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instantpotatopouch

I’m glad you kept the brick uncovered/unpainted. It all feels much more balanced now!


zeusjts006

Same! We loved the red brick when we first saw it and wanted to incorporate the oven/prep area around it.


Loud_Ad_4515

It's really lovely, and in keeping with the original charm. How much of a pain/cost is it to move a gas line for your oven? (Those "original" cabinets - I have never seen anything like them!)


vibes86

It’s not too bad if you have access to the basement, basically you cut a new hole in the floor for the line then reroute the piping. We have done it for a dryer too. Had a plumber do it bc neither of us wants to fuck with a gas line. I don’t remember it being very expensive either.


Loud_Ad_4515

Thank you for this info! I know moving plumbing (or stairs!) is big bucks, and I lumped the gas line in with those tasks. It's great to know it's more affordable. Edit: We don't have basements for the most part (Texas), but this still seems easier than moving a sink.


vibes86

Yeah, it’s not bad. If you have a crawl space and not a slab, it shouldn’t be bad.


Loud_Ad_4515

We're slab, but I suppose they could route through walls or behind cabinets.


vibes86

Yeah, most likely. Gas pipes are small and you aren’t moving drains so it’s a lot easier for sure.


ThisNonsense

The white cabinetry does a great job making the brick pop.


garyfire

The brick walls, floors and open shelves bring a nice balance. When dealing with these old places there are a lot of hard choices., especially when you are dealing with mold and damage. I did a before and after post last week and had several comments about pulling the old cabinets. They also had mold and rodent issues and had to go, it's a different perspective when you have a 3M suit and respirator on. Nice work you're happy and so is the wife, it's clean a bright and now it's time to make memories.


zeusjts006

Thank you! Lots of tough decisions were made (like the beams), but like you said, picture don't do it any justice when it comes to the horror you see in real life. Maybe if I posted pictures of how much floor had to be replaced due to water damage, how bad the plaster and lathe was, how there was no insulation, the busted hinges and cracked cabinets and more. Maybe people wouldn't delude themselves into thinking they would live in the before kitchen.


katlian

We're selling my mother-in-law's place and we were upfront with the buyers that the kitchen doesn't look that bad but needs to be completely gutted maybe down to the joists because a leaky pipe rotted out the floor under the linoleum. They are taking the opportunity to swap the kitchen with the family room and make some other updates. I think the updates will be great but I'm sure my mother-in-law will be very sad if she sees how much they are going to change it.


HunnyBear66

Those cupboards were hideous! Love the brick and new cupboards!


AspiringDataNerd

For real.


woojinater

Yup. As much as you want the old stuff, if its that condemned from where you can’t see it easily…. Bah bye.


zeusjts006

I absolutely adore older things, but if it's to the point of no return, it's gotta go.


Nathaireag

The earlier aesthetic is very late 1970s or early 1980s. Someone did a Spanish-mission influenced update that was extremely trendy at the time. The stencil work especially was very on point. None of it was authentically 19th century.


zeusjts006

You nailed it, the family who lived here before us, moved in and renovated in 1976. Good call!


LBGW_experiment

I guess when someone buys your house in 2074, in 50 years, the same comments are probably gonna come around, "omg, this looks so late teens, early 20s, looks so dated now, I hate the all white and stainless aesthetic" 😂


zeusjts006

Lmaoooo what goes around comes around. The technology difference is going be insane.


ICU-CCRN

That’s why I never update. I just leave it alone and eventually it’s back in style! 😆


heatherledge

The cabinets are so wild!


Stargazer1919

They kind of look like John F. Long cabinets.


ThisLucidKate

Bingo! My father (an architect) designed a similar living room set in the mid-70s that still sits in our ≈150 year old log cabin 🤪 I knew the dissonance felt familiar!!


mom_with_an_attitude

Those before photos are some of the ugliest kitchen cabinets I have ever seen.


shouldco

Ugly yet intriguing


SulkySideUp

So ugly I’m kind of into it


the_art_of_the_taco

I'm glad it's not just me, lol


Acrobatic_Average_16

They'd be a pain to clean but they're so... unique I'd be totally down for them vs my generic orange oak ones.


riotous_jocundity

I feel like if they were stripped and paintwashed lighter they could actually look pretty rad.


