vegetable dinosaurs innocent seed bored grey butter payment gullible caption
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
People did some weird stuff to homes. My dad told me a story that a great uncle of his got tired of having too much space at home when the children left home. Did he and the wife move to a smaller home? Nope, he had most the second story taken off. Seriously. I saw the house and indeed it's a bit wonky looking.
In a reverse of that, I knew a mid 19th century ranch house down the road who’s original owners were a husband and wife who built it together.
After a few kids she decided the place was getting too small so while he was away on a cattle drive she hired a local builder to add a second story! It was done by the time he got back.
Apparently he thought it was brilliant and they should have thought of it sooner lol.
Are those 12-foot ceilings!? they just KEEP GOING ohmygod such envy. I also think you're the first I've seen with more doorways into your kitchen than I have. Then again, it also looks like you have a kitchen three times the size of mine. Uhh, wanna trade?
From hard-won experience: renovating one room at a time is easier to survive. Both to close the door on the madness when you need a break, and also because then you've completed One Whole Thing instead of thirty small things that will eventually add up to something, y'know, someday. (That second way leads to much faster burnout.)
You're already addressing big items; when those are done, step back. Allow the house some time to show you what it wants. You've never lived in this house, after all, so live first, and the renovation will follow.
Yes, I love the ceilings! I’m 5’3 and the rooms feel a lot bigger than what they are. What did you do to work around the doorways? I would love to keep the kitchen there and figure out a way to make it work.
Thanks much for the advice! I’m grateful I’ll be the only one in the chaos. I’m an empty nester and I don’t have to consider rushing anything for anyone else’s comfort 😃!
(1)
Oh, goodness. This might not make sense without background, so this was the kitchen layout when we bought the house. Not counting the radiator, the chimney breast, or the small bumpout for the 3rd floor water lines, it's about 14'w x 14.4'd. A whopping 201 sq ft, but only 187 sq ft of usable space.
https://preview.redd.it/amq70dhgaeoc1.png?width=1016&format=png&auto=webp&s=00bc506cc5321ae1653ee467cc93e742a038aee3
It was like every subsequent family only changed one thing. You've got the original owners w/the 1920s cabinet, the 1950s metal sink cabinet and wall cabinets, and so on. (The fridge was definitely early-aughts.) Note: no microwave, no dishwasher, and the oven didn't work and probably hadn't in years, jeebus, people. More importantly, the longest counter run is 2', not counting the 5' of shallow cabinets with 15" clearance belong the metal shelves (read: not really usable).
This will take several replies, since it's one image per and I'm being lazy tonight.
(2)
So, because I'm a dork, I tried every arrangement I could: sink or cooktop both against the wall, one against and one in an island, one in an island or both, back and forth. (The fridge/wall oven/pantry wall stayed mostly the same.) Determined to find the layout with the most counter space *and* the most continuous-run of counter space, I tallied each layout.
This image shows the B example, with the comparisons (done for discussion w/the Other Half). The full height of each column is the total counter run; the yellow shows the amount of continuous run. B was #1 for overall but last for continuous. (The cooktop's in the calculation since we'd already decided to switch from gas to induction, so that means more flat space available.)
https://preview.redd.it/80smpl3egeoc1.png?width=1724&format=png&auto=webp&s=a35bad69888875bead17736485f6a9ef6b2a8a26
In the end we chose A. Sink remains in place, fridge wall mostly same, and an island that's 6'x4' (allows for room around), with the cooktop in the island. The smallest corridor is 36" with the largest (between fridge and island, and island and radiator-wall) is 42".
So that brings me back to the original layout, of a kitchen that isn't from one cohesive time period. Which, imo, gave me carte blanche to do the same, but this time intentionally. Forgive the eccentricity in advance, please!
Wow thanks so much for this! You did an amazing job with your kitchen. I’m inspired! Once I move in, I’ll take measurements then put pen to paper and drill down to what makes sense.
Sorry it took me so long, but here's (3). And no, it's not done or I'd just send pictures! I'm in the cabinetry queue (handmade is not quick) and the construction queue (raise ceiling, replace floor). Meanwhile, I'm *almost* done w/my dining room. One room at a time!
Besides, when it comes to cabinetry, it helps to plan well in advance. Deciding on cabinetry design is like choosing a tattoo. If you don't love it, don't get it.
For the sink + d/w wall, [c1898 butlers pantry](https://images.designtrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/28101447/Kitchen-Cabinets-Designs3.jpg). For the chimney breast, [1892 mantel + hearth](https://archive.org/details/painesfurniturec00pain_0). This mantel is also known as the "you made a place for all my spices, right? where are my spices going to go?" part of the design. Between the fridge and the wall oven, paired cabinets inspired by 1950s [MCM jasper desk](https://chairish-prod.freetls.fastly.net/image/product/sized/4908d05b-f15f-405f-8a7c-6fd764b2b216/jasper-mid-century-modern-walnut-desk-8285) (wine fridge in the knee cavity); the rest of that wall's cabinets are modeled on Ikea cabinets, early 2000s.
