A Kitchen Follow-Up — Your Questions Answered
Now that the kitchen floor plan decision has been made, I had every intention to put that stuff behind us for a while and refocus on my studio and studio bathroom until those are finished. But to be quite honest, I didn’t do a single thing this past weekend. 😀 I had great intentions. But unfortunately, those intentions got me nowhere. The last two weeks felt very hectic and mentally taxing (and a bit emotionally taxing at the beginning) with finding out that our floor and subfloor in the home gym was destroyed, me throwing a temper tantrum about the addition being delayed, me realizing that I actually didn’t want the addition, coming up with an alternative plan, making plans for turning a bedroom into a closet and workout area, and then designing a kitchen in time to be ready to meet with the contractor tomorrow.
My life is generally pretty uneventful, and I kind of like it that way. 😀 So two weeks of all of that wore me out, but it wore me out in a very different way than physical work (which I’m used to) tires me out. So this weekend, after everything had been decided and finalized in my mind, I just needed some downtime. I needed some time without having to think about my house. But today, I’m ready to get back to the studio. I have some trim to install and paint, two doors to paint, a wall calendar to re-hang, a storage closet to finish and organize, and a chair to reupholster. Then I need to get things organized and put away in all of the drawers and cabinets, and then I can move on to the studio bathroom.
But in the meantime, there were a few questions about the kitchen that kept coming up over and over, so let me address those before we get back to the studio. First, let me give you another look at the kitchen floor plan that I decided on…
And on our floor plan, it looks like this…
How will you bring groceries in?
Several people seemed concerned that there was no convenient way for me to get groceries into the kitchen from the carport. If you look at the floor plan above, you’ll see that we have a wheelchair ramp that leads from the carport to the back doors of my studio. If I walk from the carport to the end of the ramp (before the “switchback” that leads to the studio doors), it is literally eight steps from there to where the back doors of the kitchen will be.
Quite honestly, I may or may not even use that path to get groceries into the kitchen. I may stick with my path that I use now, which is to bring them up the ramp, into the studio, through the breakfast area, and into the kitchen. And let me explain to you why I don’t have an issue with that.
A few weeks ago, I got so tired of not having an easy way to bring groceries in, so I bought this insulated rolling bag from Natural Life…
So now, when I get to the grocery store to do my shopping, I get this bag out of the van and wheel it into the store, put my groceries in the bag, check out and have them put the groceries right back in the bag, zip up the top, wheel it to my car, and lift it up and put it on the floor in front of the front passenger’s seat. (But if it’s too heavy, I always have the option of wheeling it up the back wheelchair ramp of the van, so I never actually have to lift it.) When I get home, I lift it out of the van, roll it up into the carport (it actually rolls very well on grass), roll it up the ramp, and roll it through the house into the kitchen where I unpack it.
So at no time during my shopping and I wrestling with a bunch of grocery bags, or lifting and carrying a bunch of bags. I no longer have to make multiple trips to and from the van to bring bags in. Everything we need for one week fits perfectly into this bag.
I realize that wouldn’t work for people who are shopping for big families, lots of kids or grandkids, etc. But it works for us. I’m only shopping for two people and two animals, but Matt orders all of his meat from Butcherbox, and Cooper’s food comes from The Farmer’s Dog, both of which are delivered to our front door. So my grocery shopping each week has become pretty streamlined and easy. My kitchen could literally be at the very opposite end of the house from the carport, and it still wouldn’t be a big deal for me at all. Matt is always encouraging me to find ways to “work smarter, not harder!” So I found a way to make my grocery shopping very easy.
What color will your new kitchen be?
Unless you’re new around here, y’all should know me well enough to know this answer. 😀
Teal, of course! I’ve had two teal kitchens now, and I ever tired of this color. As much as I love pink now, teal will always be my favorite. My go-to. My first choice. I could drench my house in teal (which I’ve pretty much tried to do), and never grow tired of it. I had teal in our tiny condo kitchen…
And I’ve had a teal kitchen in this house since 2017.
