Before & After Kitchen Renovation

Welcome back! It's Monday & it's back to work! Today.....one of my readers, Meaghan Taylor sent over her amazing Kitchen renovation. 

She described the before pictures by saying, "it looked like a crack den." Ha! Well, I'm not going to disagree with her on that but let's just say the after pics are amazing! 

As many of you know I L-O-V-E a white kitchen & this one was done so nicely...... from the white subway tiles to the black counter tops! I can hardly believe it's the same place....can you?? Let Meaghan know what you think of her reno!!

BEFORE

 AFTER

 

BEFORE

Here's what Meaghan had to say about the renovation project:

We purchased this home in September of 2009 and planned to first concentrate on:

 

- Removing all the 1970s wallpaper (on unprimed walls!) and painting

- Removing the popcorn ceilings and re-plastering

- Removing the carpet and replacing with hardwood

 

We also planned to paint the kitchen walls and cabinets to spruce things up a bit while we saved up for a new kitchen (WITHOUT carpet!)  Unfortunately, we were so tired after 10+ rooms that by the time we got to the kitchen (we were planning a wedding at the same time!), that never happened.  

 

FINALLY (2 years later), we can say that we are DONE!  Let's decorate (ideas welcome!)

 

 

-images by Meaghan Taylor

Read More

The Kitchen Backsplash is Done--> Nicely....(Via Made by Girl)

Backsplash is OFFICIALLY installed & the contractor did a FAB job! The honed carrara marble tiles are from Home Depot - we PAID a total of $286 for all the tiles (about 312 tiles). Then we decided on a non-sanded grout called, 'snow white', which DEFINITELY looks better than I thought it would! 

The contractor took 2 days to do the job, which is exactly the way it should be done. First day he placed the tiles & sealed them...then came back the next day for grout & one final sealing. 

(click on pics for larger images)

We still need to place the HARDWARE, (yes, they finally arrived) but I realized I ordered the wrong knobs!!!!  So, another few days of waiting, darn.....

 

images by jen

Are you doing a kitchen renovation? What kind of backsplash are you using?

Read More

Crappy Update on Our Kitchen (Via Made by Girl)

I was so EXCITED when we first begun this kitchen cabinet renovation. Now I'm a bit BUMMED out....You see, the contractors were here, they prepped & sprayed into the night but when daylight hit (next day) I started seeing paint cracking on the kick boards!!! One kick board was even BUBBLING up!! 

I'm no EXPERT but I'm going to guess they must have skipped a step! Of course, we contacted the company immediately and they said they would fix the problem.  We are waiting to set a date, hopefully not too far into the Holiday season!! Tomorrow they're supposed to deliver the painted doors.....we hope those are done correctly!

This has brought a bit of STRESS for me this weekend & I may just be driving my guy nuts with the worrying. But, come on....when someone pays for a job, it should be done right.....right?!!?  The thing that really bothered me is that the contractor told us he didn't see any CRACKS or chipping. Did he even notice that when he removed his tape and plastic covers he ALSO removed the paint off my baseboards?!?! 

Sorry I'm venting here, but I need your support and hopefully some of you out there can relate. Maybe I just need to hear that it will be ok. Thanks to all of YOU for checking in with me on my blog, I truly appreciate all your comments.

Above is a picture of my kitchen this Monday morning, however you won't be able to see ALL the stuff I'm talking about from this far. Below is some of it. Either way, this is the stage we are right now! Hopefully, this will get done RIGHT before the Holidays!

 image by jen

Read More

Kitchen Update & Other Things...(Via Made By Girl)

This WEEKEND will be FULL of doing things at home...for the most part!  First, my Ballard Designs chandelier arrived & it is HUGE!!!  I'm really crossing my fingers & hoping it will look good in the dining space. My ceilings are 10 feet high, so it should look ok right??!? Should be hung on Saturday.....

(click on pics for larger images)

NOW MY KITCHEN........after realizing how much TIME & EFFORT it was going to take to paint everything ourselves, we decided to HIRE a local company to get the cabinets professionally lacquered.  Either way, I'm having the HARDEST time picking out a white. Can you believe it?!?? We've narrowed it down to the colors you see below. 


My 1st choice is Benjamin Moore's Simply White. You can see a photo of a kitchen I found here painted in simply white. Originally, I had selected BM Cloud White but after getting the sample on a cabinet it was a bit on the yellow side! 

I REALLY want the color of the cabinets to go well with my counter tops (pictured below) & then we're more than likely selecting a white subway tile back splash or carrara marble tiles. Now, my whole house is actually painted in cloud white, so my questions are: 

• Should my cabinets be the same color as the walls (cloud white)in my home??
• How close should the cabinet color be to my counter tops?
• Do you think Simply white works for my kitchen? 
• Would subway tile or carrara marble look better? 

images by 

Let me know what you think, I will be reading all your comments, thank you!

Read More

Looking to Remodel your Kitchen??

Before remodeling, ask yourself these questions:

 "Is there anything I can do as a DIY to save money?" 

If you really feel you and your significant other (or a good friend) can install cabinets, tile, back splash or any other, then go for it. My husband installed all of our kitchen cabinets. He saved us a ton of money and we were happy with the results and the savings!  However, the one thing I wouldn't recommend installing is electrical/lighting in your kitchen. Electrical work can be dangerous so it's best to leave that job to a professional.

" Should I hire someone who quotes me a cheaper price even if they don't have a license?"

Always make sure you check references or their website before you hire a contractor. You don't want to end up with a kitchen DISASTER & then not be able to do much about it! We experienced this once, as we were short on funds and tried to save money.  BIG mistake. It turned out for the worse and we ended up having to pay double and take time off work to complete the reno ourselves! All in all, you are better protected if you hire someone who is licensed. 

 "Is my renovation realistic & within my budget?"

Always set a budget. Examine your space & make sure you plan your kitchen layout prior to hiring anyone.  Research online or at your local store for the cabinets you want. Try to choose kitchen cabinets that fit into the style of your home so your house will remain attractive to future potential buyers.

" Should I hire a contractor that has been recommended by a friend?"

I would say that you should definitely consider hiring someone that comes highly recommended by a friend. If you've seen their work before, you will have a better idea of what to expect in your renovation.

 Here are some of my FAVORITES from the House to Home UK  website.   

Read More