One of the best collections of unique homes in Minneapolis at the turn of the century was on Park Avenue.  The Avenue was home to many of the city’s best-known businessmen who built mansions just south of downtown with upper-class professionals building slightly farther south.  The work of the city’s best residential architects and builders was also well represented.

The street then bore little resemblance to today’s street.  Gone are the wide tree-lined boulevards, replaced by a wider one-way street meant to speed traffic to the core.  And many of the mansions are long gone, replaced by various commercial buildings.  However not all of them have disappeared and some of the remaining will be the focus of an upcoming tour.

Anson Brooks Mansion on Park Avenue. (photo by Montana Scheff)

Eight of the remaining mansions will be included on a walking tour called “The Mansion District – Age of Opulence Along the Minneapolis Golden Mile” on August 11.  The following month the homes found just a bit farther south will be featured on a second walking tour called “The Southern District – Queen Annes, Classical Revivals and Stories of Their People”.

Both tours will be lead by Ryan Knoke and Montana Scheff, Park Avenue residents who became hooked on the history of the Avenue after buying their own home in 2004.  They have spent considerable time researching the Avenue and have great stories to tell about the residents as well as what’s been lost.

The tour is sponsored by Preserve Minneapolis and each tour cost $5.  Their website features more information on both “The Mansion District” and “The Southern District” tours.

The first one I found actually motivated me to start the project when I did.  Since I was considering IKEA cabinets, I jumped when I saw they were offering up to 20% off on cabinets and appliances.  If you spend at least $3,500 you receive 10% off.  Spend at least $4,500 and receive 20% off.  They seem to have this sale periodically and I see it’s on again till August 19.  The cabinets are already a pretty good deal and with the additional discount they are a really good deal.  And since I purchase almost everything with a credit card that gives me between 1 & 5% cash back, I get further savings.

I’ve purchased most of the materials I’ve needed on sale.  Of course to do this you need to have a great deal of flexibility with the schedule, either knowing what you need ahead of time so you can buy, and store, everything, or waiting for a sale before doing certain work.  I’ve been getting most of these materials from Menards, a midwestern home improvement chain.  Years ago I compared costs on a number of items at Menards and The Home Depot and found that Menards was cheaper on everything.  Sometimes they were as much as $1 cheaper on a $10 item regularly priced item.  And Menards runs a new sale every week, usually including different building materials such as lumber, drywall, electrical materials, etc.  They also periodically have sales where everything in the store qualifies for an 11% merchandise rebate.  That’s not a problem if you are doing a project and know you will need something else next week.  The downside is that they don’t accept my regular cash back credit card so I signed up for their credit card that pays me a 2% annual rebate.  When I signed up I also received a $10 store credit after I charged my first $100.

I’ve also been buying all my paint on sale from Sherwin-Williams.  I signed up to become a preferred customer.  This gives me a 10% discount on regularly priced paints and stains.  They also start you out with $10 off your first purchase of $50 or more.  But they also have exclusive sales for members, offering anywhere from 25 to 40% off paints and stains.  So far I’ve purchased all my paint at 30 to 40% off.  I’ve noticed they also often have coupons for these same discounts available in the Smart Source coupon book that comes with my Sunday newspaper so you can take advantage of some of these savings even without signing up.

I’ve also received a surprising amount of materials free through something called freecycle.org.  The Freecycle Network is a series of local email groups where members offer things they no longer want to others free to keep the items out of landfills.  I signed up years ago in order to find new homes for all kinds of stuff that I suspected would still be useful to someone.  And I discovered there is a surprising amount of surplus building materials offered.  For my project I received 6 new sheets of 1/2″ drywall as well as lots of large scrap, and almost new 5 gal bucket of drywall compound, electrical switches and receptacles, coaxial cable, and even a box of IKEA parts and fasteners, which has already come in handy.  Of course what you find is hit-or-miss and many items are claimed very quickly.  But it’s certainly worth a try, particularly if your computer is nearby and you can monitor items as they are offered.  It may also be a good source for appliances and plumbing fixtures you are replacing.

