Kansas City MLS Listing

Renovating the Kitchen

If you're new to the Rocky Point Schoolhouse website, please be sure to review the categories on the right and learn about the history of the schoolhouse and other important facts. You may schedule a private showing by calling 985-774-9322 or emailing.

The kitchen was in dire need of updating.  The cabinets were dated beige particle board with laminate countertops.  This project, was perhaps the longest task and certainly the most expensive for the homeowner to complete.

Original Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen Renovation in Progress

Original Kitchen Appliances

The cabinets were gutted and replaced with all wood construction cabinets in a cream white with a brown glaze overlay finish.  Due to the square raised panel on the cabinet doors and drawers, the antique brown glaze is defined, offering warmth and exceptional beauty to the kitchen.  The kitchen island was surrounded with bead-board paneling and painted a high gloss black to contrast the cream white cabinets.

The electric was rewired, a gas line was run to the kitchen to accommodate the new 6-burner Viking cooktop and a new Bosch double convection oven was installed.  A new sink and Moen faucet installed at the same time the new granite countertops were installed.  The granite, imported from Brazil, is a brown granite with gray, beige and black flecks, tying in the black kitchen island for a finished look.

New Granite Countertop

The outdated canister track lighting was updated with new tracks and small, white track lights.  The kitchen pendant light replaced with a black fabric shade pendant fixture.

To tie the kitchen flooring in with the original schoolhouse Tuscany Oak flooring that was installed and the schoolhouse addition refininshed floor, a creative stencil design was constructed.  A cocoa bean paint was blended with the same gloss black to create the dark 6″ border around the kitchen.  The cocoa bean paint was then used to create a diamond-like grid on the kitchen floor.  The result is like adding a delicate piece of jewelry to a classic outfit.

The New Kitchen Floor

 Please refer to the slide show for photos of completed kitchen.

Updating the Bathrooms

The upstairs bathroom in the addition section of the home needed a face lift.  In early 2010, the homeowner removed the laminate flooring and replaced with the rich Tuscany Oak used previously during the renovation.  A high performance toilet was installed and the dated pedestal sink replaced with a white ceramic vessel sink and chrome faucet installed on an antique sofa table.  The room was completed with a wall of Arctic White glass tile behind the sink, new lighting and a fresh coat of white paint. 

Original Laminate Floor in Upstairs Bathroom (2nd living area)

Original Pedestal Sink in Upstairs Bathroom (2nd living area)

Due to a previous water leak in the original upstairs bathroom, the homeowner had a leak detection company review the bathroom and determine the location of the leak.  The results reflected that the sealant around the bathtub was lacking, causing a slow water leak when the bathtub or shower was in use.  When the laminate bathroom flooring was removed, it was also discovered that the sub-floor around the toilet rotted and a few planks of wood were cracked.  The planks were replaced and the section of the sub-floor replaced.  Once complete, the same Tuscany Oak flooring was installed, giving the bathroom a warm finish.  As with the previous bathroom, great care was taken to ensure the areas where water resides was properly sealed to avoid future problems.  A high performance toilet was installed.  The keep the period look of the original bathroom, the bathroom cabinets were retained.  Etched glass inserts were installed on the wall cabinet doors and a fresh coat of paint was given to both cabinets.  The room was painted a warm, sunny yellow to compliment the wood flooring.

Original Laminate Flooring in Upstairs Bathroom (main house)

The downstairs 1/2 bath received the same Tuscany Oak flooring makeover, with the addition of a new pedestal sink and Moen faucet.  A local artist was commissioned to assist the homeowner with the wall mural she had begun.  The local artist completed the tree and rose acrylic painting, while the homeowner painted the birds.  The mural was then glazed with an antique finish to age the overall appearance.

If you are interested in using the services of the artist, you may contact her directly:  Dee Bottorff at 816-214-5906 or email dzifchak@aol.com.  She has been a professional artist and instructor for over 30 years and recently moved to the Parkville area. She has an inhouse studio for teaching private stress free fine art lessons in oil, watercolor, acrylic and drawing. If you have been thinking about “picking up the brush” again, and are having a difficult time finding a class….give her a quick call for the details of private art classes. She states she is guaranteed to improve your skills and put a smile on your face.

Updating Basement Gameroom

The game room is typically a family and friends gathering place.  As such, it is also a heavily trafficked area.  This holds especially true to the schoolhouse game room due the walk out to the flagstone patio, which the homeowner has furnished with four red adirondack chairs and a fire pit.  And although this extended outdoor living space encourages the easy transition from the bar and/or game room to the outdoor social area, it also invites a heavily soiled entrance.

