Updating a tired old kitchen without major cost. (at unit #9)

Kitchen before  - unit #9 

As I've said in previous posts, when fixing up a rental property, I always want the place to be nice and clean with nothing left undone.  I also try to add some things that I'd want if I lived there.  In the case of the kitchen at number 9, we did some updating. The only thing we added, that wasn't there before, was the dishwasher.  I always add them into my rentals even though some landlord friends of mine tell me I'm wasting my money.  Really? I just don't think this is considered a luxury item anymore, is it?    So I add dishwashers in my units and if you're a landlord, just do it.  :)

Kitchen after - unit #9

In this kitchen, the top cabinets were well built and in the right place, so I painted them.  The lower cabinets and counter top were metal and past their prime, so we replaced them.  I used semi-custom cabinets and a laminate counter top built for this area. If you go back to my Markes house kitchen post, you may notice the same color choices for the counters and the walls.  The flooring is also the same - this is intentional and I'll talk about the reasons for this in another post.    

The existing refrigerator was still working, however, it was old and didn't seem like a very good place to store food, so that went away.  Our utility company actually has a program where they will pay you $50 for old inefficient appliances to get them out of circulation, and they come to your home and take them away!  The guys that came to get the fridge wanted to just throw it out my new second story window, but I had to be the adult and asked them to please take it down the stairs.

Since the new appliances were black, the hood over the oven didn't match.  It was in working order, so I decided to tape it off and paint it with black spray paint.  I also got rid of the lights hanging to each side of the window and added one recessed light over the sink in the ceiling.  Again, I had my electrician install GFI outlets to make it safe.

We finally added an additional slim cabinet with a counter top to the left of the stove that holds cookie sheets and works well under the overhead cabinet.

In the end, the biggest expense with this kitchen was the new appliances. And those needed to be replaced anyway. So, with lots of paint, a small bit of electrical work, new lower cabinets, counter top, new linoleum for the floor, and with no layout changes, this rental has an updated kitchen without breaking the bank.  

"Does that look right?" A question of flow at unit #9.

before

   In my former career as a graphic artist, regardless of how complicated a project became, there was always one question I could ask to absolutely simplify the situation:  "Does that look right?"  It required a simple yes or no answer.  If the answer was "yes", I was done.   If the answer was "no", than I could build on it with one of my next questions:  "Why?" or "What do we need to do to make it look right?"

In the case of unit number 9, the relationship (flow) to the living room and kitchen did not "look right". Why? It was dark and getting to the kitchen took effort.  Once you made the effort to get into the kitchen, you felt like you were in a different country - totally cut-off from the rest of the place. You also had to walk through the work area of the kitchen just to sit down at the table.

"What do we need to do to make it look right?"  Well, we could take out the wall to the left of the fireplace if it was not load bearing.  With my rentals, I really don't get involved with removing load bearing walls and then building headers to support a load just to make a place look right, (unless you are walking through bedrooms to get to other bedrooms), this is where I draw the line.  I actually do care about the cost and time involved.  I may be able to get a little more rent for a brighter place with better flow, but if it's structural and not a necessity, I ain't doing it. In this case, the wall was cosmetic, so we went for it, and tore it down.

after

Once it was put back together, painted, and the new flooring was put down, the new opening positively changed the flow of the living room/kitchen relationship.  This layout allowed for more light, and totally different furniture layout options for both rooms.  One other benefit gained was the use of the heat in the living room from the large radiator in the back corner of the kitchen!

So, does that look right now? I think... YES!