Removing a wall between the kitchen and formal living room, was the main thing my husband and I had decided to do BEFORE, we moved to the farm.
But our old house sold in 9 days and the new owners wanted to move in, in three weeks!
So now, our 10 x 12 ft. porch was serving as a family room, dining room, and home office for my husband.
The laundry room was our make shift kitchen… the kitchen was under going a 3 month renovation, and we were living right in the middle of it all, lol!
It was the end of Sept. 2018...
The holidays were coming up and it was the year for my “Bi-Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange”.
Even if I had to have my friends sit on the floor, that cookie exchange was NOT going to be cancelled, lol!
*Pictures from a cookie exchange at our old house.
Plus, Thanksgiving was just around the corner. I always have my girls with their families, and my brother with his family over for dinner.
Even if my brother (Scott) thought I had lost – my – mind, starting a farm for retirement, lol!
His Chicago suburb mindset had retirement as, Florida or Arizona snowbirds… not mucking stalls at 11 degrees in Northern Illinois, lol! Secretly I knew he was proud of me.
Kid Construction Crew
Living in the middle of a renovation can be stressful… but also exciting! You are there to see everything step by step.
We moved here to start a hobby farm for our grandkids. Having them participate in building and shaping things was the whole idea.
Handing out hammers, we let them take the first few whacks!
And so it begins!
Cabinets were removed and saved; we would be replacing the doors and using them in the new layout
It was amazing to watch the workmen, hoist a huge beam, up through the attic access door in the garage!
All the work was done from above the ceiling. A temporary support was placed until the beam was secure.
*Picture of wall view from the formal living room. Second view from the hall.
As soon as the drywall was gone…I could breathe!
What a transformation!
In my mind, I could already see the finished kitchen…falling in love with this little house was easy.
The floors...
The kitchen area had 1/2 the original hardwood floors that were still good. The floor crew spliced in new 2 1/2 inch, red oak boards to match the existing wood.
A couple layers down… the old green vinyl flooring was kinda cool!
The window...
The old window (that I loved) had to be removed. The original window was too low for the new countertop to fit under.
Removing the old window left a hole that was adjusted to fit the new window.
BONUS: We found a brand-new box of the vinyl siding in the shed. Propped up on two five-gallon buckets. The old owner of the property had bought extra…” just in case”. Now the outside of the house could be repaired using the extra siding. The new siding was slightly different because of fading, but it would even out fine.
We choose a bay window style to somewhat match the larger one in the front of the house.
*First picture, the front bay window. The second, our new back bay window.
The Pantry...
On the side wall of the kitchen, there was just enough room to build a small pantry between the refrigerator and the new window.
On the hunt for a "Vintage Pantry Door"...
Before the pantry doorway was framed up, I was on the hunt for a “vintage door” to fit the door opening!
While on a day trip with my best friend Sandi, we spied a “Barn Sale” sign, out on a country road in Wisconsin, about an hour north of our farm. He had three buildings filled with awesome junk, lol!
I bought several sheets of old corrugated metal tin roofing (for the front of the island) and the perfect door for my pantry.
The door was in great shape, with three panes of glass, it was painted white… but that was going to change, as soon as I could decide on a color. I was going for a Modern Farmhouse décor style, with white, grey and black being the main focus.
Keeping a neutral color pallet, I could decorate for any holiday or party and wouldn’t have anything clash. …but I did want a pop of color.
So now the decisions begin! Door color could always be changed…but I knew around the corner the big permanent decisions like lighting, counter tops etc., were coming, yikes!
After four different paint colors…this one was it!
John our friend and contractor, couldn’t get his head wrapped around the idea of putting an old door, in a brand new kitchen, lol!
"Budget friendly, savings plan"
A “budget friendly savings plan” included ME doing all the painting, ugh
Each night after the workers left, I would start. Two coats of primer and two topcoats on every cabinet box, drawer and door, inside and out.
Cabinets go in
The first cabinets to go in were four sections of drawers, built to fit under the window, on the back wall.
Making the decision to put all drawers instead of doors, for the bottom cabinets, has made incredibly easy access to the items stored there. No more bending over to hunt in the back of a cabinet for this old gal!
Storage for bulky items like, pots and pans, mixing bowl and baking supplies fit in the drawers perfectly! One drawer is exclusively used for spices, it’s so handy to have next to the stove.
Old cabinets waiting for new doors...
The old, refurbished cabinets from the original kitchen, turned out beautifully.
The crew attached them all together and it looked like they had always been that way.
The doors and drawer fronts were being built next.
Now that the kitchen was opened up...
Now that the kitchen was opened up to the old formal living room, we had a nice sized room. But actually, it wasn’t all that big.
Was my dining room table even going to fit?
I measured from the front bay window, allowing room for a bench, and stopped the tape at 10 feet.
That was the size of my table with all the leaves in, lol! There would BARELY be room to walk between the island stools and the bench at the end of the table, but it would work!
Let's talk about kitchen islands...
When you talk to your friends or read articles about the ever-popular kitchen island design, everyone has their own opinion… Some like their sink or stove in the island, giving them the perfect triangle shaped work area. Others may prefer seating on three sides, or two different levels…the possibilities are endless.
Walking in our front door, the island would be the first thing you would see.
Having a sink, with cookie sheets, pitchers and cutting boards sitting around drying…or waiting to be washed, was not what I wanted people to see, lol!
An additional oven would be built in the back of the island. No, perfect working triangle, but good enough for me.
The island ended up being 7 feet long. Four stools for four grandkids would fit nicely!
Leaving extra room between the back cabinets/stove wall, allowed a walk through area…a nice wide path for people, when I had my crazy huge dining room table full of leaves, lol!
Small inconveniences
Thanksgiving was in a couple weeks.
The countertops weren’t in yet, the appliances were sitting in the dining room. the plumbing wasn’t hooked up, and the refrigerator still had Styrofoam covering the drawers… so I thought of plan B, I always have a plan B!
On Thanksgiving, we could use a board on top of the island to serve from.
The dishes could be washed in the utility room sink.
Food could be stored in the garage refrigerator, and the turkey roaster could be plugged in on the porch!
We were going to have Thanksgiving in my new house, these small inconveniences were not going to spoil my holidays, lol!
Next time the first Cookie Exchange Party at the farm….
right in the middle of the on going kitchen renovation, lol!
Your reno turned out awesome. ❤ My dear, dear friend, you ALWAYS have a plan B!! And you have already made such amazing memories already for your family & friends in this wonderful space.
Having you along the way to cheer me on…is my blessing!
I can relate to all this! Our house sold quickly too and we lived in our construction zone. Our dining room was the kitchen-coffee pot and microwave. We ate lots of sandwiches. I like you, was determined to have Thanksgiving “on the farm.” We closed in June and 5 months later had our first Thanksgiving! I’m so glad you took so many pictures! You had a vision and it turned out so beautiful!
Penny I commented that you are the real mc coy! With a beautiful “real” farmhouse!
Thank you for your encouragement!
Thank you so much!
Penny you have a beautiful real farmhouse, lol! I’m just a wanna-be farmer that loves to work and learn!
I love the fact that you are constantly growing, learning , experiencing life my sweet tea niece. XO
Thanks so much!
Thank you so much Aunt Tonya…never too old to learn, love and laugh💕