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I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm overwhelmed.

After years of saying I was going to remodel my kitchen, after tons of inspiration pictures cut from magazines, pinned from pinterest, saved from blogs or from this board, its happening.

It's a little bittersweet, because we are remodeling to sell.
I know it sounds crazy, but there is no way to list the house with the current kitchen.

So I've had to set my dream kitchen aside and remodel with what hopefully will be popular or least offensive to a future buyer. The bottom line, it'll look a heck of a lot better than what we've got now.
So over the next what seems like a bazillion weeks, I will post updates. This will be a simple remodel, nothing too flashy, just get-er-done.
So here is where we are starting, this was taken tonight, stripped of all its personality. I will not miss that floor!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: annielinz,

Here is the other end of the kitchen:

Yes I'm sure it will be bittersweet. But if you think it's the right thing to do to get it sold, then you have to do it.
How long will the remodel take?
I can't wait to watch it all happen here. Will be fun it see what you have chosen. Will be exciting, because all of us here love decorating.
So let it begin

I can't wait to see pictures of your new home, when you move. I'm excited for you. Wish I was going where you are going. Will be a fantastic move. YAY

quote:

I know it sounds crazy, but there is no way to list the house with the current kitchen.

Not at all. I redid my kitchen and bath last fall after seeing how quickly 2 other condos(in my building) sold after redoing those areas.

I didn't do exactlty what I would have done if I had been planning to stay long term but it is new and really perks up the place.

It is frustrating having guys in your space for days on end but worth it!

Wishing you the best.

Thank you lilsophie and annie for the encouraging words. We just did a minor remodel in the bathrooms-we were out of town for the two weeks, so that was painless and to come back to it being done was a dream! This could take 6-8 weeks to complete lilsophie which seems like an eternity right now. After seeing the bathrooms complete,I regret not doing this sooner...what do they say about hindsight Any and all suggestions to survive the remodel is welcomed!

I am looking forward to watching your kichen change as the time passes so post lots of pictures. We (my husband and I) remodeled our kitchen last year and I love it now. Good luck!

Kitchen demolition is a very satisfying process. You'll be so happy I'm sure once your new dream kitchen is all ready! Best of luck & will be looking forward to seeing the photos

Annie, good luck and please wow us with pics as you progress!

How exciting!! I hope you enjoy it. Hopefully you'll get to enjoy it for a little bit at least!

KYlady, BanarsiD, Cararose and OOAL, thank you all for more encouraging words.
The funny thing is I would love to be the one doing the demoing. Taking a sledge hammer to my cabinets would indeed be satisfying...but I guess thats best left to the experts.
I will keep you posted with progress pictures.

Anxious to watch the transformation!

Good luck on your remodel. I'm sure it will come out beautiful.

Where you going???

I will watch transformation too!

I am sure you thought it though...
If you think having your kitchen remodeled while living there is a hassle, just wait till you stage it, list it and have to leave a lot so people can come to view. You might as well start packing extra stuff now, and get yourself ready!

I was amazed how much stuff I had in my house till I started packing it! I packed the important collections I wanted to keep first... then removing personal effects from view...
Well you know the drill....

Good luck and can't wait to see pics!
Like Wanda said, 'where are you going'?

It's a shame that you couldn't have enjoyed the fresh new kitchen while you lived there, but I certainly understand budget priorities and the need to do it before you sell.

As Mary Ruth said, the good news is that you can pack up your kitchen in preparation for your eventual move and leave most of it packed.

Annie--Good luck with your remodel. Hope it goes smooth for you. Can't wait to see progress pics!!

I look forward to your kitchen remodel too! I have a similiar looking floor (original 1974). Have you decided what you will replace the floor with? Good luck with the remodel!

Well I have been a packing/tossing/donating fool for months. I am a pack rat so this has been overwhelming.

We kind of decided on this life changing move out of the blue. This summer was a summer of craziness!
In nutshell: My son announced his engagement and a few days later while I was vacationing with my sister on the Calif. Central Coast we bought a new house down there, and DH and I decided to retire at the end of this school year!
So our current house which we were going to do some work on this year anyway, got put into turbo drive. It went from doing the kitchen of my dreams to just getting it updated, then it flowed into well we better updates the baths, and the outside needs painting....ahhh.
So I'm really trying to look at this as a time to downsize and simplify. My current house will be very neutral and I'm finding I really like the less is more look and want to take this look down to the new house.
You all are going to be sick of me, between this house and the other, you will be besieged with pictures and questions.

Glad to hear you are selling on a good note. Now I can't wait to see pic's of the new place!! Congratulations Annie.

AKsunny, the new kitchen floor will be tile...I haven't picked it out yet, got to get on that. If it was going to be "my kitchen" I would of gone with wood floor, so tile was not even on the radar.

Always I thought of you because the new place has a spanish feel to it and it has saltillo floors in the kitchen and sunroom. Are they easy to maintain?

quote:

Originally posted by annielinz:
After seeing the bathrooms complete,I regret not doing this sooner...what do they say about hindsight Any and all suggestions to survive the remodel is welcomed!