It’s easier to take advantage of deals when you are doing the work yourself since you will be supplying all the materials anyway.  But even if you are working with a contractor they may be open to having you supply certain things if you are able to find deals.  Beyond that, in order to have the things you need when you need them, you will need to know what you will need ahead of time, start early, and have a place to store them.  That’s of course unless you have flexibility in your schedule and you can afford to delay work while you await finding the perfect deal.  However if the idea of finding deals is fun, there’s usually room to incorporate deals into most projects.

Thickness

Tops are usually fabricated from 1/2″ thick sheet stock. This sheet stock is doubled or tripled at the edge in order to achieve a thickness of 1″ or 1 1/2″.  To achieve the look of stone in an old house specify a 1″ thickness, which is very similar to the thickness of most stone tops.

Edge

The Corian website illustrates numerous edge treatments, none of which reflect the historic look of a stone slab.  In most cases the treatment that would be most at home in an old house is a simple eased edge on a 1″ thick top.  A simple routed edge might be appropriate in a large, expensive home with a great deal of detail.

Sink Cutout

A farm sink or undermount sink will further the illusion of stone.  The most common choices for undermount are stainless or Corian.  For either a farm sink, or a undermount sink, the edge of the top will be exposed and it’s important that this cutout edge is also built up to the same thickness as your cabinet edge to achieve the appearance of a uniform slab of stone.  Without building up this edge the visible thickness will be 1/2″, which is a sure tip-off that it’s not a stone slab.

If Corian is only 1/2″ thick at the sink cutout it won’t look like real stone.

When using a Corian undermount sink be sure that the cutout edge hangs over the sink by 1/8 inch or a bit more.  When using a color that mimics stone, the sink color will be different from the top.  This overhang will hide the fact that the sink and top are fused together, which wouldn’t be possible if the top was actually stone.

Corners

A radius of 1/4″ or less on an inside corner will more closely resemble stone.

Radius curves are often used for outside and inside corners and these weren’t common historically.  For an outside corner specify an eased edge or the smallest radius possible such as 1/8″.  For an inside corner fabricators prefer to use a larger radius to decrease the possibility of cracking.  See if you can get the radius down to 1/4″ or less.  If the fabricator is concerned of a crack developing during transit or installation, you might be able to get a larger radius routed down to 1/4″ after the top has been installed.  You could also consider joining 2 separate slabs in the corner with a seam as would be common with a stone top.  This would give you a look that is most similar to stone and the seam, if handled the same way as stone, wouldn’t be any more objectionable.

Backsplash

Often a tile backsplash is used with a stone top so no separate stone backspalsh is used and this look can be replicated with Corian.  If using tile you will want to be sure your fabricator isn’t providing a backsplash.  If you aren’t using tile, you may want to include a backsplash.  Be sure the that backsplash is aseparate slab and isn’t integral to replicate the look of stone.  For a more historic look consider a height a bit lower than present day standards, like 3″, or a bit higher such as 6″ or more.  With a higher backsplash you also have the option of installing electric receptacles into the backsplash for a more historic look.  However this would require more coordination with your fabricator to get the proper cutouts in the right place.

With the proper attention to details and the right color to replicate stone, Corian can be a great choice to achieve the historic look appropriate in an old home.

My favorite countertop material  for an old house kitchen is soapstone.  It can be found in different color variations usually in the gray, black or green ranges and with different degrees of graining.  Soapstone has a muted beauty and it has a visual softness that seems right at home in an old kitchen.

I’ve also occasionally had old house clients who have used wood countertops in a kitchen.  But wood countertops are pretty rare since most people are concerned with the upkeep and don’t trust that they will ultimately hold up given the  potentially wet conditions around the sink. Until recently, it seems they have been sort of a labor of love for those who have used them.  With wood, finish is the key and a recent client found great success using wood with two coats of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish and one coat Waterlox Original Satin Finish.  The Waterlox Coatings Corporations is an old company that has been around for over 100 years, starting as the Empire Varnish Company in 1910.  If you’ve always loved the look of wood countertops it might be something you can nox seriously consider after all without it being a labor of love.

Corian countertops in an old house kitchen have advantages and disadvantages compared with stone.

The materials I didn’t consider were granite and any of the manufactured stones such as quartz surfacing.  These are highly polished and are too glitzy for my taste in an old house kitchen.  These materials also often have a great deal of color and variation, which I think is the reason they are so popular,  However these qualities mean that they don’t look very historic.  While granite is also available in a honed finish in addition to the polished, most of the color disappears and I don’t find it as appealing as soapstone.

