Third Floor Renovation

State of the Kitchen. The cabinets were ugly but are solid wood. The formica countertops had decades of grime built on them. The stove only had two working burners. The sink was right under the slanted roof, so a tall person would bonk their head while trying to wash dishes. The kitchen was functional but gross.

New Cabinets. We refinished the cabinets, bought all-new appliances, moved the plumbing for the sink about 6" over which was enough so I wouldn't bonk while washing dishes. I built a platform for a countertop over the radiator which hugely expands the working space of the kitchen.

Vent: When we were getting a new roof, I asked them to leave a vent for the kitchen. I bought smart appliances so when the induction range turns on, it automatically turns on the microwave vent.

Backsplash: Backsplash is peel-n-stick. Added lots of lighting and outlets around the countertops. Fixed a lot of broken tiles -- some of them came from the bathroom, which had the same tiles.

New Washer/Dryer Combo: As a last-minute issue, the old dryer broke, so I bought an all-in-one washer/dryer which allowed me to move the fridge to where the washer was. That opened up a ton of space in the main cooking area. I plan to add a countertop or something next to the water cooler for additional cutting board space.

This room was the most work. The old bathroom was terrible: between the bath and the sink, there was barely enough space to squeeze by. You had to turn your body. The ugly tiles went up the walls, there was water damage everywhere, the tub was impossible to clean, the sink's shut-off valves were broken, and the medicine cabinet was rusted and stained and gross.

My main goal was to make the bathroom feel bigger. I did this by getting a 30" shower instead of a 32" tub, narrowing the plumbing wall about 4", and getting a narrower wall-mounted sink with the faucet on the side so it's more flush with the wall. This makes the bathroom quite comfortable to walk into -- the narrowness is no longer the first thing you notice.

I used GoBoard to waterproof the shower surround and Kohler Flexstone Glue-Up Panels for easy, grout-free cleaning of the shower walls. We got a new toilet (Toto Drake, the best) with a bidet that has heated water, a heated seat, and a dryer.

The tile looks great, but it's rather...lumpy. Maybe I should have redone it, but I just laid a long bathmat over it and hopefully nobody cares.

Removed the ugly striped walls, upgraded the electric panel, new floors, painted radiator, replaced the closet doors, fixed the closet shelves.

New floors, paint, fixed crumbling plaster, painted radiator, fixed two broken outlets, replaced the too-large ceiling fan, fixed the window seat, fixed a cracked window.

Paint, new floors, new light fixture, painted the radiator, fixed the windows, removed the door, fixed a lot of crumbling plaster.

Removed carpet, fixed water damage, painted the stairs with non-slip paint, put LVP on the landing, and encapsulated the old lead floors.

Work that spanned multiple rooms: flooring, baseboards, quarter rounds, and central AC.