Before and After Large Kitchen Refacing Project - Alice and Marco
THE CHALLENGE
Alice and Marco represent both a satisfied Award Kitchen Refacers customer and one of our largest jobs. We were referred to them by their aunt, who in turn was extremely pleased with our quality of work when we refaced a small galley kitchen in her older condo.
The couple lived in a suburb of Toronto in a cul-de-sac two-storey home overlooking a beautiful backyard ravine on a wooded lot. Their house was elegantly designed, with many large windows and a luxurious entrance. The curb appeal of the house was the envy of many of Alice and Marco's neighbours.
The kitchen was at the back of the house. A large deck surrounded the kitchen while overlooking an owls' refuge, which in turn added a natural beauty to both the interior and exterior of the house. However, the kitchen itself was finished with a typical builder's faux oak veneer plywood. As you can see from the pictures below, the finish of the kitchen greatly detracted from the overall appeal of the room.
Alice's sister had recently hired a high-end kitchen renovator to completely redesign her kitchen. The renovator had come up with a design that was both beautiful and functional, and Alice wanted a similar kitchen. However, Alice's sister was charged $88,000 for her kitchen and Alice only had a $20,000 budget. This would pose a daunting challenge for most companies, but Award Kitchen Refacers was up to the task!
THE CONSULTATION
Alice and Marco had some specific ideas for their kitchen, and Award Kitchen Refacers was more than happy to provide an in-home consultation (link to in-home consultation form) to discuss those needs. They wanted to replace their existing 30" stove with a 36" stove, and relocate it to the area occupied by their dishwasher and refrigerator. They also wanted a more functional layout while refacing as many of the existing kitchen cabinets as possible, both ensuring cost savings of hundreds of dollars per cabinet and significant reduction in waste and environmental impact.
Award Kitchen Refacers head kitchen designer Ivan created a sketch of the new kitchen proposal, using as many of the existing cabinets as possible. The layout illustrated items to be refaced, items to be replaced, and new items to be added in. Since we were able to reface 27 of 32 possible cabinets, the only items to be added in or replaced were the larger stove, 5 new cabinets, and an island.
THE DOORS
Alice, Ivan, and Award head installer Jack created a door design specific to her desires. Once we created the design, we proceeded to manufacture her doors. Award is able to come up with specific door designs because we are the only Toronto kitchen refacing company to manufacture our own doors from Canadian products; by comparison, other refacing companies order their doors from door manufacturers who manufacture their products primarily in other countries.
THE PANTRY
The original 12-door pantry was impractical both in location and in style. It was located in the far corner of the kitchen (approximately 24 feet from the food preparation area) and featured a hodgepodge of products that weren't regularly used. We designed cabinets with more abundant space, improved kitchen storage via subtle additions such as sliding shelves and spice drawers, and moved pantry items into the preparation area and thus make them more readily accessible for cooking needs. This allowed us to completely remove the pantry, and in the process created extra space in the garage.
THE 48" STOVE AND 40" REFRIGERATOR
Alice changed her mind during the job and wanted a 48" stove and 40" refrigerator, which required a reworking of the original Award Kitchen Refacers design concept. In order to accommodate the larger stove, Alice wanted to change the design of the cupboards over the stove. We came up with a soft arch design that she was happy with, and designed and manufactured three new upper cupboards and two lower cupboards to blend in with the other cupboard doors. To add to the beauty of the kitchen, we also echoed the soft arch over the window.
Since the venting and design over the stove was changed, the 3" crown moulding Award Kitchen Refacers had already installed looked skimpy and out of place. We replaced the 3" crown moulding with 6" crown moulding to enhance the height of the cabinets, and Alice loved it!
ADDITIONAL REDESIGN ENHANCEMENTS
In order to accommodate the 48" stove and other design ideas, Award Kitchen Refacers head kitchen designer Ivan came up with a number of enhancements to both look and functionality. The cabinets were moved closer to the door openings to further customize the look of the kitchen, and additional flow and functionality was achieved by moving the refrigerator and stove to adjacent walls and by adding another sink near the stove.
We added glass doors to the upper end cabinets on the wall facing the owls' refuge and the wooded lot. These glass doors are now framed by light coming through from the window and the double balcony doors.
We helped Alice and Marco pick two large light fixtures which enhanced the look of this room and provided key lighting in the preparation and eating areas. We placed another 12 recessed potlights in the ceiling and valance lighting under the cabinets, and ensured that all of the lights operate on different switches, so Alice and Marco can alter the mood and lighting of their kitchen as they see fit.
THE ISLAND
The island posed a unique challenge unto itself. Alice wanted a microwave shelf, recycling containers, a pull-out wine rack, cutlery drawers, drawers for pots and pans, a large sink, an eating area, and much more. Unfortunately, the size of the island would neither allow for front access to the new 48" stove, nor would Alice and Marco be able to open the new 40" refrigerator.
We eliminated the eating area, replaced the large sink with a small round bar sink, and replaced the pull-out wine rack with a single drawer designed to house six bottles of wine. The finished product had both the designer look and functionality Alice and Marco desired.
THE END RESULT
This kitchen became the 'headquarters' of the home. Alice and Marco had the look and layout of the Designer Kitchen they desired and saved approximately $68,000 in the process!
Most of our kitchen refacing projects are completed within one week. We reface or replace one or two cabinets, relocate other cabinets, and perform other related tasks as need be. Alice and Marco's kitchen represented a much larger project, as the steps above indicate.
Alice and Marco's kitchen refacing project took 24 days to complete due to the electrical work, the granite work, the marble backsplashes, the plumbing and the addition of the 48" stove and 40" refrigerator after work had commenced. Fortunately, Award Kitchen Refacers manufactures our own cabinetry in-house and thus were able to accommodate these changes much more quickly than our competitors.
THE KITCHEN REFACING TRUTH
Alice was told by a kitchen replacement company that a kitchen refacing company doesn't supply new cabinets or move the existing cabinets to create a more attractive and functional layout.
WHY?
Kitchen replacement companies make more money by replacing existing cabinets, rather than reusing cabinets that are in good condition and don't need to be discarded. This both represents a negative impact on the environment and more importantly creates a significant additional cost for you, the customer.
We have been asked many times to replace entire kitchens. We don't do that. We would rather be economical and environmentally conscious.
Kitchen refacing saves time when compared to kitchen replacing.
Kitchen refacing saves money when compared to kitchen replacing.
Kitchen refacing saves resources when compared to kitchen replacing.
Kitchen refacing preserves perfectly good cabinetry that may simply need new doors and shelves.
