Kitchen remodels for every budget - Cover Story

Sunset, Feb, 1996

IN REMODELING, there is what you might call the Gilligan's Island syndrome: what begins as a 3-hour tour seems to be taking the rest of your life, and the slow-motion shipwreck that is now your home has become host to a strange cast of subcontractors and other characters. But is that always the case? We followed three kitchen remodels from start to finish, tracking the process, the toll on the homeowners, and the physical results.

1 THE FIRST EXAMPLE is an architectural remodel involving reconfiguration of walls. In this case, the homeowners wanted to enlarge their existing kitchen by claiming space from another room. Time from demolition to finish: 9 months. Budget: $60,000.

2 IN THIS CASE STUDY, the homeowners liked their physical space, but not the way the cabinets and appliances were arranged in it. Using a one-stop kitchen design center, they stripped everything back to the shell of the room and installed a new arrangement of cabinets and appliances. Time from gutting to finish: 5 weeks. Budget: $25,000.

3 IN THIS PROJECT, the homeowners were satisfied with the physical space and cabinet arrangement, but wanted a fresh look. They refaced the cabinets. Time: 10 working days. Budget: $7,000.

1 A CUSTOM KITCHEN REMODEL REORGANIZES A HOUSE

Laura Strauss, a physician's assistant at an AIDS clinic, and her husband, Gary Birnbaum, a family practitioner, knew their kitchen remodel was ambitious, but they figured they could handle anything for three months. But nine months? They survived, but Strauss admits they came close to mutiny at times. By the time they had finished, the project had expanded throughout their San Francisco house, and the contractor had temporarily moved in. Their answering machine said it all: "We're here someplace."

THE PROBLEM

The main floor (above the garage) of their row house was poorly organized for the way they wanted to live: Activities with their two children, Nathan, almost 7, and Jonah, 2, revolved around a galley kitchen that was too small for more than one person to use at a time. It and an unused windowless dining room were sandwiched between the living room on one end of the house and the family room on the other.

"The house was very dark at the center," says Birnbaum. "We wanted to lighten things up." To figure out a solution, they hired San Francisco architect Steve Rankin, of Rankin Gray Architects, whom they found through their contractor, a friend of their day-care provider's. Says Birnbaum: "We wanted a classic contemporary design that would give character to what was a spec house."

THE SOLUTION

Rankin and his clients viewed the kitchen remodel as a way to improve the entire floor. "The 1978 house was very choppy before - really a series of sequestered little rooms," Rankin says. To get more space for the kitchen without expanding beyond the perimeter walls, Rankin moved it into what had been the dining room, which the family rarely used. Now the kitchen occupies the center of the house between a spruced-up living room and a family room that extends the width of the house.

With the new design, Strauss and Birnbaum can cook at the same time, or entertain while they cook. Sight lines between kitchen and family room are open: there are no upper cabinets to block views. A curving buffet counter is the major dividing line between the two spaces, turning one end of the family room into a spacious breakfast area. Strauss and Birnbaum plan to use part of the living room as a dining space when they entertain formally.

The homeowners refinanced their house twice to pay the cost of the complete remodel, which ultimately included three bathroom remodels, one new bathroom, and a new deck. The kitchen itself cost about $60,000.

LESSONS LEARNED

"Be aware," sums up Birnbaum, "that once those walls are down, you're going to get all sorts of new and expensive ideas and you're going to find ways to finance them."

TIME LINE

1994: NOVEMBER

Strauss and Birnbaum meet with the architect, Rankin. They have already selected their contractor, Michael Carty. Rankin works up three schemes showing different places to put the kitchen to create a greater feeling of spaciousness.

DECEMBER

Strauss and Birnbaum pick a scheme, with a few refinements, and decide on appliances and materials. They had liked the cherry veneer cabinets at a cousin's house but decided on the lighter maple veneer. Blueprints are completed and go to the San Francisco Building Department for review.

1995: FEBRUARY

Permits are issued.

MARCH

Demolition of the old kitchen and dining room walls begins. The contractor leaves part of the old kitchen counter (with a sink and space for a microwave) as a temporary kitchen, and adds temporary storage cabinets in the old family room. New framing goes up. The baby-sitter comes to the house as usual for the three days a week that Strauss goes to work.

APRIL-MAY

After Strauss and Birnbaum see how removing the walls and adding a window improve the space (revealing a view they didn't know they had), they decide to add four more windows in the stair hall and family room. The remodeling project expands to include bathrooms, a study, and a deck. Rankin draws up additional plans, requiring new permits. The first temporary kitchen is removed so work can proceed in that area, and a new temporary kitchen is installed in the garage. Says Strauss: "This is what has allowed me to maintain my sanity - having a temporary kitchen where we can eat and the kids have been able to play." Electrical and plumbing systems are installed. Another saving grace, according to Strauss, is that the kids' bedrooms remain unchanged and can function as retreats during all the hubbub.