I ended up using Corian for my counters.  It’s actually not a material I was that familiar with since my clients usually opt for some other material.  I was originally looked into it because I thought I could buy the material and fabricate the countertops myself, thus meeting my budget requirement.  However I discovered that it’s only sold to authorized fabricators.  But I also discovered that I was eligible for a significant material discount for use in my own home as a member of the building trades.  That brought the cost down below the other materials I was considering  When I looked at samples of some of the newer colors and pattens I was pleasantly surprised that there were options that really resembled stone and that had the “soft” matte look of soapstone.

I discovered another major advantage as I was planning my kitchen.  I had intended to reuse my existing stainless steel top mount sink.  This was a single bowl sink that was situated over a special 24″ wide “Spacesaver” dishwasher.  I assumed I would have no trouble  reinstalling it in my new 24″ wide sink cabinet.  But when I pulled out the dishwasher to take a closer look I discovered that I needed more than the approximately 22 1/2″ clear width I had for the clamps.  The old cabinet had thinner sides and wider clearance and the sides still needed to be cut down.  I would have drastically needed to cut down the top of the cabinet sides, on both the sink cabinet and the adjacent cabinet, in order to have room for the clamps.  Since I didn’t want to do this I needed a new sink after all.

Once I started looking at options I discovered that finding a single bowl sink that was about as large as my existing one and fit in my cabinet was going to be difficult.  All the stainless steel sinks that were small enough to fit were quite a bit smaller than my existing sink.  Then I looked into the Corian sinks and they had one that was available that was about the same size as my old sink.  It also had the added advantage of being undermount, so that it eliminated the joints on a top mount sink that collects dirt.  It did cost a bit more but on the whole but I felt I was getting a lot more.  And I certainly didn’t want to devote more space for a larger sink cabinet in order to get a larger sink.

When the countertop and sink was delivered I did get two surprises.  The Corian slab is actually only 1/2″ thick and to make it look thicker then laminate additional Corian at the edge to thicken it to 1″ or 1 1/2″.  I chose a 1″ thick edge and assumed the edge at the sink cutout (which is exposed for a undermount sink, would be handled the same way.  Unfortunately I was surprised to see that the thickness at the sink cutout was only 1/2″.  It doesn’t look terrible but it is kind of a tip-off that the top isn’t real stone.

The second surprise was a large 1″ radius curve on the inside corner.  Usually with stone there would be a seam that would result in a 90 degree angle at this inside corner.  One advantage of Corian is that the seam can be eliminated in many instances but my fabricator requires a large radius curve instead of a 90 degree angle to eliminate the possibility of a crack developing but forgot to tell me. They were unwilling to  warranty the top from cracking without the 1″ radius.

I went ahead with the installation since I had already been waiting more than twice the two weeks they originally indicated for fabrication and I had the plumber scheduled for the next day.  However they promised to come back and modify the corner down to a 1/4″ radius curve, which should be less objectionable.  However I will no longer have a warranty against cracking.  It’s kind of a risk but one I’m willing to take for an improved appearance.

With the new cabinets, counter, sink and dishwasher I can now rip out the original kitchen and start work on phase 2 of the kitchen.

The increased cost can sometimes take homeowners by surprise.  You might not think about the need to level your floor and ceiling when remodeling, particularly since neither problem might be obvious.  But a kitchen design can make this a necessity.  If your wall cabinets extend to the ceiling it will become obvious if your ceiling isn’t level.  The same is true for floors that aren’t level, particularly for base cabinets that wrap a room.  Wall cabinets that don’t extend to the ceiling will disguise a ceiling that isn’t level.  And base cabinets that are broken into distinct sections instead of wrapping around the room will help disguise a sloped floor and eliminate the need to perfectly level the entire floor.

Another common problem are window sills that are below typical counter height.  Anytime you can avoid exterior changes when remodeling a kitchen it will help to keep costs down.  While I’ve sometimes seen kitchen designs that feature a “well” in the counter for the window, I’ve always thought this looked out-of-place.  I think the best solution is a layout as described above to disguise a sloped floor.  Use the window as the place to break the base cabinet.  The design will require a layout where the break seems natural and logical.

