So many questions came out of last week's blog post and a ton of interest in Renovation Angel which is so awesome! This week, I am going to answer as many kitchen renovation questions as I can, and next week, I'll get more in-depth about what we learned along the way that can help you in general if you are planning a kitchen overhaul like we did.
cabinet color | Sherwin Williams Creamy (similar) Satin Finish
trim color | Sherwin Williams Creamy Satin Finish
hardware | Baldwin Brass Classic Mushroom Knob and Cup Pull
pendants | Goodman Pendant
Your Kitchen Renovation Questions!
If you are getting ready to sell, do you recommend doing this as an inexpensive way to update your kitchen?
First I want to convey, that reclaiming a kitchen to put into your own is not an easy thing to do nor is it inexpensive. You really need to know your stuff or work with a designer or contractor who can really guide you. You may be getting a huge value on all of the components of the kitchen, but there are still labor costs, storage costs, and contingency costs for unexpected hiccups to consider.
For getting ready to sell, inexpensive fixes could be:
- styling with up-to-date accessories
- adding updated lighting
- painting your cabinetry (you can grab my favorite cabinetry paint colors here)
- adding pretty hardware
- updating the appliances
- updating the backsplash
- updating counters
How do you modify measurements?
Ok, so on the Renovation Angel website, they actually provide you with layout information, like this for each kitchen (and please take a second to see how many tabs I have open–ridiculous! haha!):
The great thing is that they show the exact measurement of each cabinet in addition to the full run of cabinetry. This way, if you want to reconfigure cabinets, you can but I would avoid it if possible because…
The countertops are your rate-limiting step.
If the counters are included and you want to reuse them, you will need to keep the runs of cabinetry, location of the sink and any appliance that is integrated into the counter (like a drop-in cooktop) in their exact footprint.
We did have to add filler pieces to our largest run of upper cabinets because it was slightly shorter than the lowers and if the uppers were going to go from wall to wall in our kitchen we needed to add about an inch. Our contractor works with a super talented cabinetmaker who was able to color match our cabinets and provide these fillers. They also had to make new crown molding for all of the cabinets because it was pretty damaged during the removal process.
Did you have to cut cabinetry, etc?
Thank gawd, we did not. We were fortunate because we were building a new structure so we could customize our walls to our cabinets. This is the opposite of what typically happens. In a normal renovation, the walls go up and the cabinets are then made to fit the structure.
Even though I knew how the kitchen could be configured, we still worked with an architect to confirm all of that and to design the structure itself.
Did you have to cut the counters and who installed them?
We did need to have the counters modified in two places. These were places where the original kitchen didn't have walls so the end of the counters overhung the cabinets and were finished. I have a great relationship with my local stone fabricator, Granite Galleria and they agreed to do this for me (and install). It is very risky for a company to agree to this because if damage happens in the cutting of the stone, people aren't happy and it's an expensive fix. We had budgeted for new counters if an issue occurred.
Did you change the hardware to the brass or did those come with the kitchen?
I kept the polished brass hardware that came with the kitchen. I absolutely love it. They are heavy little buggers so I know that they are beautiful quality and the whole kitchen reminded me of a La Corneau stove (which I also love!).
On the website, it states that not all items in picture may be sold together? Did you have that happen?
On the website, they tell you exactly what you are getting and what is excluded:
Our kitchen came with everything except the refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and pendant lighting. All appliances are tested at the time that they are removed but there are no guarantees that they will work once installed. So, another contingency you need to plan for.
These are brand new but never been used? Like in a showroom?
Renovation Angel sources from high end homes, executive housing and showrooms. Our kitchen was a 7-year old kitchen that came out of a house in Old Greenwich, CT.
What did you look for in the quality and condition when you went to look at it?
The first thing I was looking for was a classic white or off-white kitchen that would stand the test of time from a design standpoint. Our kitchen is 12 years old and you would never know it.
White/off-white cabinetry. Counters with veining. Subway tile. Classic.
For the quality, I first looked at the website of the cabinetmaker because that was mentioned in the description. The website showed work that looked to be in luxury homes–perfect! When I went to look at it, I was looking for:
- the style of cabinet (inset doors vs overlay),
- the thickness of the drawers and doors,
- the materials that the cabinets were made from,
- what the counter material was,
- condition of the paint finish on the cabinets,
- condition of the included appliances.
I also did a quick google search of all of the appliances listed and the serial number that was on the faucet so that I could understand if the pricing was truly a value.
Did you buy the cabinets after the addition was completed or before? How did that work?
We bought the cabinetry first and had the structure built around it. Renovation Angel has a phenomenal moving team and we had them deliver the kitchen to a storage facility. It sat there for over a year but it was great to have everything accessible for our architect and contractor to measure and measure again.
We hired a moving team to deliver the cabinetry to the site once our contractor was ready for it. Our stone fabricator came and templated for our counters (every room is different so they needed to know the exact dimensions of our new space), picked up the counters, modified them and installed them.
Did your local contractor coordinate things?
We were a team but I have to say, my contractors, The Seydel Group, are phenomenal and could have handled all of it for us.
Ok, think that's all of the kitchen renovation questions! Here is the link to download your free Cabinet Paint Color Guide if you don't feel like scrolling back up to try and find it! Next week, our lessons learned!
xo,
Lori
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