Kitchen Remodel: The Final Reveal

After months of renovating our home due to water damage caused by a flood, I’m excited to reveal my kitchen remodel. Before and afters included!

The Big Flood

It all started on a summer day in June. My husband and I excitedly woke up to sign the papers for our new to us home. After finishing at the title company we hopped in the car and rushed over to scope out our new purchase. I opened the door turned the corner and screamed! Literally.

Water was everywhere, dripping from the ceiling, down to my beautiful floors that now looked as though they had been lifted up by a forklift and were bowing all throughout the house. The water damaged everything it touched. Dripping down into the kitchen onto the family room. Spreading into the dining room and down the hallways. It went under the door in the pantry. Then through the walls into the closet and out to the entrance way in the other room. The ceiling was caving in and my kitchen island was completely destroyed. I cried a lot that day and was in shock over what we had just purchased.

Thankfully the home was still insured by the previous homeowners. Though we had signed the papers, our funding was still pending and we were not liable for the deductible. Thank Goodness!!! The insurance agency came in right away bringing in tons of heaters and fans to help dry the moisture.  They had estimated that the leak had been going on for about 3-5 days spilling about 100 gallons of water a day.

The flood was caused by our AC unit. Long story short, the coil froze over due to improper wiring when a thermostat was recently moved upstairs.

The New Kitchen

Redesigning this kitchen was truthfully one of the most stressful and enjoyable things I have ever done. As you all know I love to decorate and the flood allowed me the perfect opportunity to change some things and really make this place my own. However, living in a home without a kitchen sink for 3 months with 3 young kids wasn’t easy. I have a whole new appreciation for running water and a sink to dump soggy Cheerios.

With the help of our contractor, Kenny Gross from Carabela Custom Homes, and Designer Elle Cole, we came up with the redesign for this amazing kitchen. Elle and Kenny designed the new kitchen island, fixtures and backsplash and helped put this home back together again. I am grateful for them and everything they did to help out our family.

Flooring

The flood completely destroyed the homes original hardwoods and kitchens island. Thankfully, the insurance agency helped cover these repairs! To save some money my husband and I decided we would rip out the pre-existing warped floors ourselves. It was hell! The most labor-intensive work I have ever done in my life and I’m pretty sure my husband would agree. It is literally all you, a crowbar, and leverage. With the help of our family and friends, we ripped up and hauled off 9,000 pounds of flooring and subflooring to the dump…yep it was so much fun taking the first layer out you get to do it again! It took 3 trips. We then had to pull up thousands of nails out of the concrete by hand. Take my advice if you ever considering doing something like this yourself don’t, it was not worth the savings, just trust me!

 

Because 3/4 of the downstairs flooring was destroyed we made the decision to pull it all up and look for something lighter to lighten up the house. If you look back at the original flooring the dark stain really made the family room and kitchen look a little dark and dreary. With the help of Good Guy Flooring (I highly recommend them if in DFW area), we decided on using engineered wood from Kentwood flooring because of how beautiful and durable it is with kids. I absolutely love it and have no regrets.

Countertops & Cabinets

When they removed the damaged cabinetry of the island, unfortunately, the granite countertop broke with it. This opened up the opportunity for us to choose a new countertop on the island and make it a little bigger. It also gave us the opportunity to install a new farmhouse sink. I have to admit I wasn’t too sad when it broke.

We decided to go with a white quartz. Since I wanted it all to match we were able to sell back the unbroken granite countertops to the granite guy in exchange for a lower purchasing price on the back new ones. Our new island cabinet was made by Mike Conkle’s Custom Cabinets and painted a Kensington Blue by Benjamine Moore paint cut by 50%. The new design is a far more functional and has increased storage.

Back Splash

Before we bought this house I knew we eventually would change out the backsplash and the lighting. Though I didn’t think we would end up tackling this project so soon. When we decided to switch out the back countertops to match the island we figure that we might as well change out the backsplash too to something more our style.

This eye-catching hand-painted ceramic Duquesa tile by Walker Zanger is definitely the focal point of the entire kitchen. I was hesitant at first look in their catalog due to it being pricey, but after our contractor and designer insisting I see it in person, I could not agree more. It makes my heart sing!

Lighting, Fixtures, and Hardwear

In my opinion, one of the easiest and biggest “wow” upgrades that one could make to an outdated home is just as simple as changing out old light, your fixtures, and/or hardware. After seeing these Darlana Lanterns I knew I had to do all things brass. I love how the gold complements the blue from the island and backsplash. I have fallen in love with my new Newport Brass facet in satin bronze and 100% recommend it. It works just as beautifully as it looks and is definitely a huge quality upgrade. Overall, one of the biggest steals was discovering this affordable hardware from Etsy that matched the faucet perfectly!

This entire kitchen remodel was definitely one for the books. All the stress may take a few years off my life, but now that it’s done a small part of me is grateful for the flood. I am in love with how it turned out and can’t believe this kitchen is mine!

To see more designed rooms in our new home remodels click here!