The problem with just replacing the counters is that the layout of the kitchen is bad, and buying new counters to fit that layout sort of seals it in for a long time to come. We looked into getting all of it rearranged.
After getting some estimates last year it looked like there was no way we could afford it. Which was a shame, because now is when we use the kitchen. Now is when we have three kids all living at home, now is when we host meal-heavy holidays like Thanksgiving, now is when we are cranking out cakes for birthdays and cookies for recitals, now is when we actively use the whole kitchen all the time. We could wait until the kids are grown and gone but by then I may not care much. A new kitchen for just me and Ian would be a luxury by then, not a necessity, and there are other things I would rather spend money on.
When a new kitchen seemed out of reach I decided I was content to simply get new counters and a new sink and then work with Ian one cabinet and drawer at a time to replace all the crumbling hardware and make them work at least a little better.
But finances work in mysterious ways sometimes! Business was worse for us last year. Which ironically means we now can (just barely) afford to do the kitchen because something about not having to do estimated taxes every month something something. (This seems completely messed up to me that if we had done better last year we would have less money for such a project. I will just keep working on my violins and try not to think about that too hard.) When Ian got the final word on our taxes this year he gave me the unexpected green light on the kitchen.
New kitchen! I can barely believe it's going to happen.
So what is so wrong with our kitchen?