While not specifically a problem, or restricted to old homes, relocated plumbing can add more cost than you might think.  Changing the location of sinks and dishwashers can result in plumbing becoming one of the largest component cost of a remodel.  While installing drain and water piping in an unfinished basement is usually straightforward, installing the vent piping through the roof can be more complex and can involve the need to open up existing ceilings and walls.  And if there are code violations in the existing plumbing, these may also need to be corrected.  Certainly a design incorporating a layout that moves the plumbing as little as possible will help to reduce costs.   However plumbing code violations may still need to be fixed if there is any change.

There are code requirements in other areas that can also increase the cost of a kitchen remodel in an old house that isn’t in conformance.  It’s the rare old house that already conforms to insulation requirements in northern climates.  Even if insulation was previously blown into walls this would rarely conform to current codes.  Exterior walls usually need to be disturbed for electrical work as and sometimes for plumbing and it is when a wall is opened up that the insulation needs to be brought up to code.  While it might be possible to retain inadequate insulation but keeping the walls mostly intact, It may actually make more sense to gut the wall cavity and start over. Aside from the obvious fact that the insulation, and vapor barrier will be better and this can lead to a nice payback in a cold climate, gutting the wall can also reduce plumbing and electrical costs.  Since labor is such a large part of the cost for both trades, providing an open wall cavity can make the work in each area faster and cheaper.

A kitchen remodeling often requires that the entire electrical system be brought up to code.

The electrical code requirements for a kitchen go well beyond the requirements for other rooms in a home.  Multiple circuits are required and some of these circuits also have extra requirements.  Of course these costs are not higher for an old house.  But if your old home doesn’t already comply with the electrical code you may be required to bring the entire house up to code.  This could be as simple as added switches and receptacles to other rooms but could also include adding additional circuits or even upgrading service into your home.  And some of this work usually requires holes in your walls and ceilings that will also need to be patched.  There may be little you can do to minimize your cost here but it’s worth checking with your electrician if you can make any holes needed for fishing wiring in walls.  You might even find an electrician who will allow you to do the labor intensive fishing.  It’s not a regular part of an electricians job so many might be happy for someone else to take care of it.

A kitchen remodeling can be expensive in any home.  Unfortunately unique factors in old homes usually increase the cost even more. However the design of your kitchen can minimizing some of these cost by disguising  or minimizing problems.  Good design could actually save you money on your kitchen remodeling.

More than anything else, isolated old house kitchens require us to adapt.  In most cases we simply put up with the isolation of anyone in the kitchen from the rest of the family.  New suburban homes recognize the kitchen as the hub of contemporary family life by usually including a family living area open to the kitchen.  Whether the kitchen and family room comprise a single “great room” or the family room adjoins, and opens to, the kitchen, these spaces create an informal living area for the family.  Even if a city dweller wanted to add a large family room to an old home there are usually problems of space and appearance.  But it’s often possible to create a scaled-down family space that’s an extension of the kitchen that can meet the needs of contemporary life.

This family space, scaled to be appropriate to a city house and lot, might accommodate anything from a space for kids to do their homework to a sitting area to talk or read that is close to the “action” of the family.  Even though small in size, the additional space can transform the way a family lives in their house and results in less need to adapt to the house.  And since it’s common for guests to congregate in the kitchen when entertaining no matter how small the space, any additional space can keep guests just enough out-of-the-way if kitchen tasks haven’t been completed.  Furthermore, the small size of these family spaces makes them easier to integrate into an old home in a sympathetic manner.

This residence used found space to create family space adjacent to the kitchen. (photo by Susan Gilmore)

In one southwest Minneapolis residence, the space needed for such a family space was available with only minor modifications.  While the kitchen was being remodeled, architect Eric Odor replaced a wall that separated an existing porch from the kitchen with a decorative archway.  With other simple changes the nearly 200 square foot porch became a small family room mostly open to the kitchen.

Not everyone will be lucky enough to have a space positioned adjacent to the kitchen and readily convertible into family space.  More typical is the situation found at another south Minneapolis residence where the family space needed to be created from scratch.

