Customized Transitional Kitchen in Alexandria’s Del Ray Neighborhood
It’s all about the remodeling process in this Customized Transitional Kitchen in Alexandria’s Del Ray Neighborhood. In this blog Rachel will walk you through Foster’s perfected remodeling process. She will take you step by step and guide you through this beautiful transformation from country kitchen to updated and sleek.
SITE PROTECTION
It is very important to the team at Foster Remodeling Solutions that we take the best possible care of your home while we are working in it. This means protecting your existing floors, erecting plastic zip barriers between the work areas and the rest of the house and moving furnishings and other belongings out of the work zone. We endeavor to slow the spread of dust by closing supply air ducts and covering return air vents with filter material.
DEMO
The big day is here – DEMO! Just like in your favorite HGTV program, we are going to dig in and take your room down to the studs. Don’t worry, Foster Remodeling Solutions does demo with a little more finesse than those sledgehammer-wielding folks on television! This phase can be noisy, dusty and busy—there will be a lot of people going in and out of your house and back and forth to the dumpster for a few days.
Why do we need to demo to the studs? We need to be aware of anything going on behind the drywall. Kitchens and bathrooms on average get renovated once every 20 years. We’ve been in original Arlington and Alexandria bathrooms from the 1940s. In all that time, there has likely been water penetrating the drywall from various sources, so it’s best if we start from the studs and ensure that everything we build back is waterproof and free from mold and mildew. Building code requires us to bring your electrical, plumbing, gas, HVAC and insulation up to code in any area we are renovating.
ROUGH-INS
After all the noise and excitement of demo, the next phase will seem a little quiet. Our electrician, plumber and HVAC experts will begin to complete the work of “roughing in” your project. This means installing new electrical outlets and switch boxes according to the electrical plan, and placing piping for items such as your sink, dishwasher, refrigerator water line and gas range. Foster Remodeling Solutions has a master and a journeyman electrician on staff and have worked extensively with our plumbing and HVAC subcontractors, so we know we are providing you with the best and most knowledgeable team out there! After rough-ins are complete, a rough-in inspection is conducted with your jurisdiction and once your project passes inspection, we are allowed to begin installing insulation and drywall.
The picture below is a great example of a kitchen that has been through both the demo and rough-in phases. All drywall and insulation is removed and you can see the blue boxes for the new outlets and switches as well as the rerouted rough gas lines. The hot and cold water and waste lines for the new sink are just below the window.
You can also see in the lower right corner that we have put down thin plywood to protect the flooring during construction. The existing flooring eventually was patched, sanded and refinished throughout the kitchen and adjoining family room.
DRYWALL
This is another period of high activity, noise and dust as the new drywall is installed, taped, mudded, sanded and sanded again! In these pictures, you can see the new insulation installed and framing in place for the new range hood. Foster Remodeling Solutions will leave your job site broom swept and tidy at the completion of each work day. Also shown is completed drywall. Note the plastic zip wall on the right. The blue machine pictured is an air scrubber, outfitted with a HEPA filter, that runs during the project to clean dust particles out of the air and help keep your home less dusty!
CABINET INSTALLATION
This is such an exciting phase because you can begin to see the project that you’ve been dreaming of begin to come to life! This project features white perimeter cabinets and a dramatic dark gray island with custom wine rack on far left. This beautiful cabinetry is from Crystal Cabinetry Works.
COUNTERTOP INSTALLATION
After the cabinets have been installed, our countertop fabricator comes to the jobsite and takes a very precise set of measurements to fabricate your countertops. Perimeter countertop is “Carrick” with “Britannica Warm” on the island, both by Cambria USA. Once countertops are in place, backsplash can be installed. My client opted to go with a subtle striped tile from DalTile’s “Revalia” collection in shades of gray and white. We intentionally left a blank space for a favorite piece of artwork rather than tiling the entire wall.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Now we begin to complete trim work and add the final touches that will make your kitchen uniquely yours: hardware, faucet, cabinetry trim, lighting fixtures, drawer accessories and appliances. Some of the unique features of this Del Ray kitchen:
- Custom woodtone touches in the floating shelves, range hood trim and custom wine cabinet in the island. Woodtone accents are trending for 2023!
- Large island with seating for 3-4 that includes large drawers for storage, custom wine cabinet, bookcase space, inserts for utensil organization and a beverage fridge.
- Window seat to fully utilize space under the windows, with deep storage drawers beneath.
- 36” gas range with new custom hood and make-up air unit.
- Trash pull-out—no visible trash cans!
- A paneled dishwasher disappears into the cabinetry for a seamless look.
- Floating shelves and planned space for artwork and other special items. Open shelving is also trending for 2023!
- Brushed bronze hardware and faucet. Gold is still a popular choice for 2023, but it’s also trendy to mix metals.
Stay tuned for professional pictures of this Alexandria kitchen. Call Rachel today at 703-200-6215 to schedule your initial consultation!