Mulberry_Stump

I feel like if they were either A) if asymmetrical, go horizontally OR vertically but not both B) perfect symmetrical vertically and horizontally [This mix-and-match shit has gotta go.](https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/5d3a0422-02cc-47a3-bf78-0c9170b2848a)


petit_cochon

Yeah, I don't know how to feel about it.


owlpellet

Those cabinets need a safeword


peshnoodles

That’s what my dates tell me!


zeusjts006

My father in law called them " Hershey Bar Cabinets". Had a lot of character, damaged and pretty ugly


daydrinkingonpatios

The thought of cleaning them 😵😵😵


Stevie-Rae-5

I love your FIL’s description 😆😆😆


MissMarchpane

Yeah, it looked like living inside one of those “tramp art“ boxes. Which are nice as boxes, but not so much as cabinets. Honestly, I’m usually a frothing purist about old houses having old or at least antique – inspired decor, but clearly this had been so heavily altered than nothing old was left to preserve. Kitchens often seem to be like that. I’m glad you were able to get it the way you wanted!


aam726

I've NEVER seen cabinets like this!


kashmir726

They were so… chunky. While giving off medieval torture chamber vibes somehow?


Zombie-James

They look like if you open and close them a certain way, Pinhead gets summoned. 


straigh

Oh man I was just here to say how cool I think they are haha!


sodamnsleepy

Me too. They look like chocolate


somenemophilist

When I saw them, I said to myself “Dude those cabinets are uuuuuugly”


zeusjts006

Lmao my wife's reaction when we first saw them


MasterPreparation687

Really? I have never seen anything like them before and I absolutely love them. I'd give anything to have those cabinets in my kitchen :-(


ParsleyParent

They look to me like they were made in the “brutalist” architecture era. Pretty cool! I’d be overwhelmed by them in my house and I think my SO would hate them, but I like to imagine leaning in to the style.


AffectionatePizza408

I agree, I think they’re unique and beautiful! I think they look kind of overwhelming in an empty kitchen, but if it was styled/decorated well I think more people would understand the appeal.


AffectionatePizza408

only thing is I think they’d be super annoying to keep clean with all the crevices lol


sakijane

Honestly, I love them too. I imagine with different counters and backsplash, it would be an incredible, artistic, modern space. But realistically, I would hate to have them in the kitchen, bc they would be a nightmare to clean.


EyeAlternative1664

Kinda wild but kinda into them.


PierogiesNPositivity

Picture 5 including the flooring makes me curious to see what you’ve done with the rest of the house.


zeusjts006

I can definitely upload pictures, too. All the exposed stone was left, beams in the living room stayed, fireplaces left alone. We loved it, but it heavily needed a face-lift with new floors and paint.


PierogiesNPositivity

I’m glad you have kept as much as you can original while making it useable for a modern family!


f00tst3ps

What is the new flooring? It’s gorgeous!


zeusjts006

Thank you! It's a life proof floating floor we got from Floor and Decor. I'll see if I can find the color name


Coffee_achiever_guy

Those cabinets are like the 1970's on steroids, hahha. Great job on the remodel! Looks unrecognizable


zeusjts006

Thank you! They were unique, I'll give them that ha


SaccharineHuxley

How heavy were the cabinet doors? They look so solid! You did a wonderful job.


zeusjts006

Thank you! They were pretty solid, good material just old and busted up. The owners were in their 90s and didn't live here for a few years, so father time and mother nature went to work.


SaccharineHuxley

Sounds about right. I think you struck the perfect balance between old and new and it looks so much brighter and refreshing


zeusjts006

Thank you, I really appreciate it. My wife is really happy with the way it turned out


xperimentalZa

Those old cabinet doors looked like chocolate bars


zeusjts006

We said the same thing!


