Need to remodel kitchen without...

[recycled sixtie]

doing a full reno. Understand that a full reno would be around $25k and the wife does not like the disruption of a major reno. Thinking of spending about max $15k and not change the floor plan. The counter is probably original . Want to keep the big kitchen sink. Backsplash has to go.

Would have it done professionally. Thinking of resale so likely light neutral colors.

So any ideas from you DIY guys and prof remodellers would be appreciated.

Also would kitchen cabinets be okay with new doors or should we go with brand new cupboards? What is the best backsplash treatment now? Not sure about kind of counter to put in. Your opinions are valued!

[

[recycled sixtie]

One more pic...

[Don Ro]

Keep the door bell.

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

Keep the door bell.

Haha that is funny. Funny you mention that - it does not work anyway!

[fintstone]

Other than the backsplash, why would you change anything? Maybe tile the floor (or hardwood).

[fintstone]

Probably need to see the other wall/walls.

[boboli]

You will be amazed at how much an improvement doing little can do..If it was me I would repaint the cabinets..Replace the knobs with pull. Get granite counter and use a glass tile backsplash. I would add a dishwasher if possible and if not,I would add a deep double bowl sink. I can not tell what the floor material is but if its tile you can probably keep it if its in good condition.. Update the rest of the appliances to stainless and call it done....This may change if I could see more of the microwave wall area..

[billybek]

+1 on more pictures.
You could probably gain a great deal of space by changing the layout. Is there a separate dining area? Photos of how the spaces are divided and what you suspect are weight bearing walls.
It sounds like a major reno and probably is but rearranging the kitchen will be dollars well spent when and if you are going to sell in the near future.
Plus I am really good at spending other peoples money!

[Rodsrsr]

Thats not a good layout. There's a good 1/2 a foot wasted space to the right of your oven and cabinets directly above the range is all wrong. Need to see the other two walls to get a better idea of what you can do. If the microwave was over the range it would free up the space its currently taking and you could possibly add cabinets where it was. Of course you would need a full size built in microwave.

[intakexhaust]

Size and current layout needs to be looked at before discussing. But even before that, you mentioned resale. When will that take place... a year from now or ten? Trends come and go so keep that in mind.

You might keep this thought too - what you or your wife likes, the next might not and they have their own thoughts or standards. So some prefer a kitchen as it is during purchase and they'll do themselves. Any money you put into it may be an entire loss. I've seen this countless times on BRAND NEW homes - New $100k kitchens taken out and replaced!

But, since you asked and what is shown, I would tear it all out, including the basin. Maybe keep the range. Donate the cabinets or move to the garage (if appropriate), sell the fridge and replace with matching stainless look. With using the budget in mind:

lay a better quality engineered wood laminate floor.
Select a big box retailer group of cabinets having concealed hinges.
Formica or solid surface countertop.
Dual sink and new faucet.
Change the lighting / install or upgrade electrical if needed (disposal, GFCI, etc.?)

For color and tone. No loud looks but do have color for some 'pop'. There's some super looking wall coverings as well that can accent a specific wall / or even used as a backsplash. For ideas look thru magazines, kitchen supplier pamphlets etc.. Much depends on the type of lighting (day and evening). How much natural light? Is another window available... consider a larger one?

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

One more pic...

More pics...

[mikesride]

IMHO....it looks to me like you might really benefit from a new layout that allows for more counter space 60. But if the layout works for you than maybe just a nice glass tile backsplash euro hinge cabinet doors update the flooring and match the appliances. You would also be amazed what the right lighting can do.

[jyl]

For a freshen-up I would
- Replace all cabinet and drawer doors. Consider glass panel doors for a couple of the upper cabinets, they make a small space look larger (if you're kind of organized).
- Repaint cabinets to an interesting color. If you want to stay neutral, gray (like a dove gray) is quite "in" right now. Go trawl some kitchen reno sites and see what colors people are liking.
- Install slide outs drawers in all the lower cabinets. Crouching down to dig through lower cabinet shelves is not fun. The trend is to all drawers, but for a low-cost facelift, slideouts do almost the same thing.
- Install under cabinet lighting. Desirable and functional.
- The counter has the most visual impact. Stone, slate, steel, wood are all pretty in. Tile and formica are definitely not in.
- See if you can fit a bigger sink.
- For backsplash, tile is the choice of most, for awhile everyone lusted after white subway tiles, many still do. Take the backsplash all the way to the upper cabinets.
- Need a dishwasher, for sure. Probably to the left of the sink, to avoid door contention with the range. Stainless d/w plus stainless refrigerator to match the range is probably the safest for resale. Counter-depth refrigerator will take up less room, won't jut out so much.
- Floor can be tile, laminate, etc.

Going a bit beyond a freshen-up
- Need a proper vent hood, venting to the outside. Means replacing the upper cabinets on the range wall. Not a big deal as it isn't a long run.
- I would not have the upper cabinet fascia extend to the ceiling. I'd have a 1 foot or more gap and install accent lighting.
- Find another place for the microwave and get a stretch of counter space and under counter cabinetry there. The kitchen needs more counter space (most people will feel).
- Raise the upper cabinets to at least 18" above the counter. Low uppers date a kitchen and don't fit the ever-growing countertop appliances that people use now - fancy blenders, etc.
- Build some sheet tray storage into the empty space between range and wall.

[Rusty914s]

Maintain and keep it in top shape. 15k will only buy you modern cheap materials and certainly won't allow you to change layout (electrical/plumbing).

Like one of the gentleman said above, the money you spend will not yield any extra cash plus it'll probably turn off some buyers.

Plus, it looks like the kitchen fits the house...I find charm in antiquated things.

