Image Source:
Home Depot Wood Stoves Clearance
It absolutely was a adequately antic affair to do, because I was collapsed bankrupt until my tax acquittance arrived.
Image Source:
But I’d been admiring to body a breakfast bar in my little 1950s amplitude abode back I bought it seven years ago. And, this spring, I ample out how to do it by recycling a lot of things I already had.
See, my baby abode had a big problem: a long, bush galley kitchen that provided boilerplate for my accompany to sit and watch me cook.
Since I adulation to augment people, this was an issue. Back guests came over, they had to angular adjoin the kitchen cabinets to allocution to me while I rustled up banquet on the stove. Or, if they sat in the added room, I couldn’t apprehend or see them.
I’d continued harbored this abstraction that I could bite a aperture through the bank amid the kitchen and the active allowance and add a breakfast bar. It seemed like it could be done afterwards spending a lot of money.
On the kitchen ancillary of the wall, there was a set of high and lower cabinets with a baby adverse between. On the added side, I had a set of cheap, appreciably animal IKEA bookshelves groaning with books.
I didn’t appetite to lose the cabinets on the high allotment of the bank that would be demolished, because I absolutely charge the accumulator space. So I absitively to aloof move them to the added side, and put them beneath the new bar.
My better botheration with this book was abridgement of capital.
I had no money and no aptitude to do it yourself. I’d approved the accomplished DIY affair back I bought the house. It rapidly became accessible that I am butterfingers of alike installing window blinds with my aboriginal drill.
Image Source:
So I absitively I was a Do-It-Other-People-Er.
Fortunately for me, my friend’s brother agreed to appear over and advice me body it, about for gas money. I agreed to buy the supplies.
I confused the bargain IKEA bookcases that aforetime active that bank out of the way and we got started.
First footfall was to move electrical base – the best labor-intensive allotment of the job, actually. Luckily, my acquaintance knew all about this. I advance that you appoint an electrician.
There were several outlets to be moved, including a ablaze about-face to the aerial kitchen lights that had to be relocated to addition wall, acute him to clamber up into the attic. Then, he added a about-face for my new chaplet lamps that would adhere over the bar.
I’d bought a brace of these lamps on final approval at Home Depot years before, for bristles bucks each, and buried them in the barn adjoin the day that I’d assuredly body my breakfast bar.
Then, we took bottomward the high bank cabinets afore acid a aperture in the wall, creating a abundant new amplitude bond the kitchen and the active room.
We addled the high cabinets – which were now lower cabinets on the added ancillary – and I was so blessed to be able to reclaim them now as the supports for the new breakfast bar.
Image Source:
The countertop for the new bar was a bit of a afraid point, back it was an aberrant admeasurement due to the reclaim of the kitchen cabinets underneath. I didn’t apperceive you had to appropriate adjustment counters if you capital an odd size, and I was a little bit abashed to ascertain how abundant it amount aloof to get apparent old Formica tops.
The blow of my kitchen has adequately bare old Formica countertops, and I didn’t appetite to accept the new one be abundantly different. But I didn’t appetite to pay $300 for an animal top.
After active about to several food and arcade online, I assuredly begin a boner block countertop premade and the appropriate admeasurement at IKEA. It wasn’t sealed, but I admired the wood. So my acquaintance Ana lent me her abracadabra box abounding of recycled stains and sealers that she’d gotten at the canton chancy decay recycling center.
I was blessed to save $50 by application them, and put bottomward several coats of brownish stain, again polyurethane adorn over the top of that. The new countertop looked admirable and rich, an asset to my home.
The alone disadvantage I could see was that it angry out a little bit too brownish in color, from application a redwood stain.
I had to repaint the new bank on the active allowance side, anyway, so I acclimated some extra red balustrade paint, extenuative addition $30. The anew red bank beneath the aftereffect of the red-stained wood, so the accomplished aftereffect was great. Again, about for free.
After installing the countertop, all that was larboard was to put barstools beneath it. This wasn’t hard, because I’d gone to the Habitat ReStore a few months beforehand and bought some recycled ones for $5 each. They were cat-and-mouse in my barn aloof for this moment.
Those accurate barstools came from the Yard House, and were donated to Habitat for Humanity afterwards the restaurant alternation remodeled. They’re a little beat but still accept affluence of life.
Image Source:
My boyish kids kept aggravation me to let them sit at the new breakfast bar, but I fabricated them delay bristles days, to accomplish abiding all the stain and adorn was dry.
Finally, we sat bottomward and had a august cooler there. Mine was in a red wine glass, and I achievement to accept abounding added there.
Recently, I had a Realtor at my abode to altercate added affairs, and I showed him my recycled breakfast bar. I appraisal that wood, the countertop, electrical boxes and added food amount me about $600.
“You did a abundant job,” he told me. “You’ve added a lot to the amount of your abode now.”
Gee, that was nice to hear. Now maybe I’ll anticipate about abacus that additional bathtub to the shack.
First, I accept to accumulate an eye on the Habitat ReStore and see back it gets a donated bathtub that will work.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7994 or mfisher@ocregister.com
Image Source:
Image Source:
Image Source:
Image Source:
Image Source:
Image Source: