Kitchen Report | 6 Weeks

There were a couple of no-work days in the last two weeks, just due to timing of the different phases. BUT, cabinets are all in, upper trim done, and hardware on.

I couldn't be more pleased with the cabinet pulls - actually called Quilted in a flat black.

Once that was all done, the flooring install began, which meant weaving in new red oak hardwood in the kitchen with our old flooring in the dining room. Between install, sanding, and refinishing clear to the front door, that process took four full work days - ie. pretty much all of week 6. So the flooring is done now and looks great - so much better than 40yo linoleum.

I think I'll leave it there, as the team is here now covering those new floors with ram board to protect them for the rest of the remodel. A bit of a happy surprise is that the painter will be coming Monday, fit in before the countertops arrive in early October. There are a few other things that can be taken care of during that time - installation of toe-kicks, new molding, maybe even installing the refrigerator. And if next time I report in the tile/backsplash is being installed, then I'll be a very happy camper, and the end will be in sight.

Kitchen Report | 4 Weeks

Week 3 of the kitchen remodel was productive - sheetrock, sheetrock, and more sheetrock - and so very dusty, in spite of the temporary sheeting that was hung. The final day of that week, which was when the crew did texturing, was the worst, but it definitely did improve the look of the space a lot. 

It felt like we were rewarded in week 4, with the cabinets arriving!

It took just three days for all of the cabinets to be installed, with a start on trim being added - see top of upper cabinets on left side, below.

Also in week 4, the flooring guy stopped by to see our existing hardwoods in person, and will drop wood for the kitchen flooring off on Monday. AND the countertop people came by to make their templates. Sounds like it'll be October 1 before they are back to install. So some major progress behind us, and more still ahead. As our contractor said, "every day from here on will be something new and exciting."

Kitchen Report | 2 Weeks

After posting about our kitchen refresh, I got the impression that some of you at least, would be interested in following along with the progress. I'm still not sure if and when I'll post about it on IG, but I think I'll post occasionally here on the blog at least. 

All that to say, after two weeks, our kitchen has been gutted, one wall lowered + one removed, the ceiling removed, and the rebuilding has begun.

Initial electrical and plumbing were completed last week, as well as sheetrock put in place for the new ceiling. Back in 1978 when our house was built, a drop-down ceiling in the kitchen was a common fixture. Not so much now, so ours has been raised about 6" to match the area you can see in the photo below near the door. We're going to extend the kitchen just a bit on that one side, and I'm thinking that will be my baking station back there.

So far, so good. Of course it's different having workers in the house all day during the week, and lots of noises we aren't used to. We've set up a make-shift kitchen in our family room, and that's serving us pretty well. This week has been full of more sheetrock/finishing, and next week.... cabinets arrive!

Oh! And I am keeping up with the kitchen quilt blocks. I'm only working in three colors so far, and I've decided to keep track of what blocks I make when, not yet knowing if the resultant quilt will have the blocks grouped by color, progress, or whatever. Anyway, it's been a quick, fun little addition to my routine each day.

Kitchen Refresh

Last night was the last meal I'll be cooking in our current kitchen. We moved into our house on October 25, 1986, so this year will be 40 years that my family and I have been cooking in this space. When we moved in, our daughter was three years old; our son, just eight months. I fed my young family from there, the kids grew up and learned to cook there, scores of family and friend gatherings were hosted there over the years. So it's bittersweet that demolition begins tomorrow to make way for a new, updated kitchen.

It's been a long time coming! Considering our house was eight years old when we bought it, our kitchen is nearly 50 years old, and it shows. So we're pretty much gutting it and rebuilding from scratch. It's been a lot of work getting ready for this week (AKA 'Start of Work'), and already I'm missing the familiar routine. But we're excited! As of just hours ago, the kitchen and dining room are completely empty, and now it's up to the experts to recreate the spaces for us.

I marked the occasion yesterday by baking StudioDIY's @studiodiy Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are hubby's and my very favorites, and it felt important to bake them one more time before we live without our kitchen for a while. 

So stay tuned. I'm not sure when I'll report back in on the remodel, but I expect I will. Wish us luck!