Kitchen: Planning & Budgeting

Since Thanksgiving I have done a lot of planning, thinking, and research on getting my kitchen restored. I have picked out all my appliances, contacted my pros, priced material, and have an estimate of around $20,625. With the exception of 1 of my pros, I have worked with all these guys before and not only do they do great work, they give me a great price on it as well, so I was able to save money there. Also, the prices I currently have are directly from GE on my appliances but I know I can get them cheaper, I like to estimate on the high side so that I can be prepared. The appliance total alone comes out to about $11K.

First thing to get done is going to be getting all the materials ordered and delivered here so that there won't be any waiting around with a torn apart, unusable kitchen. So, I am ordering the extra tile, the cabinets (I am reusing the doors), the appliances, fabric for the chairs, and the reproduced wallpaper. Once it is all delivered we get started on the real work.

1. Electrical - This is one of the few rooms that does not have a lot of electrical issues. New wire will be run to the 3 light fixtures above the eating area, new switches will be put in, and the outlet under the sink will be fixed so that I do not need to unplug my disposal to use my dishwasher.

2. Demolition - EVERYTHING will be removed from the kitchen. All appliances, cupboards, counter top, furniture, wallpaper will be removed, and the counter top from the pantry.

3. Windows - New windows get put in, energy star efficient. A screen will also be put on the set of opening windows so they will be usable when the weather is nice.

4. Ceiling/Walls -Surfaces will be evened out and any old holes will be filled. The ceiling will be painted flat white along with the light covers and air vent. The new wallpaper will be hung on all the walls.

5. Flooring - Missing tiles will get replaced and the tile will be carried over under where the previous appliances and cabinets were. All the grout will be redone. I decided to wallpaper all the surfaces and tile the entire floor after literally hours of reading through information. For the extra investment it makes sense to me and it is worth it.

6. Cabinets and Appliances - They guy doing my cabinets already has all the measurements on my new appliances along with the layout of the current cabinets which I am keeping. If not for the fact that the appliance sizes are different I would just keep the old ones. When they arrive he will make final measurements but this is where the cabinets and appliances, which are all built in, get installed.

7. Counter Tops and Sink - Other than sanding and repainting the shelves and doors, the only thing that needs to be done in the pantry is touching up the edges of the wallpaper to seal it to the wall, and a new black counter top to match the one in the kitchen. The new counter top as well as the old sink, refinished and with new fixtures, and the new range get installed.

After that the only things left to do are hang the new curtains, move the restored furniture back in and give it a quick cleaning. Now, I know it is not going to be as easy as it looks written on paper but I do know that having a plan makes things much easier in the event of a disaster. I am looking to get this project underway in the next 2-3 weeks but I will keep everything, even the smallest progress updated.

Yay! It really feels like I'm getting something done.

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Kitchen Demo on Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Today was the first time I have ever taken on the task of cooking a Thanksgiving dinner. I went all out and stuck with my family's traditions of the turkey and a bunch of different sides. Luckily I decided to go ahead and do most of the sides the night before because today, my house decided that the kitchen is the first room that needs to get done.

There I was, on schedule (only an hour behind but that is on schedule for me), cooking a beautiful Rachael Ray turkey. The house was smelling so good and I went to open the oven to check the turkey, tent it and baste it. Imagine my surprise when I went to open the oven and it would not open. My 1970 something Thermatronic by Thermador oven has a locking latch on it and today the latch decided to stay locked with my turkey inside!

I tried everything I could think of and finally after exhausting every avenue, I flipped the power off at the circuit breaker and spent an hour taking apart my oven to get to my turkey. The turkey turned out amazing, I finished it on the grill, but now I find myself searching for the best prices on the appliances I want and figuring out how I am going to do a kitchen remodel in time for Christmas. Or at the very least have a fully functioning clean kitchen by Christmas.

While it has helped me decided where to start in this huge undertaking, my oven crapping out during the holidays is something I could definitely do without. The first purchase for the kitchen will obviously be the new oven and I have found one that I am in LOVE with. It is a GE Profile, stainless steel, single-double wall mounted oven and it is amazing. I can cook a 22 lbs turkey on the bottom and some side dishes on top. So, looks like I will really be getting my butt in gear, for the next few weeks at least.

For more pictures of the demo, check out my PhotoBucket portfolio.

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My Camp for the Next Couple of Days

It is starting to get really cold out here now and wouldn't you know it, my heater shorts out. It is only 5 years old and is still under warranty but still! So they came out, got the 3 part numbers they need and are ordering the parts. So for the next few days it is just too cold to stay upstairs. I decided to bring the two mattresses down from one of the guest rooms, plop it in front of the fireplace, and camp out in my living room. It is actually kind of fun though that is only because my unit on this level is still working like a champ. It reminds me of when you first move into a house and you don't have anything set up so the mattress goes on the floor. I may even get some Cup of Noodles to really take me back!



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Where to go next?

Right now my top priorities are:

1 - Finishing the plumbing

2 - Replacing all the electric

3- Build a dog run and put a new fence up in the back yard

4 - All new windows and doors

But the question is, then what? There is so much to do on this house and since every room is getting done, it is hard to pick which room should get done first. I think if I work on multiple rooms at once, I will find myself getting overwhelmed and getting nothing done. So here are my thoughts on my top 4.

1. My bedroom and master bath. It is my domain so to speak. I spend a good amount of time in there and it would be nice to get it done first so after a long day of working on a project I can shower or take a bath in my nice finished bathroom and go to sleep in my nice finished bedroom and not look around thinking of how much I still have to do.

2. The Piano Room. This is actually where a lot of time gets spent. I call it the piano room because...there is a piano in it but it is basically a family room. It is also the first room I see when I come home as it is the door right in from the carport. Also, once the electrical and plumbing work is all done, this room will need a lot less work than my bedroom and bathroom.

3. The Living Room. Surprisingly I use this room A LOT! It is a living/dining room, very large. It has a fireplace, the other being in my master. It is very formal but is so open and right off the kitchen. When friends come over we like to sit in there if we are not watching TV, just hanging out talking or having a drink. It is also the room in the house that will take the least amount of working. It is the only room that only needs touch up on the wallpaper and not full replacement.

4. The Kitchen. The kitchen is probably going to be the most expensive room to restore/renovate. Besides just the appliances which come out to around $8K, I am getting new cupboards, cabinets, counter tops, floors, the works. It is still going to look the same but because of the sizes of things when the house was built in 1964 and the size of things now, not to mention materials available now etc, it makes more sense to rebuild the kitchen than work with what I have. I love to cook and entertain and spend a good amount of time in this room.

So what do you think? I have looked online, watched shows, read books and asked the pros and they all have their own way and their own order. I don't have a crew of guys working though so I can't tear up every room in my home. I'll have help but still it will be one room at a time. Which room would you start first?

See pictures of the house back in 2001 when I first bought it here. I'll be updating this and adding more albums with current pictures and the updates as work gets done.

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Welcome To My Vintage Vegas Home!

Welcome to MyVintageVegasHome! I decided to put together a blog to document my experience of restoring my home. I say restoring in place of renovating because while I am updating some things in my home, I am actually keeping it the same as it was when I would come out here as a child. This house has been in my family for almost 40 years now. I bought it back in 2001 to keep it in the family after my grandfather passed away. I have done some major projects, most of the plumbing, new roof, 3 new heating and air units and all new duct work, but I have reached the point where I am ready to get it done! The goal is to finish this project in 12 months or less. Stay tuned to see how it goes!

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