It took 9 weeks and many hours, but the raised ranch reno is completed! Whoo hoo!! Here are some of the details of what we did. Raised ranch renovation – we are finished!!
the most used room in the house – the kitchen
The kitchen was probably the space that saw the most improvement. You can see the before and how it looks now. The sink was crammed in the corner and you could barely open the dishwasher if you were at the sink, so we removed the wall (which in most raised ranches is non load bearing) and added this peninsula so the sink and dishwasher would have a new, more spacious home. This also added much more cabinetry and needed storage along with quite a bit more counterspace. When I design a kitchen, I also like to use as many drawers as possible as opposed to base cabinets. Do you have those base cabinets that have that tiny shelf inside? It is such a waste of space, not to mention you strain your neck and back when getting something. Drawers are much more practical and give you way more storage. I get into this more in my kitchen design blog.
The cabinets are from Prime Cabinetry, a company I have used in my own home along with countless other design projects. These are shaker white and we got them unassembled (takes less time than ordering the already assembled ones and time was of the essence). We purchased taller than standard cabinets to go to the ceiling so they would be built-in looking. The hardware came from Amazon – one of the best places to buy hardware that I have found. These handles/pulls are heavy and quality for far less than other places.
The counters are honed black granite, meaning they have a more dull finish rather than standard shiny finish. In my opinion, honed are better because they hide fingerprints and watermarks much better than shiny. They also look more like soapstone, which I love, but that was not in the budget here.
Since there was linoleum in the original kitchen (not pretty) and the wood floors were in amazing shape so we would not be refinishing them, we replaced the linoleum with tile. If we were refinishing the wood floors, I would have put red oak in the kitchen to match. We also needed to put in new thresholds to account for the wall that was removed.
I’m not sure why people put ceiling fans in kitchens but we removed that, put in a cool light fixture (no glass which gets super dusty/dirty in a kitchen) and added some recessed lights.
casual dining
I went back and forth with this area and how to design it. I wanted more storage since there is not a proper pantry, but this is not a big room. I ended up putting pantry cabinets with wall cabinets in between since they are only 12″ deep and I didn’t want the table to feel cramped. This was a perfect compromise to get lots more storage but didn’t take up a ton of room. We put a live edge piece of ash on the bar top to give it some life, which I just love. Then simple shelves, which hold practical and pretty things, finish the space. I am not a fan of chair rail molding (too traditional) so that came off. Also, I love drapes and window treatments as long as they do not cover up the window – natural light is so important! And I love, love, love this light fixture! You would be shocked how inexpensive it is! I can’t take all the credit because I saw another designer use it and knew it would fit perfectly here. Lighting elevates a space so easily.
lower level family room
This room was big and expansive and a great space, it just needed a lot of cosmetic changes. The brick was dark, and very rarely do I appreciate outdoor brick indoors. It has to be neutral and beautiful for me to love it inside. So this brick got a paint job – Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore. I am not opposed to paneling – it actually gives a nice texture (which is why people love shiplap) but dark brown is dated and dark. So all the trim and the walls got painted the same color – BM White Wisp. When you paint over paneling, you’ll need several coats of primer and paint, so be prepared to lay it on thick! The flooring was a game changer as well. We found this super durable luxury vinyl called Super Core and we were not disappointed. This stuff is beautiful, durable, and easy to install. It’s also waterproof which is important in a lower level.
One of the best decisions was using all the light bright paint. I’m not sure how many gallons I purchased but this room alone was about 5-6 gallons of paint and primer and I think it was well worth it! The other decision I made that was wise was painting all the stair spindles and rails black. It modernizes the railings for $25. If you replaced all these with black metal railings, it would cost thousands of dollars. All the risers got a fresh coat of paint and the treads were in great shape so they just got a good cleaning.
living room
This space is so important because it is where everyone will hang out (besides the kitchen). Luckily, we didn’t have much to do here as the floors were in amazing shape. Removing the heavy drapes immediately makes the room feel open and airy. Many gallons of paint (BM Pale Oak) was used along with changing the light fixture and some cozy staging was all that was needed. Look at how many people you can seat in here!
Here is a list of sources I used in the spaces above. I will do another blog post on the other areas of the house, especially the bathrooms which got a major facelift!
If you want to take a tour of the finished reno, check it out here!
Sources:
Kitchen:
- Cabinets – Prime Cabinetry
- Counters – Black Pearl Granite – Honed
- Light fixture
- Appliances – All Samsung
- Cabinet hardware – Knobs & Pulls (no longer available from Amazon but here is something similar)
Dining Room:
- Chandelier
- Live edge wood top – The Woodsman in Lynchburg, VA
Family Room:
- Flooring – French Oak
Drapes/curtain rods from HomeGoods