Fun fact: Both of those kitchens are painted the same teal — Behr Hallowed Hush. It’s amazing the difference that different cameras and drastically different lighting make.
I don’t know that I’ll paint the new kitchen Hallowed Hush. I may branch out and find a new teal, perhaps a shade or two darker since the new kitchen will have so much natural light. But I figure if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I have gone down that road of trying to find another color for my kitchen. You may remember this little detour…
And then there was this detour as well…
I always come back to teal. So this time, I’m going to avoid all of the unnecessary trial and error. I’m going to avoid the temptation to convince myself that I might be happy with a different color when I know I’m lying to myself. I’m just going to avoid all of that nonsense and stick with my favorite color. Teal cabinets, white tile backsplash (but not subway tile this time), some sort of white quartz countertops, matte white Café appliances with brass accents, and red oak hardwood flooring to match the rest of the house.
Why not add a door into the future laundry room where the window is now?
I thought about this almost immediately. This would have been great to have with either kitchen layout, and I was so hopeful that it would happen. But here’s the problem. That door would open directly onto the wheelchair ramp, and the step down from house level to the ramp is 8.5 inches. Add a door with a threshold, and that would probably make it a step of at least 9 inches. The maximum allowable step height out of an exterior door is 7.75 inches according to building code, so there’s no way I could get the contractor to do that. And honestly, there’s no way I’d make it a habit to come in a door with a 9-inch step. That’s quite a step for someone who’s only five feet tall!
A few people suggested putting a Costco door there (i.e., a small door that is not intended as an actual egress, but is only used to put bags of groceries into the house), but again, because of my system of grocery shopping, I don’t need one. It would be much harder for me to lift my rolling bag into a Costco door than it is to just wheel it up the ramp and into the back studio doors.
Where will you put your freezer that’s now in the pantry?
I don’t think I’ll need it. Matt and I have really streamlined the way we do things. He buys enough meat from Butcherbox to last him a month, and it’s mostly ribeyes. He eats all of them before his next box arrives. I only buy enough meat for me to last one week at a time, so mine stays in the fridge, not the freezer. So we just don’t have much of a need for a big freezer anymore like we used to when we bought things in bigger bulk. So I’m about 99% sure that a regular fridge/freezer combo will be enough for us. But I’ll hold on to both my upright freezer and the little chest freezer that we have until we’re sure.
Why not put your washer and dryer in the new big closet so that it can be closer to your bedroom?
I considered that for a bit, but it just makes more sense to me to have the laundry closer to the end of the house where I spend my days. I do laundry during the day, when I’m generally in my studio or in the carport. And when I have a workshop, I’ll also be spending quite a bit of time in there as well. So having the laundry at the opposite end of the house doesn’t make sense to me. As far as taking things from the laundry to the bedroom, I can always get one of those rolling laundry carts to wheel things to the other end of the house to put them away. Work smarter, not harder! 😀
Those were the most-asked questions that I made note of, but of course, I’m happy to answer any more! I’ll be meeting with the contractor tomorrow morning at 9:00, and I feel prepared and peaceful about everything now. And excited!! I’m super excited!!
In the meantime, our new flooring was just delivered, and I have no idea where to put it. Right now, it’s sitting outside by the front porch.
So I have to bring all of this inside, and figure out where I’m going to store it for the next few weeks while the current flooring and subfloor are taken up, and the new subfloor is installed. I’m glad it’ll have a while to acclimate before it’s installed, but this is going to be such a pain to work and live around for the next few weeks. But I’m choosing to look at it as a positive. At least it’s here, and it’ll be ready to install once the subfloor is down! I’m ready to get this going!!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
It all sounds so good, and so perfect for YOU and MATT, and your lifestyle. Maybe some of those ideas are great for another family, but this is your house, and it seems perfect for you. I’m happy for you, and the direction things are going in. I also order from Natural Life, and have been happy with everything…gotta say, I think that bag sounds wonderful! Living in Florida, I have quite the problem with frozen foods all summer as they melt down so fast…before I can get them home! I try bags, but they get so heavy…that big rolling bag looks like a nice solution. (Sometimes I think they melt/refreeze in the store…loading dock to store freezers) Thanks for the post as always…looking forward to hearing how your progress in the studio is going!