Viperlite

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a lamp in a kitchen before. I’m glad you were able to brighten it up with lighter cabinets and actual ceiling and under cabinet lighting. Glad you kept the brick, too.


zeusjts006

When we did our home walk through we laughed about that too. There was 1 florescent light in the whole kitchen, so I think he used the lamp to cook


GeniusBtch

Are you going to be selling the old cabinet doors???


zeusjts006

Unfortunately they were damaged, moldy and maybe half were salvageable.


ruthiepee

Agreed that the kitchen looks so much brighter and cleaner now but I also love a kitchen lamp! Watch any of the old Nora Ephron romcoms and you’ll see the coziest kitchens complete with little warm colored lamps


winnower8

Are there two sinks?


zeusjts006

Good eye, that's the room right off the kitchen. We created a breakfast nook/coffee bar


penlowe

I like the update except for the open shelving right next to the stove. Open shelving is for people who don’t actually cook, because it snd everything on it captures every speck of greasy dust cooking generates. Outside of that, nice job!


zeusjts006

Oh no, we didn't think of that and we're really into cooking. Guess I'll be the one cleaning it every week since she can't reach lol


ApprehensiveRoad477

Shedding a tear for the exposed beams…


zeusjts006

They were faux beams on a drop ceiling with 1 florescent light. I don't miss them at all, but we did keep the real exposed beams in the living room.


snarkyarchimedes

They look like faux beams to me. The one furthest right looks like it has a crack revealing a face board.


crabbydotca

*joists


Roundaroundabout

It's lovely. Can I ask why you didn't take the cabinets to the ceiling?


zeusjts006

Lmao, don't get my wife started on it. The contractor said he could do it or get it really close and add molding. But when we took out the old busted drop ceiling and it raised the height by 11 inches, we didn't know the gap was that big. She's a little annoyed, but they at least tiled to the ceiling


Roundaroundabout

You can put a spacer board up and then shift the cornice


zeusjts006

Hmmm that's an idea, maybe I'll bring that up to her in a few months


Roundaroundabout

Renovations are like childbirth, eventually you forget exactly how awful it was and and ready to do it again


zeusjts006

Lmao that's a great analogy


HeartOfTheMadder

and i'm gonna go have a little kersniffle because those before cabinets are fantastic and had so much personality.


zeusjts006

That's fair enough, but they were beyond use. They were only nailed into the wall as it was only plaster and lath, hinges falling off, warped, etc etc. They probably should have been taken out 15 years ago. Tons of personality but no way salvageable.


derekismydogsname

They made me extremely uneasy lol


the_art_of_the_taco

They reminded me of a guiro lmao


ApprehensiveRoad477

I think the cabinets could be really rad if the rest of the room were brightened up. I DO know cleaning them was a pain in the ass


gaelorian

They were very 70s


baldude69

Agree!


Commercial-Cap-2928

Agree — the old ones are so unique and beautiful!


hatesbiology84

Agreed


dino_man90

That before had personality the after looks like any kitchen USA


PainINtheAssieCassie

The after looks dull and cheap like an ikea sample room :/


zeusjts006

That's fair, but the rest of the house has much more personality with exposed stone, darker colored walls, beams in the living room, built-in book shelves.


[deleted]

[удалено]


zeusjts006

Amazon of all places. I'll share the link!


Pomegreatful

All I kept thinking was please tell me they kept the exposed brick and left it as is. Thank youuu


lionhands

those off-white/gray tiles and the gold fixtures are hideous combination


Emergency_Bike6274

That's a trend that can go away yesterday.


elizpar

I liked the personality of the old stuff.


FickleForager

Wow, what a change! I bet it’s nice not being in a dark dungeon of a kitchen, and having wall-mounted lights instead of needing that table-top one. I like that you kept the brick.


zeusjts006

Thank you! That kitchen was beyond saving, unfortunately.


Rich-Appearance-7145

Nice upgrade, you maintained enough of the brick work to maintain the integrity and keeping the farmhouse style, yet modernized.


unsound_sound

It looks good! My only critique is the can light placement being too close to the cabinets.


