Renovation Diary: Our Kitchen Was Featured on Sweeten!

Via Pixy Liao / Sweeten    

One nail-biting phase of this renovation happened in the planning phases, when I learned my go-to contractor who did my Brooklyn kitchen had moved out of the country and I was looking at starting from scratch, interviewing contractors and comparing bids (hoping to find a kindred soul). On my daily troll of home renovation blogs, I was following a site called Sweeten—a contractor matchmaking service—and I figured why not give it a try. I'm glad I did, because they matched me with the perfect contractor for this job. Fast forward about a year, and that very blog is now featuring my finished kitchen reveal!

Are Oversized Kitchen Island Pendants Trending Out?

The thing about taking four years to plan a kitchen is that I've fallen out of "like" with some elements I once thought essential. When this project was just a gleam in my iPad, I thought my island would surely be topped by three mid-century globe pendants of some sort. But as we get closer to demo day (more on that below), I find myself unable to settle on a pendant style. And now I think I know why — I don't want them anymore. Meet my new lighting love...

More Kitchen Island Pendants

The hunt for our kitchen island lighting continues. I've seen many fixtures that I like but none feels quite right yet. Could it be this one, the Tall Beat Pendant by Tom Dixon? The sharp angles provide some contrast to all the straight lines in my kitchen design that are pervasive in the shaker doors and rows of horizontal drawers. In my previous post I showed a collection of six island pendants I had been considering. I put them to the vote on Facebook and Houzz and you can probably guess which two won.

How to Hack an IKEA 35" Wall Cabinet

Don't you love IKEA's new 40" wall cabinets? The longer cabinets look clean and modern, plus they turn what would formerly have been wasted space above into usable storage. But with our 90" high pantries—4-1/2" with toe kicks—dictating how high we can hang our wall cabinets, we were left with just 18-1/2" clearance above the cooktop, when the specs call for 24". Bummer.

I went into my design appointment at IKEA Brooklyn resigned to the prospect that I would have to order all three sets of wall cabinets custom. But IKEA kitchen designer Deb (callout!) came up with this genius solution.

What Lenders Look for in a Renovation Appraisal

This kitchen renovation, for so long just a gleam in my iPad, is becoming a reality, and that's exciting. I'll be paying for a good deal of it out of pocket, but I'll need to borrow additional funds. Let's take a look at the number-one thing a lender looks for to approve renovation financing: Will the current value of the home support the current mortgage loan amount plus the renovation amount you want to borrow.

IKEA Kitchens: Planning Your SEKTION Cabinet Organizers

Via IKEA

When you're planning your kitchen, don't stop at the exterior design. It's helpful to sketch out exactly what you'll be storing in each cabinet. It's a tedious mental exercise that you'll be tempted to put off until after installation, but that would be a mistake. Planning the interior organization will help you anticipate your family's needs and design a kitchen that fits the way you really live. Here are some things that I changed my mind about that would have been expensive mistakes to correct.

Can You Open a Wall in a NYC Co-op Renovation?

Via Fontan Architecture

Our renovation has hit the wall — figuratively speaking. I've been in a holding pattern these past weeks, uncertain of how to move forward. Every step seems to bring me back to this wall that separates our kitchen from the living room. Scary stories about co-op renovations abound, from restrictive board rules to labyrinthian city permit processes to costly paid expediters, and the like. It's enough to put off even a seasoned renovator. But finally I see my way clear. Yes, you CAN open a wall in a New York City co-op building, with just a few mitigating factors.

Fixer Upper Friday: Linden Court 2BR

Zillow

A Zillow alert caught my eye this morning, because it's exactly the kind of home that I look for when I'm on the hunt for my next fixer upper. It's listed for $335,000, when most two-bedrooms of similar size in this neighborhood list for $450,000-$550,000, depending on the quality of the renovations. Given the price differential, this means the buyer of the fixer upper will have roughly $215,000 to work with to bring it up to market. That's more than ample to do what's needed: skim coat and paint the walls, refinish the floors, update the wiring, and gut renovate both the kitchen and bath. Built in 1919, the home retains some beautiful detail. Let's take a look.

Cottage Renovation: Cedar Shake Roof vs Asphalt Roof

Our little cottage, with photo-shopped cedar roof -- hah! wish it were so easy!

It's been a while since I posted about our little cottage on the Northfork of Long Island, NY. But that doesn't mean nothing's been going on there. We do try to make at least one improvement each year, depending on the Renov8or budget. 

We knew last year that the roof was starting to go. When we engaged a carpenter to build us a shed out back, he pointed out the wear and tear to our roof and said that ought to be our next project. The asphalt shingles were peeling in places and it was starting to sag in spots over the porch. At that point we had to make a decision - shed or roof - we couldn't afford to do both. We already had the shed plans drawn up and in our imaginations the thing was already built, so we went with the shed. 

Hiring a General Contractor - Dos and Don'ts

Cottage Porch Renovation - Before & After

Much has been written about hiring contractors, and I've read a lot of it. The horror stories about bad general contractors are enough to keep a girl from even embarking on a renovation project. I'm not here to tell you any scary stories. I've had only good experiences so far. How do I account for my good contractor karma?

I do exactly what the experts advise:

• Get recommendations
• View past projects
• Get everything in writing
• And pay in thirds (first third on contract signing, second halfway through the job, third upon completion)

Cottage Projects Timeline

Last night we wrote up a list of everything we'd like to do to the cottage. We can't afford to do everything all at once, so we broke it down into phases. The plan is to tackle a few projects each year, as we save up the money, starting with the things that we can do ourselves, such as paint.

Here's the plan.

We Make an Offer on a Beach Cottage

Our only hesitation about buying Old Orchard Cottage? We weren't sure if this bay on the Northfork would have the white sand and waves as the ocean beaches of the Southfork we had grown to love. 

We shared this qualm with Diane Dunbar, the real estate agent who had shown us the cottage last weekend, and asked if we might test out the beach one weekend to see how we liked it. She and her husband George live year round in their home and are active in the home association and she thought that would be just fine. So we went to check it out.

Old Orchard Cottage (Love!)

Mary and I had been summering on Long Island for almost 20 years, first on the Southfork. We'd had a sweet deal in the Hamptons as renters: An extended season for a low, low price - plus, more importantly, zero maintenance as the owners lived in the "big house" and took care of everything. Every summer had been devoted to the three B's: books, beach, and BBQ. We'd never even touched a blade of grass, except to spread a blanket to look at the stars. 

But there'd been this opportunity we'd missed a few years back to buy a little clapboard beach cottage in a community going co-op on the Northfork, amid the vineyards and potato fields. Right outside Greenport - a sweet little collection of 1930s cottages stood that had once housed brick workers from nearby brick cove foundry during hot summer months. Mary's sister Margaret, who did buy at Breezy Shores, ended up with a sweet deal, indeed. We'd visit her to catch up - and view her and Scott's latest renovations, as crappy panels were removed to reveal gorgeous original beadboard - and gaze out at the glittering water views from Adirondack chairs set on long, low porches, and mentally kick ourselves. 

So, maybe it was in the backs of our minds all along to look for a cottage of our own, I don't remember. What I do recall is that we saw it on a Sunday - a rainy Sunday in what had been a season of rainy Sundays. We'd exhausted our supply of fun rainy day things to do and as we were checking email we came upon a link from Margaret about a nearby cottage for sale. A small 1925 fisherman's cottage, it had been owned by only two families, the first owner a Baptist minister, who had it built. We went to take a look.