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Deuce Cities Henhouse

People of the internet, greetings and salutations from my little neck of cyberspace. I wanted to write a post and share some exciting news, after 12 years of wanting to renovate our dysfunctional kitchen we are finally able to make it happen and we are going big! We have decided to extend the back end of our house and add on a mudroom, closet and half bath. This will allow us to make our kitchen larger than it currently is because we’ll be able to absorb the old mudroom and pantry into the future kitchen space. We’ve been working with a design/build team since November 2020(!) and plan on breaking ground early summer 2022. When we bought our place in 2010 the kitchen was almost a deal breaker. We actually had passed on the house because of the kitchen and then our realtor asked us to come see it again and we agreed that the house should be ours, and someday we’d remodel the kitchen. I never thought someday would be so far away, but I’m glad it is because now we can really afford to do build a kitchen that we’ll love for a long, long time.

Drink it in!

I’ve been working on my own designs of the kitchen for years, I probably started in 2018 and it’s evolved a lot since. I’m really glad we have taken our time with this because we’ve really been able to soak up ideas and change things around. Our design/build team has been great too, they’ve taken my sketches and fine tuned them adding some great insight and ideas.

Would you like to see some sketchup renderings, because I’d love to share them with ya. Just a little disclaimer, these renderings are not the official drawings, it’s just crazy old me needing to imagine how the kitchen will act and feel from all angles. Some of the cabinetry will be changing size and function, and paint colors are not set in stone, but generally you get the idea of how the space will work. The architectural drawings throughout the post are the correct dimensions for cabinetry, cabinet doors, and drawers.

Our current entrance into the kitchen is a very narrow 30″.

We will remove a few sections of the wood paneling and widen the opening.

This is how it will look from the living room. The living room currently has the same sized opening from the living room to the dining room.

A big change that gives us a lot more flexibility will be moving the placement of the windows in the kitchen. We will be making them shorter and moving them apart to flank the new range and hood. Cabinetry will run the length of the wall below the windows.

The chimney will remain, but we’ll disguise it by installing the pantry around it. Adding some sort of beadboard or v-groove to the facade of the chimney, additionally we’ll add narrow shelving with brass rails creating a place to display artwork, cutting boards, candlesticks, other crap, etc.

Because we are sadly removing some of the wood paneling from the dining room, We will have a carpenter reproduce the paneling on the back wall of the kitchen paying homage to the history of the house and the beauty of the craftsmanship. The paneling will be painted a warm shade of white and will be a very pretty feature in the kitchen.

The far wall in the kitchen will be for dishware and other assorted serving pieces that will be displayed behind glass doors. Below the glass doors will be appliance garage where we will stow daily essential appliances such as the toaster, coffee maker and coffee grinder. The refrigerator will be panel ready and counter depth.

Don’t ‘cha love that view!

We really wanted to include an island in the kitchen. We know that the kitchen will be the heart of our home. We dream of having pals over, hanging out on the island while Jeff serves us cocktails and creates good eats. The apron sink and faucet will make its home as part of the island. The main work flow of the kitchen will be the space created between the island, range, pantry, and fridge leaving the opposite side of the island for socializing and passage from the front of the home to the back.

The mudroom and pantry shown above will become part of the future kitchen with a door leading out to our backyard. The bathroom will be our first EVER main floor bath which will be great for guests, for Jeff’s use when he’s working from his main floor office, and for when we are hanging out in the backyard and we gotta go!

Take a look at that! There will be a built-in storage area for jackets, backpacks, shoes, and so on, but there will also be a closet (door on the left) where we can keep more seasonal items and stow away our vacuum and cleaning supplies. We are insanely excited about this closet as there is no closet on the main floor. Bathroom door is to the right.

The half bath will be a basic two piece bath with a new toilet and vintage sink. I found a sink a while back that will be perfect for the space. The flooring throughout the mudroom, closet and half bath will all be seamless from space to space.

We are so excited to be finally see this dream begin to take shape.

I’m looking forward to sharing much more as things start to pick up steam. Thanks for checking in on my latest proj!

26 comments
in Kitchen, Kitchen Addition, Plans, Renovation
26 comments… add one
  • Sara February 17, 2022

    Yay, so glad to see a new post from you! The plans are gorgeous. Hope you are doing well!

    • Scoops February 18, 2022

      Hey Sara! Thanks so much. We are very excited to get going on this project. I think it will be great for the way we use the house. I’m doing great, hope you are as well!

    • Lee barnett February 3, 2024

      What color green are those cabinets ?

  • Danielle February 17, 2022

    So happy to find you back on the internet! And what a beautiful design. I wish you a speedy, stress-free renovation!

    • Scoops February 18, 2022

      Ha! Thanks for that – I’m expecting slow-downs and stress, so hopefully with those expectations set so low, it will all be fine. Thanks for stopping by!

  • C.B. February 18, 2022

    When I saw the first picture I was like “why would you want to change that??? it’s a phenomenal looking kitchen!!!!” Turns out it was so realistically rendered, I was fooled into thinking it was the current kitchen. So yeah, I’m a fan of the new look. Functionality is key so I’m glad you’re getting that soon. I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again, your house is basically my dream house in terms of your decor and historical details. Can’t wait to see progress.

