Hello, world! It's been a minute! We have a lot to catch up on, so might as well gather in the kitchen to get started. As some previous photos revealed, the kitchen had what appeared to be the original dishwasher, cooktop, and wall ovens; the refrigerator had been replaced at some point, so the plan was to hold onto that until I renovate someday. The dishwasher, ovens, and cooktop also were all still functional, which is awesome, so I thought I was in the clear regarding kitchen appliances. However, after living in the house a while and using the appliances, it became clear that the fridge had a pretty strong residual odor, and I never had the guts to test out the dishwasher with a load. I'm still not interested in spending a lot of money on appliances which may not work with a new layout, so I had my first magical experience at a scratch and dent store.
The intent of going to the scratch and dent was to get something to just "make do," but I very well may check there for all my appliances moving forward. The stock changes daily, and some items are very visibly damaged, but others have cosmetic defects in hidden areas which do nothing but slash the price. You could really pay almost nothing for some of the severely damaged items, but I started shifting my thinking towards the possibility of reusing these in the future. See below for some before and after shots - I took different approaches for the dishwasher and fridge, but I love them both. The fridge is more of a retro design with the cream color to go with the avocado, and the inside is bright and quite spacious. The dishwasher on the other hand is the matte black stainless look that I love, and I think this would pair well with any other appliances I get for the kitchen reno I do in 50 or 60 years. I think the mix of them goes well with the cabinetry, and adds a modern upgrade without being totally out of place in their surroundings.
And for the fridge, I did not think to get a close-up before shot:
I feel compelled to note that I am typically a fervent supporter of counter-depth fridges. However, there was only one available when I was looking, and it was much more expensive than what I was wanting to spend. Therefore, I'll deal with the uneven edge for now, and I think this will eventually make a great extra fridge in the garage.
*One other thing worth noting about going the scratch and dent route. Simply having the appliances delivered and plugged in (to make sure they work) is incredibly cheap; the store I used charged $10 for this service, and that cost covers all the appliances being delivered in that order. However, unlike when ordering an appliance from Home Depot, there is a much larger additional charge to outsource the delivery and install if it requires more than being plugged in (read: anything other than a fridge). This store was charging $165 for that service to install the dishwasher, which I wasn't willing to spend at this time. I therefore just had them deliver it with the fridge, and planned on installing it myself at some point when I was feeling brave. One day when I have enough energy to write about my washer and dryer purchase/delivery experience, this comment will have more context, but I ended up having the guys who installed the washer and dryer and also deal with removal and install of the dishwasher for a great price, so it worked out even better than I could have planned. Although a little less straight-forward than ordering from a company that includes delivery and has a low install fee, being willing to shop the system can result in some great savings.
Ps, below is a photo behind where the dishwasher was - who knew there was another layer of linoleum! Let me know if you are able to find the flaws in the new fridge and dishwasher above.
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