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Young House Love » Reader Redesigns » Replacing A Tiled Kitchen Counter With Dark Granite

| By Sherry Petersik | February 20, 2009 | 32 Comments

Replacing A Tiled Kitchen Counter With Dark Granite

Jessica accomplished a major kitchen makeover in under 10K- and that’s no easy feat when you’re gutting the place and replacing everything from the appliances to the cabinets and counters. Here’s her letter:

I love your blog! My husband and I purchased our first home this past June and did a lot of work on it to get it ready to live in. I just wanted to share some pictures of our kitchen redo! We got the house in the middle of June and moved in the end of July. We gutted the kitchen and redid it floor to ceiling in about a month and a half. We redid the floors, scraped the popcorn ceilings and retextured, installed new cabinets and countertops, got new appliances, painted, etc. A whole overhaul. Oh, and I was about eight months pregnant when we bought the house! It was pretty crazy! Luckily we have lots of handy family members and friends who came together to help us finish the house before our daughter arrived. We did the whole kitchen for under $10,000- I’m not sure of the exact total… we were just glad to get in the house! I just wanted to, well, show off a bit! Thanks, and keep up the good work! – Jessica

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Thanks so much for the gorge makeover pics Jessica! We can’t believe that you totally transformed the heart of your new home in a month and a half and on a budget… all while eight months pregnant! My hero.

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Comments

  1. Ele says

    February 20, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    I love the green rug! Do you know where it is from?

    Great job Jessica:)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 20, 2009 at 2:46 pm

      Hey Ele,

      We just emailed Jessica to let her know that her Reader Redesign is up- hopefully she’ll drop in from time to time and answer any and all source questions!

      xo,
      Sherry

  2. Jaimee says

    February 20, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    Under 10K? That is amazing.

    Reply
  3. Kristin says

    February 20, 2009 at 3:01 pm

    Beautiful! It’s so open and spacious.

    Reply
  4. SarahS says

    February 20, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    I also love the rug, and wonder what she used for curtains over the sink?!

    Reply
  5. SSM says

    February 20, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    You cannot put a great kitchen re-do on there without some more facts! I would love to know where they got the cabinets. I am seriously dying to do a kitchen renovation and this blog helps me show my husband it won’t cost him an arm and a leg.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 20, 2009 at 3:05 pm

      Fear not, we emailed Jessica for some source details so those are hopefully forthcoming. Until then feel free to shout out anything you’d like to know so Jessica can answer everyone in one fell swoop!

      xo,
      Sherry

  6. Lynn says

    February 20, 2009 at 3:06 pm

    The redo is gawgeous!!!! Can’t wait to hear more details!!!!

    Reply
  7. kristy says

    February 20, 2009 at 3:23 pm

    what a fabulous looking kitchen! we are in the midst of deciding how to redo ours … do you happen to know what kind of countertops they used. is it granite? what kind and color?

    thanks!

    Reply
  8. Sandy says

    February 20, 2009 at 3:50 pm

    Their redo turned out wonderfully; especially love the accent rug – adds a nice pop of color!

    Reply
  9. Melissa says

    February 20, 2009 at 3:54 pm

    Awesome job! Removing part of the wall really opened it up.

    Reply
  10. Mark says

    February 20, 2009 at 3:58 pm

    Great job Jessica!

    I am interested on hearing about how the counter top construction went. I am thinking of doing the same granite tile in my kitchen, but I am nervous. How did you polish the exposed sides of the field tiles?

    Reply
  11. Emily says

    February 20, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    Can’t wait to hear about the rug from Jessica. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful, budget-friendly renovation, Sherry!

    Reply
  12. Liz says

    February 20, 2009 at 4:41 pm

    What an amazing transformation for under $10k!! Well done, Jessica and hubby!! Removing the wall on the right-hand side and creating an island instead of a peninsula really accomplished your goal of creating an open, inviting kitchen.

    Reply
  13. Jessica says

    February 20, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    Wow! Thanks everyone for the great compliments and feedback! I got the fabulous green rug at Urban Outfitters online, but sadly they don’t seem to carry it anymore! :-( Our counter tops are granite tile, and we went through a local company, so I’m not sure what brand/color they are. I love that they were a fraction of the price of a slab of granite, and looks just as great! The curtains were a $5 clearance find at Target, but they were too wide, so I chopped some of the sides off, hemmed it up, and they looked much more modern! Thanks and I’ll check back to see if there are any more questions!

