This weekend, as I used to be engaged on the drywall within the lobby of our bed room suite, I used to be going by means of the psychological checklist of all the things I have to do in an effort to end our bed room suite (as I do fairly often), and considering to myself that as quickly as these guys are performed with the bed room door and the drywall restore across the door, I’ll be off to the races and I can get this factor performed comparatively shortly.
“Rapidly” is, certainly, relative. However I don’t suppose it’ll take me practically so long as the walk-in closet took me. And I used to be fascinated by how wonderful it is going to be to have that entire bed room suite completed, hopefully by the top of this yr, and to have a lot of the home completed at that time.
After which I remembered my plans. Sure, that half of the home with the bed room suite can be completed, however then my plans had been to mainly begin tearing up the opposite half of the home on the opposite facet — shifting the kitchen from its present location into the realm the place the present breakfast room and pantry are, tearing out the half bathtub to create a walk-through pantry, turning the present kitchen right into a eating room.
I began fascinated by how large that challenge goes to be. Earlier than a kitchen will be constructed, I’d must have all new plumbing put in. I’ve already gotten a quote on that, and it is going to be virtually $10,000 only for the plumbing since this room has a concrete basis. After which I’ll must buy new home windows for the entrance wall of the breakfast room as a result of the present ones are too low to place cupboards beneath the home windows.
After which the set up of latest home windows would require new framing and new siding on the outside. And shifting the kitchen would require some fairly main flooring restore as a result of half of the present peninsula (the half that overlaps into the breakfast room space) doesn’t have flooring beneath it since I had to try this in phases that had been a few years aside, if my reminiscence served me appropriately.
I imply, with all of that, I’m taking a look at most likely $20,000 proper out of the gate, and that’s earlier than I even get to new cupboards, new home equipment, counter tops, and all the fairly stuff that truly make a kitchen a kitchen.
And proper there, in that second, I noticed that I simply don’t have it in me. I don’t have the need or the need to do all of that. I definitely don’t wish to spend that a lot cash proper out of the gate earlier than I may even get to the beautiful stuff. And who is aware of how lengthy all of that will even take. I spent 5 months constructing a walk-in closet, so I may think about a challenge that requires rather more development, each inside and out of doors, taking far longer.
I simply don’t wish to do it. And you recognize what? I really like the present location of my kitchen. It’s small, but it surely’s not the scale that bothers me. What does trouble me after 10 years of dwelling with this kitchen is the inefficiency. I’ve shared a number of instances that this entire wall of cupboards on the again wall of the kitchen, whereas it appears fairly, is mainly ineffective. I used cupboards which can be manner too slender on prime that they gained’t even maintain plates. And the underside cupboards are higher wall cupboards, so that they’re solely 15 inches deep. I set the center part out from the wall to offer it some depth, however the within the cupboards are nonetheless solely 15 inches deep.
Additionally, once I designed that again wall, I all the time thought that the lengthy countertop there can be the place we place meals when we’ve got folks over, however that’s by no means what finally ends up occurring. The meals finally ends up on the peninsula with folks gathered across the peninsula. In order that lengthy countertop on the again wall finally ends up as a catch-all the place random junk will get piled up.
So this previous weekend, virtually immediately, I made a decision that I don’t need or want a bigger kitchen. I would like an environment friendly kitchen. I would like a kitchen with usable cupboards and storage that’s higher deliberate. Now that I’ve had this kitchen for ten years, I do know what works and what doesn’t work. So now, I can rearrange within the present footprint and design it in a manner that truly works higher for the way we use it.
Along with the inefficiency of that entire again wall of cupboards, I’ve a pair extra points that I would like mounted. First, I hate that I don’t have extra countertop house subsequent to the range. I all the time really feel so cramped once I’m attempting to cook dinner. And at last, I hate that the dishwasher will be seen as quickly as somebody enters the entrance door of our home. As quickly as you stroll within the entrance door and look in the direction of the kitchen, the dishwasher is the very first thing you see. I’ve hated that from the second I put that cased opening between the kitchen and the lounge, however I’d by no means hand over that cased opening. It’s the dishwasher location that has to vary.
With these points in thoughts, I headed to the IKEA kitchen designer and began enjoying round with some concepts. I’ve no plan to make use of IKEA cupboards, however their kitchen format designer is very easy to make use of to get some fundamental format concepts in place, in order that’s the place I headed. Let me present you what I got here up with.
