Kim's Kitchen Remodel Part 1

Kitchen cabinets - that is what started this whole project. We wanted to paint the kitchen cabinets from a maple to white. When talking to my husband about the cabinets, he suggested adding a bigger pantry by knocking out a wall in the garage as well. Then we got talking about new countertops and adding onto the island, and then BAM, we were doing a full on remodel! 

Our pantry was basically nonexistent before starting the project - very small and not very functional. We had an odd space in our garage that was not being used and it was in the perfect spot right behind one of our kitchen walls. The space in the garage wasn't a full 3rd car garage size, I think it was originally built to park motorcycles or bikes. So it was on the smaller side and we just felt like it was unused and wasted space. We removed some of our countertop and cabinets and knocked a hole through the wall opening up right into that space. 

Our Water Heater was in that space and needed to be moved, and by doing this project we discovered it was on it's last leg. We decided to swap out our big water heater for a tankless water heater and in doing so discovered the old one was very rusted on the bottom and could have given out at any minute. Thankfully we caught it in time! (P.S. Totally loving the tankless water heater - it's awesome!)

We also had to lay new concrete where the new pantry would be because it was not completely level. After pouring the new concrete we needed to insulate the pantry as well. It was not insulated very well to begin with and we were worried that it would get too hot in the summer because of the exterior wall being on one side. We had to re-insulate the exterior wall which will help keep not only the pantry much cooler, but the rest of the house too! 

Electrical was up next and were were able to add in some awesome lights! I shared with you my love for Sputnik lights in my first blog post and we put 2 of them in our pantry. I got them from ---------- and I am in loooooove. I love the way they look along with the cactus wallpaper that I got from ----------. My heart skips a beat overtime I walk into the pantry - it's so pretty! 

Thankfully we were able to save money on new cabinets by buying salvaged ones from Lowes. We did not have to buy all new cabinets, but did need to replace a few. They don't match exactly, but once everything is painted, you won't even notice! I love the change from dark to light - such a big contrast and it has really opened up the space and brightened it dramatically. 

My husband and I have done as much work ourselves as possible so far with the exception of hiring an Electrician, a Plumber, and Contractor to help with jobs that were out of our area of knowledge. Those are a few areas that we did not want to cut corners on! Our goal when we started this project was to stay under a budget of $10,000 and we have been able to do that! Doing a lot of the work ourselves has really helped in that area. As well as looking for as many options as possible when it came to design and decor items like using salvaged cabinets and shopping around for the best deal on subway tile has helped keep us on track.

Kitchen remodels are messy and a bit of an inconvenience, but I am so excited about the changes we are making and I can't wait to share the final reveal! Stay tuned for Part 2! 

-Bosslady