Kitchen Accomplished

The kitchen is done. The remodel is complete. Whew!

Actually, we mostly finished a week ago. Last Monday (9/29) the tile guys came and finished grouting the back splash. The Friday before that (9/26), the last tiles went in (the purple glass ones), and the appliances were reinstalled. So, we've had a complete kitchen for two whole weekends (and the week in between). But I've been so slammed with other things that I haven't had a chance to update the pictures.

First up, the tile has been "enhanced" and the appliances are in...

Then the purple glass tiles were added (they took a while to arrive)...

And finally, the tiles were grouted, and the kitchen was finished...

Not the best picture, but it gives you the idea. At the moment all the counters of the kitchen are covered with stuff that needs to find homes in the cabinets. When the kitchen is all put back together, I'll try to get a better pic and post it.

Comedy of Errors

Friday I got home from work to find the electricians working in the kitchen. Lots of progress was made. But of course they had to come back for something. The pendant lights we had bought (even though they were the same pendant lights) had a slight difference, so they had to be replaced. (Oh, and they had the wrong light bulbs for the overhead lights again.)

Then the painters came. We are deciding on a paint color. From the paint chips, we narrowed it down to four possibilities. The painters came by to put up squares so that we could see them on the wall.

The colors are in the purple family, but very pale. So, when the painter put up something that looked sea green/blue, I was puzzled. We did not pick that color. We wanted colors 6259, 6266, 6546, and 6553. Two of the colors were correct; two were not.

So, the painters got out their notes. Sure enough, the numbers were written down correctly, but the twos looked like sevens (really, I saw it myself). So, instead of 6259, they got 6759. Big difference.

They put up the two correct colors and then they left. I spent the next half hour laughing. It was pretty funny.

They're coming back tomorrow with the right colors (fingers crossed).

You'd think that Mercury was already retrograde with these kinds of mistakes.

Making Progress

I have been promising and promising to post new pics of the kitchen, so it's about time I do it (if you don't remember where this started, look here).

Here's the same kitchen as before, only now the plastic has been removed from the cabinets...

Then the granite counter tops went in...

And then the back splash tile went up (along with the microwave)...

The only difference now is the under cabinet lighting which doesn't look all that great when photographed.

Drinking Game

The electricians came back today. The kitchen has been without light since they first came the first time. Since the backsplash tile is mostly in, it was time to get the electricity flowing again.

They worked for a little over two hours (they didn't arrive until about 2 PM). They installed under cabinet lighting. They got the plugs installed. And the microwave, which had to be bolted into place yesterday so that the tile guy could tile around it, now has power so we can use it.

But, the overhead lights? Well, they had the wrong bulbs, so they could not finish that.

Today it occurred to me that I've got a drinking game here (if I was into that sort of thing). Every time a workman tells me that "we'll have to come back and finish that" or "we forgot/broke/got the wrong thing, so we'll have to bring that back next time", take a drink. This has happened so many times...

Overall, this has been a good experience. The workmen are all very professional. They all clean up after themselves before they leave. The kitchen is beautiful so far (pictures, I know, I promise, soon). But things like this never do go completely smoothly.

Well, we're in the home stretch. The plumber is supposed to come tomorrow to hook up the sink. The microwave is installed. It's getting there.

That New Kitchen Smell

It's been a little while since I updated on the kitchen progress. No progress to report. Well, that's not exactly true. The last pictures I posted had half-done cabinets. Not so much anymore.

Things came to a dead stop while we were waiting for the granite. Now we're waiting on the backsplash tile. Turns out that it's going to take a little time to get the tile that we liked. But "a little while" means maybe a week more. And by "the tile that we liked" I mean the sparkly bits that'll make the backsplash shine. The rest of the tile is in now. It's due to go up tomorrow.

What I've noticed is how the house smells now. There's a faint odor of cut wood and half-dried paint. There's the lingering of the burning smell from when they cut into the granite for the faucet. There's the glue they used to tack down the granite. The old sink was leaking, so that smell is gone. And it all just smells... It smells like a new kitchen.

I'll post update pictures in a day or so. We're coming in on the end of this thing!

Kitchen Cabinets

It's been a little while since I last updated on the kitchen's progress. (And in case you need to remember where this project started, the pics are here.) I've been taking pictures of the progress. I just didn't upload them to the computer until today.

This is what it looked like as the cabinets were installed...

And here are the cabinets are all (well, mostly) complete. The plastic is up to protect them while the walls were being painted...

And here's a shot of the just-installed floor...

So, progress is being made. Now we're just waiting for the granite.

Flies

The cabinet makers have been here for two days. Progress is being made in the kitchen. But I'm about ready to lose it. There are flies in my house.

It's been years since I've noticed a housefly problem. I guess I've been busy fighting the ants. But the cabinet guys were in and out all day, and the screens stayed open. That made it easy for the flies to get in.

I keep reminding myself that this is a temporary thing. The cabinets should be finished tomorrow. They look good (I'll post pictures in a day or so). It's just that when I go to open the refrigerator door, a fly should not fly in and land on the egg carton.

