Dishwasher Leak Ruins Kitchen in Elk River

There are many universal laws. Gravity is one. Your dishwasher springing a massive leak only when you are gone for the weekend or on vacation, that’s another. And that’s exactly what happened to this homeowner nearly a year ago, when he had his own “A River Runs Through It” adventure.

Elk River kitchen insurance plus remodel

Project Summary 

When Mike, the homeowner, called us back in January of 2020, he had already had the leak and the clean up done. Unfortunately, the company that did the water mitigation added to the damage already done to some of the lower kitchen cabinets in the process, so all the cabinets had to be replaced.

BEFORE — Damage from dishwasher leak. It is #1 for insurance claims followed closely by refrigerator ice maker lines. Fortunately, the subfloor was salvageable, the lower level was luckily unfinished, so largely unaffected.
2-tier island in Alder, doubles the size of previous usable counter top space.


Before

With insurance projects, it’s all happening in the blink of any eye. Bam! No kitchen! Time to start grilling your eggs!

 

Before and After layout comparison—By moving the walk-in pantry to a set of tall cabinets at the entry point of the garage we were able to move the refrigerator next to the sink (where it belongs) and add additional cabinet storage.


After

So, the homeowner and our team all want to jump on the project immediately, but you still have all the design work to consider and an insurance company in the middle taking twice as long and wanting to pay half as much.

“Which is why you want an experienced remodeling company to stand up for you, push for progress and be firm on what it takes to restore things properly,” explains Long. “Even so, it will take longer than you think. And that’s another universal law. So you might as well get as much out of the ordeal as you can.”

New appliances all around with new configuration makes this kitchen as functional as it is beautiful.

So, the homeowner and our team all want to jump on the project immediately, but you still have all the design work to consider and an insurance company in the middle taking twice as long and wanting to pay half as much.

“Which is why you want an experienced remodeling company to stand up for you, push for progress and be firm on what it takes to restore things properly,” explains Long. “Even so, it will take longer than you think. And that’s another universal law. So you might as well get as much out of the ordeal as you can.”

Jennair range top replaces old appliances.

This homeowner took the opportunity to not only restore his kitchen, but reconfigure and upgrade everything. "To be perfectly honest, the kitchen configuration was basic cookie-cutter stuff, pretty dysfunctional, which was more common that you might think in new builds of that era," explain Long.

With some slight wall configurations, we reclaimed space for a coffee bar and relocated the pantry nearer the garage. We also created a much larger island, upgraded all surfaces and backsplash with a mixed use of quartz and granite and replaced all the flooring throughout the first floor.

Whitehaven Smart Divide® under mount double-bowl farmhouse sink.
From left: Where pantry used to be there is now pull out storage next to new refrigerator. New cabinet pantry was relocated close to the garage entrance.
Drawer hardware is consistent throughout, even matching the other appliances in style.


Featured Materials

APPLIANCES

  • Jennair Rise coffee system, range top, refrigerator and dishwasher

CABINETRY

  • COFFEE & PANTRY— Custom square flat panel doors. Color – Snowbound
  • ISLAND— Custom in Alder, square flat panel doors with hand-applied finish
  • UPPERS— White Melamine interiors w/GNA glass panel doors, hinges from top Aventos HK-Zs lift system

COUNTERTOPS

  • PERIMETER— Corian Quartz Calacatta Natura 3 cm
  • ISLAND— Granite, 3 cm, ogee edge, Mayfair White

FIXTURES

  • Sink — Whitehaven Smart Divide® under-mount double-bowl farmhouse, finish – Dune
  • DRAWER HARDWARE— Esquire by Amerock in stainless steel
  • Pot Filler— Delta Boderick wall mount pot filler in champagne bronze

FLOORING

  • Prefinished solid hardwood 5" plank by Paramount- Barnwood Hickory finished in Shiplap

TILE

  • Corian Quartz Calacatta Natura 2 cm thick

LIGHTING

  • Recessed LED cans and perimeter under cabinet lights, and in upper cabinets

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