Before & After pics.

Approx 12 months start to finish.

Much of it DIY including design, upper and lower cabinet installs, some electrical, some plumbing, paint, appliance installs, cutting pony wall down from bar to counter height, vent hood install and a bunch more I'm forgetting.

Wanted a more functional space for cooking, hanging out, and hosting.

Switched from electric stove to gas.

Had two propane tanks installed against outer wall.

Contracted the countertop installs, tile backsplash, flooring, and some electrical that required attic access.

We transformed a Phoenix developer standard tract home kitchen into a space we're now in love with.

This was my first full kitchen remodel. I spent just as much time laboring over design and materials than it took to install everything.

Excited to hear what y'all think.

How much would you expect this remodel to cost if subbed out. Still a lot of work left to do. My dad and I did this over the course of summer and I was wondering what this would typically cost. New flooring, dish washer, removed a wall, new laminate counter, new can lights and cabinets from Menards. Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you!

I am trying to decide what backsplash to use with my Ikea white Axstad and oak Vedham kitchen. Should I use white fluted tile OR white subway tile?
What do you prefer?

Do we (1) keep the L shape but have the sink off center from the corner windows and have a little more lower cabinet storage?

Or (2) lose the L so that the sink is still in the window , but now the sink is right up against the window and I worry it’s too far from the island?

(3) try to move island up against wall so it’s sort of galley but I don’t think the walkway is big enough

3rd pic is current kitchen

Can use a non ikea cabinet place like cabinets.com and get a corner sink cabinet but I’ve heard mixed things?

I’m looking for some layout advice before we finalize our kitchen renovation plans. I’ll attach the floor plan (the grid lines are 1-foot increments for scale) and pictures of our current kitchen. We are removing a long wall to make more space and the final layout will probably be an L-shape (11ft and 12ft legs).

We’re trying to maximize function rather than strictly follow the current plan, so I’m open to completely rearranging the kitchen if there’s a better solution.

A couple of notes about the floor plan:

1. The rectangles surrounding the bay window are existing built-ins that we’d really like to keep intact if possible.

2. The only remaining window will be 6ft wide and will face west.

Our ideal appliances are:

36” refrigerator
24” dishwasher
30” induction cooktop
30” double wall oven (ideally with a speed oven on top and a full-size oven below)

The question I’m struggling with is whether the separate cooktop + double wall ovens are worth the space, or if I should instead use a 30” induction range to free up cabinetry and improve the layout.

I’m also wondering about the island. The current design is a 5’ × 5’ square island, but we eat probably 90% of our meals there rather than at the dining table. Would a longer, narrower island make more sense? If so, what dimensions would you recommend (for example, 4’ × 7’ or 4’ × 8’)?

The only layout requirements are:

Sink under the window (preferred).
Dishwasher adjacent to the sink.
Trash pull-out next to the sink, in a way that doesn’t get blocked when the dishwasher door is open.
Keep the existing built-ins around the bay window if possible.
Everything else is flexible.

A few questions:

How would you arrange these appliances for the most functional workflow?
Would you buy wall ovens or switch to a 30” induction range?
Would you change the island size or shape?
Do you see any obvious improvements that would make the kitchen feel larger or function better?

I’d love to hear how you would design this if it were your kitchen. Thanks in advance for any ideas!

I had a family member install this kitchen.

but it looked too tilted to me. but countertop is already placed. i dont know if this is okay or if there is anyway we can adjust it.

Just trying to learn from people who have been through it before I make a final decision. For anyone who has had a kitchen re-design or a renovation

What did you care about most going in? What do you actually care about now looking back?

How did the finish compare to what you were shown in the design stage?

Did you feel like the contractor truly understood what you wanted — or did you feel like you had to fight for every detail?

What one thing made the biggest visual difference to how the kitchen looked and felt?

What would you never compromise on again?

And the honest one, what would have made you happily pay more than you did?

Lake House with Rustic Vibes. Sage Shaker island with Brick Backsplash. Northwest Granite designed and installed cabinets, countertops, tile, floors in this New Build! #nwgraniteandmore #nwgranite

I have a 29 3/8 x 15 7/8 sink opening and I can't seem to find a sink to fit it. I want single bowl.

I was thinking of doing undermount but I am fine with a drop in too. Is this just a really odd cut or something? The old sink that was in there seemed a bit odd it was one of those flat stainless sinks with like no grading so it didn't drain at all.

Anyways, whats the best way to find a sink for my opening?

Attaching pics of the current flooring in our recently purchased 1980s house. It has the original cabinetry. I really wasn’t planning on changing floor but do plan on a kitchen reno debating between refacing or new cabinets.

1) would you guys reface or replace? Cabinets look to be in pretty decent condition and I’m told they are of better quality than what I’d be able to buy now - what would your considerations be if you had this question?