I've shooed a few out since the cabinet guys left for the day. And at the moment I don't see any others. But I just know I haven't gotten them all, and that worries me.

Blank Slate

The drywallers came today. Now the kitchen looks all smooth and new. So, here are a few pictures to show the progress.

First up, the light fixture that we had before (without the plastic covering it)...

Then the electrician came and replaced the fluorescent tubes with something a bit more modern...

And today they smoothed out the walls...

Tomorrow they start to install the cabinets. Woo-hoo!

Breakfast

It's the third day of the kitchen remodel, and all I want is to have my breakfast in peace. Is that too much to ask?

We got an egg cooker since there would be no kitchen. Add in the toaster that we already had, and we've got breakfast covered for the duration. The problem is, every time I get to making my breakfast, the workmen arrive.

I had a definite start time on Monday. Unfortunately, they were early. Tuesday the time that they'd be coming by was a lot less definite. Still, they managed to arrive just as I was getting my breakfast. And today the same thing happened. As I'm setting stuff up, the doorbell rang.

Yes, I knew it would be inconvenient. I expected to have to find ways to stay out of the way. Now, if I could just figure out when they're coming, I can get my breakfast first. I hope.

Kitchen Be Gone

I've been talking about this kitchen remodel for a bit. This is what had to go...

And today it did. Midway through the proceedings...

Then we finished up with a blank slate (sort of)...

I'll post more pictures as the project moves along.

Booze

I just can't face the cabinet under the sink right now. So, I'm taking a break.

I've been emptying the kitchen in preparation for the upcoming demo. Yesterday I was able to get five cabinets emptied. It's a small kitchen, so that's good progress. Today my goal is to empty four more. I've completed two.

I don't drink alcohol. Never have. When we moved into this place seven years ago, we didn't bring a drop of booze with us. So, I was rather astonished to find seven bottles hiding in a cabinet today. Seven?

Three bottles of rum. One bottle of vodka. There was some wine. I'm not sure what the other two bottles were. And all of them were unopened.

I had all the contents of that cabinet out on the counter. Slowly I found temporary homes for everything, and then I was left to stare at the booze. Where was I going to stash it? I didn't have room in my temporary pantry (wire racks in the living room). I was kind of lost for a bit.

Then I realized that I would just put it where I'm putting all the other stuff that I'm not going to need for the duration of construction--in a box out of the way. Blindingly obvious, sure. But I'm a little punchy at the moment.

I'm so punchy I had to put stickers on all the empty cabinets. I kept looking at them and thinking, "I've got to empty that one, and that one...". No, those are actually done.

Right, so I should get to the stuff under the sink. I'll feel better when that's done.

Panic

We just got the word today. They're going to demolish our kitchen on Monday. Uh oh.

I'm dreading not having a kitchen for a while. I do cook (occasionally). The kitchen gets used a lot. But it is ugly. It'll look so beautiful when it's done.

So, for the next few days I'm going to be busy. I have a kitchen to pack up.

Sunburned

I figured that the day would be warm, so I wore a yellow tank top and shorts. I figured that some walking would be involved, so I wore sneakers. I had my sunglasses and a bottle of water. However, I wasn't wearing sunscreen.

I'm usually so good about sunscreen. I have very fair skin, and I burn easily. In retrospect, it was an idiotic thing to do. At the time, I didn't realize what I was walking into.

Yesterday we went looking for granite. The kitchen remodel is still on; it's just taken this long to hire a contractor. First we looked for tile. Then we went out to the granite yard. Unfortunately, it was 11:30 AM on a pretty warm day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

I figured that I'd be safe for 20 minutes. But, there was no shade anywhere. And I suppose the reflective surfaces of the granite didn't help any. After the decision had been made and we were headed back for the car, I looked down at my shoulders, and they didn't look pink. I thought I was okay.

When I got home and looked in the mirror I found the tell-tale red on my shoulders and neck. That was when I realized that I really should have known. Okay, so I'm an idiot.

Not really. If I'm going to Disneyland, the county fair, or anyplace where I'm going to be outside, I wear sunscreen. I bring it along so that I can reapply. Really, I do. But for 20 minutes?

If you're looking for me for the next week or so, I'll be in the shade.

On Hold

The contractor that was hired for the kitchen remodel? The contract has been cancelled. That's not to say that the remodel won't happen. But at the moment we're exploring other options...

"What Are You Going to Do for Your Summer Vacation?"

It's a common question at this time of year. And now I have an answer...I get to watch as the kitchen is remodeled. Oh yeah.

The kitchen is a mess. It's small (80 square feet), but it has dark cabinets, fluorescent lighting, and yellow tile counter tops. It needs an update. So, while I'm happy that the kitchen won't look like something out of the '80's anymore, I'm not looking forward to the process. Well, at least I have somewhere to gripe about it (sorry!).

We hired the contractor today. The process won't start for a couple weeks, so I have plenty of time to finish off the school year. Plenty of time to dread what is to come. Wish me luck!