By RK on September 21st, 2010
I am in the bay area helping a client with their kitchen remodel. The footprint of the kitchen is very small and plain. In the early nineties the previous owner upgraded the cabinets and added a closet next to the kitchen for storage and to place for a stackable washer and dryer. They did not make any changes to the functionality of the kitchen or improve upon its appeal.
The first thing you see when you walk into the kitchen are the big unattractive six foot wide closet doors. The closet creates an awkward space. The current owners are seeking a place for their children to eat and to hang out at. The biggest challenge is to take the attention away from the large closet doors and to bring the attention back into the kitchen area and to provide a space for the children.
My solution is to reduce the size of the closet doors to 36″. That provides plenty of room to access the stackable washer/dryer. Next, relocate the refrigerator to the left of the closet doors. By moving the refrigerator out of the small kitchen and area is created for an island. There the children can eat and it provides a place for them, or friends, to hang out at while in the kitchen.
Enjoy the before construction photos. I will post pictures of the remodel process and look forward to posting pictures of the completed project in six weeks or so.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Richard
The first part of this project was to install a shelving system that wrapped around the room that created this library. Vertical aluminum poles were mounted to the floor and ceiling. With bracket clips mounted to the poles, 2×12 were cut for the shelves, sanded, drilled, stained and attached to the clips with lag bolts. The poles being clean and contemporary, the 2×12 wood shelves and bolts gave it a urban, casual look.
The second part of this project was to creat a shelf unit (like the shelves in the library) that would act as a sliding door for a storage room. A heavy duty track unit was mounted to the ceiling and the shelving unit was suspended from the barn door track. Once the drywall is finished,painted and books install, the sliding library book shelf will make a great disquise for the storage room.
Modifying this beautifully finished sideboard into a counter top for a master bathroom suite was interesting but yet challenging. The depth of the sideboard was narrower then the two over sized farm sinks. This allowed the sinks to hang over the front edge of the sideboard as planned, but also extended beyond the back edge of the cabinet that would create a void between the cabinet and the back wall. By using the two cut outs that was removed for the sink area, a back splash was created. Having limited material, there was no room for any errow. All cuts needed to be right on and cut only one time. I was very proud of the final product and the owner was very pleased. We are looking forward to the installation date.
I have been home the past few days working on bids and Maggie has enjoyed that. She is outside by the pool guarding the back yard. Her favorite past time…
By admin on May 9th, 2010
Richard Kraemer Design + Build was formed on a foundation of craftsmanship and high quality service. Being a furniture maker earlier in my career, I wanted to extend the highly individualized experience and transcend that commitment into your home projects. The core process is identical, there is an assessment of need, a design phase and a construction phase.
Each part of a home upgrade is of equal importance and consequently receives the same attention to design and quality. As a craftsman, I have the same frame of mind, from rough framing to installing new cabinetry in your kitchen or bath.
This level of commitment to the craft is fundamental to creating a high quality product. Once you are committed to the craft, then the next step is the design to be the best. My goal is to be the best craftsman I can be and to deliver to you a product that I would be proud to put my name on as I would a fine piece of custom made furniture.
Richard Kraemer
License Number: 857538
