Life in an HGTV show

(Well, not really, but it certainly has felt that way for the past few weeks!)

Back in February, we started calling contractors to discuss our kitchen plans.  We found one who we trusted and who quoted us a reasonable price (NOT the company that came in at $35,000...really, what was he thinking?!?  That is almost a quarter of the purchase price for the whole house!)  We picked out the cabinets we wanted, ordered the countertops...and then Covid happened.  With both of our jobs in limbo - and my husband was temporarily furloughed - it didn't seem smart to move forward with a remodel.  But, after we got our federal stimulus check, my husband returned to work, and my job seemed pretty secure with a work-from-home arrangement, we decided to go for it.  After all, we had budgeted for it from the sale of our old house, and our savings will be relatively untouched.  So here goes, in pictures:

1) First, the old kitchen/dining room.  Both rooms were approximately 11' x 13', divided by a partial wall and with entrances to each room from the hallway/entry.

 Hopefully those 4 pictures give you an idea of the layout.  My biggest issues with the space were the lack of light and the limited counterspace.  The stove was right next to the refrigerator (there was one slim trash can between them, but no counter or place to set things), and the drawer to the left of the stove wouldn't open all the way because it bumped into the oven handle.  Everything felt messy and cramped.  There was also limited cabinet space, and no pantry or convenient space to store even a little bit of food.

So we started knocking down walls.

2)

The kitchen side of the room.

Looking into the old dining room.

3) And where we are now! (I took this picture while standing in the "dining room" end of the space)

We closed in the entry that was next to the fridge (in the second pic above), and basically moved the fridge down to that space.  That opened up about 4 feet, which was enough to move the stove down a smidge and create some clearance for drawers.  We also put in a lazy susan corner, where previously the cabinet just extend back into the corner and was just about unusable.  And finally there is one base cabinet with a counter between the stove and fridge - just enough room to set the milk carton down or make a sandwich without using the range as a counter!  And all the glorious light!  There are 13 LEDs in the soffit, 8 under the cabinets, flush mounts in both spots where the hanging lights were, and a pendant over the sink.  The counters are actually in now, and my contractor is downstairs tiling the backsplash (white subway tile) as I type.

So that's what's going on, and why all of my craft room - on the other side of the wall behind the stove and fridge - is covered in drywall dust.  I'm thrilled, but tired of eating microwave food and takeout....