Kitchen Redo Part 2

original plan I created before measuring or knowing anything
about the inner workings of the cabinet world.

It's amazing what four hours at Lowe's with your boyfriend's father will teach you. First off, I have a whole new appreciation for kitchen cabinets that I never thought was possible. We decided to price out two kitchens: A) Cheap and B) All the upgrades.

cognac, espresso and hazelnut cabinets

Turns out, cheap isn't an option when it comes to the cabinets. The in-stock (inexpensive) cabinets Barney (Mike's dad) suggested we go with actually aren't an option. We have to get custom cabinets made because of the awkward length and height of the space. The low-end "cognac" or "espresso" cabinets will run us about $2,300. The middle-end "hazelnut" cabinets will cost $3,125.12. There goes more than half our budget (which was originally mentioned at $5,000) on cabinets. However, if we go with the hazelnut, we'll get a sink base cabinet, built-in pull-out spice rack, wood tiered cutlery divider and all of the hardware included in the price!

Right side of the kitchen with seven cabinets and a pull-out
spice rack (between the two right cabinets).

My original renderings had the microwave above the stove, which is learned is not going to work. Since our stove is only 20" wide (yes, I said 20"), we'd need to have a 20" or even a 24" hanging microwave, which do not exist. Barney suggested building a shelf to put the microwave on, but that goes against all fire codes. We decided to build the shelf on the right side of the kitchen and shorten those cabinets. We are installing a range hood above the stove, but still run into the problem of the size. Lowes doesn't make a 20" range hood, so we're having to go with a 24" option. Fine, we'll make it work....

Left side of the kitchen with new cabinets
above the refrigerator and washer dryer.

But now the BIG question...Stainless steel or black appliances?! We could save up to $400 by going with the black, but what is it going to look like with cream cabinets, bronze hardware and brown counter tops? We have some decisions to make, however, we have some time, since it'll take 4-5 weeks for our cabinets to come in (once we've placed the order).

Stay tuned for next week when we have the final verdict on cabinets, hardware and counter tops!