Home Renovation Update #14 – Kitchen Part 2
Come along with us as we renovate our 75-year-old home! Today’s home renovation update is the kitchen update part 2.
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Last week I shared the first part of our kitchen renovation. It was such as mess as it was being torn apart! I’ve never cooked all over the kitchen before, but I sure did then.
We had to keep moving the stove around the kitchen to work. And since I had no counter space, I had to do all my meal prep right on the stovetop.
At one point, the toaster was in the living room because it was the only space available to plug anything in!
The best part is that I can look back on it and laugh about cooking toast on the living room floor. But it wasn’t so funny in the middle of renovations.
It was just downright stressful!
However, it’s over and done with now and I cannot wait to share the kitchen update with you! It looks like a completely different kitchen! Well, I guess it kind of is since we gutted the entire thing.
Even though the kitchen isn’t completely done, I’m so glad that the majority of it is over. We still have to do the floors and the trim. But it’s one more room on our home renovation project that’s almost checked off.
Home renovation update: kitchen part 2
Last week I left off with us removing the floor. The first thing we had to do was replace that so we didn’t fall through to the basement.
We put in a new subfloor so now the floor will be all new, too.
We extended the wall and added new electrical boxes. We now have LED running under our cabinets to bring more light into the room.
The ceiling light in the kitchen didn’t put out a lot of light, so my husband decided to put in recessed lighting. He cut two holes in the ceiling and added electrical wires to connect them to the new switches he put in.
The hole to the old light was repaired and the ceiling was cleaned and painted.
Drywall was put up and prepped to be painted.
Next, the walls were primed and painted a light shade of grey.
Our back door was looking a little rough, but it was still in good shape. So we just removed it, sanded it, and repainted it.
The outside part of the door matches the shutters that we made for the outside of the house last year.
We painted the side of the door that faces the inside white. I think it made the room look bigger!
Next, the cabinets started going up.
Putting up cabinets isn’t the easiest task. And there’s no way one person could do it on their own. Even with two people it was still difficult.
Luckily, we had 3rd hand supports, which worked so well at holding the wall cabinets up. (The orange poles in the photo below are the 3rd hand supports.)
The cabinet doors were hung and the new microwave was put in place.
Next came the cabinets surrounding the refrigerator and the side cabinet.
Then the sink cabinets and sink went in.
And the drawer handles and cabinet knobs were put on.
We decided to save money by going with a butcher block countertop. And instead of tiling the backsplash, we used breadboard and painted it a greenish color.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was going to like that color after it went up. But, I ended up loving it!! It looks so good with the white and grey!
Here are the finished cabinets on the stove side. This photo was taken right before Christmas. You can see Henry the Elf with his plate of cookies!
We actually gained space by extending the wall, which meant we gained extra cabinet space.
One of the extra cabinets is beside the refrigerator. This has become my tiny coffee bar.
And to help you see the amazing change, here are some before and after pictures.
Next will be the kitchen floor and the trim, but that may take a little longer to do. It seems the price of flooring has increased recently. I guess Covid caused prices everywhere to go up.
Now we’re working on remodeling the third bedroom. It shouldn’t take as long since it doesn’t need a lot of work.
Have you ever taken on a kitchen renovation before?
Lots of hard work but it looks so pretty! I like that greenish color!
Thank you so much! I do, too. I was surprised at how much I actually liked it. 🙂
Wow. The difference is clear. A lot!.
Kudos to you both. ❤
Thank you so much! It really did make a huge difference. And It feels so much bigger with the lighter colors, too. 🙂
After renovation every corner looks so beautiful Michelle. ?
Thank you so much! 🙂
Wow, the results are stunning. I love the new look. It has a comforting feel to it.
Thank you so much! I agree!
Wow! What a change especially when you compare the before and after pics. Really like the new look. Has a much warmer and welcoming feel to it.
Thank you so much! I agree. Before I didn’t even want to go in the kitchen, but now I love it. I don’t even mind cooking now. 😀
The before and afters are amazing! The space looks so much bigger now. I’m so glad it’s coming together x
Thank you so much! It feels a lot bigger, too. The lighter colors really helped. 🙂
Wow, you all have done a great job…it looks amazing! Congratulations on a job well done.
Thank you so much! It was stressful, but I’m so glad the major part is done. 🙂
Awe so sweet!! I love it!! I was excited to see in my ‘reader feed’ that you had part 2 ready!!
Thank you!! It was stressful, but so worth it! I’m just glad the major parts are complete and I can cook again. 😀
I bet so!!
What a wonderful transformation, it looks lovely , I bet you love your kitchen now. You chose good colours as thay also make it look bigger. Hard work but well worth it.
Thank you so much! Yes, it’s much better now. 🙂 The colors do make it seem a lot bigger!
Dear Michelle,
you did an amazing job so far!
Much respect for you. I know how hard it is to put that much effort and do most of the construction work yourself. You can be very proud. Please feel free to check out my big rennovation here:
http://www.murmelmeister.com/2020/06/28/home-sweet-home-3/
Lots of love from Germany.
