Did I mention how much I love ladders?
Scraping wallpaper off is so much fun, but that is where I began. (Later, after we found out that we had to get down to the studs, it was clear that all my time taking wallpaper off was a HUGE waste of time).
As of May 8, it's only been about five days since we moved the refrigerator across the room, but it's still weird. The traffic pattern of the kitchen is now completely changed. It's going to be so much nicer than ever before.
Mike took off the cupboard doors, and we packed up the contents (what we can live without) in boxes. Oh, and there is a brand new coffee maker in this picture. The old one could not wait for the new kitchen before it pooped out.
Another view of that great wall behind the stove.
There will be cabinets on this wall, and the stove will move to the wall by the window. The refrigerator will go back near the door. We had to take the bead board paneling off and underneath it looks pretty ancient.
There is only a brief glimpse of the sink in this picture. The new one was on the porch today (May 8). We ordered a new one bowl sink that will be much like our old one. The pantry will stay, too.
All Mike wanted was a new floor. And now he's getting more than he bargained for.
Kevin helps his dad with demolition.
It is Friday, May 16, and I took my personal day. We started by removing the crown molding. Notice that there are still walls.
Luke came over Friday morning to unhook all the plumbing. He took the garbage disposal off, the faucets, and removed the sink.
While the guys were working, I took the rest of the beadboard paneling off. We're going to put new back up, I think.
I didn't realize on Friday just how much I'd be missing the kitchen sink.
Luke also took out all the fixtures in the half bath. As of Sunday, the washer and dryer are still hooked up, but not for long.
Saturday morning, we took out the dishwasher and the rest of the counter and cabinets.
This is the wall where the pocket door will be. Also, there will be a really beautiful cabinet here one of these days.
This west wall was the ugliest of all for a couple of reasons. I think there may need to be some 2 x 4's replaced.
We found blown in insulation all along this wall. Not fun to remove. We sucked some out with the shop vac, but even our huge monster vac could only take so much in. You should have seen the filter.
This is some really old insulation. Apparently it's wool, but probably not real wool. don't know what. I'll have to research.
This picture is to remind me of the home renovation idiots who lived in our house before we did. They enlarged the doorway to the dining room, which was good, but they couldn't do much else right. This patch job is horrible, and I can't get it off the wall until we take the moldings off.
We are starting to demo the walls in the bath on Sunday.
This is a small hole to the kitchen. We didn't get too far. We just pooped out on Sunday.
The view as of May 21 of the west wall.
A clear view into the laundry/bath.
The north wall.
The east wall.
Studly, eh?
We've got three appliances in the middle of the kitchen: the stove, the dishwasher and the dryer.
This dumpster was a 12 yard-er, and we filled it up.
The framing for the new pocket door is finished.
Some of Steve's (the electrician) work. We'll have a switch for all the undercounter lights and another for the upper lights. We're going to have a switch for the disposal that is NOT under the sink.
Steve (the carpenter) put the new window in today (May 28). It looks great.
Another look at the framing for the door.
Mike wielded an air stapler and put up all the furring strips.
A new header and furring strips above the door to the dining room.
Drywall up; starting to look like a room again.
We have a new bathroom ceiling, too. Even Ella (who is three) noticed the cracks in the old one.
Drywall, pre-mudding.
The walls after they sprayed heavy primer.
I begin painting. This was an exciting day.
The kitchen color is Morning Breeze.
The bath/laundry color is Clear Yellow.
June 23, a Monday, was one exciting day around here, although I was pretty stressed out. It's the day the cabinets started going in. But right away at 7 a.m., Steve the electrician came and put outlets and switches in. A plumber was here, too, to get the pipes out for the sink cabinet.
Weiser's had a laser level. It was cool, but I was afraid it would flash in my eyes and give me a migraine.
Lots of packages in the driveway.
It took them most of the day on Monday to get most of the cabinets in. They worked for most of the day on Tuesday, too. They had to take a bunch of doors to the shop to "dry out" in the air conditioning. They were swollen and didn't fit.
This is the west wall. Steve put the microwave in today and most of the cabinet lights. They are amazing.
This is the "bar." It is going to look like a buffet/hutch combo. The upper cabinet has beadboard paneling in the back. There will be glass shelves, glass doors (with mullions) and in cabinet lights. It is going to be spectacular!!
This is the north wall, where the refrigerator now has its own little house. I'm going to like not having the stove and the fridge side by side.
No more appliances in the dining room. Yippee!
This picture shows the valance over the window and the new counter top. I should have taken that old ratty towel out of the picture. No plumbing yet.
This pictures shows the latches on the cabinets. They're very retro (19th century retro). We like them.
The floor is not as red as this looks and not as dark either.
We love this cabinet/hutch combo. It's beautiful, especially in the evening with the lights on.
Even the little hallway looks so much cleaner and neater with the wallpaper gone and the beadboard painted white.
