Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Kitchen Remodel on a Budget

I realized that I have never shown any of you the Major Home Remodel that we took on about 6 years ago.

In 2003 We found the house of our dreams in Tyler Texas. We took a year doing our work on the weekends and moved into an unfinished home in 2004. Now that we can officially call it finished I reflect on all that we did. When I say "we did it" I mean that Mr Roboto and I got down and dirty in all the muck and did much of the work ourselves. I'm particularly proud of the budget kitchen re-do.


There was nothing wrong with the house per-se. The previous owners did some major remodels that we consider "Phase 1" of the remodel. I did not care for the plaid wallpaper in the kitchen, or the faux butcher-block formica counter top. The sink and oven/stove needed replacing and the cabinets needed new doors.
The layout was fine so it was mostly a "facelift" remodel.


Above I made good use of a steam Wallpaper remover tool, as I removed a lot of wallpaper in this place.


Alex (he looks so small) even got in on the fun.




I had already done several tile projects in our old home, so I knew what I was doing. The back splash is 6" ceramic tiles, and the counter top is a speckled Granite. We later added a bullnose edge to the counter. I set all the tiles myself, Yep and I even cut them. I'm the tile guru in my house. You can see some of the new cabinet doors installed in the pic above. And notice the vent a hood cover that Mr Roboto built.

The color on the walls is a great Burnt Orange called Decorous Amber from Sherwin Williams. It was a bold choice, and I still love it.

Large Scale remodels are usually filled with stories. A few months into this adventure, Mr Roboto broke his foot in a remodel related accident. This was taken the weekend it actually happened. But we continued working doing what we could. See his foot brace?


And here is the finished product. I've changed the countertop decor a bit since this pic was taken but you can see the bones of the project. See the bullnose edge on the counter tops.
And Mr Roboto build the island. Also notice the details we added above the sink and around the bottom of the cabinets and crown at the top. It's similar to what he did above the stove. I call it the "Poof Out"

One other thing we did in here was to add lighting. We added the 2 pendant lights you see below as well as under cabinet lighting. I don't know how the previous homeowner could see anything before. I have really enjoyed this extra lighting.

There is a lot you can do with a much smaller budget, and have it look good. Like only changing the doors and leaving the cabinet boxes in place. Using Granite tile instead of Granite Slabs. Painting yourself, Learning to Tile yourself etc. Doing the work yourself will save approx half of the cost.

I'm proud of our home remodel, and all the projects we did taught me a lot of things that I use in my junking work as well.

This was only 1 room of a whole house remodel. When I look back at what we did, I can't believe it. But it feels like such an accomplishment.

Thanks for reading.
Margo



12 comments:

Michelle said...

I love the way your kitchen turned out. I especially love the granite tile counter. Nice!

Jill said...

Very nice job Margo--you're definitely handy!!

Stephanie said...

Very nice! I didn't know you could get granit tiles, I'll have to remember that. Makes me want to make over my kitchen~:0)

The Whistle Stop said...

Great job Margo! You are a woman of all trades!
Hey, I had a gal, Roxanne, in my shop the other day that said she met you on the Junk Jaunt and she follows your blog! And loves you! Her blog is Beverly Sandhills.
Small world out there... or should I say a large "junk world" out there.
Are you going on the Junk Jaunt again this year or just to the Bonanza? We are not doing the Bonanza this year but are going to try and go on the Junk Jaunt. Maybe we can still get you a piece of that chocolate cake! lol !!!
Laurie

StepThruCrazy said...

Granite tile is what I want for countertops in my kitchen, someday! Love your kitchen, it's beautiful!

Vee said...

You and your hubby did a wonderful job on that kitchen. I began to cringe when you described the wall color, but seeing it, I was pleasantly surprised. It looks fabulous!

Nana's Fun Stuff said...

Margo it looks awesome! I just love the kitchen remodel :) Great job by everyone!

Niesz Vintage Home said...

Beautiful kitchen!
Great job on the budget remodel.

Kimberly :-)

Shabby Vintage Junk said...

Heya Margo.... :o) !!

WOW you & Mr Roboto are a FORCE to be reckoned with FOR SURE....!! LOVE the after pics....!! I so wish Mr SVJ & I could do something like this however, our place is only a few years old & I don't think he'd take to kindly to the suggestion we start ripping things up so early in the game....hahahahahaha....!!

I'm looking forward to seeing other remodel work you both tackled....!!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

PS: Can you believe there's ONLY 51 days to go to Junk Bonanza....WOOHOO.... !!!

Jeanette said...

I am amazed at your talent. I would love to try to put down some granite tile, I would never in a zillion years know where to start!

Marge of Emmas Nook and Granny said...

What a fab remodel! I can see why you are proud of your work and why you love your kitchen!!

The Tin Rabbit said...

Margo...Your kitchen is just GORGEOUS!!! I love the granite tiles! Don't you feel so much pride in knowing you did it yourself? It's beautiful~great job!

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