    Jessica

    Reply
  14. Jessica says

    February 20, 2009 at 5:02 pm

    Oh, and we got the cabinets from Lowe’s-just their in stock cabinets, but we got them in 2 days, which was great!

    Jessica

    Reply
  15. Blair says

    February 20, 2009 at 5:52 pm

    love this makeover! by the way, youngsters, if all goes as planned, there will be a kitchen before and after from my house to share with you sunday afternoon! and it’s a classic: just a $20 can of paint to help emphasize the goods we already have…

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 20, 2009 at 5:58 pm

      Ooh la la, we’re intrigued!

      xo,
      Sherry

  16. Amy A. says

    February 20, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    Lovely kitchen. I like how they opened up the wall area.

    I saw a similar rug at Target…I think it was a part of their seasonal home decor show.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      February 20, 2009 at 6:50 pm

      Great point Amy A! There was a similar green rug in the Target Home Design Event so even though it’s not online anymore people might wanna check their local stores to see if any are still hanging around. They’d probably be a total steal ($15 or so), and I believe they’re 3×5 and perfect for a kitchen (made of durable jute/cotton). Happy hunting…

      xo,
      Sherry

  17. jbhat says

    February 20, 2009 at 6:21 pm

    I love a kitchen that reminds me of my own kitchen. Nice work!

    Reply
  18. Samantha says

    February 20, 2009 at 6:26 pm

    wow-this looks amazing! i love the color scheme chosen, clean, crisp & fresh! way to go :)

    Reply
  19. Jennifer C. says

    February 20, 2009 at 7:33 pm

    Jessica – how wide is the space between the island and the extended cabinetry along the wall, and between island and the stove/fridge wall? I want to do something like this in my kitchen once we take the big ol’ blank wall down. Thanks!

    Reply
  20. mallory says

    February 20, 2009 at 7:34 pm

    Your new kitchen looks fab! What brand are the appliances? Were they from Lowe’s as well?

    M

    Reply
  21. Jessica says

    February 21, 2009 at 12:56 am

    Hey again! Jennifer C.-the space between the island and extended cabinets is 3’3″, and from the island to the stove wall is 4 feet even. It’s nice and spacious! We love it. The appliances we bought from Best Buy, and are Frigidaire. We are very happy with those as well! Thanks!

    Jessica

    Reply
  22. Anna See says

    February 21, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    This is a truly remarkable makeover! I am so impressed.

    Reply
  23. Meg says

    February 21, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    I am lovin’ this kitchen. It’s about time to put in new flooring in my kitchen and seeing white cabinets with the warm wood floors makes me want to paint.

    Reply
  24. Lisa says

    February 23, 2009 at 8:10 am

    Love this kitchen! We are in the middle of our own kitchen redo — and it looks amazingly similar to this kitchen!
    We even have installed the same overhead light!

    Reply
  25. bungalow_bliss says

    February 23, 2009 at 8:35 am

    Wow, great idea to remove the wall and completely open up the space. The entire room is gorgeous! Very nice job!!

    Reply
  26. rebecca everest says

    March 9, 2009 at 5:35 am

    Wow you two really have achieved something amazing. especially with a litle one on the way, i way decorating a nursery not so long ago 8 months pregnant but not a whole house! I’m based in England and am currently researching for my kitchen redesign. I’ve just signed the contract for a hand made kitchen so am on the look out for some unique or contemporary design features. I have a young family at the moment and we’re extending the house to make room for our third child and lucky me i get a new kitchen too. me and the kids are at my mom’s cause the building work is under way and half of the house is exposed. but you have inspired me to be strong, and your finished kitchen is so beautiful i’ll have good drreams tonight! good luck with the baby!

    Reply
  27. Jill says

    August 22, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    I’m just now seeing this, but it’s awesome! I have that exact rug at my front door, I got it at TJ Maxx a few months ago. I had no idea it was from UO. Your kitchen looks amazing!

    Reply
  28. prettythings says

    August 22, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    …Granite tile! What an amazing idea! My husband is great at tiling and we can get granite tile at a liquidators, so I’m going to show him this wonderful kitchen! Thanks and congrats on such a great job!

    Reply

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John and Sherry Sitting On Woven ChairHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
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