BEFORE AND AFTER: No amount of colour could disguise the lack of storage and work/cook space in the ‘before’ kitchen. After: splurging on a slim European fridge opened up space for more — and more accessible— cabinets and countertops, without increasing square footage. I once read a list in GQ magazine of things a man must learn to do by the time he is 30. Carve a turkey. Tie a bowtie. Make a heartfelt toast. (Or was that a heartfelt speech?)
Trivial lists have a way of burning into my brain – unsurprising if you’re the organizer-type – and I’ve constructed my own. Do a triathlon. Go to Rome. Sing a solo in public – if asked. Tick, tick, and tick. I checked another one off Tuesday: survive my own major renovation.
It’s not the bills that wore me down ($16,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to the price of upgrading to a city condo with a beautifully functional kitchen) or the lack of running water for five weeks. It was the disruption of routine and the unpredictable jobs like scraping globs of plaster from the top of the computer, or patching up the chipped enamel in the bathroom sink that served as dishwashing centre. Or removing the stack of drying dishes from the toilet seat in order to… well, you get the picture.
But I’m not complaining. As I type this-column, I pause to take yet another thankful look at the expanse of gleaming acrylic composite countertop uninterrupted visually by a 30-inch slide-in, glass-topped stove and an undermounted sink. The new, slim German-made refrigerator tucks flush with the base cabinets and expands higher than a standard model. No more jumping on counters to reach basic everyday necessities. Or groping into the deep, blind-corner cupboards for long-lost items. (It took the demolition crew to unearth five cans of tomatoes.)
Contemplating a kitchen reno?
• Sell your worthy second-hand appliances easily on Craig’s list (vancouver.craigslist.org). Click on “Household” in the “For Sale” category to see how others are doing it, and also to view any new or near-new appliances.
• Shop around for the best prices on appliances, THEN see if there’s any incentive in buying them at once. Most appliance dealers will match competitors’ quotes. The usual comparison-shopping rounds include Midland, Trail, Coast Wholesale, Sears, and Edmond’s.
• Install low-voltage under-cabinet lighting, with dimmer. Task lighting is essential, and regular halogen lighting is too hot. If you like Ikea’s 10-volt lights, an electrician can eliminate the chunky transformers.
• If acrylic composite, stone-chip composite or stone is out of your budget, consider a shiny laminate with metal edging.
(Updated article riginally published in 2005)