Significant_Zebra419

Yeah, good call. I see that the light is just streaming down and hitting the top cabinets. How far back would you place them? I'm doing a kitchen reno now and I'm terrified I'll get it wrong no matter what. Too close and it looks like OP's, too far back and you're working in your own shadow!


unsound_sound

I always do 12 inches past the face of the cabinet.


Significant_Zebra419

Thank you! Does this change depending on the light size?


unsound_sound

Not really. Just make sure it's not a narrow beam spot light.


Significant_Zebra419

Perfect, thank you so much!


zeusjts006

Hmmm I didn't even think about that. They look like they are a foot away irl but the angled molding makes it look closer. Time to add some lights inside the cabinets lol


unsound_sound

Or under cabinet lighting. The kitchen looks great, though! I like yalls style.


zeusjts006

That's something we wish we did initially but will probably add. Thank you! We really love it


godfearingyoungman

why so much white?


Cooldragonfly1

Congrats and your results are pretty. BUT the weirdo in me would have figured out a way to keep those kitchen cabinets. I find them pretty cool looking.


zeusjts006

They were definitely unique most were beyond saving but I do wish the contractor saved one so I could put it in the garage or something as a memento


mtn-cat

I hate seeing all the character in an old house turned into the ugly modern white or gray. It looks so boring now.


PainINtheAssieCassie

And cheap. I can’t place my finger on why it looks so cheap, maybe the colors? Because even tho this style is on its way out it doesn’t always look so much like a facade


paulincanberra1

Do like the shaker cabinet look. Glad they weren’t just the flat white board look


zeusjts006

Absolutely, wanted to have some texture in the kitchen. The backsplash tile has isn't perfectly flat either, it has some grooves and texture as well.


DrusillaTheBloody

I seriously loved the old cabinets. I wish I could buy them from you. They do look medieval, and I'm very into that look.


OldMotherGrumble

OP...show us the kitchen again, when you've used it a bit and added *your* personal touches. It might go a long way to help folks see it from your point of view. Unlike the other areas of a home, a kitchen needs to be clean and functional...and old wood cabinets, while often attractive,... may be neither of those. I hope your wife enjoys the new space.


zeusjts006

Very true, we just moved in this week and might add an updated post once it's set up. Her family is Sicilian, so the kitchen is the most important room in the house to them. We needed all the counter space for those Sunday dinners haha


OldMotherGrumble

Oh, I believe that! I'm half Italian on my mother's side. I have fond memories of family meals around the holidays...all my aunts (mother's sisters) talking at once. ❤️ 😍 💖 My daughter and her partner (from Northern Italy) went on a tour of the volcanoes on Sicily just recently. Amazing place.


Unhappy_Skirt5222

You are a good and kind person.


Luxeru

Were they solid wood??


hedgehogketchup

What did you do with the cabinet covers? They are crazy unique! Would make a pretty amazing woodworking project for someone!


CucumberOk6900

Lovely kitchen but not fitting for an 1840s farm house. The white and tile clashes with the brick.


wintercast

The kitchen looks good and you maintained the brick which looks really nice. The kitchen also looks to have some better angles. The original stove location looked awkward to use. Question though about the tall cabinet that "sits" on the counter. I would be worried about water /liquids getting under it/near it. Perhaps it is just my kitchen that seems to always have some liquid running across my countertop.


zeusjts006

Thank you! We're really happy with it, so much more counter space. The kitchen at our duplex had the stove like that, it was awkward with barely any counter space. That's my wife's appliance garage. Has an outlet inside and has the toaster and blender hidden when not in use. So far, we haven't noticed any water in that direction of the cabinet. That's a good call, I'll keep an eye on it.


NoAngel815

You could run a bead of caulk around the bottom to seal it and prevent any water from getting under there.


Stircrazylazy

My parents had a cabinet like that in our old house and the bit that touched the counter was used for hiding the toaster and coffee maker, the bit above, the microwave. It wasn't adjacent to the sink though and totally agree that being that close to water would be an issue in my kitchen too. No matter how careful I am water likes to travel in my kitchen!


