Seven Reasons To Update Your Kitchen

There are many reasons to update your kitchen.  These are the top seven reasons we hear from homeowners we work with.

• My kitchen is isolated from the rest of the house – when I cook I’m not part of the family conversation

• My kitchen hasn’t been updated since the house was built – I’m embarrassed to entertain in our home

• My kitchen is not efficient – it takes too long to make a meal

• My kitchen doesn’t have enough storage space – I have small appliance and cookware stored in other parts of the house

• My kitchen only has one work area – I want my kids/spouse to have room to help with the cooking

• My kitchen is dark – it’s hard to see what I’m doing and it’s depressing

• I don’t have the space and/or appliances necessary to bake – I’d love to be able to make more cookies/cakes

Do any of these sound familiar?  Have you said any of these things or have you heard a friend share one of these comments?  Please share your thoughts.

Work Almost Complete On Downers Grove Kitchen Renovation

We are nearing the end of the Downers Grove Kitchen remodeling project.  As you can see all the cabinets are installed and we will be installing countertops next week.  That only leaves painting and appliances.

The cabinets are by Fieldstone Cabinetry in cherry and painted maple.  We will be staining the cherry crown to match the cabinets.  The new oak floors are covered in these pictures to protect them during the project.

The next photos should show a completed kitchen!

Downers Grove Kitchen Project Is Underway

Recently we started work on a kitchen renovation in Downers Grove. The house was built in the fifties and I don’t think the kitchen has had much done to it since.  It definitely needed updating for the family of five that live there.  These photos were taken on the first day of work.  On that first day we removed all the old appliances, cabinets, vinyl tile flooring and countertops.  We also are taking out all the soffits to allow room for the new cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling.  This will allow for a lot of extra storage space in the new kitchen.

The new cabinets will be cherry wood with a medium finish from Fieldstone.  We are also adding granite countertops and oak flooring.  The appliances will be moved as well as a couple of doorways to make for better traffic flow as well as to make more wall space for cabinets.

All-in-all it’s a fairly complicated kitchen, but it will be well worth it for the family that lives there.

Bolingbrook Addition Completed

It’s been a few weeks since we completed our addition project in Bolingbrook.  I thought I would get some photos up that I shot with my phone.  The homeowners are still busy moving all their belongings back into the house.  In a couple of weeks maybe we can get some good after pictures to add to the gallery.  Until then these will have to do.

On this project we added fourteen feet to the back of the house to double the size of the kitchen, add a laundry room and double the size of the master bedroom.  We also added a large deck and a three car garage and a full basement under the new addition.  The project took about six months to complete.  During that time we had to work with the city of Bolingbrook to obtain a zoning variance to allow the new garage structure to be built in its current location.  All-in-all a very challenging project.

Update on Oswego Kitchen Renovation

As part of the ongoing kitchen remodel in Oswego we are building a curved wall to serve as an eat-in seating area. I thought I would take some time to show how a curved wall is built and how it turned out.

The first step is to construct curved top and bottom plates from plywood. We used the dimensions from the plans to layout the arcs on a full size template and traced that onto sheets of plywood. Next, studs are cut and spaced every couple of inches on the tight curves and further apart as the shape changes. Now we apply a layer of thin flexible plywood over the frame using glue and staples.

Becuase this plywood is so thin (1/8″) we add a second layer using contact cement to give the wall more strength and rigidity. Lastly, we cover everything with the final layer of cherry veneer shown here. As you can see it is extremely flexible. Again it is attached using contact cement.
Now the wall is set in place where it flows smoothly from one cabinet to another. Later the painters will stain and varnish the cherry veneer to match the Fieldstone Cabinetry.

Now that the granite counters are installed you can see that the curved wall follows the curve of the counter. Also note how the counter flows right into the window. All together a lot of nice details that will make this kitchen very special and perfect for the needs of the family that live here.

Oswego Kitchen Project

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