OLD HOUSE, NEW TRICKS

Another week, another snowstorm and another client desperate to dig out of a messy situation. Whether you're a professional chef or pro at shopping, everyone loves to gather in the kitchen when things heat up. But what if your stove doesn't work? What if the layout of your kitchen doesn't work? Like a busy Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon, I recently faced the challenge of giving an old charmer a new facelift without destroying the over all look. The charm of an old house, let alone a 300 year old house, is often lost on those like the woman I spoke to the other day who admitted all she wanted in a new home was "a toilet that no one's tush had touched." That statement was about as charming as the basement kitchen in this 5,000 square foot farm house in upstate New York. The house sat on the market for as long as it did because potential buyers failed to see the how this tiny kitchen (the only one in the home, with seven foot high ceilings, an electric stove and storage designed for people with nothing to store) could ever live up to modern day standards. In the end, however, these buyers saw the potential and hired me to make it a reality. The challenge: update this outdated kitchen and make it modern, simple, functional and ready for an active family of five. With a relatively tight budget I headed to one of my favorite stores: Google. By entering "inexpensive designer appliances" in the search field, I found several retail stores in our area that could deliver new products for far less than retail giants like Lowes and Home Depot. For less than $5,000 (I know that sounds a bit high, but to replace all appliances with modern, new pieces, it isn't bad) I purchased an apron sink, new Bosch dishwasher, stainless steel refrigerator with bottom drawer freezer and a GE Cafe stove (same quality and look as the far more expensive Viking and Wolf stoves, for $2k less). The key in this project was the layout. By shifting the stove to the island (I opted for a self-venting stove to eliminate the need for a huge overhead vent), I was able to free up space for a larger counter, sink and dishwasher. Three weeks later this old house had a new family, new kitchen and a delicious meal simmering on the stove.
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Three weeks
COST: Appliances: $4,850 from Atlantic Appliance
STRESS LEVEL: Because I wasn't the one doing the heavy lifting, LOW