I’ve never done a remodel before. Like ever. When we took on a kitchen remodel, I had no idea what to expect. I mean, did you guys know that you can’t gut a kitchen and rebuild it in like two weeks when you only work on it at night after work during the biggest snow fall you’ve ever seen in your area in ten years? Well neither did I. I mean, WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?! Why does this stuff take so long?
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It’s been quite the learning experience. And quite the adventure. Do you want to know all the dirty details? Well, here’s a couple just for kicks and giggles…we found at least three whole mouse skeletons behind the paneling, vacuumed up my weight in mouse droppings after we took down the ceiling tiles, and found out that the wiring to our oven probably could have burned the house down any second. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of all the fun stories and details I could tell you about the remodel. But that does also explain why we now have six cats….
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BUT, we all know you don’t care about that. You’re all like SHOW ME THE PICTURES!!! So let’s get to it 🙂
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Long story short, when we bought our home about 8 months ago, our kitchen looked like this. Yellow (nacho cheese to be exact) walls, Spanish style backsplash, 7 foot (SEVEN!!) ceilings, dark and dated cabinets. THAT COLUMN. But seriously…..let’s go back to the NACHO CHEESE WALLS AND SPANISH TILE…whaaaaaaa?? Oh and Dad kept hitting his head on the light fixtures when he came over…because you know….7 FOOT CEILINGS.
Not to mention the layout was SO WEIRD. The room was so big, but the layout made it feel so small and cramped. And those metal stairs to the never used attic took up half the kitchen!
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So we began in March with the demolition and ended the majority of the remodel in April. It was so nice to rip out all these things I didn’t like. Putting things back was another story.
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We bought new cabinets, and replaced our old appliances. That was the largest part of our budget. We laid our own flooring, and I did all the trim work. Danny, my dad, and his friend did the wiring for the new lights and moved the plumbing for the sink. Dad’s friend taught us how to do drywall and that was a nightmare (SO. MUCH. DUST.). I kind of understand why people use paneling now haha….I said KIND OF.
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Anyway, here are the “initial” final reveal pictures. Further below you will find more recent pictures–from two years later 🙂
![IMG_3157[1]](https://chasingadreamblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/img_31671.jpg)
![IMG_3164[1]](https://chasingadreamblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/img_31841.jpg)
Here are some more recent pictures of the kitchen (about two years after the remodel) all decorated at Christmas 🙂
I am honestly surprised that it turned out as well as it did considering the only thing we’ve ever remodeled before was a hall closet and a master bedroom closet. We had no experience with installing trim, or cabinets, finishing drywall, or putting down flooring, putting up backsplash, or designing kitchens. But despite our lack of know how, it got finished, and it looks and functions so much better. And it’s held up great, two years later 🙂 AND now I am addicted and want to remodel everything!! (You can check out what else we remodeled after this at these links: Laundry room, office, bathroom, bedroom.)
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So what’s my favorite part? Don’t laugh, but it’s the windows. They were already here before the remodel, but with the trim on them now, it’s like totally different windows! Plus it was my FIRST EVER trim work. And Danny was impressed. And it takes a lot to impress Danny. What’s your favorite part?
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If you’ve missed any of the remodel, you can read the whole story in these links here:
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Part 3: Putting it back together
Keep your eyes peeled…we are staying super busy and have lots to show you soon!
Adele Zavada
July 13, 2015 at 7:35 amLove, love, love everything about this! The painted chandelier is so fun, and I adore the table, bench, and chairs. What color of paint did you use on your walls?
Shara
July 13, 2015 at 8:55 amThank you! The walls are repose grey sherwin Williams. We painted our kitchen and living room both this color and I love it! Eventually the whole house will probably be that color too haha!
Adele Zavada
July 13, 2015 at 7:35 amLove, love, love everything about this! The painted chandelier is so fun, and I adore the table, bench, and chairs. What color of paint did you use on your walls?
Shara
July 13, 2015 at 8:55 amThank you! The walls are repose grey sherwin Williams. We painted our kitchen and living room both this color and I love it! Eventually the whole house will probably be that color too haha!
