Buying a “crap kitchen”

Eight years ago, Dan and I lived in a 900-square foot townhouse (with two dogs) in the suburbs of Washington D.C. that we loved. It was, however, cozy. It had one bathroom and a 6-foot galley kitchen, which was a challenge for two people who love to cook. Then a new job lured us back to the midwest where we both grew up. But this was in Indiana. As natives of the north suburbs of Chicago, the idea of moving to Indiana was not a thrilling idea. We browsed real estate online while we pondered the career options, and found what looked to be a dream house for us. So on New Year’s Eve 2014, we packed up the dogs and drove to South Bend to look at houses.

Our realtor showed us, as realtors do, some terrible options before bringing us to see this house: beautiful oak flooring throughout, orginal crown molding and dining-room built-ins, two stunning fireplaces, and a kitchen about three times the size of the one in our townhouse.

“Crap kitchen,” the realtor said, perhaps not a great sales job. We protested. To us, it was a miracle. For a while.

Seven years and tons of quality time at home during a pandemic, we had had it with the shoddy DIY “fixes” prior owners had made to the kitchen and two bathrooms. It was still our dream house, but the dream had a few nightmares we needed to fix. In addition, 1936 pipes were struggling, fittings were failing, and we were ready to take our house from the jury-rigged past into our current century while vowing to respect the history and craftsmanship of its origin. (See post about the history of the house!)

After 10 months of planning with our contractor, including a delay for the winter because we are going to open up an exterior wall, we are nearly set to begin.

This blog has several purposes:

— Document the process both for ourselves, family, and future owners.

— Try to keep my sanity through six months of having minimal kitchen and bathroom space.

— Entertain anyone who stops by!

This is the “crap kitchen” as it was decorated by the previous owners.

The living room and view into the dining room as the realtor advertised it when we were purchasing.