Kitchen Quotes

The kitchen quotes are still rolling in. The last one was for $13,000. I now know the difference between an inset and an overlay cabinet door. Insets are more expensive. While I realize that the designer kitchens are out of my price range, some of the appliance suggestions are turning my head.

Check out the baby retro fridgerator by SMEG. The pink example above is from Poppytalk. Without seeing one in person, I'm worried that it will be plasticy. I'm still waiting on the final specs and price. If the economy holds up, this may be my Christmas splurge.

Love It, Hate It

Sometimes with IKEA, it is a love/hate relationship. I finally settled on the Lidingo cabinets and figured out which cabinets would work. Lazy susans are going in the corners and I'll have a bank of drawers by the refrigerator. I'm going down to a 30" sink base so that I can squeeze in another cabinet at the end. I did my homework so it should fit.

After work, I picked up a friend and we went to order my cabinets. Note I said order cabinets, not look at cabinets, not ask questions about them, but to order, pay and pick them up. The kitchen designer said that I was the easiest order of the day. The bad news was that the actual boxes were not in stock. I would have to wait 10-14 days and pick them up at their warehouse by the airport. That totally messed up my need for instant gratification.

So as to end on a good note, when I changed my address, the Post Office mailed me a little package that included a $25 IKEA coupon. I used that and the final bill for the cabinets (and two boxes of cookies) came out to $1,113.34.

The Carriage House Needs a Kitchen

The code compliant kitchen that I have now is totally livable, but it is time for my kitchen to grow up. Pantry items and dishes are just not meant to live in moving boxes. After I finished my last kitchen renovation, the amount of cooking I did at home doubled!

Quotes from local kitchen design studios ranged anywhere from $9,000 to $10,000. No appliances included. Both studios spec’ed out granite and engineered stone countertops at the consistent price of $65/SF - comparable to the big box store prices.

The economy and my industry are slowing down, so I hesitate to spend too much money on this kitchen…that will eventually be for a future tenant. That led me to the path of IKEA cabinets. I’ll only install lower cabinets (another cost savings) and put it together myself. My ex-boyfriend’s ex-neighbor will move the plumbing and install granite countertops. I was leaning towards the engineered stone, but at $24/SF, I’ll take granite.

My overall project budget for this kitchen is $2,500 and right now the numbers work.

Taylor Cup

Do you know how hard it is to catch up on football games from the west coast? The girls got a good laugh as I scrambled to check scores on Saturday. My picks are not necessarily based on how well the team is playing football. I picked Georgia Tech to win out of loyalty and TCU to win because bootcamp boy (and now Susan C.) went to school there. My only loss was Pittsburgh v. Navy. End result? I went 11-1 and am the highest ranked member for the week.

The Next Carriage House

Cottage/Garage Interior - Living Space

Floor Plan

My new fixation is trying to conceptualize my next project. Ideally, it would be an intown, lakefront home with room to grow. Rather than start with the most expensive part of an estate, I'd start with the garage. There are just so many things you can do with a garage, but most people fill it with their cars and laundry room. Additional living space for visitors? A home office?

Inspiration from the west coast is evident in my recent trollings to Socked Site where they highlighted a Cole Valley home. It may not seem spacious in plan, but look at all of the light shown in the picture above. What I like about this example is that it maximizes space and function while not dominating the site.

New Home, New Name

Perplexed looks. That's usually what I get when I explain to friends and others that I live in a garage apartment. So, the garage apartment will now be referred to as the Carriage House. It sounds better already, doesn't it? My front house is now the Main House and together we live on the Estate. I know it's a stretch, but as soon as I get to work on the landscape design, the Estate will have formal grounds and gardens.

Lessons Learned

I'm still unpacking, but the good news is that my car fits in the garage. Traveling is definitely taking its toll on me and my productivity. Regardless, here are some of my lessons learned after living in the space for a few days:

• The architects in the office explained that they typically put the light switch where a door swings open. As a righty, I'd prefer them on the right side in my closet.
• Forget the pretty lights outside. I should have put in motion detecting lights. It doesn't bother me because I drive straight into the garage, but visitors have had to use their cell phone to light the walk.
• Plan ahead for a future bathroom in the garage. The windows are on the north wall. The sanitary line is on the south wall. I'm still scratching my head to try and figure something out.