I have decided to make a list of what we have done around the house...each room in a separate post (and then a list of what still needs to be done). I feel like there is so much to be done to our house still, so this will be good for me to reflect on our hard work over the last year and a half remodeling our home.
Before we bought this Beowulf house, we lived in a little 1920's cottage downtown for a year (and before that we lived in a huge Pulte built house in the Encino area). The downtown cottage inspired my remodel design of current home.
The Beowulf house was actually the first of 48 houses we toured when looking for our next house. Just driving up, we fell instantly in love because it is a custom home, it has a handsome limestone exterior with a huge front porch, it has a metal roof, and it has 14 Oak Trees in the front yard. Going inside, we were able to look past the dingy white walls, orange carpet, wall-papered kitchen/bathrooms, and popcorn ceiling. Because the current owners wanted way too much for the house in the condition it was in, we gave our offer, they countered much higher, so we walked away. They contacted us a few weeks later asking if we were still interested...and the rest is remodeling history!
Unless noted, we have done most of the work ourselves - neither of us have any construction background. We learned as we went by researching the internet, reading books/magazines, and talking to people at good ol' Home Depot and Lowes...
Kitchen - Before
The walls are already painted in these before pictures...you don't get to see the glorious wall paper!
Kitchen - Already DONE List
Everything was done on a budget...I haven't updated my spreadsheet with exact numbers, but the total kitchen was probably around $4000 including fairly high grade appliances.
- Took out middle panels of all existing cabinets doors, replaced with glass on top cabinet doors and beadboard on bottom cabinet doors...added a trim about the inside square.
- Covered section above cabinets with beadboard, trim, and crown molding
- Painted all cabinets a light cream color
- Replaced all the gold hardware with bronze knobs and pulls
- Built a wood hoodvent (light and vent underneath)
- Installed Travertine subway tile backsplash using a cheap $99 tile saw (did the best job and still using it for other projects!)
- Cut down bar counter to make a bigger counter
- Granite countertop (professionally installed)
- New deep double sink
- New bronze faucet
- Under sink water filtration system
- New bronze water faucet
- New slide-in gas stove
- New dishwasher
- Undercabinet lighting
- Took out recessed flourescent lights and replaced with three pendents
- Scraped popcorn off and painted ceiling white
- Scraped off wallpaper and painted walls a kacki green
- Notice the absence of a microwave in the new design...I don't like microwaves and didn't include a replacement.
Kitchen - REDESIGNED
The is our vent hood that we built without a plan...just starting building it...it turned out better than expected.
Kitchen - Needs To Be Done
- I have had it with the ugly, chipped, never can get clean satillo tile (would be beautiful in another house, but in my hill country looking home, it isn't working. So one day (probably in a year or two) we will install 16x16 beige color travertine tile.
- Radio/Intercom system main center is located in the kitchen...it still has a tape deck. It is a big eye sore and doesn't work very well...replace one day!