Well I've heard that type of comment hundreds of times in my long real estate career. People seem to always put off updating projects and seem to live in outdated surroundings until they have to move again. After the updating is over they seem to kick themselves for putting up with less than an ideal settings when they could have had the enjoyment of living with it.
You're on the right track annielinz and your kitchen will soon be a bright spot in your house.

so Annielinz, you say we will be sick of you! Well bring it on! I am ready! LOL
I am happy for you that positive life changes are happening! Will be watching for updates!

Having just finished this process I wish you the best of luck and a SPEEDY finish!

Good luck! will be awaiting pics and lookinf forward to updates

Ok so heres a progress pic.

This is the stove side before and after

Looks like he will tackle the other side of the kitchen tomorrow. So day one is down.....progress is being made.

Thank you all again for the encouraging words.

WOOHOO, the transformation begins.

Heres is where we ended up yesterday, everything is out and Monday he will start upgrading electrical, etc, pulling up the rest of the old linoleum. I ordered my sink and my faucet arrived yesterday. I went back and forth on single bowl sink and double and ended up with double, where one side is larger. The tough part of this reno is stepping back and removing my emotions and wants. However I'm still interjecting some of my personality. I also found a light fixture for over the kitchen table....again trying to find something general but still went with what caught my eye.

So heres a pic of the room yesterday and I'll try to post the faucet and sink I chose and the light fixture.

sink and faucet

light

loving that new sink! We had to offset that style sink for my daughter, she had her sink under a window, and the faucet is set on the side. Looking into the room, the faucet would have looked off center, and since the sink cannot be seen across the room, we decided to move the sink over and center the faucet to the window.

Love your choices! HOW EXCITING!

Very pretty!

It is exciting, isn't it! I could have bought a lot more light fixtures than I needed. So many fun choices.

Good luck. Thanks for sharing the process.

I'm excited for you!! I'm looking at that same style sink when I get my kitchen updated this spring. I need to get it ordered soon, as well as my faucet.

Keep up w/ the pictures and congratulations on this new chapter of your life!

Mary Ruth I thought about that dilemma also.
I had orginally wanted single bowl with a bridge faucet, really loved the faucet. Then I decided on this sink and with the off set bowls....I didn't think the bridge wouldn't work. So I went with the single faucet, which I also love. Keeping fingers crossed my construction guy can work miracles to get it to all work.
Annie it is easy to get distracted with fixtures etc, so much out there.
Thank you Strings and Out on a limb.
I ordered the sink and faucet through faucets.com along with the garbage disposal (not the most exciting purchase-LOL). The sink should arrive Monday and the faucet came friday...pretty speedy delivery.

I had that same faucet in last house. My sprayer didn't last 6 months tho; hope yours does better. Will have that same sink in our new house; love the big side as I have some really big pots.

Keep us updated on the process and I hope it turns out perfectly

Just wondering how it is going?

KG, thanks for asking.
Survived the first week.
Right now he is working on electrical and is running into some bumps, I guess our wiring is a little antiquated! Anyway the wall next to the electrical box in the garage has been taken back and there's a large hole where the fluorescent light was. The good news is the recessed lighting is somewhat up just not hooked up. It looks like he has added additional electrical outlets in the kitchen also. Once he gets the wiring completed and inspected then it's patching the walls and on to the good stuff like cabinets
Here's the latest picture, sorry not very exciting.

YAY, it's coming along.

I think the progress is exciting! Look at that great lighting! I love seeing a room come together.

Bet you can't wait to get it all finished. Your choices are beautiful!

Annie,

Good luck on the kitchen re-do. It's fun to watch the progress!

2 weeks down and heres a quick update.

Electrical inspection done. Dry wall up and cabinets have arrived.
So far it hasn't been too painful, we are adjusting to the upheaval.

Heres the updated pictures:

new cabinets:

WOW coming right along and looking NEAT! You going to prime and paint first?

AH love seeing a blank canvas! especially just before a transformation, lots of energy waiting to go in there!

Mary Ruth, he's going to let this dry then he's going to skim coat/texture the walls, then I think the cabinets will be installed. I made a decision on the floor tiles (I think), so I need to get those and the backsplash. I also ordered my cabinet pulls they should arrive next week.

Beautiful cabinets Annie. Can't wait to see them up on the wall. What color were you painting the walls again?

Very pretty cabinets; looking forward to seeing them installed.

Thank you lilsophie and KyLady.
I'm pleased with how they came out. Ordered them sight unseen. I asked for white cabinets with mission style doors and they came through for me.
lilsophie I'm going to paint the kitchen walls the same as the rest of the house for consistancy. It's Family Legancy by Glidden.
It kind of reminds me of peanut butter

Heres a picture of the color:

Hmmm I will have to check out that paint color Annie. It sounds nice. I will add that chip to my paint collection. LOL

I posted before seeing the second photo with the cabinets! NICE, similar to what I am going to do in our kitchen for doors.

Peanut butter! Love it, and you can add a little chocolate with that for a peanut butter cup! LOL

Coming along beautifully!
Thanks for update!