This house had a small kitchen with a work area of only 48 square feet because of two doors located at one end of the room.  The kitchen was hardly functional for the homeowners, one of whom was also a serious cook.  The homeowners decided to create a small addition scaled to be appropriate to the home for a new kitchen and convert the original kitchen space into a ¾ bath and hallway.

A fireplace alcove was included as part of this new kitchen. (photo by Troy Thies)

The homeowners’ desire for a fireplace somewhere became the impetus to create a “family alcove” of sorts off the kitchen.  A fireplace inglenook provides sitting space while a home office area was created by accommodating the homeowners’ antique drop front desk.  The inglenook required less than 60 square feet and space for the desk added only 10 more.  The resulting “family alcove” incorporates a tremendous amount of functional area in a very small footprint.

It may not be possible, or even desirable, to add a large, suburban-style family room to most old homes but that doesn’t mean an old home can’t adapt to contemporary life.  A scaled-down family space open to the kitchen is often possible in old homes while still maintaining the home’s historic character.

Creating historic character is the result of selecting the right subcontractors and providing plenty of detail.

Details and techniques that are now in common practice are not always appropriate for the old house.  As a result, if you own an old home it can sometimes be very tricky to get what you want from subcontractors.  I was reminded of this last week when the fabricator providing my counter tops came by to measure.

I had already provided plan drawings of what I wanted and they were taking exact measurements.  We had gone over some details including the thickness and edge condition when he mentioned, more in passing, that they provide a large radius on the corners.

I was a little in shock that they would even think of providing a counter top with such a radius.  Not only had my drawing not shown a radius but it seemed completely inappropriate for an old house.  I can’t even think of the last time I had even seen it in a home.  But then I remembered seeing it in various cabinet showrooms and I realized that among some builders and counter top fabricators it was probably the norm.  I was relieved that he had voiced his assumption and that probably only happened because I was clearly focused on the details.

Actually my first lesson in how tricky it can sometimes be to get what you want was also related to a counter top.  Years ago my father, who was a custom home builder, offered to supply the vanity top I needed if I told him what I wanted.  I gave him a detailed plan drawing and he passed it on to the custom cabinet shop he usually worked with.  I was shocked when the top was delivered.  While my drawing showed very distinct angles at corners and transitions, the fabricator had replaced all my angles with radiuses.  And while I had said nothing about a backsplash, they had fabricated the top with an integral coved backsplash.  Neither was what I wanted or appropriate to the look I was after.

So how can you get what you want from subcontractors?  In my experience there are two things you can do that make it more likely that you will get what you want.

Hire the Right Subcontractor

Often problems can be eliminated when you hire someone with the same mindset as you.  For an old home this means a subcontractor who predominately works on old homes, is enthused about their work on old homes, and maybe even lives in an old home.  If they are enthused about their work on old homes they probably want to show it off and this gives you a chance to see if their work is appropriate.

While this approach may be easy to do with a cabinet-maker or carpenter, it can become harder to do for a plumber or even a counter top fabricator.  This problem is usually solved if you are working with a general contractor who is in turn hiring the subcontractors.  It is much more common for general contractors to specialize so it becomes easier to find a general specializing in old homes.  If the subcontractors have a long history of working with the general, you will probably get a chance to see their work as you’re evaluating the general’s work and it is much more likely you can trust the general’s selection of subcontractors.

Show an Interest in the Details

One advantage of working with a design professional such as an architect is that they will typically define the work to be done in great detail.  This is done through drawings (showing what something should look like, the extent of the work, and the layout) as well as written specifications (covering quality, methods, and other details).  Obviously the more detail that is provided to a subcontractor, the more likely their work will match.

But I’ve noticed a secondary advantage of providing lots of detail even if everything isn’t covered.  This detail seems to condition the subcontractor to the fact that you care about the details and may not want to do things the typical way.  When there is lots of detail about what you want, the subcontractor is more likely to bring up any detail that isn’t covered instead of making an assumption.  They begin to understand your expectations and adjust their behavior accordingly.  I believe this is what saved me last week with my counter top fabricator.  My clear interest in the details, as well as my preference for some things that weren’t standard, encouraged him to mention the one detail we hadn’t discussed.

Neither of these approaches is foolproof.  However through the years it’s become clear to me that your chances of successfully getting what you want increases when you combine these approaches.