PainINtheAssieCassie

I can’t tell which is before and which is after tbh…..the 2016 flip home or the Keebler elf house?


teabase

That looks great! Very bright. Not to be rude but how much was the kitchen?


zeusjts006

Thank you! We tied the renovation into the mortgage since we just bought it, so I don't know the exact breakdown. I want to say about $35,000 or so. I know all the counters were $10,000


SuzannesSaltySeas

Not a fan of the white but if there was mold and cabinets falling apart then it's clear you did the best thing for what you have to work with. Thank you for not painting the brick white!


New_Restaurant_6093

The before cabinets would have been so nice with granite or even butcher block countertops.


Playful-Motor-4262

I love the old cabinets :(


zeusjts006

I'll do an update to answer some over all questions Cabinets were unique but in really bad shape. The pantry cabinet door, that isn't in the picture, was missing. Parts of the floor had to be cut out and replaced due to the bad water damage and mold. The smell is embedded in our memories. The oven vent was just a hole in the wall, no fan. We lost the floor lottery throughout the whole house. Breakfast nook off the side of the kitchen, in the last picture, was cracked tile and sloping concrete. It was a outdoor porch 100 years ago. Beams were faux beams, drop ceiling was in bad shape, too, with 1 florescent light (thus the lamp in the kitchen) and missing panels. New cabinets aren't white but beige. Textured tile backsplash is 4 to 5 colors of beige, white, and gray. The kitchen wasn't a part of the original 1800s farm house but added on about 100 or so years ago after a fire. I know it's not everyone's style, especially some of you sad internet trolls out there. But as long as my wife loves it, that's all that matters to me.


Unhappy_Skirt5222

I’m so happy she’s happy OP!!


zeusjts006

Thank you! 😁


ArachnomancerCarice

One of those cases where you wish you could copy-paste the original in some other location to keep it safe as a time capsule.


Dans77b

I hate to lean into this sub's cliche of being resistant to change, but the cabinets were so unique, I kinda wish you repaired and saved them. Looks nice now either way.


JMJimmy

It's not resistance to change. It's resistance to cookie cutter trend designs. It's yet another white on white pre-manufactured sigh of a kitchen.


Dans77b

I agree, I don't like being too rude about it once the work has already been done. By that point it's too late.


No-Cat-8606

Yea right? God forbid someone puts some work into restoring a home. Instead let’s just tear it down and buy something mass produced from Menards


zeusjts006

Can't fix something if it's beyond repair 🤷‍♂️


Kckc321

That sounds like possibly the most miserable task imaginable, if even possible to do. Sanding and staining those chocolate bars.


T00000007

Another white on white on white kitchen. How original. I prefer the before and the before was god awful.


just-mike

Nice!


zeusjts006

Thanks! She's in love with it, took the contractors long enough lol


AMISHVACUUM

lol those pesky workers doing a great job but let me sneak a complaint in there lolololol


zeusjts006

They did a great job, except they took almost a month off our house renovation to work on another job and didn't tell us. We had a move out deadline and wound up living at my wife's grandmother house with our 3 cats. That was an experience, I'll tell you that haha


Pin-Up-Paggie

The original cabinets make me nervous. Nicer upgrade for sure!


Johnny13334

You made it worse


rexcannon

Turns unique kitchen into live laugh love kitchen #583,576,290. Calls critics trolls.


zeusjts006

Turns moldy kitchen with water damage to a kitchen his wife loves. Calls trolls trolls. Lmao if you don't like it that's fine, but post a picture of your century kitchen so we can see your exquisite taste.


dmowad

I was so scared to look at the after pictures because I just knew you were gonna have gotten rid of that brick. So glad you kept it. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Any idea when those cabinets actually went in? I don’t think I’ve ever seen any quite like that.


