| Author | Content |
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 13, 2007
2:19 PM Post #3971086
| Hi, everyone. Just found you in this thread.
I am planning to double my kitchen space ... bust through three walls, knock out stairs, replace a door, expand onto a porch and redo the small closet 1/2 bath.
I have the design, sketched it all myself, but don't know a thing about how to start looking for contractors and such. And, what is a reasonable budget for remodeling ... not resurfacing?
I'll post some existing pictures to give a "starting point."
thanks,
peggy |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
September 14, 2007
5:04 PM Post #3975710
| The last issue of "This Old House" magazine had 3 makeovers - 20k, 40k and 100k. Sounds like you will be at the upper end there. |
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 17, 2007
12:20 PM Post #3985161
| OHH, really? I guess I need to get planning. Any suggestions on where to start? |
jkom51
Oakland, CA
(Zone 9b)
September 18, 2007
12:40 PM Post #3989383
| Obviously, the better your planning, the more accurate quotes you will get and the smoother the project will go. HGTV.com has a remodeling calculator, which I didn't realize until I accidentally ran across it on the website. You may wish to try it and see if it helps, since it is localized for zip codes across the country.
[HYPERLINK@www.costestimator.com] |
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 18, 2007
1:29 PM Post #3989553
| Great, thanks jkom51. I'm looking for all the help I can get. |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
September 18, 2007
1:43 PM Post #3989618
| You can find kitchen design help at the "big-box" stores.
I would seek out a carpenter who builds or remodels houses - maybe a friend or one that has a contact, that would be willing to look at the wall you want to remove. Load-bearing walls can be removed, but there are right and wrong ways to do it. Done right, you may need to have an arch or other beam and post supports installed.
Then I would cruise kitchen showrooms, etc. to finalize the plans - take lots of digital pictures. Then you can price all the options. |
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 18, 2007
1:49 PM Post #3989654
| Excellent. I did the "estimator" and came up with figure of about 25,000. But, we all know that could easily double ... which is still within budget. The best part is that I and my hubby can rip out most of the existing cabinets and flooring, I can tile the new counters and paint/decorate. The parts we cannot do are the building/rebuilding of walls, taking out stairways, busting through the load bearing ones and securing them. And the actual interior work of building the island, and plumbing and electrical.
thanks, keep the suggestions coming!
|
CountryGardens
Lewisville, MN
(Zone 4a)
September 19, 2007
10:25 PM Post #3995495
| I wished I lived closer, I would help you out.
There must be a good cabinet maker in your area. Look around & ask people if they know of any.
Best to stay away from Big Box stores. Do you want a high school kid doing your planning & selling you cardboard & sawdust wood ?
We are just starting a set of cabinets for a new house. They will be all solid wood, Oak, & custom built. We build the doors, too. So kitchen & two bath vanities will be under $10,000.
And we install!
Here's a part of a kitchen we did this summer.
Bernie
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
CountryGardens
Lewisville, MN
(Zone 4a)
September 19, 2007
10:31 PM Post #3995516
| Other side. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
CountryGardens
Lewisville, MN
(Zone 4a)
September 19, 2007
10:37 PM Post #3995533
| Friends of ours flip houses. They took possession of this house July 2nd. Went through it completely, including new service entrance on the electric. They painted inside & out. We did the kitchen. New cabinets & countertops & a laminate floor. They put in the new appliances.
The house is sold & they close on it on Friday.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:24 AM Post #3996481
| WOW, great job to have if the house sells.
Here's my kitchen now ... several shots to follow here:
this is standing at the "entrance" from the dining room. the windows (two) are views of the back and side yards, the door on the left near the leftside window goes upstairs (I am standing between two more doors taking the picture ... you'll see a door goes to the back deck, a door goes down 3 steps to the alley and basement, yes, 5 doors in one kitchen!).