PS) I bought a wonderful laundry hamper years ago, and I keep it in a closet in the bedroom…load it up once a week, sheets, and towels included…sort in the laundry room, and wheel it all back…love it!
When we lived in Central FL we put ice/coolers in the car to bring groceries home. Pretty much worked!
So happy for you that you have made and continue to make your home a place that meets the needs of your family and lifestyle. I have done the same thing and am so much happier in my home. I still could do more, but at this time I see no point in continuing to make expensive changes that really won’t change the function of my home. Looking forward to what you do next.
Kristi…Hooray for you for not lying to yourself and just stick with teal for your new kitchen. I’m so proud that you chose to pretty much take things easy over the weekend. Listening to your body and mind is a good thing.
I’m looking forward to hear about your meeting with the contractor tomorrow.
I am curious on how you will go about moving all of the flooring material from your front yard and inside your home.
I’m curious about that, too! 😃 A friend of mine has teenage boys, and she’s already told me that they can come help me move it if and when I need help. So I always have that option when needed, not only with this flooring, but they’ve helped me with other stuff in the past. But I’ll see if I can do it myself first.
In my friend’s church there are always teens, boys and girls who need mission projects. Heck I even hired some teens near me to paint my den about 12 yrs ago; I had just had foot surgery and the room was already empty from another friend who put in new trim and crown.
Anyhow, glad you are sensible enough to ask for some help when the need arises.
Kristi…I’m glad to know about the teen boys available to help you. Let them help. You deserve the help, and they deserve the offer to help you.
Since you are planning to have a shop built I would put one of your freezers out there. It would give you space if you need it and could access fairly easy. Keeping what you use on a daily, weekly time frame in the house. I can’t imagine not having a freezer and I am a family of one. I like to shop the sales.
My cousin did that in his new big garage he had built!
I agree! I have mine stashed in the garage too! Considering the entertaining Kristi does, it would also be useful for stashing bags of ice for when you need it. That would keep it full and be readily accessible if you needed it for food. Keeping it full also cuts down on the electric bill since the cold is constant and doesn’t drop, thus triggering the compressor to come on. I used to use empty plastic jugs that tea or milk came in as well as soda bottles 2L size. Came in very handy after a hurricane!
I also saw a hack online. Save any cotton from any source. I even use batting scraps! Stuff it in the container and then add water. Stays frozen way longer than just water alone.
You are amazing! It looks like it is going to be just right for you and your husband. So interesting to me how you look at every aspect to come to your conclusions. Thank you for including us on your construction and designing thoughts and actions.
They couldn’t deliver the flooring to the carport? Something tells me that in the studio would impede studio progress. Eh I’d move some big medium stuff in the living area to the bathroom and music then set this pile up like a big long table in the living area I don’t have a great sense of the scale right now.
Can’t put it in the music room, that is where Matt transfers from the hoyer lift into his wheelchair every day. I would just shove the sofa into the corner of the living room (stand it on end if necessary!) and stack the flooring there. LOL, it will look funny, but hey, who is gonna say so? :-))
I love the direction you are going with the kitchen, it’s going to be perfect for you and Matt. Are you planning on having the deck built at the same time as the kitchen or will that be a project for later?
That will probably have to come later. Hopefully not much later, though!
You sound so happy! I’m glad you figured out what really matters and works best for you – including teal cabinets. No sense changing something you love!
Kristi,
This is off subject but am so excited that I am finally able to use the large heron print birds that you introduced me to a couple years ago, could never get it out of my mind. So, I am making a bedroom into a laundry/bedroom/sitting room and I thought I could do it in the beautiful heron wallpaper with pink background. The problem, I have looked all weekend to purchase but cannot find anywhere. Do you have any sites that I could look or any ideas as to how and where to get it? Starting to get nervous that I will not be able to find it.
