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February 27, 2020
Builder Grade Kitchen Into Your Dream Kitchen

Builder Grade Kitchen Into Your Dream Kitchen

February 27, 2020

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my Privacy Policy page for more info.

Is it possible to get the kitchen of your dreams from a builder grade kitchen? YES! We spent months figuring out which builder to go with when building our very first home. Omaha has A TON of options and building is very popular out here. We decided on a semi-custom home builder instead of a fully-custom home.

What is a Semi-Custom Home?

What is the difference you ask? When you choose to custom build, you get to decide everything, I mean EVERYTHING. As much as I wanted to do custom, it wasn’t in our budget.

We found the next best thing, which was a semi-custom home builder. Usually, semi-custom home construction happens like this: A homebuilder has a library of designs they’re familiar with and can economically source materials for. From this list, you select a plan that meets your expectations and fits your family’s needs. Then, you work with your home builder to customize the home’s selections, materials, and finishes.

Let’s talk about the model we picked out. Below are some photos of the model house kitchen. Their style is not my style, but I could visualize the space and what it could turn into with me designing it.

Model House – Kitchen
Model House – Kitchen

1. Ask Questions

Asking questions is the #1 piece of advice that I can give you. Looking back, I’m so glad I asked our builder question after question after question. I wanted to remove the cabinets on one side and add a bigger window (47inx47in). We ended up getting a credit applied to our account for deleting 4 cabinets. It did cost us extra to get a bigger picture window installed, but we still had money left over from the cabinet credit.

The kitchen island that came with our model was very small and I didn’t like the idea of the kitchen island is right next to the kitchen table. I wondered what it would look like if we deleted the island (get that credit) and save up to build a custom island (more on that in a future blog post). Our house took 6 months to build and we lived in my parent’s basement during those 6 months so that we could save up every paycheck. A custom island was totally doable for us.

2. Lighting/Electrical

Knowing that we wanted to have a custom island built for us, we made sure to add electrical and pendant rough-ins where our future pendants would go. We met with our builder at our future home and we measured the ceiling and figured out where to add the rough-ins and where to delete ones that came with this model.

3. Hardware (this is what will take your builder grade kitchen to the next level)

Tell your builder you’ll add your own hardware once you move in. Our builder only offered the basics of basic hardware and I didn’t like any of them. Instead, I picked out my own hardware online and my husband installed it shortly after we moved in. Hardware isn’t that difficult to install and you can really add that wow factor by choosing your own hardware.

Want the full list of the hardware that took our builder grade kitchen to the next level? Check out this blog post:

  • Adding Dreamy Kitchen Hardware

THE BIG REVEAL!

Main kitchen views

I love waking up in the morning and making coffee in our new kitchen. With touches of champagne and brass hardware on the cabinets. Matte black barstools and hardware on the island give me the mixed metal kitchen of my dreams.

This is the side of the kitchen where we deleted the upper cabinets and expanded the window to a 47×47 picture window. Isn’t it gorgeous? I added brass brackets and marble shelves where the upper cabinets used to be. Remember when I mentioned above to add electrical rough-ins? We added a sconce rough-in above the sink and once we moved-in we installed the sconce.

Are you currently building? Looking to build or live in a fixer-upper? I hope this post inspires you to build your own dream kitchen. No matter what your budget is, you can get the look you’re going for.

If you want to learn more about our Home Building Journey? Check it out.

Shop my kitchen looks below!

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Filed Under: Home Building Journey, Home Decor, Our Home Tagged With: home building journey, home decor, Home Owners, home staging, interiors, kitchen design, white kitchen

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Welcome to my blog, Salt & Sprinkles! I'm a food blogger, food photographer, and recipe developer. Wife to Zach and Mama to Jack!

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#ad TGIF! To get this weekend started, I’m givin #ad TGIF! To get this weekend started, I’m giving away TWO #MichelobUltraSeltzer gift boxes to bring a little joy to your lives! In Partnership with @qualitybrandsomaha and @qualitybrandslincoln, you can enter to win a Michelob ULTRA Organic Seltzer Package like you see here. This new Seltzer Family is targeted towards health conscious, active, adults. Each can of Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer has 0 carbs, 0 grams of sugar and only 80 calories!
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#AD It's no secret that I love using @chobani Gree #AD It's no secret that I love using @chobani Greek Yogurt for numerous recipes on my blog. One of my all-time favorite recipes is this greek chicken! It's so easy to whip up, and Chobani® Greek Yogurt is the star of the dish. I like to use their plain yogurt to make the chicken marinade and also in my simple tzatziki sauce. Did you know that you can now earn on Ibotta with your purchase of Chobani® Greek Yogurt? Find it at @walmart!

Recipe:
Greek Chicken
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Chobani® Non-Fat Plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp fresh or dried dill
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

Instructions:
In a large bowl, add minced garlic, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, Chobani® Greek Yogurt, dill, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
Add chicken and coat well. Let the chicken marinade for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Remove most of the marinade from the chicken before adding it to the skillet, or else it will burn.
Add chicken in an even layer to the skillet, leave some space between the chicken pieces so they'll brown rather than steam. You may need to work in batches depending on how big your skillet is.
Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes and then flip the chicken and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until cooked through (165°F).
Remove chicken to a plate to rest.
Serve chicken over rice with a dollop (or two) of tzatziki sauce, diced red onion, fresh dill, and a lemon wedge.
Also find the full recipe for Greek Chicken  on the blog at www.saltandsprinkles.com. #Chobani
You can never have enough baskets, am I right? I’m sharing all of my favorites from Target with you over on the @liketoknow.it shopping app! http://liketk.it/3537R #liketkit Shop your screenshot of this pic with the LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app #LTKNewYear #LTKunder100 #LTKstyletip
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! When do you I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! When do you typically take down your holiday decor? I think we’ll keep ours up through the weekend and then start fresh next week in time for the new year! @liketoknow.it.home #StayHomeWithLTK #LTKunder100 @liketoknow.it 
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Shop your screenshot of this pic with the LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app  http://liketk.it/34BBM #liketkit
Last day of work until a much needed break! I’m Last day of work until a much needed break! I’m also not taking on anymore food photography clients until 2021. I can’t wait to relax with Jack and Zach for a couple of weeks. I’m grateful for my life, but it’s ok to admit I’m exhausted too and looking forward to a break❤️ These are my Cake Mix Santa Cookies! 🎅🏻 (Sharing the recipe on stories later today)
Crockpot Vegan Bolognese is the perfect weekend or Crockpot Vegan Bolognese is the perfect weekend or weeknight meal! The longer it cooks, the better it gets! Recipe is over on the blog and I added a swipe up over on stories with a direct link to my recipe post!🍷
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