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie–A DIY Tutorial on Window Trim and How One Thing Always Leads to Another | Chasing A Dream
August 24, 2015 at 10:49 am[…] my trim to match what I did with the kitchen windows when we remodeled. You can check those out here. If you have a normal window (where your window sets back from the drywall some), […]
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie–A DIY Tutorial on Window Trim and How One Thing Always Leads to Another | Chasing A Dream
August 24, 2015 at 10:49 am[…] my trim to match what I did with the kitchen windows when we remodeled. You can check those out here. If you have a normal window (where your window sets back from the drywall some), […]
One Year After Moving Day | Chasing A Dream
November 13, 2015 at 8:02 am[…] March and April, the kitchen was torn apart and put back […]
One Year After Moving Day | Chasing A Dream
November 13, 2015 at 8:02 am[…] March and April, the kitchen was torn apart and put back […]
Airing My Dirty Laundry–Laundry Room Makeover Reveal | Chasing A Dream
November 19, 2015 at 12:27 pm[…] ugly things and not have to see them. The closet was actually our pantry until we remodeled the kitchen and then HALLELUJAH we got a pantry actually INSIDE the kitchen. Which was (and still […]
Airing My Dirty Laundry–Laundry Room Makeover Reveal | Chasing A Dream
November 19, 2015 at 12:27 pm[…] ugly things and not have to see them. The closet was actually our pantry until we remodeled the kitchen and then HALLELUJAH we got a pantry actually INSIDE the kitchen. Which was (and still […]
A Look Back at 2015 | Chasing A Dream
January 5, 2016 at 7:02 am[…] When I say remodeled, I mean took it to the studs and started over. We had NO IDEA what we were doing, but we learned SO MUCH by doing it ourselves. We did have some help from dad and a friend of his with the drywall since we had never done it before. But installing cabinets, doing trim work, laying flooring, building a new table–that we learned as we went. And surprisingly, it turned out well. Check it out here. […]
A Look Back at 2015 | Chasing A Dream
January 5, 2016 at 7:02 am[…] When I say remodeled, I mean took it to the studs and started over. We had NO IDEA what we were doing, but we learned SO MUCH by doing it ourselves. We did have some help from dad and a friend of his with the drywall since we had never done it before. But installing cabinets, doing trim work, laying flooring, building a new table–that we learned as we went. And surprisingly, it turned out well. Check it out here. […]
Yellow to Mellow–My Home Office Makeover | Chasing A Dream
March 22, 2016 at 7:45 am[…] note: The kitchen was painted “nacho cheese” before the remodel. You think I’m kidding don’t you? Jokes on you, cuz that’s for real. We […]
Yellow to Mellow–My Home Office Makeover | Chasing A Dream
March 22, 2016 at 7:45 am[…] note: The kitchen was painted “nacho cheese” before the remodel. You think I’m kidding don’t you? Jokes on you, cuz that’s for real. We […]
What’s Up Wednesday, Week 1-Father’s Day | Chasing A Dream
June 15, 2016 at 7:25 am[…] a close eye on him because he has a tendency to be kind of like a bull in a china shop. When we remodeled our kitchen, Dad was a HUGE help. But, during demo, I went through three boxes of bandaids because of him. He […]
What’s Up Wednesday, Week 1-Father’s Day | Chasing A Dream
June 15, 2016 at 7:25 am[…] a close eye on him because he has a tendency to be kind of like a bull in a china shop. When we remodeled our kitchen, Dad was a HUGE help. But, during demo, I went through three boxes of bandaids because of him. He […]
Yellow to Mellow–My Home Office Makeover – Woodshop Diaries
June 25, 2016 at 12:12 am[…] note: The kitchen was painted “nacho cheese” before the remodel. You think I’m kidding don’t you? Jokes on you, cuz that’s for real. We […]
DIY Coffee Cabinet–The “Whatchamacallit” Project – Woodshop Diaries
June 27, 2016 at 11:26 am[…] so I have this blank space in my kitchen after the remodel, and when I put this here, I immediately loved it. When I get time, I may be making a third one […]
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June 28, 2016 at 1:05 pm[…] That’s it for now. Be sure to check out the final reveal of the kitchen here! […]
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August 7, 2016 at 3:39 pm[…] happened when we redid the kitchen. It happened when I redid the laundry room. It happened when we painted the living room. And […]
Tips for Surviving a Remodel--And Tetanus Shots
February 6, 2017 at 6:48 pm[…] Okay, so…let me first show you the before and after…just so you can’t say you haven’t seen it. And I’ll sprinkle some more pictures throughout…because I love it so. Also, if you want to check out the final reveal post of it, you can see it here. […]
How to Build Floor to Ceiling Built Ins
May 19, 2017 at 12:45 pm[…] we talking “big” as in the budget?? If so, then it’s the kitchen remodel…which I technically didn’t […]
Joe
June 1, 2017 at 2:50 pmWhat kind of wood did you use on the beam in the middle of the kitchen?
Shara, Woodshop Diaries
June 3, 2017 at 6:49 amHi Joe! It’s just regular 1×6 spruce/whiteboard. We just built a box around the metal I-beam we used.
Sandy
November 21, 2017 at 4:42 pmWow! Very impressive. You and your husband did a wonderful job. Your kitchen is beautiful! My husband and I just bought our retirement home and at the young age of 60, will be doing a remodel similar to what you guys have done. Fingers crossed, lol. Thanks for sharing your process (btw, those are some mad woodworking skills you got there!). Best Wishes.
Shara, Woodshop Diaries
January 7, 2018 at 9:02 amThank you so much!! Good luck on your remodel! It’ll totally be worth it once it’s done 🙂