When my brother was finally moving to the east coast again after years of being stationed in Nevada, he hunkered down in a house in Delaware. The house is a small craftsman with several additions. The homeowner has a detached workshed with a ton of space to work where I imagine he concocted his additions from. Several different floor types and an overall awkward layout provided evidence these piecemeal additions existed without a greater plan.

So before we laid out a plan for the kitchen we took inventory of the whole house and what the best ultimate layout would be. Some walls were structural so they couldn’t be altered while some were more superficial. The plan for the kitchen is to open it up as much as possible while sticking to a budget since this will ultimately become a rental property.

I took some measurements and inventory of existing conditions using a laser pointer. If you don’t have one of these, it is 1000% percent worth it. Mine cost about $30 and it has served me well in the past three years. No more awkwardly extending the measuring tape, hoping it holds its shape while trying to get dimensions. The one I have is not available, but here is a highly rated option on Amazon with thousands of reviews that will work.

The first sketch is going to be messy and that’s okay. You just need the measurements. You can take it to the computer later and refine it.

The first and most obvious task was removing the wall in the middle of the room. This allowed us to extend the kitchen further into the ‘dining room’ space. This ended up being a familiar layout to me since Philadelphia rowhomes are always long and skinny. The tricky part comes when you have to work around existing doors, windows, or utilities.

To make things a little easier, we decided to shift the doorway to the mudroom over to allow a proper corner cabinet and oven to go next to it. That lets us group the appliances together and allow more continuous countertop space.

Eventually I took those hand sketches and turned them into CAD files with measurements that he could start to floor plan and solicit estimates for new cabinetry. I developed two options; one which included a peninsula and one without.

Those site plans were sent to several cabinet suppliers where they made mock-ups and provided cost estimating. It’s so helpful to see the project in 3D view before ordering. Most of the companies he reached out to provided a 3D drawing along with dimensioned floor plans.

I put together a roundup of all the materials we were looking at. I love making mood boards for each project to make sure all the finishes pair well together.

I cant wait to see this project through so please stay tuned for the final reveal of this kitchen renovation!! It currently sits completely demoed, with a new doorway framed out and electrical roughed in. It will take some time for the kitchen cabinets to arrive, but in the mean time they will be repairing drywall, installing light fixtures, relocating plumbing, and collecting finish materials.

Are you planning a kitchen renovation? Let me know in my contact page if you need any help! I offer virtual design or local if you live near Philadelphia!