    • Scoops February 18, 2022

      OPE! I should have led with a photo of the current kitchen! I enjoy doing the renderings, it’s been a lot of fun for me to figure out. That’s sweet of you to say about the house, thanks so much for stopping by.

  • Stacey W February 18, 2022

    Dang, this looks amazing! I am so happy for y’all, I know you’ve wanted to gut the kitchen since you bought the house.

    • Scoops February 18, 2022

      Yes! We have been wanting a new kitchen for a long time. It’s gotten to the point where I loathe everything about it.

  • Beth February 18, 2022

    Wow! This is beautiful. Great job!

    • Scoops February 18, 2022

      Thanks so much! We are excited :)

  • monica February 18, 2022

    Looks amazing! I do have a comment about an island sink. I lived with one for a while and had problems with where to place things that have been rinsed or hand washed. Will you really want to put them in a drainer next to the sink on that island counter? I know everyone thinks that if you have a dishwasher you don’t wash dishes, but you do have things that you had wash all the time! I KNOW your plans are made, and I know it will look BEAUTIFUT, but do wonder about function. I am not a fan of the new ChrisLovesJulia kitchen AT ALL,(very unpractical, crazy money, jut too big and non functional), but their very large sink which has the ability for in sink dis draining is something I would love to have.

    • Scoops February 18, 2022

      Thanks for that suggestion Monica. Everyone does things differently in their kitchens. I enjoyed working with our builders because they wanted to know everything about how we currently operate our kitchen. We do (usually) get the dishes in the dishwasher right away except for pots and pans which I wash with soap and a brush (we don’t fill the sink), dry and stick right back in the cupboard. We don’t even have a drying rack. I can totally see how this would be a problem for someone who is used to washing their dishes and then letting them sit out on a rack or on a towel. Thanks for looking out!

    • Michelle May 26, 2022

      Seconding this, although I’m envying Scoop for getting a family culture of drying and putting things away. I’m alone in the mysterious science of towel drying and we constantly have a towel with some random item on it. So yeah, also drooling over the sink in the C+J home. But can I also show some love for the idea that a kitchen the size of a small restaurant is, just, a LOT. They have a large family and employees and to each their own. But it’s soooo nice to see great design in a sensible Midwestern scale.

  • Meghanssj February 18, 2022

    This is a thrilling project! We got to redo our kitchen a few years ago, I I absolutely love it, and it truly is the center of the home and a source of joy and comfort. I spend extra time there every day, simply because I love the feeling we were able ti create, and the choices we made. It’s absolutely a loved room. If we had waited a few years, we maybe could have done it like you are—with expansion. I am going to be okay with the fact that we really needed to update when we did because things were literally crumbling and couldn’t swing any expansion at that time, but I am happy for you that you can do it up right and go all the way. I will love watching this project unfold. I learned a lot from the process we went through, and ultimately I’m so happy with the results. I know you will too. Can’t wait to watching this come to fruition.

    • Scoops February 18, 2022

      Hey Megan! Yes, I love that you love your kitchen so much. I am envious of that feeling. I really hope that is exactly how we feel when it is all said and done. It will be like Christmas morning every morning.

  • sally February 19, 2022

    It looks INCREDIBLE! I love, love the cabinets and everything else (I just bought the same fridge for our kitchen renovation).

    Curious what you’re using for counters? Also, the drawing of the cabinetry next to the fridge indicates appliance garage but I couldn’t see one in the sketch-up – wondering what you decided?

    I’ve be ASTONISHED at the bids for this kind of project, which for our house, doesn’t even involve changing the floorplan – it would be great if you felt comfortable including budget details. THANKS! So excited for you!

  • Brenda February 21, 2022

    I am excited for you and for us! Excited you get your dream kitchen, mudroom, and bathroom and excited you are taking us along for the ride!

  • Liza February 21, 2022

    I can’t wait to see the progress of your kitchen and addition. The powder room alone is worth it!

  • Piia February 21, 2022

    This is so exciting! Looking forward to follow this process.

  • M February 22, 2022

    This looks incredible. You’ve managed to make it fresh while honoring the old soul of the house. I especially like the widened but not obliterated opening to the dining room and all your materials choices! We are about to embark on a big renovation as well – design started before my 1.5yo was born, and idea conceived 8 yrs ago – so it’s very heartening to hear your timeline.

    How did your hone your SketchUp skills? I would love to read a post on that. Also, with your DIY chops will you be taking on any finish work for this project yourself, or have you decided that hiring it all out makes sense for your fam right now?

  • Judith February 22, 2022

    Welcome back! I’m looking forward to seeing your kitchen evolve!

  • iLa March 1, 2022

    So exciting! Looks gorgeous!

  • Amber March 7, 2022

    This is so beautiful! Excited to watch it all come together!

    As a fellow Minneapolis resident who is also pondering/planning/dreaming about a future kitchen + main floor renovation, I’m really curious about the design- build firm you chose, as well as the process to get you to this point and beyond…!? So many firms, so many services, so many choices– some insider insight would be so helpful as I’m just starting on the journey myself (if you’re inclined to share!) Thanks :)

  • Christine July 1, 2022

    please, please, please tell me you’ll be on a remodeling tour this fall or next spring!

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