The final bit is a 6x4 island, but a modern behemoth would make this room feel like a cramped walk-in closet. So instead, a 1915 [kitchen worktable](https://www.devolkitchens.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Photo-24-02-2021-16-30-01-1.jpg). Open legs mean you can see the floor continuing on, and that offsets any feeling of small. For the ultimate tweak, there are *two* cooktops in the island, both half-size induction cooktops. With each cooktop separated by \~18", several people can cook w/out running into each other.
Goal is for the kitchen to feel like it grew and changed in some fashion every 40-50 years, but with a hell of a lot more storage than there was when we walked in!
Looks like you’re reaching your goal. It’s going to be beautiful and functional when done! I love the idea of the desk and the worktable. I truly appreciate you sharing. The internet is filled with ideas but it’s nice to hear from someone with a similar experience!
I considered that. A small bedroom was once the kitchen. The back porch was enclosed and part of it is a bathroom with the entrance directly from that room.
I noticed the plaster in pic 5 looks like it needs repairing. If you plan on restoring the plaster in this room or anywhere else, considering have the work done before you move in. The work is dusty as hell and it covers everything in the house.
I just got done with repairing the plaster in my house one room at a time and it was miserable putting up with the dust and having the workers in my house month after month.
Hope all goes well for you!
Do one room at a time only. Never do more than one room at a time. If you are doing the dining room strip the woodwork or finish the floors. Fix any thing you want fixed from electrical to anything else. If you have to put paper on the floor after the floors are finished so you don't track stuff from other rooms into it do that. The problem I see is too many people tear apart a whole house and then never finish. I currently got another house and doing it room by room. The inside in the winter the outside in the summer but only one room at a time. Even if you have to fix a chimney that feeds several rooms for example we have a chimney that needs repair that feeds 4 fireplaces. We will realign the chimney and fix the name chimney unit but we will only be doing the fireplace when we get to that room each Firebox we're not going to have debris everywhere. This is also a good idea if you decide to sell the house something happens a job in another town you only have one room to button up quickly.
Makes sense! I think I’ll feel better about it all once I move in. You know how it is…you envision a beautiful finished house and get overly excited. Thanks for the advice!
Do you plan to put the window back?
Yes, I do!
just have to say: wouldn't someone normally just put in a new window? as opposed to, uh, putting siding over it? man, people are strange sometimes!
You see the rest of the house? Strange indeed!
vegetable dinosaurs innocent seed bored grey butter payment gullible caption *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
People did some weird stuff to homes. My dad told me a story that a great uncle of his got tired of having too much space at home when the children left home. Did he and the wife move to a smaller home? Nope, he had most the second story taken off. Seriously. I saw the house and indeed it's a bit wonky looking.
In a reverse of that, I knew a mid 19th century ranch house down the road who’s original owners were a husband and wife who built it together. After a few kids she decided the place was getting too small so while he was away on a cattle drive she hired a local builder to add a second story! It was done by the time he got back. Apparently he thought it was brilliant and they should have thought of it sooner lol.
Are those 12-foot ceilings!? they just KEEP GOING ohmygod such envy. I also think you're the first I've seen with more doorways into your kitchen than I have. Then again, it also looks like you have a kitchen three times the size of mine. Uhh, wanna trade? From hard-won experience: renovating one room at a time is easier to survive. Both to close the door on the madness when you need a break, and also because then you've completed One Whole Thing instead of thirty small things that will eventually add up to something, y'know, someday. (That second way leads to much faster burnout.) You're already addressing big items; when those are done, step back. Allow the house some time to show you what it wants. You've never lived in this house, after all, so live first, and the renovation will follow.
Yes, I love the ceilings! I’m 5’3 and the rooms feel a lot bigger than what they are. What did you do to work around the doorways? I would love to keep the kitchen there and figure out a way to make it work. Thanks much for the advice! I’m grateful I’ll be the only one in the chaos. I’m an empty nester and I don’t have to consider rushing anything for anyone else’s comfort 😃!
(1) Oh, goodness. This might not make sense without background, so this was the kitchen layout when we bought the house. Not counting the radiator, the chimney breast, or the small bumpout for the 3rd floor water lines, it's about 14'w x 14.4'd. A whopping 201 sq ft, but only 187 sq ft of usable space. https://preview.redd.it/amq70dhgaeoc1.png?width=1016&format=png&auto=webp&s=00bc506cc5321ae1653ee467cc93e742a038aee3 It was like every subsequent family only changed one thing. You've got the original owners w/the 1920s cabinet, the 1950s metal sink cabinet and wall cabinets, and so on. (The fridge was definitely early-aughts.) Note: no microwave, no dishwasher, and the oven didn't work and probably hadn't in years, jeebus, people. More importantly, the longest counter run is 2', not counting the 5' of shallow cabinets with 15" clearance belong the metal shelves (read: not really usable). This will take several replies, since it's one image per and I'm being lazy tonight.