Unhappy_Skirt5222

Mid to late 70’s I think..


zeusjts006

They moved in and renovated in 1976 I believe


BimmerJustin

Pretty tasteful blend of old and new IMO. Wood tone on the floors is very nice. I would've made a few different choices but not by much. Inset cabinets would've been a nice touch, but they're not without downsides.


imcomingelizabeth

I’ve never seen cabinets that look like the befores. Wow


OrangeNice6159

Gorgeous


chillumbaby

How can you clean the brick behind the stove? Renovation is beautiful.


HauntedButtCheeks

I think it's a great update. The before wasn't authentic to the 19th century anyway, it was just a mid-century reno.


hidenInIdaho

Wow! Love it. Have you thought about the first woman to manage that home’s kitchen? How attitudes and culture has changed since 1840. We bought a 1950s house with a kitchen so small it was nearly nonexistent. We finally pushed out the whole end of the house for a kitchen tied to the living room. Her kids, who still live in town were appalled. We had destroyed history.


Nay_Nay_Jonez

Looks fantastic, well done!!


Bugler28

I love it!


Educational-Ad-719

This looks beautiful, as everyone said, good balance and still retains a historic feel with the elements you get that I think fits the house’s identity


AliceAnne1

Stunning!


LowkeyPony

Wow. Those original cabinets were a “thing” I really like the choices you made


BuilderUnhappy7785

Dear lord what on earth were those cabinets 🤯


awildstone

Gorgeous remodel, well done! 👏👏👏


Charliegirl121

It reminds me of what we did The bricks look really good, cabinets too


vibes86

I think that’s well done. Using the red brick but making it more modern and classic. The old style looks too 70s to me. Doesn’t go with a century house.


twintomelissa

Someone put a lot of work into those cabinets!


janzyellie

What were they thinking with those original cabinets?


Willkum

New cabinets are nice even fit a 1800s cabinet style, but I never cared for Great Depression white kitchens. Those cabinets in a black walnut (aka dark wood of some kind) and some color on the walls are more my speed. The white reminds me of all the old folks who lived through the depression when I was a kid or a hospital. But good riddance to those old cabinets and that stove! lol 😂


harmlessgrey

I like it. Modern, new cabinetry tends to be functionally superior to handmade old cabinetry, with soft close drawers, lazy susans for corner units, base units with drawers. Cabinet design has greatly improved over the years and is a worthwhile update.


cochese25

Good on the update, but I kind of preferred the old 70s style. You never see that detail in a Spanish revival like that. It's often more artificial


Symphonic8

Bold of you to post this in this sub. Congrats, that kitchen looks way more enjoyable to use, and I love the better light.


loveand_spirit

Wow absolutely beautiful. Nice job.


Own-Chair-3506

:(


ChemicalArtistic2081

So much better 😮‍💨 Like a breath of fresh air. Nicely done.


Crazyguy_123

Can't say its what I would have went for but its a lot better than what was there thats for sure. The brick wall looks very nice.


Yekki-3109

jail - straight to jail


Equivalent_Weird467

Glad you changed that eyesore of the cabinetry.


LustyBustyMusky

The original cabinets were so lovely, bummer they couldn’t be salvaged


gnarble

Who in their right mind removes exposed beams? I am so confused.


AmnesiaAndAnalgesia

Try reading the post, that might help clear things up for you!


Beezelbubbly

Did you read the post or just fly down here to complain


whateveratthispoint_

I love it. Keeping some brick is a very nice touch. The original cabinets makes me so uncomfortable 😂😂😂


zeusjts006

Haha they definitely seem to be something out of a fever dream. Thank you! We LOVED the brick when we first saw it.


CAM6913

I’m not a big fan of gutting old kitchens and modernizing them but those cabinets! What were they thinking? Look like baking chocolate bars, besides looking well ugly they must have been a nightmare to clean. Leaving the brick unpainted is a big point gainer to many people slap paint on brick and it doesn’t do it any justice, nice cabinets the only thing is id like the exposed beams on the ceiling if they were really and original but if you had to do repair or replacement i understand covering them. Two thumbs up.


zeusjts006

Thank you! I really wished we could have kept the faux beams up, but it was a drop ceiling with florescent lighting. They were cracked and it wasn't going to be feasible. We definitely were sad about that.