To keep the flooring low-maintenance, the homeowner removed the previous wall to wall carpet and installed carpet tiles.  Now if a section of the carpet tile becomes dirty or damaged, just lift out the offending piece and replace it with a new one; or, you can wash and treat the carpet tile and replace it. 

Original Game Room Carpeting

The bar green laminate counter was removed and replaced with glass mosaic tile.  To bring the dark wood of the main floor and upstairs to the basement, the dated 70′s mirror wall was removed and replaced with wood flooring. 

Original Bar Counter - Green Laminate

Original Mirrored Wall in Game Room

The clear finished oak wood was stripped, sanded, primed and painted the same crisp white as the remainder of the house.   The wall cabinets were customized and wired to hold a large flat screen television, perfect for watching games while playing pool, sitting at the bar or playing cards at the card table. 

New white glass pendant lights were installed behind the bar.  A light that spans over 40″ wide and has a white paper shade with PVC liner and matching diffuser was installed above the pool table, creating ice-white light easy on the eyes.  A fresh coat of light beach colored sand finishes the walls and makes this game room a hit for hosting football parties, entertaining or simply enjoying with the family.

Please visit the slide show for a preview of the finished room.

Refinishing Existing Floors and Wood

Over time and through various owners, a house was built around the original schoolhouse, resulting in the majestic 3700 sq. ft. structure seen today.  When this happens, owners need to pay careful attention to keep the continuity of the original structure so the house flows. 

In the case of the schoolhouse, the addition rendered wonderful living space, but lacked the finishes of the original house.  Although there were no wood floors in the original part of the house with the exception of the kitchen, all trim work was finished in an off-white paint.  Whereas the addition contained unfinished oak: all base wood trim, window wood trim, doors, railings and balusters, stair footings, library bookcases, basement bar and the floor in the great room.  The oak railings also consisted of tree cut-outs giving the entire area a “lodge” feel.  And although quaint, the house looked like it was two different structures.

Original bookcase finish

 To merge the house to better resemble one continuous structure, all woodwork was stripped, sanded, primed and painted a bright white.  The stairs and wood flooring in the great room were stripped, sanded and stained a dark cocoa bean with a black blend.  The railing and balusters were removed and rebuilt to better closer match the stair railings in the original part of the home. 

Balcony railings with tree cut-outs

The home owner then repainted the original structure wood trim to the same bright white finish.  The dark floors against the white trim work gives the schoolhouse a crisp, clean look while keeping the overall home look and feel consistent.

Hardwood Floor Improvement

When searching the Kansas City MLS and reviewing available inventory, it can be difficult to know what the current homeowner has done to improve the property since purchase. As you know, detailed reports can be an invaluable tool for home resale and insurance purposes in case of a loss.

In the fall of 2009, the owner purchased Tuscany Oak flooring and had it installed in the front entrance, formal living room, the sitting room off of the living room, main floor half-bath, and master bedroom. The upgrade was a vast improvement to the over-worn aged beige carpet. The addition of the hand distressed traditional rich brown oak floor (with tongue and groove on all sides), brings the schoolhouse back in time to a more fitting finish.

The homeowner was so pleased with the results, she had the Tuscany Oak flooring installed in both upstairs bathrooms. In the past, when building or remodeling a bathroom, people have shied away from using hardwood flooring in those spaces. As you may have heard, the mantra that designers and architects have stuck to is “wood and water don’t mix.”

The humid environment in a bathroom as well as unavoidable splashes have the ability to warp wood flooring, rendering it unattractive. Furthermore, it can encourage the growth of potentially destructive and dangerous molds. However, new finishes for hardwood flooring are making wood floors in bathrooms a viable and attractive option. To start with, you have to choose an appropriate wood to use. Choose a hardwood floor rather than a softwood floor, as softwood tends to absorb ambient moisture more, making it more vulnerable to damage. Because of this, the homeowner selected a particularly resilient and strong wood that could work in the bathroom, such as oak.

Overall, hardwood floors give a space warmth and style that is unmatched by any other material. The physical warmth that the floors provide is also an attractive feature, especially on winter mornings when the cold ceramic tiles make getting up that much harder.

We are confident you will be “floored” by the beautiful choose of wood that is gracefully reflected in this space.