Did You Know – It’s Finished
Saturday was the perfect day, my kitchen remodel was FINALLY finished. Was it worth it? Heck yes! Would I want to do it again? Heck no! I don’t know how people survive building new houses!
It took me a year to design and figure out what appliances I wanted. The remodeling began in May and what a transformation. The planning stage was so important as I wouldn’t change a thing in my competed kitchen because of it. I watched remolding show after remodeling show writing down anything I wanted to have done in our new kitchen.
We lived and cooked out of the dining room for a long time using my slow cooker, microwave, induction burner and air fryer. My coffee pot sat on its own table and the new refrigerator was in there temporarily. The contractor was very accommodating by leaving the range and sink hooked up as long as he could. Once the sink was gone we set a plastic tote up in the basement utility sink to wash dishes, carrying them up and down every night. We used as many disposable plates as possible but I don’t like to use plastic silverware or glasses.
From a 1970’s country style kitchen to a 2024 modern style, what a difference! Check out my before and after pictures below! At the end of the post are my posts during the remodel. The only appliance allowed on my countertops now is my coffee pot and no clutter! Are you seeing a pattern with the coffee pot?
BEFORE – Standing in the living room looking into the kitchen. A bit different from the picture below.
AFTER: The linoleum floor and carpeting are gone! We had a propane line installed to the range, a water line to the refrigerator and an electric outlet put on the side of the island. All of the lights are dimmable.
BEFORE – Fake brick backsplash that I eventually painted white and Formica countertops. We had the cabinets on the far right completely removed and extended the island there instead. There was a soffit above all the cabinets too.
AFTER: Marble backsplash, granite countertops and floor to ceiling cabinets, no more soffit!
BEFORE: Check out that tiny island and all the appliances on the counter not to mention the linoleum floor. I never liked the way the window looked either.
AFTER: A new deep sink and amazing faucet. I love the new look of the window too.
BEFORE: A countertop microwave, slow cooker and food processor taking up precious countertop space. An electric range and dishwasher.
AFTER: All under cabinet lighting and my new microwave is now above the range. There is a huge lazy Susan in the bottom corner cabinet. A new dishwasher too. There is a five burner propane range that has a LP convection oven, LP oven, LP broiler and electric for self cleaning. If you have never cooked on a gas or propane range, you don’t know what you are missing! This is my first propane range and it was the best thing I did in the kitchen, well one of the best.
BEFORE: This refrigerator had to be small or it didn’t fit under the cabinets. We made ice with ice cube trays!
AFTER: Our new refrigerator is gigantic with the ice and water door dispenser, something we have never had. It even has a button to fill water bottles. I love the freezer on the bottom too.
BEFORE: I made use of this corner with this little cabinet. It was where we stored all our grandkids goodies so they could reach them.
AFTER: We had this pantry made to fit the corner with more than twice the storage.
BEFORE: The free standing white cabinets to the left were my pantries and where I stored a few cookbooks. The wastebasket sits to the right of the pantry.
AFTER: We had these two large pantry’s made. One for spices, large pans and appliances. The other for more storage and appliances. The bottom of the pantries have shelf sliders that pull out and the entire kitchen has soft close doors and drawers with pull out shelves. The island is so long that we put two wastebaskets on one end inside the cabinet on a slide out shelf, I really love that! I extended the island countertop to fit a stool under it so when I am doing long prep work, for someone to eat at, pay bills, read mail etc. My kitchen is too small to have any more seating at the island but I have a huge dining room with a large table.
CONCLUSION: All of the cabinets were custom made. We personally went to the granite company to pick out our granite. I planned a long time for this kitchen. All of the appliances are matching stainless Bosch, I researched a long time to come up with this name brand. I saved a long time for this kitchen remodel and paid cash! Now we’re broke. 🤣
PAST KITCHEN REMODELING POST LINKS:
New Kitchen Remodel First Update
Second New Kitchen Remodel Update
Did You Know – Countertops
Third New Kitchen Remodel Update
Fourth Kitchen Remodel Update – Granite Countertop Installation
Seventh Kitchen Remodel Update
A shout out to our good friend and contractor, Ted, for a job well done!
http://www.InDianesKitchen.com
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Categories: Kitchen Remodel
Congratulations on your new kitchen remodel!! It looks absolutely gorgeous and I’m so happy for you. Your patience and hard work have paid off. Yay!!
Thank you so much, we are very pleased with how it turned out.
It’s fabulous Diane and so worth it
It really was, thank you Sheree!
Expertly crafted article.👍🎉🌷
You are so kind! Thank you 🥰
🤝👏🌷
It looks stunning! Great job!
Thank you Emily 🥰
A splendid job, very well worth it. Much thought and effort really paid off. We did something similar almost ten years ago.
Thank you so much Derrick. I bet you are still enjoying your kitchen the way Jackie cooks! This will be the last kitchen in this house for me. The last one was here when we moved in and lasted over 30 years. I won’t be lasting 30 years for the next one. Lol
🙂
Gorgeous!!!
