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.

Moving Day

The day of stuff. Compared to most people, I don't have much stuff and prefer it that way. Think again. When you move, you realize that you have lots of stuff. With the help of Gary and Don, we (and I really mean they) moved all the heavy stuff last night. My vintage steelcase desk is now in the new office / garage. That desk is a tank and not meant to go up stairs.

I now have four hours to empty the kitchen and finish cleaning the main house for the new tenant. Everyone beware of cranky girl.

Tenant Move In

Uh-oh. The good news is that I found a tenant for the main house. The bad news is that he wants to move in this weekend and I'm off to Vegas.