We decided to document the remodel of our kitchen. This home will eventually be a rental for us, so we are not looking to break the bank, but rather add value, create a more comfortable living space, and expose a beautiful ocean view from the kitchen by removing a load bearing wall. 

We started the process with an initial walkthrough with a contractor where we were told our wall was certainly load bearing and would require engineering and permits in order to remove. The wall will be replaced with a large support beam extending the width of our home, and all of the cabinets on that wall will be removed. We felt the ocean view was worth the loss of storage, and decided to extend cabinets further into the current dining area, and move our dining room to go with our new open concept layout. Here is a photo of the kitchen layout when we bought it. We have since painted it white and upgraded the stove, but this gives you an idea of the work that lies ahead!

Our contractor advised that we explore cabinets and see what our budget would allow for. We decided to start with Home Depot’s design team to better understand what would be possible for our remodel. We will explore other local cabinet businesses, but this was a great first step for us to get some preliminary sketches and design ideas. Our general objective is to remove the wall, replace it with an island, and add a dishwasher. Here are the initial sketches we received on how to achieve that. 

Not yet to scale, but the refrigerator would be moved, dish washer added, and more cabinetry to the left of the refrigerator to make up for the cabinets we’re taking out on the other wall!

The wall will be removed and replaced with a large island covering most of the kitchen space!

Our next step is to discuss the project with an engineer/draftsman to see what this project might cost, and we’ll compare that cost with what has sold in the neighborhood to understand what kind of value we might be able to add to our home by doing this project. While we love this house, it’s not our forever home but it will make a great rental in due time, so we want to be selective about how much we spend and maximize our return. Different markets support different levels of remodeling, and in Seaside or Marina, it’s easy to overspend and overbuild for the neighborhood. We think exposing the ocean view will be a worthy investment at the right price. Stay tuned for more info on this project! 

-Zach and Isabel