Thank you very much!
Stunning! You make me want to redo my kitchen! I am impressed you washed dishes in a tub and minimized the paper plate use. I can tell you have a passion for cooking,
And your new kitchen is beautiful!
Thank you for your kind words Kim. Yes I think paper products are such a waste of money when all we have to do is wash and reuse dishes. One of my family member uses paper plates, plastic glasses and plastic silverware so they don’t have to do dishes. They don’t have a dishwasher so I guess that has to help but we hand wash more dishes than we put in the dishwasher. My husband seems to think that’s easier. 🤷🏽♀️ I cook and he usually does dishes. When I do dishes, they go in the dishwasher. Lol
Thank you for sharing my kitchen!
Looking lovely, Diane…
Thank you so much!
it’s absolutely beautiful, like in a magazine, worth it all. and I can see why you wouldn’t want to do it again )
Awe thank you Beth! Now that the kids are gone hopefully the two of us will keep it nice for a long time.
I understand about being broke after the remodel. LOL Two bathrooms last summer did it for me. You did a fantastic job.
Thank you Susanne. I have 2 bathrooms still from the early 70’s left to do. I bought extra flooring from the kitchen remodel (we remodeled the dining room last year with this flooring too) and in addition to the kitchen this year we put the same new flooring in the living room and hall. The guest bathroom is off the hall so I wanted to have the floor match when we remodel that bathroom.
Our place is more like a patchwork quilt when it comes to flooring. With so many years between renovations, we never considered getting extra flooring for “someday”.
I only bought it for this one bathroom because it is small and the next big remodel we will do. After the kitchen remodel I don’t think I can call the bathroom big. 🤣
I suppose not. It’s basically a powder room and most of them are small.
That’s brilliant, your kitchen looks amazing. You must be so thrilled and all completed in time for the holiday season as well. Nice one! 🙂
Thank you Paul and yes, Christmas cookies and hosting our family Christmas Day get together! I love cooking on this new range, best range I have ever had!
You must be so thrilled with it. Remember getting my new range and kitchen, it was brilliant – worth all the upheaval. You’ve designed you kitchen perfectly, love your worktops and the flooring. Nice little changes like the window and the mini cupboard by the door as well. You’ll have an amazing Christmas there with all the family 🙂
Thank you for your kind words Paul. I am excited to have everyone here for Christmas.
This kitchen is absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of the kitchens Hillary Farr creates on “Love it or List it.” You did a fabulous job. And I love how you paid cash. That’s our mode of operation, too. It really makes you appreciate it – and no debt or interest! So what if you’re broke! That means you’ll just have to eat at home, and with that kitchen, you’ll be able to make so many fabulous and delicious meals! Congratulations, Diane!
You are so kind Betty, thank you, that really made me smile! I have to admit, I watched home improvement shows for at least a year and would pick something I liked and write it down, that’s how I came up with the ideas. Having no debt is the greatest feeling there is and we would rather eat at home than fight the people, especially now! 😃
Oh Diane, it is beautiful! And so worth the wait and the many months of living with discomfort. Love the very modern look, the openness of the layout, the finishes, and the new appliances. Worth every penny! 🙂 Enjoy your new kitchen and making many new memories and recipes in it.
Thank you Ab! It’s so nice to finally be finished. It was a long 6 months but now that I am using it, so worth it!
Now THAT’S a transformation! It’s just lovely, Diane💜 Thank you for sharing your journey.
Thank you Jonetta!
This looks like something that could be featured on HGTV! So beautiful, great design, every choice was perfect and this space looks so much bigger. I particularly love the lights over the island and how beautifully they go together.
I bet you couldn’t wait to get in and mess it up by cooking a big meal!
PS I love my Bosch appliances, but I’ve told you that before.
OMG that was such a nice thing to say Dorothy, thank you! I got a lot of ideas from watching all the HGTV shows. I wish the lights would have turned out in the picture. They are so beautiful with swirled gray and the camera turns them all white. It’s funny because it is so new that it is all cleaned up all the time. We use the stove every day and I pick up the grates and clean it daily. I want to keep it new forever, how I wish. Lol I agree, the Bosch appliances are top of the line as far as I am concerned.
It won’t take long to get that lived-in look!
Right! I already went to get granite sealer. They said to seal once a year but as many times as the island is getting wiped because I prepare everything there, I will need to use it in 6 months! Lol
Congratulations. Hope you have many years of enjoying your new kitchen.
Thank you Katelon, I’m sure it will out live this old lady! 🤣
It’s gorgeous!!!! Congratulations!
Thank you Jeanne, I am still smiling!
As you should be too. 🙂
Very nice!
Thank you Linda
a kitchen fit for only a goddess! Enjoy it.
There you go, making me blush again JC! Thank you my friend!
WOW!! I love this so much! What a transformation! I love how light, bright and so open it is! Great job! It’s probably a great place to bake and cook now!
