What would you do with this kitchen?

Question

Hubby and I are seriously considering putting in an offer on our first rehab house! While very excited, I am concerned about the weird kitchen layout. Would appreciate any advice from more seasoned veterans of rehab as to what they would do to this kitchen to make it appealing to today's buyer, without spending a fortune? Or do we just need to bite the bullet and gut it?

[IMG]http://s1261.photobucket.com/user/lindamarie8/media/Hoy%20street/photo41.jpg.html]http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii596/lindamarie8/Hoy%20street/photo41.jpg[/IMG]

Linda Shaw · Answer

Thanks everyone for your very valuable input! This house will be a flip, not a rental. We will be landlords eventually, but want to get a few flips under our belt first. We are going to try to get this house for no more than $90,000...the ARV is about $150,000. We think the agent will work with us. We don't want to spend more than $15,000 for renovations. A previous flipper started work on this house (can't remember why he lost it) so a lot has already been done (bathroom is gorgeous), just not the kitchen or basement, and then it simply needs some paint and some minimal landscaping, that is if our contractor does not find anything amiss upon inspection. It is a 3-bed 1 bath brick ranch on a half acre lot in a prime location, beautiful neighborhood. Nice houses around it worth between 120,000 and 250,000.

As for the kitchen, we are thinking a gut will be the only answer. We like the idea of removing that wall to open it up to the living room. The room to the back of the kitchen is actually a 4-season enclosed patio that goes out to the deck in the backyard. These are popular here in MI. Don't want to block access to that from the kitchen, but that door can be removed.  And yes that corner has been driving me crazy...just what is behind those cabinets, dead space? What a strange layout! We will move the counter and cabinets back against that wall to create much more space and maybe a nice snack bar.

Hubby and I are now very excited, as we just got back from a walk in our neighborhood to see about a HUD house around the corner that has just started having work done to it. The contractor working there is the homeowner's brother, who just bought the house to flip. His brother is also a real estate agent that deals with lots of investors, finding them deals. He showed us around the house (being completely gutted) telling us what he and his crew were doing. He seemed like a very upstanding guy running an honest business. We exchanged business cards and he is going to come and give us an estimate on this house! Our walk turned out to be more fruitful than we thought! :) We just hope everything works out with this crew....again we have a very good feeling about them. We will check back in 3 weeks to see the finished house to get an idea of their work. So far it looked like they were very organized, doing everything right and using quality products. We are just really happy to have found a possible crew right in our neighborhood! Not only that, but we can get his brother's number for possible future deals. Things are starting to come together for us, we are really excited!

Oh and Matt, thanks for pointing out the insert image icon for picture posting! I am totally new to this forum, and I did not even see that little image box to click on.... Thanks!!

Tina Husted · Answer

for sure gut it and start over. Brick unappealing!  Cabinets outdated and I would take down that blank wall if you can.  Need to be opened up.  Also that door to outside? It looks odd in the spot.   Flooring looks like the old linoleum flooring.  Nothing in that room makes any sense.  Start over!

Linda Shaw · Answer

ugh I just saw this picture on Zillow's Birdseye view....Look at all the standing water in not only this house's backyard (with the two sheds) but surrounding yards too! We did see some standing water toward the back part of the backyard when we looked at this house, but we were hoping it was still just drying up since we had such a snowy winter. Never did go out to the back of the yard to really look at it. And, there are these mounds all over the back part of the yard too, and by researching standing water problems, I imagine the previous owner built berms to keep the water back. So now I have to ask....what would you do? I want to RUN from this house...hubby still wants to see what we can do. I just don't think we will be able to sell the thing even if we fix the problem, if potential buyers see the same Birdseye view on zillow when we try to sell. I don't want to deal with something like THIS for our first house! But I thought I'd ask more seasoned veterans what they think in case there is an avenue we can take that we aren't aware of. Let me know if it should start a new thread, as I wasn't sure...

Linda Shaw · Answer

Unfortunately behind that wall are the stairs to the basement, so no can do! But we will gain a lot of wall space when we knock out that useless corner; I'm *hoping* there's just empty space behind there! That is if we even get the house. If we do I will be sure to come back with updates! If not, there is another prospective foreclosed house in that same neighborhood, on Linda Street of all things, lol. We may take a look at that one too....stay tuned! :)

Matt Devincenzo · Answer

With that being a porch you want access to, maybe move the doorway from that corner over to the left of the range hood. That would free up tons of usable space, since the doorway in the corner is just about the worst as far as losing cabinets and counter.  If you eliminate that wall and put the doorway right there you'd have access still, if that porch goes that far back, and a nice usable horseshoe shaped kitchen area I think.

Sounds like some things are starting to come together for you guys. Update this thread with some pictures when it's done so we can see what you guys end up doing. I'd love to see how you guys fix the kitchen.

Matt Devincenzo · Answer

The third button from the left on the top ribbon bar of the post window is a square with what looks like mountains. Click that and if you have the image on your computer you can just upload it. Or when you're in there it has a "link" button and you can just copy the link into there and it will post. I just went to your links and then copied them in on that button.

Marc Freislinger · Answer

Is that real brick or fake? Looks like fake brick, given that it is on the cabinets as well. Is it a supporting wall? What's on the other side of the wall in that corner?

Matt Devincenzo · Answer

Is this a flip rehab or a rental rehab and what kind of an exit ARV are you looking at and what rooms are coming off this kitchen? Looks like the door goes to a mudroom or laundry room of some kind? And the green carpet is the dining room, which I assume then opens into the living room to the left of the wall in pic 3?

The best way to make it more functional would be a gut and maybe shifting some walls/layout but to know the rest of the rooms layout in relation to the kitchen plays a part.

I see a potential for 2 options with the limited info currently:

1) Close the door off to the mudroom in pic 2 so you can use the entire corner for kitchen cabinets ect. Then move that door to the hallway assuming there is one behind that wall the range hood is on. If you did this then I'd also maybe put those cabinets that are in the dining room on a 45 facing into the kitchen or eliminate them completely since you gain cabinets and counter in the back corner.

2) Shorten or eliminate that wall on the left of pic 3 to open everything up. I'd not want to eliminate those cabinets to the dining room since you won't gain any in the back to make up for it. But again maybe turn them on a 45 facing into the kitchen. When you do that it will narrow the kitchen opening which is why I say you'll want to at least shorten that wall so you don't get a closed in feel.

Linda Shaw · Answer

Thank you Matt, can you tell me how you got the pictures to appear? I usually never have problems posting my Photobucket pics to forums.