Friday, December 11, 2009

Kitchen Remodel - Part II

We last left off where we had taken down the dirty old cabinet hardware knobs (dated 1968), and ripped out the carpet to lay down new wood laminate flooring. Needless to say, those two things brightened up our kitchen considerably, but there were still a few things that needed to get done.

One Friday night we were bored and decided to do some deconstruction on our kitchen (apparently that's our version of a "date night"). We grabbed some masks, trash cans and crowbars and went to town on the ugly soffits. It was a great time! I gotta say, the best part about fixing up an old house is that I am never afraid to try something on it - because I know that even if it doesn't turn out right, it's still sure to look better than it did before. And most of the time I figure I can't make the house any uglier than it already was. So, we attacked the soffits with all our might, and within a few hours were soffit-free!


We were happy to discover that there really is nothing inside of the soffits, they are purely cosmetic, and made up of mostly plastered drywall. We did discover one thing that threw us for a loop - a pipe was hidden in the corner of one soffit! It ran from the attic through to the wall. We had/have no idea what it is for, and didn't want to spend the money to have someone inspect it/move it. So we decided to cover it up.

We "boxed it in" using some scrap drywall pieces and some old wood leftover from the original soffits. It doesn't look great, but it doesn't look that bad, either. We don't think most people will even notice the tiny "bump" in the corner once everything is painted.
After looking at various "custom" and high-end kitchens that are all the rage right now, we also decided to raise some of our cabinets, above the fridge and stove, all the way to the ceiling. So we took the tiny cabinets and bolted them to the ceiling. It looks a little funny now, since they are sort of "floating" up there, but we have big plans for them in the end.

I took a rubber mallet and chisel and slowly, and painstakingly, one-by-one, chiseled/popped/ripped out each and every 60's flower-power backsplash tile. It took me several hours, and was pretty monotonous. I have to say though, even this yellow glue ragged look is better than the flower tiles! What do you think?


1 comment:

  1. Well, as someone who lived through the 60's, I can say that the yellow walls are a little too close to the following era! LOL
    The difference in the soffitless kitchen is amazing. It looks like you have gained alot of space, and has a much more open feel.
    Can't wait to see what you do with those "yeller" walls.
    Mom

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