Thursday, June 11, 2009

Kitchen remodel on the cheap

I need to share with you the amazing pictures I received from my Mom last night. She's trying to make me feel better for not getting to see the finished product in person until September. HA

My parents built their house back in 1983, doing as much of the building on their own as they could (even Itty Bitty Jodi hammered some nails into that house!). Money being as tight as it was, much of the house was left in an unfinished state (as in, the plywood subflooring was painted until real flooring could be purchased). As the years went by, Mom started to have more and more of a passion for decorating (which, as you've seen, she passed on to me). But, again, money being tight and decorating resources very limited in Northern Maine, they've very slowly been working on turning their house into the home they want it to be.

The kitchen was outfitted with second hand cupboards they got for cheap when they built the house. There were a lot of empty spaces between the top ones so my Dad built some in to fill the spaces (in the before pictures, you can tell the homemade ones because they have no handles on them). Appliances have been replaced once (and are on the slate for their next big purchase). And the flooring is a slate blue laminate floating floor installed in the mid-90's to cover the cheap linoleum they'd had installed early on.

I'm having to dig through my old photos to find some true before photos, so there are some cheesy family pictures in here. Pay no attention to the people - just the room. HAHA

Before:

Sorry Mom - It's the only picture I could find that showed the old light, the old table AND that corner of the room. Dear Readers - focus on the puppy on the butt. hehe


Here, you can see an empty spot next to the stove. There used to be a broom closet there (this picture was taken after the remodel had begun and Dad had taken that closet down).


You can kind of see the broom closet here, on the right.


And here is the big honking desk.


Now feast your eyes on this! Remember, it's still in progress, but it's already a huge transformation!

The table was scored at JCPenny on sale and with a discount code. Having it shipped to the nearest store saved on shipping as well. (Notice the half wall in the back - my Dad built it years ago. It's going to be getting a paint job soon).


The new light fixture was also from JCPenny on clearance plus a discount code.

I am in love with the doors. The cabinets themselves were not changed. My Dad, with the help of their carpenter, built the doors.

Dad built a new cupboard/cabinet where the old broom closet was. LOVE it!

Closeup of doors, knobs (Ebay find) and new countertops (purchased through their local hardware store and I think is the most expensive change they made).

Finally, the big desk was moved into the basement. Beadboard was added to the bottom half of the wall. This cupboard was bought on clearance at JCPenny (again with discount codes). Notice how well the new cupboard doors match it so well? An extra piece of countertop was purchased to put on here. And there will be something happening above it (If memory serves, Dad built or is building some type of shelf).

It's pretty much just the fun stuff left - as in, the accessorizing! I'd love to be able to go help!

And now I need to convince my Dad to come help T do the same to MY cabinets. hehe

Mom - care to chime in on any of this? Corrections or additions?

4 comments:

Gram said...

I LOVE my new kitchen... there are still a lot of things to do, like accessorizing... & new appliances... but its all so much fun.... maybe I'll wait until September to decorate... just kidding...

Jodi said...

GAH! My Mama is a big tease! "Maybe I'll wait until September." TEASE!

Basic Bryan said...

The pictures don't do it justice...I was over last weekend. The kitchen is just Super! The room has a real warm calming feeling. I also saw the new drying rack in the laundry room, what a great build.

Christe Martin said...

The kitchen has always been an important place of activity at our houses. People have started giving importance to sophisticated kitchen appliances which have become the basic need of modern kitchens. They like to include these cooking appliances to make their cooking easier and efficient. The latest ones include dishwashers; microwave, electric stoves, and etc.ovens have started offering more than just the basic functions. These microwave ovens can cook your food at the required temperature at minimum time, thus saving your valuable cooking time.

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