The island serves as a buffer between the kitchen and family room and provides more serving and prep space. The island also contains a built-in bookshelf and cantilevered breakfast bar. After photos by Marcus Berg, Unique Angles Photography

To accomplish the homeowners' goal, the firm decided to swap the laundry room and kitchen even though it meant all electrical wiring had to be rerouted to the back of the home. The homeowners also wanted to offset the 500-square-foot kitchen from the surrounding space, which Flaming did by using a tray ceiling and soffit, adding a unique element to the kitchen.

Before

"It wasn't particularly about using the not-so-big house concept, but we kept the scope of the project very focused," Flaming says, noting that the three-month, $47,700 project represents a truly noteworthy value proposition when the range of work — structural alterations and renovation — and affordability of the neighborhood are considered. "There is very little creepage into accompanying rooms, and by using laminate cabinets and countertops we made the kitchen unique though it's not fancy.

"I think this project shows that customers are often better off putting their money into two or three nice things that are going to be the 'wow' factor, and then everything else can go middle of the road. At the end, it all blends."