A Father-Daughter Duo Gave Her “Builder’s Special” Kitchen a Stunning DIY Redo
Homeownership opens up an entirely new world of changes you can make to your space. “I had been dreaming of doing a renovation project for years when I lived in apartments, so when buying my condo, I looked for a good opportunity,” homeowner Katie Miller says.
Her 25-year-old kitchen was an opportunity indeed; “it was a ‘builder’s special,’ so it was originally done as cheaply as possible,” Katie says. “I did not like anything about it. There was not enough counter space and storage. The fridge was blocking the window, and it was too short. The flooring was hideous. The cabinets were crooked and peeling. The track lighting was ugly and covered in grease.”
She Had Saved for Years and DIYed the Rest
After saving up money for four years, Katie (an architect) and her dad, Dave (an experienced DIYer) designed and executed a gorgeous kitchen reno. They had about $9,500 worth of pro plumbing and electrical help, but the rest was DIY.
Demo in a Small Space Was Tricky
The process involved a full demo, and Dave was a major player in the “demo, carpentry, cabinet install, all the heavy lifting, [and] moral support,” Katie says. “There is no way I could have afforded this project if it wasn’t mostly DIY and [I] didn’t have my dad as a resource.”
The hardest part was being located on the third floor, having to carry new materials up and old materials down — and doing the entire project while not disturbing the neighbors. “They were champs,” Katie says. “Everything would have been so much easier without three flights of stairs between my kitchen and the ground. Having an extra room or a garage for storing everything would have been wonderful. Instead, I lived in a giant mess for four months.”
Finding new homes for the old stuff was easier than expected, though. “Between Facebook, Marketplace, The Honest Junk Co., and Bagster, it was all gone easily,” Katie says.
The Kitchen Has New Floors, Tiles, Counters, and Cabinets
The flooring is a graphite-colored porcelain tile, the backsplash tile is from Bedrosians, and the countertops are an icy white quartz. Katie also added brass shelving from Anthropologie in the corner and a Mitzi flush-mount light fixture. The paint colors in the kitchen are Benjamin Moore’s White Sand and Boston Brick.
Another tricky part of the kitchen reno was dealing with the cabinets. Katie used IKEA SEKTION bodies and Semihandmade fronts that she painted herself. “I … would rethink the DIY cabinet fronts,” Katie says. “Painting them took almost a year. I could only do two or three at a time, indoors. There were so many coats and a 16-hour dry time between them. So, so many coats.”
“The quality of the IKEA cabinets is great, but installing them in a wonky old building was really difficult,” she adds.
Beneath the cabinets where the dishwasher once was, Katie actually added a washer and dryer and made a skirt with red patterned fabric, brackets, and a metal rod.
“The two biggest differences are the amount of sunlight I get in the room, and in-unit laundry!” Katie says.
The Porch Door Is Now a Standout Detail
Speaking of sunlight, Katie kept the same door to the porch that was in the kitchen before, but got rid of the blinds and added reeded glass for privacy. “I’m proud of stripping and fixing the back door to the porch,” she says. “Under all the paint, the door was a wreck, and I spent hours picking out paint from divots in the wood with dental tools.”
“My dad’s proudest DIY is milling new wood trim for the porch door lites and the doorway from the hall,” she adds. “He managed to match the original profiles exactly.”
Together, they transformed the kitchen for $36,500 total, including new Miele appliances. “I’d never had anything except a basic apartment kitchen before,” Katie says. “Everything is better!”
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