featured 6955

The Curbly House: Kitchen & Bedroom Transformation

Home Renovation Update: Battling Winter and Building Our Dream Kitchen

It’s been a while since our last update on the Curbly House project, and we’re excited to share our progress, challenges, and triumphs. If we had to summarize phase two of our home renovation in a single sentence, it would be: Winter, you were our greatest obstacle!

The Curbly House under renovation.

The weather has been our primary antagonist throughout this phase. We initially (and perhaps naively) hoped to begin digging the foundation for our home addition in January. However, the frigid temperatures forced us to postpone. We optimistically anticipated February would be more favorable, but it proved even colder than January. Finally, we set our sights on March. Even after we started, progress was intermittent due to frequent snowfall and freezing conditions. It felt like every other day, we encountered scenes like this:

Snow covering the ground near a building under construction.

Or this:

A house with a partially completed plywood addition.
Typical April weather in Minnesota!

And sometimes, even this:

Cars parked on a snow-covered street during winter.
Pretty to look at, but incredibly disruptive!

This cycle continued until mid-May – no exaggeration! It felt like one big joke was being played on us.

Bruno spent countless hours each week simply shoveling snow off the unenclosed addition. It was a constant battle against the elements.

The top floor of the house covered in snow, without a roof.
That’s our future master bedroom, for those wondering!

Exactly one week after the final snowfall of the season, our new roof was finally installed. Ironically, it was a sweltering 90 degrees. I worried about the roofers, who were often found resting on our lawn, seemingly on the verge of collapse. Despite the challenging conditions, they persevered and completed the two-day project in three. The result is fantastic, and while the exterior of the house is yet to be painted, we are already thrilled with the new roof’s appearance.

A two-story house with a new roof and bare trees in the yard.
Our brand new roof! Also, take a peek at the new sunroom windows – more on those later.

Currently, our future kitchen and master bedroom are in a state of transformation. The images below show the progression:

The interior framing of a house being created.
A partially constructed addition on the side of a house.

(This view is from the outside; the kitchen will be on the lower level, with the bedroom upstairs. Exterior framing, sheeting, and roofing are now complete.)

In the coming week, we are planning to gut and frame the entire kitchen. We’ll be temporarily relocating to my parents’ house to avoid a complete nervous breakdown amidst the noise, mess, and general chaos. While it’s an incredibly exciting time, the upheaval can be a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, our children are taking the madness in stride, and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Who knew that having a construction project in the backyard would be a more effective babysitter than any professional!

Children watching a small tractor from a window.
Kids love watching heavy machinery – it’s a universal truth.

This past weekend, we packed up everything from our kitchen…

A kitchen floor covered with boxes of packed items.

…and moved it all into the dining room:

A black tarp covering a doorway in a kitchen.

(The plastic is in place to prevent dust and debris from the kitchen demolition from spreading throughout the rest of the house.)

The absence of a functional kitchen has been the biggest adjustment since the start of the renovation. Our rotation of a crockpot, toaster oven, and hot plate has become tiresome, and we eagerly anticipate having countertops and proper appliances again. We have a weekly daydream session where we envision the first meal we’ll cook in our new kitchen. It’s usually something elaborate and delicious!

We’ve planned a beautiful kitchen, and we are fortunate to be working with Aristokraft, a wonderful cabinet sponsor, to personalize the space. Our kitchen designer, Jeannine, is a true gem. She has been instrumental in helping us create a space that will truly be the heart of our home.

Two women designing a kitchen on a large screen TV.
Here we are with Jeannine, designing our dream kitchen on a massive flatscreen TV. It’s awesome!

Our preliminary floor plan:

Blueprint of a kitchen and bedroom layout.

And an elevation view of the west wall of the kitchen:

Diagram showing the parts needed for the kitchen.

We are still deciding on cabinet colors and countertops. We’ve gathered several images that are providing inspiration:

A kitchen with bar stools under an island.
Papyrus Home Design
A large kitchen with an island and lots of cabinets.
Aristokraft
A beautiful and elegant kitchen design.
Better Homes and Gardens
A kitchen with white counters and cabinets and grey walls.
Aristokraft
A black and white modern kitchen.
Aristokraft

We’ll also be collaborating with Sherwin-Williams and Kohler as we refine our kitchen to perfection. We are eager to add color to the space and are open to any color recommendations you might have (share your ideas in the comments below!).

In the meantime, I have been captivated by a video showcasing what I believe is the most amazing sink in the world. Seriously, this sink…

We are planning to provide progress updates in the coming weeks. Stay tuned, and thank you for following along on our home renovation adventure! We appreciate your support. This renovation is a huge undertaking, and sharing it with you makes it all the more rewarding. We can’t wait to show you the finished product! What are your favorite kitchen design elements? Let us know in the comments! We are always looking for new ideas and inspiration. This journey has been a rollercoaster, but we’re learning so much along the way. From dealing with unexpected weather delays to making countless design decisions, every step is a new experience. Thank you for being a part of our Curbly House story!