My parents bought a beautiful 1912 Craftsman Bungalow in Los Angeles, CA back in 1999. This is going to become a series as we tackle multiple areas in the home and talk about the design process. I will show you how to plan, design, manage, budget, and DIY the 1912 kitchen. This is a great way to help you to tackle your first old house remodel. I will show you from start to finish what you can do to successfully design and remodel your old home.
Figure Out the Scope of Work
Ever wonder what the house you live in originally looked like? This year marks my parent’s home 100 years old! It is absolutely amazing how they used to build these homes to last 100s of years. My parents previously remodeled their old house kitchen just a few years after they bought it because the kitchen was smaller. Check this out it had a half bathroom in the kitchen!!! (I wonder who thought that was a good idea to do that?)
Anyways, they tore down the faux fireplace and opened up the kitchen. Although the kitchen remodel looked beautiful it did not last very long, there were leaks in several areas in the kitchen, broken floor tile, and in need of more storage.
How to get started
Step 1
Write down what is your scope of work such as: what is your goal for this project, what you need to fix, and what you want it to look like. Ask yourself what will be existing, what will be new, and what you are going to demo. In our case, This old house remodel will need to replace the flooring, replace some cabinets where there was leakage, patch a part of the ceiling, refinish cabinetry, add some cabinetry, paint walls, backsplash, countertops, and new lighting.
![Old House Remodel - Scope of Work Kitchen](https://michellemarrufostudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Old-House-Remodel-Scope-of-Work-Kitchen.png)
So I am tackling this old house remodel starting with the kitchen with my dad and we’re doing it right this time.
My plan for this old house remodel in the kitchen is to bring back the character of the home with a true Craftsman kitchen. In this post, I am going to show you in real-time all things, planning, designing, construction budgets, schedules, material lists, and DIY projects.
So get ready because we are tackling this 1912 old house remodel kitchen edition.
Step 2
First and foremost before you start your project take your before pictures, this is your reminder! I cannot tell you how many times I have started a project and forgot to take the before pictures. You are welcome to also take a video. Doing this will help you reference back to what is in the space during the design and planning process. It will be such a satisfying feeling looking at the before and after pictures. I kid you not you will thank me later.
Step 3
If you are working on an old house remodel you MUST do a mold, asbestos, and lead test. It is really important before you do anything to test for your safety and those around you. Handle with care and make sure you have PPE such as gloves, mask N95, and goggles. If you are intimidated by doing this yourself there are professionals that can do these tests for you.
![Old House Remodel - Mold Test](https://michellemarrufostudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Old-House-Remodel-Mold-Test-scaled.jpg)
*Disclaimer I am not a mold, asbestos, and lead professional, everything I share is for my specific needs and situation to start an old house remodel. Do not take this as professional advice and do your due diligence to do your own research.
Step 4
Measure your space! In my case since we will be keeping our cabinetry, we will be refinishing them and adding some more for more storage. I am going to measure the existing cabinets, existing appliances, flooring, walls, ceiling heights, windows, counters, etc.
This is very important for the old house remodel so you are able to start your new floor plan to make sure you see your design and start your planning process.
![Old House Remodel - Measure](https://michellemarrufostudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Old-House-Remodel-Measure-scaled.jpg)
This is just the start of an amazing journey to the 1912 Craftsman Bungalow Old House Remodel. This is just the beginning of a ton of steps and processes we need to take before completing this project.
Stay tuned for the next blog post as I explain how to start space planning, designing, construction budgets, schedules, material lists, DIY projects, and finalizing every detail for a true craftsman bungalow kitchen on a budget.
See you guys in the next post!