Kitchen Remodel

Just completed a kitchen remodel and while we had done it on the cheap back when we rented it out 12 years back, we wanted to bring it into this century. We love the way it turned out and thought I would share the outcome (if you click on the thumbnails, they open for a better look):











Some obvious paining to do in the lanai and we may go for a darker shade of blue in the kitchen as well. The adobe style we have created is more suited to the darker richer tones. People that stop by often say the house has the look of a crayola box. Quite the change form those old days of white, cream or hideous wall paper.

Of course one of the great things about Sun City is...to each their own.

 

The kitchen looks great BPearson, very inviting. We did the same last fall. We had done a cosmetic remodel on the house when it was rented, but this time we tore out everything in the house including a wall and redid the whole thing. Not a white wall in the place, and no carpet anywhere. I love color on walls, wood and tile on floors.

 

Couldn't agree more A, wood and tile is the only way to go. It was amazing when we ripped out the carpet and the dirt we found in the pad under it. Just doesn't matter how much you vacuum, the dust and stuff floating in the air seeps through and is with you forever.

 

Very lovely. Colors are outstanding.

 

What a great kitchen! These homes are a lot of fun to redo.

 

Looks GREAT ! ! What a Re-Do job ! ! Made your kitchen and all those wonderful colors -- modern !
:calm:

 

BP -- Nice. What model do you have?

 

The kitchen look beautiful. We will start our remodel in the next month of so. I just wish it was done, not looking forward to having the house all a mess. We are also pulling up the carpet in all the rooms except the 3 bedrooms. Going to tile and remodel the kitchen before Thanksgiving.

 

When I moved in my wall were all white. Right now I have color on most the walls in my house. Next house...all white. I love white walls now. And will use my art for color. That works too.

 

We have the Castille (not the Castillo). When we bought it there was already a 700 sq foot addition across the back of the house.

 

I really like the architecture of the Castille (just from the model pictures I've seen).

 

I actually liked the Castillo from the outside better with the rounded arches but we had no need for a three bedroom home. We knew we wanted a larger (2000 square feet or more) so we were limie=ted to the number of Sun City homes that met that criteria. The Castille is nearly 1900 but with the pop out in the dining room and the addition on the back is was actually more than we wanted.

Here's a shot of the outside; the thing is it doesn't look that big from the outside.


When we stucco'd it we had color coat in the mud because the renter was showing up a week after. They told us we would hate it and they were right. we painted years back and the company that did it watered down the paint and it never was right. Now some 8 years later we are doing it again but this company is doing it right. They'll be here in two weeks and i'm looking forward to the transformation.

Sadly there are some pretty bad trades people in the valley so choose wisely.

 

The style is totally different from the drawing I've seen of a Castille. The only thing I recognize is the the round Spanish roof area?

 

I found the drawing I have. I guess I can see it as being the same

 

Same house C, we just have made a couple of changes to it...said with a hearty laugh.

 

Agree BPearson - - what you said "Sadly there are some pretty bad trades people in the valley so choose wisely".

I recently had my place done with stucco - - plus had a variety of other things done -- took up old back patio -- replaced with new, I got some new doors, and the paint job over the stucco on entire home.
This "company" I used came highly recommended by several neighbors in the several blocks near my home --- who also had their homes either painted or done with stucco.

I used these guys and I think I hired them at a time when they had an extreme high work load and were very busy -- it was in the Spring. My job took way too long plus they did not do prep work before painting, nor did they do any detail or finish work when the job was being done. In addition - - the clean-up was done by me....because they kept putting me off. In the process of painting -- they spray painted under the roof eves, the air-vent circulation holes. These guys just got sloppy in the end ! ---I hired someone else to help me un-clog those holes...finish detail work, etc.

So - - a lesson well learned ! I did get what I paid for - - got a nice price -- however, it was a nightmare going through this episode ! Looks nice now -- after all complete with the help of another contractor to "finish the job".
* * * Homeowner beware: -- check out their License of Contractors with the State of AZ and get A Bonded Contractor- (not just LLC). Ask SCHOA for a reference -- they normally have a nice list of contractors for whatever your needs might be.
Careful of those "great deals that are a low price" -- might cost you extra $$$ in Tylenol ! ! and many sleepless nights !
:sleeping:

 

Couldn't agree more AM. Even the guys with the "good reputation" can be a drag sometimes. One of the best parts of the SCHOA vendor program is they have a type of mediation service with it. If there is a disagreement or dispute, they will help resolve it. That's a real plus because if a company does a poor job, they will get relief for you or kick them out of the program.

And while we all love a great deal, sometimes the best price is the worst choice. The outside paint job is more than we intended to spend, but the work this contractor does is badly needed and we just felt it would be a good investment for the years to come.

Our kitchen contractor came highly recommended and he did a simply amazing job. He was here every day and on time, cleaned up at the end of every day and was meticulous to a fault. When I asked about additional work (there's always some), he gave me a price and we could add it if we wanted.

For newbies, be careful, there's plenty of shoddy contractors willing to help you spend your money.

 

We were sick of "designer" colors after painting our rooms dark and moody in our previous house and went with just a rich crème color for this little box. I love it.

 

When our house flooded last summer, from a burst toilet supply hose, we took advantage of the fact that our insurance company would be covering a large portion of the remodel cost and did it all. We had no idea where to find a good contractor, so turned to the insurance company for a recommendation....they set us up with a contractor out of Mesa, he had done work for them for over 15 years and they had never had a complaint. The contractor was literally awesome, his wife is a kitchen designer and helped us transform our concrete block home into an open space inviting home. They not only did the job on budget, but on time. The project started in September while we were still in CO, my husband took trip down to Sun City in October to make final decisions, and it was all completed by Nov 1. They kept us informed on progress with e-mails and pictures.....sent us samples, and we would shop Lowes and Home Depot for some items, and the designer would take our ideas and find local outlets for items we couldn't find in big box stores. It was really a very good experience.

 

The beauty of paint, fiona, is it is so easily changed. We have always done our own painting (it helps that my husband was a contractor before retiring) and will change colors in our home when ever the spirit moves us. It's fun to experiment with different paint combinations, and if they don't work out....re paint it!