Cutting Cabinets

Note from the Editor:  Sorry for the long gap in posts.  This project dragged on a little while, partially due to an interruption by a European vacation.  Hopefully the greatness of this project will make up for the delay.

Before

We have never been the biggest fans of our kitchen.  It has a decent layout, but it is definitely showing its age in most areas.  One of our biggest annoyances was the cabinets hanging off the ceiling between the kitchen and dining room.  It made it difficult to interact with people on the other side, and made the space feel much more closed in, so we decided to rip part of it out.  We might have removed more, but we wanted to retain the existing vent.  Fortunately, we had some expert free help.

The result is amazing.  The space feels much more open and it is actually safer, due to the removal of a head bumping hazard.  Best of all, the bang for buck factor is off the chart, given that the bang is huge and the buck was zero.

After

Here's the process:

Doors removed

Before view from behind

Queue the pry bar

End panel removed.  That piece bashed many heads over time.

Nail puller at work

Final trimming

Here's the new view from the kitchen

New view from behind

End panel re-installed, along with trim

The ceiling needed some work

A coat of primer

A little putty to even out the edges

Spray texture

Primer and final coat.  The finished product.