[Bill Douglas]

I do ones like this too.

I replace the cupboard doors, counter top and do a glass splashback. New built in oven and new rangehood/extractor fan.

It gives it a huge lift without replacing cabinets or upsetting plumbing.

[GWN7]

Rona has a planning center. Draw on graph paper the measurements of the room and take it to them to get a idea what other options you can get out of the room.

As others have said paint or new doors and pulls. New counter top (flowform has a built in back splash).

If you need more cupboard space, the area where your microwave is can be used to put uppers along that wall to add space. I did this in my kitchen. I have a doorway next to them and couldn't utilise full depth lower cupboards but needed more storage space.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by jyl

For a freshen-up I would
- Replace all cabinet and drawer doors. Consider glass panel doors for a couple of the upper cabinets, they make a small space look larger (if you're kind of organized).
- Repaint cabinets to an interesting color. If you want to stay neutral, gray (like a dove gray) is quite "in" right now. Go trawl some kitchen reno sites and see what colors people are liking.
- Install slide outs drawers in all the lower cabinets. Crouching down to dig through lower cabinet shelves is not fun. The trend is to all drawers, but for a low-cost facelift, slideouts do almost the same thing.
- Install under cabinet lighting. Desirable and functional.
- The counter has the most visual impact. Stone, slate, steel, wood are all pretty in. Tile and formica are definitely not in.
- See if you can fit a bigger sink.
- For backsplash, tile is the choice of most, for awhile everyone lusted after white subway tiles, many still do. Take the backsplash all the way to the upper cabinets.
- Need a dishwasher, for sure. Probably to the left of the sink, to avoid door contention with the range. Stainless d/w plus stainless refrigerator to match the range is probably the safest for resale. Counter-depth refrigerator will take up less room, won't jut out so much.
- Floor can be tile, laminate, etc.

Going a bit beyond a freshen-up
- Need a proper vent hood, venting to the outside. Means replacing the upper cabinets on the range wall. Not a big deal as it isn't a long run.
- I would not have the upper cabinet fascia extend to the ceiling. I'd have a 1 foot or more gap and install accent lighting.
- Find another place for the microwave and get a stretch of counter space and under counter cabinetry there. The kitchen needs more counter space (most people will feel).
- Raise the upper cabinets to at least 18" above the counter. Low uppers date a kitchen and don't fit the ever-growing countertop appliances that people use now - fancy blenders, etc.
- Build some sheet tray storage into the empty space between range and wall.

+1.

IMO you will have a hard time recouping $$ invested without doing a floor plan and layout update. Folks like to spend time cooking and socializing so any attempt to incorporate the spaces will be beneficial. That said I do agree that older homes would do well to keep some of their original charm.

I am adding some recent pictures of my current renovation. In July we purchased a home built in the 70's. The previous owners invested some money - I would say $15K in new appliances, counters, skylight, and tile floors in the kitchen. The owners before them did a nice sun room addition with the PO did not integrate with. We ended up completely tearing out the 'updated' kitchen and removed the non-load bearing wall to make a great room.

Original Kitchen and sun room pictures





Demolition Day


Some progress




Make no mistake - it has been VERY inconvenient but we have our eyes down the road and are very happy with the progress thus far. I hired out the demolition and the work to move conduit and water through the slab for the island. We reused the newer appliances (dishwasher and wall oven/micro) and added our own.

Materials
IKEA Kitchen cabinets. Very happy with the quality - IMO == to semi custom from the big box home improvement stores. Drawer guides are metal and solid. All soft close. Good warranty.
Iron Wood counter top on the island. We have had granite in the past and were looking for something out of the ordinary. Iron wood is very heavy and robust. Time will tell on how it will age.
Flooring is a mix of Mexican saltillo and engineered hardwood. The hardwood is heavily distressed (hand scraped) so that dings and damage simply add character (I our opinion)

Pending work

TONS! I still have to finish the gas cooktop area. I am going to incorporate a ventilation system (motor mounted in the attic) into a custom arched canopy that I am building. The splash will get a pot filler faucet. The remaining kitchen counter tops are going to be a colorful Mexican tile as will the back splash. Still need to add more lighting, lots of details like moulding and paint.

So far we are about $22K into this. Like I said I have done most of the work myself.

Please feel free to ask me any questions here or by PM. I have covered most of all the angles thus far and will be happy to share.

[JavaBrewer]

A few more pictures for ideas.

Saltillo tile with wood samples. Wanted a flowing edge rather than a traditional straight boundry of tile and wood.


Better pictures of the cooktop area.




Don't be afraid of using different materials!

[Cajundaddy]

As an example, this is what we did to refresh our kitchen 8 years ago. When we bought the house in 2005, the kitchen looked like "Attack of the killer bees" with painfully bright yellow/black stripes wallpaper. It also had an indoor BBQ which was never used, electric range, and a tiny space for an old school fridge.

The house was built in 1965 and we wanted to keep the look somewhat period consistent. While everyone else was putting in $60k kitchens with granite counter tops and stainless my wife chose Corian counters and white appliances and we are very pleased with this choice. We had a skilled carpenter rework the cabinets, my wife stripped and repainted them, and I installed all new hardware. The lighting was changed to CFL cans with several options for brightness and coverage. New double well sink and range/double oven/microwave. We kept the oak floor as it was still in good shape. This resulted in a Martha Stewart look that suits the house and our lifestyle and is very different than every other kitchen in the area. Total cost including range/oven/microwave was around $15K. The pictured fridge and dishwasher models are recent additions.

[Rodsrsr]

Can you post a pic of the entire wall where the microwave currently is?