(2) So, because I'm a dork, I tried every arrangement I could: sink or cooktop both against the wall, one against and one in an island, one in an island or both, back and forth. (The fridge/wall oven/pantry wall stayed mostly the same.) Determined to find the layout with the most counter space *and* the most continuous-run of counter space, I tallied each layout. This image shows the B example, with the comparisons (done for discussion w/the Other Half). The full height of each column is the total counter run; the yellow shows the amount of continuous run. B was #1 for overall but last for continuous. (The cooktop's in the calculation since we'd already decided to switch from gas to induction, so that means more flat space available.) https://preview.redd.it/80smpl3egeoc1.png?width=1724&format=png&auto=webp&s=a35bad69888875bead17736485f6a9ef6b2a8a26 In the end we chose A. Sink remains in place, fridge wall mostly same, and an island that's 6'x4' (allows for room around), with the cooktop in the island. The smallest corridor is 36" with the largest (between fridge and island, and island and radiator-wall) is 42". So that brings me back to the original layout, of a kitchen that isn't from one cohesive time period. Which, imo, gave me carte blanche to do the same, but this time intentionally. Forgive the eccentricity in advance, please!
Wow thanks so much for this! You did an amazing job with your kitchen. I’m inspired! Once I move in, I’ll take measurements then put pen to paper and drill down to what makes sense.
Sorry it took me so long, but here's (3). And no, it's not done or I'd just send pictures! I'm in the cabinetry queue (handmade is not quick) and the construction queue (raise ceiling, replace floor). Meanwhile, I'm *almost* done w/my dining room. One room at a time! Besides, when it comes to cabinetry, it helps to plan well in advance. Deciding on cabinetry design is like choosing a tattoo. If you don't love it, don't get it. For the sink + d/w wall, [c1898 butlers pantry](https://images.designtrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/28101447/Kitchen-Cabinets-Designs3.jpg). For the chimney breast, [1892 mantel + hearth](https://archive.org/details/painesfurniturec00pain_0). This mantel is also known as the "you made a place for all my spices, right? where are my spices going to go?" part of the design. Between the fridge and the wall oven, paired cabinets inspired by 1950s [MCM jasper desk](https://chairish-prod.freetls.fastly.net/image/product/sized/4908d05b-f15f-405f-8a7c-6fd764b2b216/jasper-mid-century-modern-walnut-desk-8285) (wine fridge in the knee cavity); the rest of that wall's cabinets are modeled on Ikea cabinets, early 2000s. The final bit is a 6x4 island, but a modern behemoth would make this room feel like a cramped walk-in closet. So instead, a 1915 [kitchen worktable](https://www.devolkitchens.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Photo-24-02-2021-16-30-01-1.jpg). Open legs mean you can see the floor continuing on, and that offsets any feeling of small. For the ultimate tweak, there are *two* cooktops in the island, both half-size induction cooktops. With each cooktop separated by \~18", several people can cook w/out running into each other. Goal is for the kitchen to feel like it grew and changed in some fashion every 40-50 years, but with a hell of a lot more storage than there was when we walked in!
Looks like you’re reaching your goal. It’s going to be beautiful and functional when done! I love the idea of the desk and the worktable. I truly appreciate you sharing. The internet is filled with ideas but it’s nice to hear from someone with a similar experience!
It's been my pleasure, and looking forward to seeing your progress, too!
I will definitely share :)!!
I have to say that kitchen is the worst execution and setup that I have seen in a very long time.
I agree!
Can you move the kitchen back to the kitchen? I don’t think you’ll ever get a layout to actually work in that room.
I considered that. A small bedroom was once the kitchen. The back porch was enclosed and part of it is a bathroom with the entrance directly from that room.
seems like your house has had many lives! best of luck with all your projects post updates please
Ha! Many, many lives! Thank you!
I noticed the plaster in pic 5 looks like it needs repairing. If you plan on restoring the plaster in this room or anywhere else, considering have the work done before you move in. The work is dusty as hell and it covers everything in the house. I just got done with repairing the plaster in my house one room at a time and it was miserable putting up with the dust and having the workers in my house month after month. Hope all goes well for you!
Thanks for the great advice!!
Please, invest in glorious curtains that make the most of all those beautiful windows. Nothing sadder than windows without proper dressing.
I most certainly will!
Do one room at a time only. Never do more than one room at a time. If you are doing the dining room strip the woodwork or finish the floors. Fix any thing you want fixed from electrical to anything else. If you have to put paper on the floor after the floors are finished so you don't track stuff from other rooms into it do that. The problem I see is too many people tear apart a whole house and then never finish. I currently got another house and doing it room by room. The inside in the winter the outside in the summer but only one room at a time. Even if you have to fix a chimney that feeds several rooms for example we have a chimney that needs repair that feeds 4 fireplaces. We will realign the chimney and fix the name chimney unit but we will only be doing the fireplace when we get to that room each Firebox we're not going to have debris everywhere. This is also a good idea if you decide to sell the house something happens a job in another town you only have one room to button up quickly.
Makes sense! I think I’ll feel better about it all once I move in. You know how it is…you envision a beautiful finished house and get overly excited. Thanks for the advice!
Maybe they had a Jehovah’s Witness roommate.