Kitch Doors for our IKEA Cabinets are HERE! | ORC Week 4

You guys!!! This week was HUGE in terms of progress on our kitchen reno. Our Kitch Doors for Ikea Cabinets Arrived, and we have finished the entire install on the stove wall, with the exception of the toe kick and side panels. It almost looks like a kitchen!! We ran into a few snags- but got through them. I am so close to having a kitchen again I can’t believe it!! You can catch all the details in this weeks webisode!

Demo

So let’s start where we left off… We are finally finished DEMO! Like for real!!! Taking down the cabinets made everything feel so much more open! I realized how our sink was kind of in a little cave… Now we can see the window! We took down the small wall, and I cannot believe how different it feels. I am so excited for our peninsula, as I’m pretty sure our kids will hang there all the time.

The Window Saga

I can’t remember if I previously mentioned our plans to replace the windows? Well- if you follow me on instagram you know we ran into a snag. Matt cut down the cement board and shiplap for the new opening, only to find a big metal pipe hiding exactly where the new stud needed to go to support the wall, and accommodate the header and new framing for the window. We were bummed- and basically spent the next 2 hrs trying to figure out what to do. Smaller windows? Order a custom window, move the window to the left?

The issue was- our cabinet layout. There was no solution that gave us a sink centred on the window. It was going to be off no matter what! So we just left it for a day and a half and worked on other parts of the kitchen…

The Doors

We got the base cabinets truly installed on either side of the stove. They were previously just hanging on the rail that comes with the ikea system. However before we put the cabinets permanently in place, we needed to close in the pantry framing.

We clad the right side of the pantry wall in cedar to match the wood that was previously behind the stove. Everything will get painted out in the same crisp white, and I’ll add a thin piece of trim around the entire cabinet. I can’t tell you how beautiful these Kitch Doors are in real life- even with the plastic still on- which I won’t take off until we are finished all the messy work- they are so lovely.

We’ve got a little work to finish with rough ins on the left side of the pantry- as well as the final top piece which we will wait to put in until the ceiling has been planked. The pantry looks so gooooood all built in though. EEEEE!

I chose to go with standard white doors from Kitch on either side of the stove. All of the other cabinets are in the color Mist. It’s a subtle difference and I am so glad I followed my heart. I love the Kitch doors!! They’re everything I hoped for- and were super easy to install because they come all pre-drilled just like the IKEA doors, ready for hardware.

I have to admit, now that I am seeing the upper cabinets in real life, they feel pretty huge.  They’re 36″ wide, 40″ tall and 15″ deep. I feel like they slightly dwarf the hood fan- but I’ll survive because I am happy to have the storage. Some things you just don’t know until you see em! We might make some adjustments down the road- but who knows. 

Matt built a solid wood base for all of the cabinets- instead of using the plastic feet that Ikea sells. I have watched my kids climb on the counters a zillion times, and I just didn’t trust those plastic feet should the kiddos feel the need to climb up to grab something out of reach. Once the toe kick is in place it will really finish things off.

So… curious about how the pipe drama went? We really wanted this sink centred on the window, and of course a larger window is always nice! But I knew that it would be asking a lot in terms of adding in extra work. In the end, Matt and I easily agreed that the pipe could, and would need to be moved (it’s a vent for the sink) and we would put in the larger windows. It’s amazing what some sleep can do for one’s perspective. The extra work now is worth it- and in the end it wasn’t so bad… says the girl that didn’t really have to do much! My husband gets a gold star because he is amazing.

The Counters

As you can probably see, we also made a decision about counter tops this week! I originally wanted to go with a laminate (stone isn’t in the budget) and met with a local company to get a quote. However the quote came back much higher than we expected (over $50/sf not installed) and that was not with the edge option I wanted. It already felt like a compromise going with a beveled edge- so we decided to go with IKEA butcher block. It was half the price of the laminate-  didn’t have to wait three weeks- and we can install it ourselves.

Butcher block isn’t the most hard wearing or indestructible surface on earth- but with the price point, we could always replace it down the road if we aren’t happy, or it if it shows more wear than we like! Truth be told, I love the look and warmth of butcher block. It looks so pretty next to the cabinet doors.

So that’s it for this week guys! We are making great progress. 2 weeks left until the end of the One Room Challenge! I think we are gonna make it- and the hardest stuff is behind us. That is a GREAT feeling.

Any favorite projects you have been following? Or if you are taking part in the challenge, which room are you tackling? Be sure to check out some of the other rooms if you haven’t!

Hope you are having a great week.

-Miss Ash

This project is in collaboration with:

All opinions are my own!