Kitchen Renovation
In 2017, my husband and I decided to renovate our kitchen. It was a big decision and we took time to deliberate on it because we knew it would entail a HUGE EXPENSE. I was able to convince him only when I argued that renovating our kitchen would increase the value of our apartment by SO MUCH MORE. The future promise of a GOOD RETURN OF INVESTMENT was definitely attractive to my fiscally- aware husband.
We learned that the former owner of our New York apartment had a kitchen renovation about 30 years ago. The kitchen was actually still serviceable – we can still cook our meals and wash our dishes comfortably. There was enough storage for our pots and pans and what not. There was even a place for Extra dishes. And it really was a good kitchen.
We could have gone more years without doing anything had the Vynil floors not starting crumbling and the Plastic Laminate Countertops started flaking. And the dryer dying. The kitchen also started looking old, dumpy and grungy.
We searched for a contractor who would do the work. Once that incredible mission was accomplished ( That part took A very a long time), we were ready to search for the materials for the renovation.
Years before, I started becoming more chemically sensitive. I can smell some things others don’t. And I would get nauseous and have headaches. My husband would put on cologne and I would snap at him because it irritated me so. I would use regular laundry detergent and I could smell it from the other side of the washing room and it would hurt my nose. I would wear something and I would feel very itchy and have hives.
We purchased closets from Ikea for the second bedroom and it took some six months before I could enter that room without getting nauseous. My husband probably thought it was acting too weirdly. To this day, I am grateful he just humored me then and not left me. He says I have many superpowers – super smell, super taste, (super bitchy?) among other things. )
So, for the kitchen renovation, I decided that I will be uber mindful of the materials I would purchase.
I will choose and purchase only REAL WOOD for the cabinets and REAL STONE for countertops and backsplash and other natural materials for my kitchen.
The first item on my list: Kitchen cabinets
During my search, I did not find many kitchen cabinet vendors who did low or zero VOC construction with real wood that was affordable. They had particle board in some areas of the cabinetry, especially with the front panel. They said with humidity changes in a home, it is not possible to build cabinets with 100% real wood. bs.
My contractor sent me vendors and kitchen sellers but I was not happy with any of them. He was getting increasingly unhappy with me because he could not start his renovation until I have picked my vendor and materials. I think the problem lies with my decision and taste: I had a high-end taste. I had a lower budget. And I like natural.
After much time doing research, I found Green Building Supply from Ohio. Officially, they were a retailer/dealer of green construction materials like paint, flooring, cleaning materials- like what any regular hardware would carry. Oddly, they also sell kitchen cabinets. They were also a dealer of Crystal cabinets, a maker of green, chemical-free natural wood cabinets. BINGO!!!
Bonus: Green Builders also had an architect/ designer who was going to help design my cabinets. Finally – there is some movement in my renovation journey.
In the end, I was very happy with my choice. It took a long time to get the goods to my house- extending the renovation time but it was worth the wait. There was no chemical smell. And the cherry wood was Gorgeous.