Until the beginning of the 20th century a kitchen was little more than a room containing a cooking stove, tables for food preparation, and sometimes a sink.  Cabinets, called “dressers”, existed but these were usually found in the pantry.  The base cabinets were typically shorter and shallower then our present day cabinets with upper cabinets that blocked more of the view of the counter.  It wasn’t until about 1910 after pantries started to disappear, that similar cabinets started to make their way into the kitchen.  At first these were also freestanding “dressers” and eventually these cabinets became large enough to cover an entire wall.  In time they evolved into built-in cabinets that wrapped the room in a continuous band.

When old-house kitchens still exist, they often lack the conveniences of modern kitchens.  And the kitchens that were previously “modernized” also lack the compatible historic character that old-home owners increasingly want.  Creating a new kitchen that is convenient with historic character requires charting a new path.  How do you create a kitchen with historic character if it’s not a historic recreation?  There are essentially two different paths, one reflecting the way we once lived and one reflecting the way we live now.

This kitchen follows a utilitarian approach by copying the painted cabinets from the original pantry. (photo by Susan Gilmore)

Those kitchens of the past were primarily thought of as service spaces.  For years they were the domain of domestic help for families that could afford them.  Guests never entered the kitchen and families rarely used them.  Their status as a utility area was reflected in their appearance.  The earliest kitchens were places of functional equipment.  When cabinets were eventually included they were less-expensive versions of the woodwork found in the rooms meant for visitors.  Most obviously the expensive stained hardwoods were replaced with unstained birch or painted pine cabinets.

When this distinctive look is used for a modern kitchen it reflects the historic role of the kitchen.  By adapting cabinet dimensions to accommodate modern conveniences, recalling historic cabinet details, grouping cabinets to suggest “dressers”, and choosing major appliances with a look that is more functional than trendy, it’s possible to create a kitchen that is a natural technological evolution of the historic kitchen.

But of course we have not only experienced a technological evolution but a cultural one.  Far from being simply a service space, our kitchens have become the center of family life and entertaining.  In many homes it is a rare party where most guest aren’t congregated in the kitchen.  If the inhabitants of our homes had lived like we do what would their kitchens have looked like?

This south kitchen replicates cabinet details and stained finish found in the dining room. (photo by Troy Thies)

No doubt if the kitchen served a prominent place in family life this would have been reflected in its appearance.  The kitchen would have been an extension of the rest of the house.  Cabinet materials and finish would have matched the woodwork found in other areas meant for visitors.  Cabinet details might be borrowed from woodwork and cabinets found in other rooms.  There would be space around the kitchen for family and friends to gather.  And technological conveniences would have continued to be integrated as they became prevalent in society.

This vision represents an alternate path, and appearance, for a modern kitchen with historic character.  It’s a path that also solves a problem typical of the first path when the kitchen opens up to other areas of the house.  When this happens and the kitchen cabinet finishes are different, it can be difficult to make a transition between finishes.  When the finishes are the same, no transition is necessary.

Either path can result in a kitchen featuring modern conveniences and historic character.  What’s most important for the ultimate success of the kitchen is consistency with whatever the chosen path.

People do find amazing things as a result of research.  I had a client once who tracked down the descendants of their home’s original owner who still had the original drawings.  With these drawings they were able to save the cost of documenting their home before we began our design work.  Of course not everyone will be so luck to uncover original drawings.  However sometimes even newspaper articles can provide a clue to a missing feature that can influence present day changes.

I think there is value in research even if you don’t turn up anything substantial of practical value.  Research is a mystery or puzzle to be solved that strengthens my awareness and appreciation of the home.  Research also requires that you slow down instead of rushing off making quick changes to a home that may destroy character.  It is the start of a thoughtful approach that is likely to provide the best result.  I live history and I love doing research.

A Sanborn fire insurance map can provide valuable information about changes to your home.

Get started with what you know, which may only consist of the address.  With the address it’s possible to access information that will provide information on your home, as well as the individuals associated with it.  By also researching individuals associated with your home such as previous owners as well as the architect and contractor, you might also turn up valuable information about the home.  Certainly finding an architect’s or builder’s records could lead to drawings or photographs but researching previous owners can lead to information that is just as valuable.  It’s very common to find family photos with useful background information as well as newspaper articles or other records with information.

