Cottage Kitchen Renovation
Difficulty
Challenging
power tools, precise, repetitive
Time
150+ hours
3 months
Cost
$15,600
$50,000+ value
Once a narrow galley kitchen squeezed into a hallway, this cottage kitchen has been completely transformed into a bright, open space where the whole family can cook and connect.
The Kitchen Before We Started
My original plan was to just paint the cabinets and build new doors, but I’m so glad that we changed the layout!
By knocking down walls and reimagining the layout, we turned the cramped corridor into a warm, welcoming heart of the home—complete with rustic touches, clever storage, and room for everyone to gather and share the joy of cooking.
The Finished Details
Some of this is just sentimental to me (like those shelves made from trees from my grandmother’s childhood farm), but I also love the details like those feet, the stone work, and the exposed beams.
Details like the cabinet feet, stone walls, archway entrance, and open shelves made from oak boards from trees on my grandmother's childhood home add so much character to this kitchen.
The Built In Refrigerator
The counter-depth, cabinet ready refrigerator provides more space and blends seamlessly into the updated cabinets.
This has been by far the most useful cottage renovation for our large family, blending charm with function and leveling up our kitchen time!
Helpful Links
Products We Used
- Stone
- Spice bottles
- Brass spindles
- Kitchen runner rug
- Scalloped light above sink
- Terracotta pots
- Faux beams
- Runner rug
- Bridge style faucet
MVP Tools
- Mitre saw
- DeWalt multi purpose tool
- DeWalt table saw
- DeWalt hammer drill
- Router and table*
- Shaker router bits
*We had a router and picked up a cheap used router table from facebook marketplace, but this is an option I would use if we didn’t.
Project Breakdown
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Item descriptionRemove existing cabinets in new fridge area
Build new cabinets in old and new fridge area
Remove and rebuild cabinets around range/oven
Build shelves and hood around cooking area
Install new range hood and duct
This was one of the most time and labor intensive parts, especially accounting for the fact that “square”, “level”, and “straight” are not words that describe our cottage! That said, the DIY option is extremely cost effective, and this cost less than $2000 using birch plywood and poplar face frames.
Budget options to reduce this cost include using pine for the face frames and AC plywood for the boxes, however softwood face frames will not be as durable as hardwood so I wouldn’t recommend that unless you are going for a rustic look.
DIY Cabinet Building Tutorial coming soon!
-
Sand butcher block and cutting boards
Refinish butcher block with food-grade stain and sealer
Remove existing countertops
Install new quartz countertop *
*Quartz countertops are not something that we felt comfortable taking on as a DIY but that was the finish that we wanted, so we had a stone and granite supplier do this part. This cost $4,000 (1/3 of the total project), but didn’t require effort or skill on our part.
DIY options to reduce this cost include concrete, tile, or butcher block countertops if that fits with your project vision.
-
Replace doors and drawers, including new hardware (handles/pulls, hinges, drawer slides)*
Sand and paint existing face frames**
*This was probably the most difficult and precise part of the whole process. We learned a lot of tips and tricks along the way to save time and improve quality.
**Sanding and painting are time consuming and require a lot of prep and cleanup, but don’t have a lot of cost associated. Total cost of materials (including top quality Farrow & Ball primer and paint) was around $1,000, most of which was for the paint itself.
Shaker Style Cabinet Door tutorial coming soon!
DIY Drawer Replacement tutorial coming soon!
-
Install new ice line (we were lucky enough to already have a GFCI-protected 20A outlet in place)
Install new panel ready fridge**
Install cabinet doors
**Panel-ready fridge options are pretty expensive. This fridge retails for $7,600 (almost ½ of this total project), which is about as cheap as you can find a quality panel ready counter depth refrigerator.
Options to reduce cost if you have the space include designing for a more standard size or just moving the existing refrigerator if you can.
-
Add backer board where stone will be installed
Install stone with thin set mortar*
Grout stone
*The stone cost around $1,000 for a full pallet, and was HEAVY (over 2000 lbs). We ended up using less than half of that amount. Make sure that your structure can support that weight, and don’t skimp on fasteners for the backer board!
