Some new cabinets, plus reworking some original ones ~ $11,000

When we first saw it, this kitchen was pretty non-functinal, but had a charming old built-in hutch, original to the building. Our customer wanted to avoid tearing down walls, or changing the traditional, small house feeling. We decided to put in a nice set of cabinets around a new sink, and provide the maximum amount of storage for cooking stuff and dishes. As on many of our projects, the counter is Vermont slate, with undermount sink and built-in drainboard, from Vermont Stone Arts. We've built dish drainers for many kitchens over the years. You wash the dishes and put them away wet. It saves space, and is one way to wash dishes efficiently without having a dishwasher. Then we set out to make as many improvements as we could to the old hutch. We gave it a widened, white oak counter, with a piece of slate by the stove for hot pans. We put some pullouts behind one of the doors to give more drawer-like storage. Including the tilework, the project cost about $11,000, including the tilework but not the tile.