Thank you so much and yes, it is fun cooking with this much room, counter space and the new propane range, I had no idea what a difference a propane range would be.
Gorgeous, Diane! Congratulations!!
Thank you Mitzy! 🥰
I’m so glad you did a final wrap up post on the remodel. It was fun to see it as it happened, but now that you have lived with it for a while you have a good perspective on the results. They are amazing! Congratulations!
Thank you Linda! I couldn’t be happier.
It looks amazing, Diane. You had a Great contractor. I know you will enjoy every minute
Thank you so much and yes, the contractor is a perfectionist so everything was done right. He did it all too. It was nice not have to work between electrician, plumber, floor installer etc. I am definitely enjoying every minute and cooking is so much fun.
It’s beautiful – congrats!
Thank you!
Yay! IT IS SO GORGEOUS! (Yes I had to put that in caps). What a huge difference between the before and after – it is like two different houses! Congratulations and so many yummy things will be made in that kitchen 🙂
Thank you so much Tierney! I was always embarrassed by the kitchen but after all, we have lived here since 1991 and all we did was put in the linoleum and paint the fake brick. We ran the new floor all through the house (except bedrooms) and changed all that crappy fake wood molding and hollow doors with white wood molding and solid wood doors. I can’t explain how much fun it is to cook in this kitchen with the propane stove and huge island.
Oh how cool you upgraded other parts of your home! You practically have a new home now 🙂
Yes just the bedrooms and 2 bathrooms left.
Oh my Diane ! It’s stunning, what a difference, I love it! You must never want to leave it lol
I hate renovations too, my husband has our basement gutted right now, ugh! Your kitchen is gorgeous and I’m happy for you
Thank you so much Susan. My living room chair faces the kitchen, I dim the 3 lights above the island and just stare. The light globes are hand blown and have swirls of gray but for some reason my iPad turned them all white. You are right, I don’t want to leave and it is so much fun have a long island and so much room to get around in there now.
I really like your new kitchen. Enjoy!
Thank you so much Stephen
Such a difference in kitchens Diane – your before picture still is much larger and with way more counter top than I have. You got the dream kitchen of a lifetime and you deserve it – now you can try every recipe to your heart’s desire (and for us too!)
Thank you so much Linda. I am looking forward to winter when everything outside is finished for the year so I can make a lot of new recipes. I still have all those recipe books Terry gave me for my birthday in May and haven’t made a thing from them.
You’ll be wowing us with lots of new dishes and desserts. Soon you will be rolling out the Christmas cookies for the holiday!
Yes I will, decorations first then cookies. I offered to pay my granddaughter to put up my tree and decorations but haven’t gotten a response. Funny how they beg for money but don’t want to work for it. 🤣
Yes, cookies will monopolize the month of December for you Diane. You would think your granddaughter would love to put up the Christmas decorations … it would put her in the holiday spirit. Guess, she is waiting on the cookie-making to get into the cookie-eating holiday spirit. That was me … the cookie-eating part, not the baking part. 🙂
Enjoy! It will be a pleasure to cook in that beautiful kitchen.
Thank you Bernadette!
Here’s a 100 likes – YEAH!! What a wonderful transformation – I just love it. Well done Ted … and well done Diane (and husband) for endless patience. It all paid off. Happy cooking my dear friend.
Thank you so much Corna! Happy to be done!
You did a great job on that kitchen! I did something similar a few years ago. Will have to share the images on my blog sometime. Almost every time I walk into my kitchen I think about how much better it is now and how much I love it! Enjoy.
Thank you looking forward to your pictures, your bathroom is amazing!
It’s absolutely beautiful!! The change is amazing! Your old kitchen reminds me so much of our old kitchen, even down to the white knobs on the doors. And your new kitchen reminds me a lot of ours now. I know you’re loving it so much and will for many years.
Thank you Patty and you are right, we absolutely love it. I tried to comment on your blog and it kept making me sign in, over and over again so I gave up. Congratulations on the baby and I’m so happy to hear that Aaron is excited and that he is starting to interact with Ryker. Tell him he looked awesome in his costume.
Wow, it looks so sleek and elegant. I hope you enjoy cooking in your lovely new surroundings.
Thank you Kevin, it’s such a nice change going from a country style to modern, we love it.
Beautiful and downright stunning! I would never have the courage to do this now that I am in my 70s. Thanks for sharing with us!
I am 65 and I waited a long time to have the kitchen of my dreams. I don’t care if I die tomorrow, it would still be worth it. Heck, more for the kids when they sell it. 🤣
Oh wow! Congratulations! Happy cooking 😉
Thank you it is crazy how much fun it is cooking. All the island space but especially the LP gas range.
I love the finished look Diane.
Thank you! The more he completed the better it got and we are so happy he is done!!!!
Wow 😮 your kitchen turned out really nice 👍🏼 It’s beautiful 😍
Thank you for your kind words Randy! We are both very happy with it.
Wow, your kitchen is beautiful!
Thank you so much Michael! We are so glad it is finally finished and we love everything about it.