Kitchen Progress: Moving Doors and Windows

Our kitchen remodel is chugging along.  Our plan started with removing a wall to increase the size of the kitchen and add a walk in pantry.  This required not only removing the wall, but also removing the two original windows in the dining room and one in the kitchen, moving the back door location, installing a new large bay window for above the sink, and moving an interior doorway for better access from the hallway into the kitchen.  It is a long and relatively narrow space - which required thoughtful and careful planning to achieve the best layout to meet our needs.

I really wanted a functional island with a few seats so that I can spend time with my family and friends while I cook.  I've never had an eat in kitchen (as an adult), and really craved the feeling I had growing up where I baked cookies with my mom at the kitchen table.  The width of this kitchen did not really permit a spot for a kitchen table - so I opted for a long and narrow island that is roughly 60% storage/utility and 40% seating.

Moving exterior doors and windows to give better flow was an obvious step in my plan.  Because our kitchen is on the north side of the house, keeping it light and bright is very important to me.  Also, my garden and chicken coop are both out back - so I want to have a good view of them when working at the sink.  For this reason, in addition to the largest bay window we could fit, we chose a 15 light back entry door.  We are very secluded in the middle of our property which is surrounded by woodlands and farmland, so privacy is not really an issue.

Here is a shot of the original windows and door.  The dining room had the two large windows on the left and the dividing wall was standing right before the old back door.  The old window was above the sink.

Our new window and door.  Swoon!

 

 

 

 

The kitchen with pantry at back, with electric and insulation ready for the drywall installation.  The 3 floodlight bulbs are where the pendant lights will hang above our new island. 

Other than some help from friends my husband has worked with in the past, we (mostly my husband) did the work up to this point.  My husband amazes me with his electric and plumbing skills.  It must be the engineer in him, because he makes it look so easy.  We did hire professional drywall installers because it's seriously an art to achieve perfectly smooth walls and ceilings.

And, voila! We have walls and a ceiling!

It's very exciting to finally see the room take shape and imagine the finished product.  We still have a long way to go, but the end is in sight (with binoculars).  Next is installing the new plumbing, relocating some HVAC vents, and then flooring installation.  

In my next post, I'll share some of my design elements.  I really love the choices I've made, but can't help but worry that they will all play nicely together. After countless hours researching and choosing elements within our budget and taste, my fingers are crossed. 

My Long Overdue Kitchen Remodel

I adore cooking and baking.  I love trying new recipes, creating my own, and preparing tried and true meals.  With this comes lots of cooking and baking accoutrements.  I also collect lots of antique and vintage china, pottery, and glassware.  Add all these items to a small and poorly designed kitchen and it pretty much creates chaos.  I freely admit that I am part of the problem too - I am not exactly the most disciplined person when it comes to organization.  I need to have a place for everything - and well, I just don't.  At least not yet...

We moved into this home about 3 and a half years ago knowing that the kitchen didn't meet our needs.  However, expenses including a new roof, HVAC system, a custom built chicken coop, and a handful of unexpected appliance replacements came first. I waited patiently and finally it is time!

We started this project in late April.  It is slow going as we are doing the bulk of the work ourselves.  Since the husband has a more than full time job and really can only devote time on weekends, it is slow going.  I just keep telling myself it will all be worth it.  Slow and steady wins the race, right?

My husband and son taking the initial shots demoing the wall between the kitchen and little dining room.  My son's face was priceless when we told him he can hammer a hole in the wall and even draw on it with a permanent marker!

Because our home was built by the previous owners with a couple of additions over the years, the original kitchen and dining room were relatively small. They share a wall and have a pocket door between them.  The original dining room was so small that I actually used it as a storage room of sorts.  We have a second spacious dining room in the addition on the other side of the kitchen.  After much consideration, we decided the best way to improve the function of our kitchen without adding another addition, was to take down a wall combining the kitchen and small dining room to make a larger kitchen and walk in pantry.

What a difference removing the wall made!

The dining room side had a wood floor.  It was relatively easy to remove with a crowbar.  This was my job.

The kitchen floor was tile on cement board.  Removing it was very hard work, but my husband muscled through it.

In my next post, I'll tell you more about my design plans and the ongoing progress.  As of this writing, I am totally without a kitchen.  It isn't fun, but I'm trying to stay positive and keep my eyes on the prize.  Cooking and baking are my stress relievers, so not being able to do it, has been especially challenging for me.  Assuming everything continues to go on schedule, 14 weeks will be the entire duration.  Yes, I said FOURTEEN weeks.  Ideally it would have been 4-6 weeks, but when a remodel is mostly DIY (and you basically have 2 days a week to get stuff done) - this is what you get. Regardless of whether you use a contractor or not, no remodel can really go fast enough while living in and through it.