Partial Remodel or Full Redo on this Kitchen?

This recent Designed in a Click consultation was a tough call for me, would a partial kitchen remodel suffice here or should they go with a full reno?

I reposted this popular kitchen remodeling article last weekend, as I referred to it when formulating a plan for this kitchen. It helps to take a bird’s eye view and really consider the value and expense of a remodel carefully.

This homeowner had certain features she was considering replacing in a partial remodel, but contractors who had visited preferred a full reno.

She said they had considered a big overall remodel of their home at one point, actually moving the kitchen, but it was too overwhelming. They have kept things as is for awhile and are comfortable with the layout. They are now planning to stay about 5 years or so in the home, so they’ve decided this is not their forever home.

While going in with a full gut would be less tedious for a contractor, it would be more expensive for her and she wanted to not spend so much.

I thought it could be done partially, but I would go somewhat deeper than what she suggested. I think she would happier in the long run and it would definitely have a more current, up to date look. I think it would function better too and there’d be more storage.

While she could go ahead with what she had planned, I just wanted her to consider going a little further with the remodel on things that might feel particularly dated, especially in 5 years.

Kitchen Before Pics

Let’s review her list and questions:

• New cabinet doors and drawer fronts

• Reconfigure microwave/oven wall for a double oven (plus maybe new integrated fridge & dishwasher

• New light fixtures, new counters/backsplash

• Any pointers/guidance for the layout and making things feel more modern (but maintain a traditional flavor) requested.

A few more notes for me to consider after I sent her a few more questions.

• The floor is hardwood red oak (pretty common in our area for 'older' homes... our's was built in 1992 after a firestorm. The architecture is based on the original house from the 70’s.

• The wood floor does not go under cabinets, just up to the edges. The builder applied base shoe moulding which also goes around all the cabinet toe kicks and the walls' base moulding.

• Yes, that's a trash compactor; it's in pretty pristine condition and we don't use it.

• There's also a weird step in the ceiling between the 'soffit tray' and the breakfast nook. One contractor recommended going up to the ceiling and removing soffits, which would require new ducting to be run (at least on the left side, facing the fridge). It seemed like it would be a significant cost and that guy recommended a full remodel to make that happen.

A Big Consideration for Any Remodel

This is something to consider for any partial remodel, especially if you are planning to keep the flooring.

“The wood floor does not go under cabinets, just up to the edges.”

Keep this in mind as we look at the recommendations.

It always saves money if you keep the existing floor. To do that, if the floor butts up to the cabinets with a situation like the peninsula in this kitchen, then you need to make sure you don’t change the layout.

It is easier to patch tile, if it is available, than wood flooring.

Now, they are okay with the layout and that is good because there just isn’t enough width here to get rid of the peninsula and do an island.

The Odd features To update in This Kitchen

I’ll preface this section by just saying that these are things I would do if this were my kitchen and I wasn’t like opening up the kitchen to the next room, etc. These items below are the features I think need updating.

1. The odd soffit around the room that is cut off down at the end by the breakfast area. 

2. The short upper cabinets need to be replaced with cabinets to the ceiling after the soffit is removed.

3. Trash compactor. You've got to get rid of that.

4. That long section of countertop down by the pantry. It just looks like a hallway and doesn't seem that useful. You can't get to the pantry if someone is standing there working.

5. The knee hole area used as a desk. Those desks in the kitchen are rather a feature of the past. 

My Recommendations For this Partial Kitchen Remodel

1. Build a walk-in pantry back in that hallway to the pantry now. That would be much more useful here and more desirable for storage. Check the floor plan sketch below.

2. Get rid of the short uppers completely and the soffit, do the ductwork changes so that you can take the cabinets to the ceiling. I feel like this is worth the money here.

3. Flip the refrigerator and the ovens, to get the fridge closer to your sink and cooking area. Then it has a countertop and cabinet right next to it, so it is more useful there.

You could do a drawer microwave in those base cabinets too. You could leave this as is, but I think you would enjoy the convenience of having that refrigerator closer. The water line needed could be moved there when the ceiling is opened to remove the soffits. I think it would be an idea to investigate and consider this option.

4. You'd have to modify the lower cabinets on the cooktop wall to include cabinetry drawers under the cooktop and get rid of that trash compactor.

I'd rather see a trash drawer down by on the right side of the sink, so I'd modify that cabinet beside the sink to incorporate that. Then you can use the trash compactor space as a vertical storage divider for trays and cutting boards.

5. While getting new cabinet doors, I'd do less glass panels. I think the wall where the windows are is rather busy looking and keeping that all solid cabinet doors would be good and would clean up the look there.

I also really like that upper cabinetry blending together more, so I'd do a wood hood with a vent insert and liner, as opposed to a stainless exposed appliance.

Again, I think it would just tidy up the look and make for a nicer looking wall. You can do two glass panels on the other wall, that seems a more appropriate place to have glass panel doors to me.

Then you don't have to worry so much about how everything looks inside your cabinets! :-)

The Overall View

All this would be more of a significant remodel, but it would keep your floor intact except for in the expanded pantry. You'd have to patch in there, but it wouldn't be very visible so I think that could be done easily.

In terms of dollars, leaving some of the base cabinets and the floor might be worth a big enough savings to consider this as an option. 

I love the look of no soffit and upper cabinets to the ceiling! I think it just looks so current and functional.

One last thought…..

I don't know what color you are looking at having for your cabinets, but I know lots of people are loving darker, warmer colors these days.

I think (and if you are a white marble look fan then what I'm about to say will feel rildiculous) you could actually consider keeping the countertops. :-)

They'd have to cut the end down by the pantry and I'd take off all the backsplash you have. They could reuse the length of the other countertop too perhaps and just cut that down, if you elected to do new cabinetry there.

That would save you a some money and the granite is no doubt very tough and durable. 

Basically, this granite comes off as a basic brown and it is not spotty or really busy. If you went with a slightly darker, warmer vibe in here, then these counters might be okay. You could then do tile as a backspash.

Also, it helps to remember, that the things I’m suggesting, the new pantry, moving the refrigerator, the soffit removal, the new upper cabinets, those are all items that take multiple trades and layers of work to get done.

Countertops, on the other hand, if you or your next owner wanted to change on down the road, is a much quicker and less problematic installation, involving fewer trades.

It's just a thought! 

Big decisions to be made for sure, especially while considering a contractor for the job.

There’s lots to consider here and this job would require a contractor who doesn’t mind modifying existing cabinetry. Even if they did all new cabinets though, they could still save the floor by keeping this plan.

Whatever they decide, I wish them luck and hope to see finished pics later in the year!

This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.

What to remodel and what not to!

While every kitchen is different, here are many of the things I look for to help determine what to remodel in a kitchen and what not to. :-)