Kitchen Renovation

6 years ago

I recently bought a house built in 1930. It has great bones and is beautiful (I think), although there's lots of improvements to do. I wanted to start with the kitchen. It has an original quirky layout and cupboards with doors that are coming off the hinges...and I can't quite fix them back into place. There is either a doorway or a window on every single wall so not enough storage. The fridge (normal size) is blocking part of one doorway, but there's no such thing as flat fridge (it would have to be 22 inches and not any more!). It is not a big kitchen (about 9 x 9 ft + the fridge nook vis-a-vis an entry to the basement). A few contractors who visited suggest knocking down the walls, reconfiguring things, adding an island with a stove in it, even taking away some space to make a powder room, which I'd love but not at the expense of losing space from the dining room. That comes at a price of 40-80K+ (I was given a wide range)! Which is too much given everything else I need to fix (roof, leaky foundation, spalling brickwork on the exterior, 20 year old furnace, bathroom with a moisture issue behind the wall....). But tearing down walls and modernizing old spaces is what everyone is doing. I want something different. Plus I think modernizing half of the main floor will make the rest of the house look funny! Currently the fridge is out of place, there is barely any countertop and it is also too short for me (33 inches, I find 36 inches much more comfortable being tall). But I bought a narrow island and pushed it against one wall and that helps. Overall, I'm torn. Perhaps I'm not ready to tear down walls, perhaps I need to live here longer and "enjoy" the quirkiness and character. But I still want to improve it. However, does it make sense to put money into something that will have to be redone fully and extensively anyways? I am at a loss. What would you do?

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Sharon Brindley Designs

6 years ago

Just a hand drawn floor plan will do.

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Comments (8)

herbflavor
6 years ago
How big is dining room . Likely the pantry type tall cabinets on that wall will be taken apart and some recessing back into dining room for fridge and whatever works with the inches left. Where fridge is now can be counter and cabs below and above which will assist w clearing your main work area of stuff . Main area of sink and stove region can be redone and deeper counters and all new on that run will help you. But do it after your other expensive projects are done. Think abt new fridge and that carpentry and so on to recess it along that wall.
Isabella thanked herbflavor
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Sharon Brindley Designs
6 years ago
Can you provide a floorplan with all dimensions, including windows and doors?
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mama goose_gw zn6OH
6 years ago
If you can spare 2' from the dining room, I'd recess the fridge where you have the tall shallow cabinet (where you have the mobile island) and finish out the wall with counter. Add a coffee center where the fridge is currently located.

Post the whole first floor plan, with all rooms identified.
Isabella
Original Author
6 years ago
I don't have a floor plan. Haven't hired a designer yet. All rooms are small, kitchen 8.2x 12 (but 3 feet are not useful since the fridge and basement entry door are there, so more like 8.2x 8.6), dining 9x11, living room 11x11. Cutting into these is not an option. Opening them up is an option, but then, it will no longer be a 1930 house.
millworkman
6 years ago
Graph paper and a pencil will do fine. 1/4" box each equal a foot.
Isabella thanked millworkman
roarah
6 years ago
My neighbors closed off the front hall entrance to their kitchen to accommodate a fridge surround.
Isabella
Original Author
6 years ago
One contractor recommended the same, but kitchen is the heart of a home, so I would not want to close it off.

My question is more about whether it makes sense to prolong it's vintage look in its original form. Maybe it does not make any sense in which case it makes a lot of sense to knock down walls. I've seen a few examples and it does look good. It is though taking the character and uniqueness out of the home. Here are some examples with a very similar layout to mine (and from the same city); the first one is a bigger kitchen, but nonetheless, everyone is putting the fridge in the same place - next to the wall with the entrance to the basement, and everyone is taking down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room.