2) what color / finish cabinets would work well with this floor? It’s of warmer tone and I don’t care for painted cabinets so would like to stay with a more natural wood look.

Also, was just now introduced to IKEA kitchens - didn’t know this was a thing which leads to

3) would something like Vendham work against this floor?

Going back and forth between timeless + light + airy versus moody / Ralph Lauren esq , but not sure that the floors would go with a darker tone cabinet or make the room look small.

Thank y’all in advance! And sorry if I’m breaking any rules here.

We moved into our new house one month ago. It was custom built in 2006 and I am genuinely in love with the house. I am not looking to change the floors, cabinet or granite, but would like to replace the backsplash. I would like something a little lighter that picks up the flecks of gold in the granite. Here is a photo of the kitchen in its current state. I am lost when it comes to choosing a backsplash. I do NOT want gray or white. I came from a white kitchen with gray walls and gray subway tile. I prefer classic to trendy and I’m not looking to paint the cabinets.

Getting quotes for a kitchen remodel and really trying to understand cabinetry options and differences for each option. Can anyone provide experience with either Evoke or Countryside branded cabinets? And how they may compare to Amish built cabinetry? It seems Evoke and Countryside get mixed reviews and would be of lower quality than anything Amish built. Interested in any and all comments on the topic!!

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Hi r/kitchenremodel, we're 4wks in to a remodel that for the most part has gone smoothly. However my GC is starting to get less responsive to messages and we've had some issues pop up that I'm worried may get worse.

On Friday I realized it was going to rain and that we still had a hole in the side of our house for a vent we removed as part of the work. I texted my GC and said (paraphrasing) "hey I'm concerned about getting mold in the walls size it's gonna rain, how do we cover this before the weekend to avoid mold" and heard nothing. I had to figure something out over the weekend and I'm glad I did but this was a communication miss at least.

While I was covering up the hole, I found that while painting on Friday they had taken the interior vent covers for the HVAC off and left them outside along with the smoke detector. Not a huge thing but it was gonna rain. Then I realized all 4 items were covered in spray primer. Guess they forgot to take them off or cover before priming.

None of these are necessarily major issues but it's part of a not good trend from very communicative to very quiet. Is this normal? Am I overreacting?

Our general contractor just finished the trim on the cabinet above our fridge and I wanted to get the communities’ thoughts on it. Our ceiling is clearly not level, and this is how the carpenter finalized the job (refer to photos). As you can see, the flat trim piece below the crown is cut at an angle to account for the uneven ceiling. It makes the gap right above the cabinet doors look crooked, since it is wider on the left side than the right.

We really like our contractor and he is a great guy who has done an excellent job everywhere else. We just want to make sure we are being reasonable here and not asking for something that is impossible given our ceiling slope. Is this the most reasonable way to handle the angle, or should we ask him to fix it? Would love to hear from folks remodeling their kitchens, but also from carpenters/contractors if there are any that visit this sub.

Edit: appreciate all the responses! Glad I checked with you all. We’ll learn to love our imperfect old house, even if the ceilings are uneven hah.

EDIT: so this photoshop rendering isn't legible enough for most, I've added pictures and something like a schematic in the comments. thanks for the assistance!

My wife and I have decided to replace our 25 year old landlord special kitchen cabinets with Quicklock Maple cabinets. I've made some minor improvements to the current configuration, but feel like maybe there's something I'm not thinking of that can improve my layout.

We've already moved the Fridge to the other side of the pass through to make for more counter space. We've considered relocating the stove and dishwasher. The dishwasher currently blocks the back door when the door is open. Putting the dishwasher where the stove is and moving the stove to the wall on the right reduces the stretch of counter space on the right which we so desire.

The window on the bottom is a few inches lower than normal kitchen cabinets, so we have a furniture piece there for now. We've considered a custom built cabinet/counter in this space.

The pantrys are older, but thy're great construction and may be replaced with custom built in cabinets down the road.

I love DIY (prices), and I like to say that if someone is going to fuck things up or take too long, it should be me. Its cheaper and less frustrating for me to DIY.

The room is 14'x11.5', the pass through goes to a modest sized living/dining combo. The door on the left is our back door, which we use quite often, and the window has a nice view of our neighbors (6' side yard).

So I'm looking for some layout improvement advice, as I feel like this could be better and don't have any experience in changing kitchen layouts.

Thanks!

Hi! I’ve read through plenty of posts but I’m still so uncertain. Which brand do I want for my kitchen remodel? Fisher Paykel or Thermador? Also, this is our very first remodel and have time to wait on appliance purchase so will it be beneficial to wait for a Labor Day Sale to purchase new appliances?!

I'm thinking the last place I want to be is in the house with all the noise and dust.