If you look at the original layout of our house before the renovation, you can understand why a kitchen renovation turned into an entire ground floor overhaul. We felt the kitchen was much too small and the overall layout just didn't work for a young family with kids. A bigger kitchen and a more open layout where we would be able to keep an eye on the children at every angle, would serve our needs much better.
 |
| Original Layout |
First order of business: we enlisted the services of a structural engineer to confirm which walls were structural and would need alternate framing prior to being demolished. It turned out both walls to the west and east of the original kitchen were load-bearing so the engineer came up with a post & beam design to replace those walls. In addition to that, all electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc. contained within those walls, had to be repositioned elsewhere. By the time we were complete practically all the trades were involved in our
little renovation!
 |
| My favourite indulgences in our kitchen: having 2 sinks to keep food prepping away from the dish washing area; and the Electrolux modular fridge & freezer units |
We developed the plans on AutoCAD and a 3-D software just to get the floor plan right and then focused on the kitchen cabinet details. It's a good idea to get all parties who use the kitchen to be involved in this process as a well-designed kitchen should be functional for all.
 |
| Concept #5: With the kitchen on the south-east corner, we get to keep the fireplace; however, the layout & flow is a little awkward for the seating area |
 |
| The winning concept: we sacrificed the fireplace by situating the kitchen on the south-west corner but this layout is perfect for our lifestyle! |
While waiting for the building permit to be issued, we began hiring contractors and had some fun shopping for appliances, fixtures, lighting & materials. If you have little experience in project management, it's a good idea to hire a general contractor to take charge of the entire project because this can prove to be an overwhelming task for those unfamiliar with the construction/renovation process.
Remember to spend the extra time doing your home work and research thoroughly before committing to buying anything. We were astonished at the excessive amount of home and kitchen products available on the market today - even though we were armed with the three knows:
- Know the style or look you're after: This is straight forward since one can easily find visual inspirations from magazine clippings; or hire a designer to create that look uniquely yours.
- Know your budget: You can browse the internet to get an idea of how much things cost and establish a budget from here (I just go to Amazon.com to price just about anything.) We used an Excel Spreadsheet to keep track of all this.
- Know your time line: This is important so you can effectively coordinate everything from getting working drawings done for permit to scheduling the trades. Again, an Excel Spreadsheet proved indispensable in helping us stay organized and on top of things.
 |
| Fabric draperies add a much needed dose of colour and also serve to soften up all the hard edges typically present in a kitchen |
The biggest thing I got out of this project? Never to live in the house while it's undergoing construction. We made the mistake of enduring all the noise and dust for 3 months! In the end, it was all worth it though. I'm in love with my kitchen everyday!
