1960’s Kitchen Remodel

Lakeshore Dr, Tallahassee

We removed walls and widened windows… Check out the before after of this 1960’s Kitchen remodel.

What The Homeowner Had To Say:

“Could not have asked for a more professional company to remodel our kitchen. Their communication was excellent and their workmanship the best. Would highly recommend Paul McManus and his company.” Lark B.

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1960’s Kitchen Remodel: Project Summary

This is a beautiful house off Lakeshore Dr. Built in the 1960’s is has a mostly open floor plan, large lanai and a pool with great view of the 3 acre property.

But the kitchen did not really live up to the rest of the house. It was not very open and was small for the homeowners who loved to cook and entertain.

What was done

This was an extensive remodel. We removed the kitching dining room wall to open up the kitchen, expanded and moved the windows and cut the concrete slab to get power to both islands. 

Challenges

• Matching 1960’s stucco finish 
• Block walls made moving plumbing and electric more difficult
• Truss framing in the way of flush ceiling hood

Project Challenges & Solutions

We spend a lot of time in design and planning so we avoid any surprises. But remodeling is unpredicatble and a few things tend to pop up.

Challenge 1:

The house had concrete block walls which made changing the plumbing and and electric locations a challenge. We discussed furring out the wall with 2x4s but that would have meant even more expense to add jamb extentions to the doors and windows.

Solution:

We had planned for the electrical and plumbing rough in to to take extra time but it still wound up taking a week longer than expected. Our electrical and plumbing crews were great and got the work done. This added cost to the project which we covered. 

Challenge 2:

The stucco on the exterior was more than our stucco contractor could handle. He was confident at the start that he could blend the repairs but was not able to meet our standard. 

Solution:

We had planned for the electrical and plumbing rough in to to take extra time but it still wound up taking a week longer than expected. Our electrical and plumbing crews were great and got the work done. This added cost to the project which we covered. 

Challenge 3:

We were intalling a flush mount ceiling vent which required a 10″ duct. The hood was located over the old kitchen wall so it was hard to local properly in design. 

After demo two issues arose… there was a ceiling joist in the way of the hood and the hood specs provided by the appliance company were wrong, they listed the wrong depth. 

Solution:

We had out engineer design a way for us to modify the existing trusses so the hood would fit. This added about a week to the project timeline and added extra cost which was a change order to the client as it was an unknown condition. 

Video: 1960’s Kitchen Remodel Before and After

Our Favorite Things

Every project has a few things that really make it stand our or were special to the homeowner. Here are our favorites.

Image size: 1200 x 800 – no more than 4 photos

Trash pullout and paper towel holder

The flush ceiling hood for unobstructed views

Before & After Photos

Before

During

After

Project Timeline & Costs

Proposed Completion Date: April 21, 2025
Actual Completion Date: March 25, 2025

Total project length was 14 weeks

A few issuees during the project meant we finished 3 weeks behind schedule.

Project Cost Breakdown

Initial Estimate: $168,720

Contract Price: $217,870 (after the design process)

Client Change Orders: $4244 (hidden conditions)

Total Cost: $222,114 (final price including change orders)

Additonal Costs absorbed by MKB: $3240 (additional rough in time due to block wall construction, issue with matching stucco) 

Final Words

This was one of my favorite homes to date and it was fun project. We love it when we can make big changes to a space and provide increased function and style that will serve the homeowner for years to come. 

Even though the all white kitchen trend is has been called ‘over’ by many people it suits the modern aesthetic of this home perfectly . 

The flush mount hood was a first for us. Proper ventillation is critical in a kitchen and we would normally discourage people from using a hood so high above the cooktop. 

But the homeowner really wanted an unobstructed view of the dining room so we worked with our appliance vendor and HVAC contractor to come up with a solution that would be minimal but still provide good ventiallation. 

The hood is 1200 CFM and has a 10″ duct to the outside. While you would think that would be loud the inline blower in the attic is very quiet, even on high. 

This project had it’s challenges (as most projects do) but the end result is really spectacular.