Inspiration: Kitchen

More kitchen inspiration from Apartment Therapy: Jason Weinbeck's Mid Century Frugal Fix Up . This place is in Richfield, MN.

Our first big project at the new place is likely to be the kitchen, so I've been gathering up ideas and inspiration for the design.

Nice choice of materials (on a budget) in this cute little kitchen. The cabinets are from IKEA, we will definitely be considering them as a source in our design. The tile was cut down from standard 12 by 12 tiles to save money.

Inspiration: Kitchen & Dining Room

Some inspiration on the new place from Apartment Therapy: Midcentury Organic Remodel

The kitchen/dining room layout could be similiar to this (of course, we have a 1920s house and not a 1950s house).
I like the breakfast bar with seating. Not sure about having seating in front of the stove - seems dangerous and messy.

Love the dining table:

Why this house? Factor 1 - location

So, we had been looking at real estate for awhile. Years actually. It all started with an architect designed beauty that needed some work in west st paul. That was 2007. That was the first of a few houses that we lost out on because we were too slow, not sure, or undecided. It took us two years to get a little more decided on what we wanted in our next house. We had to look at a lot of houses and run through different scenarios. A bunch of factors went into our decision.

Factor 1 - Location

A big factor in buying the duplex was location. The age old truism in real estate. But location is about more than the value of your home, it's the place where you are going to spend a majority of your time. It's your start and end point. It's your neighbors and roads and parks and schools.

The only neighborhood we could both agree on was the one where we already lived - the longfellow area of Minneapolis. We knew we liked it. It's close to everything. We love being by the river and close to both downtowns. We didnt want to move to the suburbs. We love walking and riding our bikes.

But the choice was not without compromise.

Living in the city means a small lot. The new place is the same as our existing lot - about .12 acres, 50 ft by 120 or so. Not a lot of space to run a landscaping company. But it will work, because the alternative was the suburbs, and a long commute.

Also, the neighborhood is made up primarily of small homes, 1200 sq feet or so. The new place is 1900 sq feet. It is literally the biggest house on the block (but not by too much). We realize this is risky from a real estate perspective. However, there are a number of new homes going into the area, and lots of people fixing up their homes. The area is quiet, located in the heart of mpls and st paul, and is close to the river. We think its a great place to live, and we're doing this for us, so it's a risk we're willing to take.

Factor 2, to be continued: the budget.

I was at : 91 Silver Mountain Dr, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601,

Pictures of the new place - BEFORE

Well, it is happening. The old shitter is really ours. I suppose we need a new nickname now that it is almost ours (tomorrow). I think we are hurting the house's feelings with our negative talk. We need a new nickname with a little more encouragement. We need to boost up it's self esteem. Start to give it a little love.

There's a book from the 70s that posits that if you talk to plants, they grow better. We need to start applying this theory to this new house project of ours. No more negative talk. It's got a lot of "potential." It's gonna be beautiful - one day. It's like a pimply teenager. A little awkward, dressed up all funny, squeaky voice, bad manners.

So with that introduction, here are the pics. Squint your eyes a little and imagine something totally different, just the same shape on the outside. All grown up and beautiful.

Oh - and where is it? It's in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, 5 blocks west of our current house.

Free money for energy efficient upgrades in Minnesota

Well, apparently there is a lot of free money out there for energy efficiency updates. Thank you Obama! We close on the new place on Monday, so we are starting to kick into high gear of planning. It appears that first on our list will be energy efficiency updates, since there is some pretty decent *free money* available to make this happen.

I found this really helpful overview of all the programs available in Minnesota: Minnesota Residential Energy Incentives PDF

Highlights include:

Heating, insulation, roofs, water heaters, windows and doors

Federal Tax Credit: 30% of cost up to $1,500 (for materials, not labor)
Expires: December 31, 2010

Energy Saver Rebate Program - 35% off, up to $10,000!!!!
We are definitely going to apply for this. It's a loan that refunds 35% of the cost of energy improvements, up to 10,000 back IN CASH. This is incredible. Funds are limited and will go fast.

DETAILS:
Rebates for 35% of eligible improvements, up to $10,000, as part of a home improvement loan. Eligible improvements include furnace, AC, windows, attic air sealing, attic & wall insulation, and water heaters.
Scheduled to begin in December, 2009.
Go to www.mnhousing.gov for more information.


Solar
With all the incentives out there, we are going to look into solar. Whoa. There is a TON to learn about here, we are just starting to dip our toes in the water.

Federal Tax Credit: 30% of cost with no upper limit
Expires: December 31, 2016
Use for: geothermal, solar, wind turbines

Minnesota State Solar Rebate Program
There seems to be a program that is specific to Minnesota, but that may have run out of funds. I need to check into this further.

One website i found said - "Minnesota's solar rebate program is funded by Xcel Energy. Homeowners can get a $2.00/watt rebate up to $20,000 with an additional $0.25/watt rebate for solar electric systems installed by NABCEP certified installers."

The state website says:
"This program has limited funds. Contact us to check the current status. If presently fully reserved, your name can be put on a waiting list. For more information: www.energy.mn.gov or Email: energy.info@state.mn.us"

Energy Star Appliances
Rebates (available through Minnesota retailers) for specific ENERGY STAR labeled appliances: refrigerators ($200); clothes washers ($200); dishwashers ($150); freezers ($100). Refrigerator rebates will require recycling of old refrigerator. Program is scheduled to begin in March, 2010.