House Remodeling Thread (long)

[redrhodie]

I love the idea of Cherokee red for the coutertops.

[tulip]

Handles, yes. They were put on Friday. Still no pasta; it'll all be done by the end of Tuesday, except for the counters and pendant lights. There was a problem with the light switches, so the electrician has to come and move them so the microwave will fit. The door above where the fridge will be had a nick in it and they are fixing or replacing it.

I chose a warm dark brown for the countertops. I was really leaning toward the Cherokee red, but decided at last that I wanted something more neutral to be the background. I want to start ichibana again, and so therefore wanted a counter that would not clash with any flower color combos that I might come up with. I was also wondering if the red counter would be too "hot" in the middle of summer. I think the brown will be very nice.

I love the pattern of the bamboo cabinets. The edge grain is a really nice touch, too. They are so well-made. I still can't believe that I'm going to have a kitchen that is so well-made and that I designed! I can't wait to get cookin'!

[deedolce]

Finally reading through this thread! Love your camera h/dog!

Ah, I wish I had some ability to redo my house! I spend lots of time dreaming up HUGE changes, but am finally scaling down to some things that just might be possible! One would be very much like yours- taking out a partial wall between the kitchen and my front room, and putting in a counter and redoing cabinets. And I would need a floor, too .

I love your redo! I've spent the past week finally putting time in my backyard, so I hope you put pics of your outside space too!

[Trek420]

Wait, these are bamboo? Beautiful and sustainable? Be still my beating heart

[tulip]

Wait, these are bamboo? Beautiful and sustainable? Be still my beating heart

Yes, I tried to be as sustainable as possible with the renovation. Bamboo cabinets and concrete or paperstone counters were a given. The on-demand hot water heater was too expensive, as was the 15 SEER heat pump. But I got the most efficient tank water heater that I could manage, and a 13 SEER heat pump that is pretty darned efficient (my house is 900 SF; one story). Additional work to be done is improving the insulation, building storm windows and screens, installing the wood/coal stove, and opening up one more interior wall to improve circulation (air, person, dog). Every room has a ceiling fan, which helps in all seasons. I have big trees all around and the house is pretty cool in warmer weather as far as I can tell (I moved there in August before the A/C was installed and only the hottest days were uncomfortable).

Oh, and my contractor recycles or salvages all the construction waste.

It'll be a while until it's all done, but I actually am enjoying the process and learning alot.

[Zen]

I have cherry cabinets.
They are old and dirty and too dark.
Do you think I could lightly sand them to clean and lighten the color?

[Aggie_Ama]

That's a toughy Zen. If they are stained it does just that, stain. If you wanted to soften to like an oak I would think yes. Maybe an expert can chime in, I am working with limited knowledge from days spent mixing paint after class in college.

[tulip]

I have cherry cabinets.
They are old and dirty and too dark.
Do you think I could lightly sand them to clean and lighten the color?

Try sanding in an inconspicuous place and see what it looks like. Cherry is a darker wood, but often the stains make them really dark. I was surprised when I had my floor (dark stain) repaired and sanded where the former wall was--it sanded right back to the light oak.

With my mother's cabinets, we had great luck cleaning them really well and changing out the hardware. Eventually I'll get around to sanding and staining them (they are pickled, which is light already, but old and rather scrappy-looking), but that'll have to wait.

Repainting is also another option, but if yours are real cherry wood, you might not want to paint because cherry is a nice wood.