally different. Really cozy looking too.
Good job!
Debbie@houseatthelake

Claudia said...

Isnt it so fun to be inspired by blogging?

You have done such a nice job with your kitchen renovation.

Well done.

Claudia

Anonymous said...

LOVE the backsplash! Pretty!
Here from the blog hop!
Come follow back! :)
http://3amclothdiapersnopins.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

I love the look and feel of older homes but I do think your kitchen looks a lot better (and functional) with the remodel!

Marjory Skousen said...

Following the Friday blog hop. The kitchen turned out so nicely. Hope you'll drop by my blog and follow me too.

chris said...

What a change. I hope you're enjoying that kitchen a whole lot more. San Antonio is such a fun place to live.

Santa's Gift Shoppe and Ideas said...

Hi..I’m Barb….I am from TTA. I am your newest follower. I hope you will get a chance to visit my blog @ santasgiftshoppe.blogspot.com & get inspired by something for your family/home. I hope you will follow me as well. I also would love for you to be a new Fan of my Facebook page too & click “LIKE” in the upper right hand corner of my blog & you’ve done it..Thanks so much! I am just starting at Facebook. Nice to meet ya new friend!!!

Unknown said...

You did great! A lot of work, but it is always worth it! You saved a lot of money too i see. Good job!
Come follow me back :)
Frenchy

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

It looks great. And so wonderful that you got a good deal on the tile. Everything looks great!!

XOXO
Jen

Ms Bingles Vintage Christmas said...

Oh, I love it!
It really came out nice!
Thank you for sharing!
Leticia
www.msbinglesvintagechristmas.com

Dawn said...

hey girl!this looks great:) I am your newest follower from FF :) Have a great weekend!
http://flipoutmama.blogspot.com/

Pam said...

Great redo on your kitchen. I've washed dishes in the bathroom sink too; it's sure no fun. Finding those cabinets at the ReStore was lucky, wasn't it? Yeah! Thanks for visiting my blog. Pam @ Sallygoodin

Teresa said...

Great redo- we just got a new home {new to us} it was build in 1921.
And right now we are redoing the kitchen....but we are keeping the cabinets...they were in good shape. But I so understand the countertops ours are 22"deep. Thanks for sharing

Donene said...

It looks great and so much more functional! Well done!

Julie said...

Love your glass tile!

The Pennington Point said...

Oh I love a good budget redo. Very nice job. I redid my kitchen by myself a couple of ears ago, so I know how much work went into that! Lisa~

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Awesome looking re-do job on your 30's kitchen...love that backsplash!

Blessings,
Linda

stephaniegiese said...

Great job! I'm visiting from Craft-o-maniac. I love ReSource too! We are in the process of re-doing our kitchen almost completely out of stuff we found on Craigslist. It's a slow process, but I'm really pleased with the way it's turning out. You can check out our remodel here if you're interested:

http://binkiesandbriefcases.blogspot.com/2010/07/this-is-my-new-stove.html

Sherry from Alabama said...

How beautiful! You have a lovely blog. I've enjoyed visiting this morning.

Sherry @ A Happy Valentine

Crystal said...

Wow! Very pretty kitchen. I love the backsplash.

Lindsay said...

Looks great!! We re-did our kitchen in a 1950s home last summer and have loved every bit of the new one!

Check it out at http://thatvillagehouse.blogspot.com/2010/06/where-it-all-began.html

Glad to see a fellow Texan blogger too! :)

Lindsay from That Village House

Heaven's Walk said...

What a transformation, Rachelle! I don't know how you even functioned in that little kitchen w/no counters before the redo! lol! But you really did a wonderful job with it. And isn't it the greatest to stand back when it's all done, knowing you did alot of the work yourself and saving yourself a ton of $$? Yay!

xoxo laurie@heavens-walk

Ginger said...

Love it! Great use of the space! Thanks for linking up to Mad Skills Monday!

And link up all you want for more chances to win 30 days FREE ad space!

Unknown said...

Awesome...I bet it has been wonderful! This last 8 months is the first time we've had a dishwasher and now I actually get other things done during the day (now that I'm not doing dishes all day! :)

Have a great night!

Sarah

Jill said...

I know how frustrating this is! My boyfriend just bought a 1930s house and there's about 1.5' of counter space on either side of the sink and the one side is useless because the stove is pushed up against it! The renos will include knocking out the wall of useless space between the kitchen and the dining room!! Yours looks great!

Amanda @ Healthy House on the Block said...

Looks great, Rachelle! I love that backsplash! I'll be you're enjoying cooking in your new kitchen! :)

Get Nestled In said...

Gorgeous! I love it!

Jessica @ Saving Money Living Life said...

Love the backsplash! We redid our kitchen a few years ago and it was the best thing we ever did. Thanks for stopping by our blog on Friday and linking up- we love having you participate!

Atticmag said...

Enjoy our new kitchen. It's always great to get that done! Jane F.

Nikki said...

Looks AWESOME!!!! Thanks so much for linking up to gettin' crafty on hump day! :)

- Brittany aka Pretty Handy Girl said...

That is beautiful! Love that you found cabinets at your ReStore.

Brittany
http://www.prettyhandygirl.com

- Brittany aka Pretty Handy Girl said...

That is beautiful! Love that you found cabinets at your ReStore.

Brittany
http://www.prettyhandygirl.com

Allison Shops said...

Nice job! Moving the appliances a bit was a great idea. The backsplash is so pretty.

Thanks for stopping by Atticmag and commenting on the DIY chandelier post.

Allison
Atticmag

Ruth said...

Your kitchen looks great!! We are currently working on ours. We also had a door from the kitchen to our room and we closed it off. I am looking forward to when it's over. We are doing it ourselves.

Ruth

Carolyn @ My Backyard Eden said...

Everything looks beautiful. You must really be loving all of the counterspace. My favorite part is your backsplash!

Holly said...

Wow, that's awesome! You did a really nice job...what an improvement!

Jules said...

I'm laughing at your "washing dishes in the bathroom" comment, because it is exactly what I said ... some how it just seems so wrong! You did an amazing job!!! jules

Kate said...

What a huge transformation! It looks great!

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

great job! I love the ReStore! Your kitchen looks fabulous!
gail

Lena said...

Wow! What a difference! Great job!

Doro said...

I live in an old craftsman bungalow which we saved from destruction by moving the structure about 1/2 mile out of a commercial corridor into the neighborhood behind. The house is great and there is a lot of potenial --- But like your former room, our kitchen just doesn't work. I don't know how we will ever get it to work with the current layout. There are even less counterspace than you had ( only about 8" contiguous in any given spot) and NO space for the fridge. We currently have the fridge blocking the back door because there is somewhat of a cubby there created by a counter on the one side, and a wall on the other (and of course the door behind). I keep thinking and thinking about how we can reconfigure windows & doors. The room is only about 10' X 10', but has a door to the basement, to the dining room, to a hallway, and to the outside, not to mention two windows which take up wall-space as well. (No dishwasher for us either.) Someday it will be worth it. Unfortunately, I suspect it will be quite spendy to get to that point though. Love the rest of our house though, lots of great woodwork and high ceilings, not to mention dormers and a wrap-around porch.

Pam said...

Looks great. Amazing what a little work and loving care can do.

Unknown said...

Your kitchen is lovely! I went to college at St.Mary's University- a lot of time spent in Old SA : o )