Starting first with your home’s address you can find useful information using the following sources:

• building permits
• property abstract
• plat maps
• fire insurance maps
• atlases and city directories
• tax records
• newspapers

Sometimes these sources will provide specific information about the structure or property.  These sources can also help you identify the names of the various individuals associated with your home.  Research these individuals further by using the following sources:

• newspapers
• court records
• city directories
• vital records

Consider every piece of information that you turn up as a clue that’s an important part of the overall puzzle.  Even information that might seem unimportant at first may lead you down a new path that could provide critical information.

In future posts I’ll look at these research sources in more detail.  I’ll cover where you find these sources, what to look for, and what to do with the information you find.

The spacers in the corner were assembled of wood and painted.

IKEA cabinets, and virtually all contemporary cabinets, use full overlay doors.  This is a condition where the doors completely hide the cabinet face frame (if there is one) or the cabinet box (if there isn’t).  However historic cabinets would have had a visible frame with the doors inset to be flush with the frame.  Adding spacers between the cabinet boxes is a way to simulate the vertical frame member (called a stile) between sets of doors.  In general, the closer this spacer is to 1 1/2″ – 2″, the more authentic the look.  These vertical spacers between the cabinet boxes were easy to install as the boxes were set in place.  Since I only had room for minimal spacers between the cabinets, I was able to cut down IKEA cover panels as spacers.  The spacers in the corner I assembled of wood and painted them to match the cabinets.

I also wanted to simulate the horizontal frame member (called a rail) under the doors on the base cabinet. Some historic cabinets feature a bottom rail that projects slightly beyond the stiles and has rounded edges.  I decided to take this approach not only because I think it’s a great look but also because the joint between the stile and rail is easier to pull off when the faces don’t need to align.

This bottom rail needs to be continuous even though the cabinet boxes are separate.  The problem I needed to solve was how to install this rail.  I didn’t see a way I could simply screw it to the bottom of the cabinets after the boxes were installed.  I didn’t have the clearance for a drill that would allow me to drill up through the rail into the cabinet box once the boxes were set.  I suppose I could have tried pre-drilling the holes but I just didn’t think I could pull that off so that everything aligned.  I also considered trying to assemble cabinet boxes, spacers, and bottom rail together into a unit while the boxes were resting on their back.  I thought it would be difficult to tip the final assembly up and set it in place without a great deal of help.  I was also concerned with getting a good fit for the ends of the rails as well as having concern the rail might be easily damaged if installed at this early stage.

A hidden rail helps to hold the finished rail in place.

My solution was to install a hidden rail to the bottom of each individual cabinet box before it was set that would help me attach a continuous exposed rail later.  I sloped the edges of some 3/4″ scrap wood to create the hidden rail.  The slope at the front will force the finished rail up against the bottom of the cabinet box as it is pushed in.  I plan to use construction adhesive on the top and the back to hold it in place and clamp it while it is drying.  The slope at the rear of this hidden rail should make it easier to tip in the finished kick later.

Another feature of modern cabinets that never looks right in a historic kitchen is an exposed kick at the end of the cabinet.  This “extruded” look is at home in a contemporary kitchen where one might want to emphasize the horizontal, but out-of-place in a historic kitchen.  So I extended the panels I was using at the ends of the cabinet all the way to the floor so they would hide the kick.  However my projecting bottom rail complicates things since it should wrap the end panels and end at the wall.

The base cabinet end panels are rabbited so that a projecting rail can be attached and continue to the wall.

I cut a rabbit into the end panels of the base cabinets that was just wide enough for the finished rail, so I can add it later.  I’ll need to cut the rail back so it fits in the rabbit with the face aligning with the adjacent bottom rail.  It’s a detail like this that will give the cabinets a custom historic look and will draw attention away from the compromises.

I still plan to make other modifications, like a crown at the top and a light valence at the bottom of the wall cabinets, but these can easily be added later.

With this work completed I have reached a milestone.  The dust barrier between the kitchen expansion and my original kitchen has come down and I can now arrange for my countertops to be measured and installed.  After that, I’ll have the sink and dishwasher hooked up, and then I’ll use this new area as the core of my functional kitchen so I can rip out the original kitchen.