This message was edited Sep 20, 2007 8:30 AM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:27 AM Post #3996494
| this is standing in that kitchen sink counter corner area you see in the shot prior looking across the kitchen to the exact place I just stood taking the prior picture ... basically, opposite angle.
So, you can see the three other doors - oh and there is another door to the 1/2 bath in this kitchen.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:31 AM Post #3996503
| This is directly across from the side alley window. the door you see past the fridge is the back deck door.
This message was edited Sep 20, 2007 8:32 AM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:34 AM Post #3996512
| this is another shot from the first corner to show that back deck door side.
This message was edited Sep 20, 2007 8:35 AM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:37 AM Post #3996522
| Here's the wall I want to remove that separates the kitchen from the basement/alley doors and stairs. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:40 AM Post #3996533
| standing in the same spot I turned around and took a view of the door leading to the backside porch (through another door!) and to the left is , yes another door to the 1/2 bathroom.
I want to bust through these three walls and open onto the backside porch.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:42 AM Post #3996537
| this is the 1/2 bath 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:47 AM Post #3996554
| OK, phew, last one and it's the porch.
The plants over winter here. Those are all single, individual plate glass windows inside the larger window that opens. there are 7 total window units and above those, and the door, are small window pane panels. the fridge sits on the old exterior house wall - that I want to bust through. the 1/2 bath is between the kitchen wall with the stove and this old exterior wall.
Any suggestions??
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
3:39 PM Post #3998097
| We bought this home in 1998 and haven't really done much except paint it. I landscaped the yard - all except the back. but the vanities, and cabinets etc are all old and will be replaced. |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
September 20, 2007
4:10 PM Post #3998239
| Bernie,
You do make some beautiful cabinets. I did not mean to imply allowing the big-box stores to do everything, just another place to look for ideas (free).
Pegdog,
Have you drawn a floorplan if the existing house to scale, yet? It would be a good place to start. There are several software packages that can help with that. Once you have the existing plan, you can overlay it with revisions to try what you want.
You mention wanting to expand into the porch - Is it on the same foundation as the rest of the kitchen? You may have "under the house" issues as well as supporting the house where the load bearing wall will be removed.
Some outside pictures would be helpful, too.
Were you planning to change the floor, too? There will be some transition issues where the wall was. Again, lots of choices. |
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
7:54 PM Post #3999045
| Bubba, I do have a floor plan ... to scale. I did it from scratch b/c all the software programs I tried failed to incorporate my personal space needed ... meaning: cookie cutter cut and paste things. So, I do have a plan to scale - in aerial view and 3D on paper.
The porch is on foundation. Pictures outside? Here ya go!
Porch repair this summer
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:00 PM Post #3999067
| OK, ignore the hibiscus, although lovely, the wall behind it is our exterior, and the "bearing wall" on the porch - as well as the window being the kitchen one above the extisting sink. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 20, 2007
8:02 PM Post #3999097
| I'll try to scan in the plan and send it. |
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 24, 2007
2:10 PM Post #4012322
| ok, my picture scanned as a tif and won't upload onto this site. :( Any suggestions? |
CountryGardens
Lewisville, MN
(Zone 4a)
September 24, 2007
2:18 PM Post #4012343
| Go into your picture editing program & change to jpeg. |
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 25, 2007
12:07 PM Post #4015573
| lol... that didn't work either. I'll just come up with another idea to get the sketches up. But, with the measurements and the photos above, a sketch could be drawn, right?
Any way, I think that busting through the exterior wall isn't such a good idea. Here's why: cost. It would be like putting on an addition including remodeling the kitchen. I'm up for ideas, but it seems a bit challenging to my wallet. |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
September 25, 2007
12:26 PM Post #4015632
| Thanks for trying. Actually glad you decided not to remove the wall - especially since it was an exterior wall. Roof seams always are problematic with add-ons. |
pegdog
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6a)
September 25, 2007
1:48 PM Post #4015871
| It's already contained because that porch is a two story porch. My upstairs porch is our laundry room. |