Yours, Sovely
Thank you so much! It is a lot of hard work, but it really pays off in the end. Plus doing it yourself makes you feel more proud of the work. Thank you! I’ll go check out your renovation now. 🙂
Yes, you cherish it in whole different way and it is a lot more personal. I love old things with character and I’m happy there are people who feel the same way. I hope you will enjoy a lot of happiness in your new home! Love, Sovely
Wow. That looks amazing. What a huge difference! We did a kitchen renovation a few years ago but we cheated and hired a contractor.
Thank you so much! It makes a huge difference, but doing it yourself means you have to live through the stress. HAHA!
It’s beautiful! Y’all did a fantastic job!
Thank you so much!
Looks great! You’ve done an awesome job!
Thank you so much!!
You’re welcome!
Your kitchen is definitely lovely Michelle.
Thank you so much!
Wow the kitchen looks amazing, you guys are really incredible. xo
Thank you so much!! It was stressful at times, but I’m glad the major part is over. 🙂
MY gosh – you guys did a ton of work, but it looks amazing!
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Amazing and a lot of work!❤️
Thank you so much!
I really love the style, Michelle. It looks so clean and fresh. I remember those days of having a toaster and a micro on a trestle table. We also ate so much take-out food that we both got spots!!!
Great improvements! Hard work! But it’s beautiful!
You are going to love cooking in a gorgeous kitchen!
Happy Thursday!
Thank you so much! It was stressful at times, but I’m so glad the major part is over and I can cook again! 🙂
Your kitchen looks AMAZING, Michelle!! I love the green backsplash!! Everything looks so fresh and clean!! Great work!!
Thank you so much! It was a little stressful for a bit, but I’m so thankful the majority of it is done. Being able to cook in a nice kitchen is so much better! 😀
Wow, you guys did a fabulous job Michelle! Our kitchen could use a remodel, but I’m not sure my nerves could take it. ? Congratulations on your new space!
Thank you so much! It can be very stressful. But it’s worth it in the end. 😀
Painting the inside of the door totatlly makes it part of the white kitchen. – it is beautiful!
Thank you! I think so, too! 😀
I love all the white, Michelle. Looks so clean and cozy!
Thank you so much!
What a transformation. Lovely. I love the shade of green you used for the backsplash.
Thank you so much! I was so afraid to use that green color, but I’m glad I went with it. I love how it turned out!
I love those cabinets and countertops, it really came together nicely!
Thank you so much!!
Wow, wow, wow. Michelle, your new kitchen looks absolutely incredible. Whoever purchases this home needs to see the before and after so they can appreciate all the love & work y’all have put in. Amazing. Do you ever just randomly walk in the kitchen and think to yourself, “Wow, we did this!” I hope so. 🙂 To me, that’s always one of the best feelings…
That light grey, white, and green color you chose are perfect together — I 100% agree! ♥
I hope you enjoy making memories and meals in your new kitchen until you move onto your next dream home. ? Lots of love & hugs headed your way!
Thank you!! I thought of creating a photo book of before and after photos and leaving it in the home when we list it.
Yes, I do randomly think that! It’s so hard to believe sometimes that we created something so different than what we had. And I love it! 😀
It’s turning out beautiful!
This looks like such hard work but the end result looks amazing! I love how you’ve created so much more storage space too. xx
Thank you so much! I’m so glad we were able to get more storage in the kitchen. Now I can keep my crockpot and Instant pot in the kitchen instead of the hall closet. LOL!!
Looks like things are going along, quite well. What an improvement. I like the Butcher Block counters.
Thank you! It’s been stressful at times (like using the toaster in the living room! LOL) but I’m so glad the majority of it is over. 🙂
Wow!! Looks amazing!! Lighter colors always brighten up a room. Great job ?
Thank you so much! I can’t believe how much bigger it looks just by using lighter colors. 🙂
many congrats!!! enjoy 🙂
Thank you so much!! 🙂
It looks fabulous Michelle! What a transformation! Great job!
Thank you so much!!
Totally, totally incredible transformation!! ????
Thank you!!! 🙂
Very nice Michelle!
Thank you so much!
Y’all have done an amazing job. We have found construction costs to go up high also. Thanks for the tip on the “third hand.” That sounds like something we could use from time to time.
Thank you! It’s crazy how expensive things got during the pandemic. The “third hand” is so helpful! We couldn’t have put up the cabinets without those. 🙂
So much hard work, Michelle, but it’s really exciting to see the way things are coming together. I’m so proud for you. Hugs and keep up the good work. I love it all! CoCo
Thank you so much! It was stressful at times, but I’m so glad the hard part is over. Hugs!
Looks great! You have accomplished a lot!
Thank you so much!
I am LOVING the white cabinets with the butcher block countertops! We are in the process of redoing our kitchen and cabinet refinishing is next. I think I want to go with white cabinets and then replace our laminate countertop with a butcher block counter. I love how it looks.
Thank you! Your kitchen is going to look amazing! I love the butcher blog countertop. It does look really well with the white cabinets, too! 🙂 Enjoy your remodel!
I really love how the white cabinets look with the butcher block countertop. We are refinishing our cabinets next week and then I think I want to replace our laminate countertop with butcher block. Your kitchen is stunning! Such a good source for inspiration!
A future buyer is really going to appreciate your attention to detail. But maybe you and your husband will like it so much you decide to stay!
I hope so! I thought about making a before and after photo book for them. ?