I tried to search for it also, but I can’t find it. 🙁 I’m so sorry! I hope you can find it!
Maybe do a Google Image search if you can crop one from Kristi’s photo?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1412304242/blue-herons-watercolor-printable-wall?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=heron+prints&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&pro=1&sts=1&dd=1&content_source=bcfe430b5056b704b37d4520ba979c215647f06a%253A1412304242&organic_search_click=1
Is t this the one? If so, DM her and see if she has the source.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COfuqt2HlKP/?igsh=ejZ6eHZsOHJzbTY0
Looks fabulous! Can’t wait to see it in living color. Sorry I cannot bring my tractor down the street with the fork-lift forks on it and move the flooring around back, at least closer to the carport and doors to the studio. I remember when we first moved in here and they delivered all the hardwood flooring for the house, it came into the garage and my car went out for a while. It all worked out, but those boxes are heavy. Have fun tomorrow and just relax, you’ve got this.
Cheers!
I think you’ve got it all worked out!
Are you speaking with the contractor about your shop as well? It might be wise to get a bid and save a bit of money to do it at the same time.
You might start thinking of a temporary home for all the things in the sunroom! The pods may not allow room to access things you may need. Maybe look into renting a small container.
I hadn’t planned on talking to him about the workshop. I guess I could, but I can almost guarantee it would be cheaper to go with a company that specialized in out buildings like that. But I’ll ask!
I’ve been looking into storage options. I’m considering purchasing a shipping container, but a small 10 foot one, not the big 20-foot or 40-foot. I’ve been searching and searching for one nearby, but I waited to long on the only 10-foot one I found, and it was sold. I’m still looking, though.
Your plans look so great for how you and Matt live, and it seems to me that if you ever decide you do want to build another master bedroom, you can do it seamlessly. One question: I have lived all of my life in areas of the South where we get a lot of bugs, especially at night. Do you have that problem? If so, have you considered a screened in porch where the deck is going?
The mosquitoes can get pretty bad here. I’d love to screen in part of the deck!
We have family over on the Gulf Coast and an option besides screening it in is to have a roof structure/pergola over the deck and install outdoor overhead fans. They make SUCH a difference in keeping the bugs away!
I’ve been with you since the tail end of your condo days, and I don’t know how I missed the little blue bird by the sink, who matches the ones on the wall. SO FABULOUS!
I can’t WAIT for another teal kitchen!!! YESS!!! I would drench my house in teal if I could too (I’ve got plenty around, including my front door). Looking forward to all the things to come!
I’m not an architect, so I am curious about how the kitchen addition will tie into the existing roofline.
It will be the same as the carport, except the the kitchen won’t stick out nearly as far as the carport.
I’ll be interested to see if it is really a big savings having a new kitchen built as opposed to larger square footage that isn’t specialty. I guess with you doing the finishes yourself it probably will be, but I’d think for most people a small kitchen add on would cost nearly the same as a larger add-on that doesn’t include plumbing, cabinetry, appliances, etc. Anyway, I’ll be curious as to the cost comparison.
I love the plan you have chosen! It’s going to be exciting watching this next step in your home process 🙂
Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Just wondering, have you and Matt ever considered purchasing 1/4 of a cow? You get different cuts of quality beef but it might not work if you only eat certain cuts. In that case you might want the freezer.
It’s a good option for anyone who eats a lot of beef, or can store the beef, as you get great quality meat, and you support a farmer. Butcher Box seems like it has its advantages too.
#1.Ugh! The thought of moving all that flooring makes my back hurt! #2. You like teal like I love greens! #3. I love the rolling grocery bag! I bought a folding luggage “dolly” for my laundry hamper (wicker) so I don’t have to carry a big basket to the other end of the house to the laundry room. I just leave it hooked up (the cart has bungee cords attached) and ready to move on wash days. It works for me! Those rolling laundry carts were pricier than I thought they would be!