First, I moved the fridge to the again wall. And since I need a French door fridge, I put it within the center. I’d like to get a panel-ready fridge, however we’ll must see about that since they’re so costly. After which I put floor-to-ceiling storage on each side of the fridge. Precise usable storage that takes up the complete depth of the house out there. What a sport changer that will probably be! In order that again wall would go from this…
…to one thing like this…
With the fridge relocated, the wall with the range may go from this…
…to this, with loads of countertop house on both facet.
This could require some plumbing work, however since this a part of the home has a pier-and-beam basis, the associated fee can be a fraction of what it could be to maneuver it to the breakfast room space. After which I’d have rather more countertop house on both facet of the range, in addition to extra storage close to the vary, which I’ve additionally needed.
After which on the peninsula, I’d simply wish to swap the placement of the dishwasher from the best facet of the sink the place it’s now…
…to the left facet of the sink.
Once more, I’d love a panel-ready dishwasher, however we’ll must see about that. I believe if the placement is simply swapped, I’ll be effective with a nice-looking dishwasher with out the expense of a panel-ready possibility.
I really feel a lot extra peaceable about this plan. I do know it type of got here out of nowhere, however I actually don’t wish to be engaged on this home for the subsequent decade. I do really wish to end it (not less than the within) in order that I can spend my outdated age outdoors tooling round within the backyard, selecting weeds, planting flowers, and having fun with the outside.
So mainly, that implies that the breakfast room stays a breakfast room (or a eating room). The kitchen stays the place it’s. And the half rest room within the studio additionally will get to remain.
The one factor I’m not sure about is the pantry. Matt and I are divided on this subject. I believe that if I’ve an environment friendly kitchen, I don’t want a pantry anymore, and I’d like to take that wall down. Matt desires to maintain the pantry, however the reality is that he doesn’t use the pantry. He simply likes the way it appears.
However I nonetheless wish to go away the door open for that future addition. We’ve been speaking about it for what looks as if ceaselessly, however I nonetheless maintain out hope that it’ll occur. And when it occurs, I’d like a doorway main from the brand new household room into the eating room. That may’t occur if the pantry remains to be there. So I actually wish to take this wall down and simply have one massive, open room. Maybe I can nonetheless go away the cupboards alongside that again wall, however I’d actually favor a reasonably seating space or one thing that’s extra acceptable for a eating room — one thing that appears much less like a kitchen.
And that implies that this entire association will mainly keep like it’s — kitchen peninsula, eating space subsequent to it, and the doorway into my studio.
On the IKEA kitchen planner, I wasn’t ready so as to add cupboards to the again of the sink space, however it could keep similar to it’s, solely with new cupboards and a brand new countertop.
After which there would simply be some minor adjustments with the plumbing for the opposite two partitions.
Anyway, I do know it’s an enormous change, and it occurred in a break up second, however I really feel so peaceable about this. It appears manageable, and it doesn’t appear overwhelming to me in any respect. The opposite plan appeared very overwhelming and like one thing I’d be spending the subsequent two years (or most likely for much longer) attempting to attain.
Generally larger isn’t higher. It’s simply extra to wash, with extra countertop house to collect muddle. That’s not what I would like. I simply want effectivity, and I believe I can get precisely what I would like within the present kitchen’s footprint if I plan correctly.
And have you learnt what one of the best factor about this plan is? I’ll nonetheless have that half rest room in my studio. And with that half rest room out there for visitors, that implies that I can go head and end our bed room suite utterly. I can go forward and switch that hallway rest room into the storage closet for our bed room suite with out having to attend till we construct an addition.
I used to be ready to stay on this awkward “center stage” for so long as it takes, having a visitor rest room inside our bed room suite till we may construct an addition that has a brand new visitor rest room in it. However so long as we’ve got a half rest room that visitors can use, that gained’t be obligatory. I do have to get the pump within the studio half rest room repaired or changed. That damaged pump is why that rest room has been out of fee for over a yr now. However as quickly because it’s mounted, that may formally be the visitor rest room, and that hallway rest room gained’t be wanted anymore. As quickly because the pump is mounted, I can transfer full steam forward on really ending our bed room suite with none delays.
There is part of me that may miss the dream of that grand imaginative and prescient that I’ve had for the final yr, however I preserve telling myself what so a lot of you’ve got instructed me through the years. Don’t let excellent be the enemy of excellent. What I’ve is nice, and as quickly as I’ve an environment friendly (however small) kitchen, it’ll be nice. And what will probably be even larger is having the ability to end it a lot sooner and on a a lot smaller finances in order that I can transfer to different issues.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and enhance the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You possibly can study extra about me right here.
