We have our kitchen back!

The counter top guys came on Friday to install all of our counter tops. We were so excited to finally have some counter space back to be able to work in our kitchen.

They put the counter tops on with shims underneath to make sure things were level and to apply the sealant to seal them to counters underneath. 

Then they laid the counter tops down, and sealed them with what smelled like an acetone sealer. They put the back-splash up and that was that! 

The variations in the granite is really cool, with blacks, golds, greens, mauve and creams. We love how it looks with the cabinets and the floors. Now all we need is to pick a paint color! We are leaning towards a light gray-green that really comes out in the granite but we'll have to see what paint samples look good. 

The cabinet guys were back on Saturday to put in the toe kicks and hardware. They also hooked up our dishwasher and sink. We did run into some challenges with the garbage disposal and our sink. The sink piece was too thick for the attachment for the garbage disposal, so we needed to order and extender. They are back today, and hopefully that will get all hooked up and then we will be "done" with the big stuff. 

Here are some additional close ups of different parts of the granite to show all the variations in the pattern and color. We are so happy with how things turned out and are really excited to get our kitchen back together.

We spend yesterday putting things away and just organizing. It is amazing how much more space we have. I can't wait to cook a big meal in here! We were talking about doing some jambalaya as our first meal in our new kitchen. That and brewing some beer :)

D&L

Cabinets In!

The installers were back this week to finish installing the cabinets as well as build a base for our apron sink. It took the whole day to get the cabinets in and put the backing on our peninsula into the family room, but its all really coming together. 

We had gotten used to the kitchen being completely open, so having cabinets face out in to the family room is going to take some getting use to. We're still adjusting to the layout but are really happy with it. Notice the Powers Whiskey bottle on the counter? It's a birthday present for Dan :)

After the cabinets were installed, the granite company came out to make the final measurements and template for the counter-tops. We have to make a decision about how we want the edges to look, but then we are good to go with them cutting up the slab. 

Building the supports for the sink took awhile, but it fits well with the cabinets and we have enough space in the back for our faucet, which is definitely a good thing! 

All we have left is to have the counter-tops installed, have the cabinet guys come back to install the faucet, hook up the garbage disposal, dishwasher and sink, as well as put on the cabinet hardware and toe kicks. 

We have a painting party on the horizon and then the kitchen project will be done! Next up: redoing the wet bar :)

D&L

Cabinets and Granite

We took a small break from our project and went on vacation in the Caribbean for a week. It was a welcome break from both the project and the winter weather, but since we've been back, we have been busy.

Last Monday, all the cabinets got delivered. The dining room was filled with boxes of cabinets and parts. 

The following week, the contractor came and installed about half of the cabinets. Its finally starting to look like a kitchen again! 

We love how the color of the cabinets looks with the hardwood. There were some extra pieces that we had to order, but all in all, the first part of the installation went pretty well. 

The same day the cabinets were getting installed, the carpenter was there working on raising the windows in the kitchen. He did all the prep work that day, and came back later in the week to install the new windows. The windows look great and he was able to use some of the old casing, so they look like they have always been that way! He also helped us put in the vent for the microwave, so now with those two things done, the rest of the cabinets can be installed. 

Over the weekend, Dan's mom came to visit, and her and Karen came with us to go granite shopping. After visiting a show room, we went out to a warehouse that had tons and tons of granite, marble, onyx options for counter tops. Dan and I had already narrowed down the color scheme we were looking for, and after ranking a number of choices, we narrowed it down to the one in the picture below. 

The larger slab had more of a variation in pattern and color, with some greens and reddish hues throughout. It's a little bolder in pattern than we thought we would go with, but we absolutely love it. Once the cabinets are all installed, the granite company will come out and make some measurements, and then we'll be able to get that installed.

The light at the end of the tunnel for this project is getting bigger and bigger. We are both excited to have a working sink and being able to put our dishes and pantry items away so we know where they are. 

We have been using our little wet-bar sink to wash all our dishes, which has been fun. Our pantry is in boxes on the floor in our living room, which has provided challenges in finding things.

Here's hoping the rest of the cabinet installation goes well!

D&L

Hardwood...Check

This week, it was all about the hardwood. We spent each night after work laying a few more rows of hardwood to ensure that we would be able to get it all done by the end of the three-day weekend. Steve was kind enough to come over a few evenings to help us out. 

We rigged up a spot light for the chop saw on the back patio so we could continue to cut boards well after sundown. Thanks parents for the portable work lights :) Another Christmas present put to good use! 

Dan and I spent Friday night getting things organized and cleaned up. We opened our remaining boxes of hardwood to get all the nice long pieces out to use in the floor. 

Then we laid a few more rows so we could move the refrigerator and the dishwasher back in their spots and get them out of the way for the rest of flooring. 

We also left a note and picture for the future owners to find whenever they make the poor decision to tear up the flooring.  Then we stuck it under the under-layment and laid a few more rows. 

 Karen and Steve came over on Saturday morning and we got right to work. Or rather, the guys got right to work. Karen and I picked out the boards for the rows and supervised. We also ran and got more stair nose to use on the steps later on. 

The guys worked until about dinner time, and then we let Steve go home and spend Valentines evening with Karen. Dan and I laid a few more rows before calling it a night, ordering some sushi and curling up in front of the fire. 

 Sunday morning, Steve was back over and the guys finished the last couple of rows to complete our kitchen. The way to this girls heart is finishing the floor in her kitchen, so Dan did exactly that :) We absolutely love how it has turned out. It completely changed the look and feel of the room and we could not be happier.  

We have not been able to stop staring at it. We took Steve and Karen out to dinner as a small way of thanking them for all their help. I know we have said this before but we honestly, could not have done this without them. 

All in all, it was a very productive weekend. Now we are ready for the cabinets to be delivered in a few weeks and get the rest of our kitchen back! 

The light at the end of the tunnel is near. We keep joking that we don't know what we are going to do with all our free time once this is done. I'm sure we'll come up with other projects...

D&L

Crunch Time

Things are trucking along here in demo world! Last weekend, we sat down and finalized all the plans for the kitchen cabinets. The order is in and they should arrive in the beginning of March. So, we have been busy trying to get everything else done before then!

Steve stopped by last weekend to help Dan take down the railing that was at the edge of the kitchen leading into the family room.   

They also installed the stair nose for the hardwood so we could get started with laying the hardwood in the kitchen. It was surprising how big of a difference that made having that down.

This weekend, my parents came down to help us take down the remaining cabinets, patch up some drywall and remove the sink, so we could run hardwood under where the new cabinets will be. 

We had removed the tile back splash a few months ago, and were planning on replacing the drywall just where the back splash used to be. Once the cabinets were removed, we realized that it would probably be easier to remove all of the drywall and replace the full sheets. More demo! 

Then, the guys got to work on putting up new drywall and patching the seams. And that was our Saturday night :)

Sunday morning, we moved our thermostat from the kitchen into the dining room and upgraded to a programmable one. Then the guys got to work on laying the hardwood in the transition from our new dining room to our kitchen. 

The first row was the most important and difficult because they had to be cut thin to align the boards that came through the transition. They got a couple of rows in before my parents headed home. Hopefully, this week, Dan and I will be able to finish enough rows to fit under the fridge. Luckily, we have a three day weekend coming up, and will be able to finish the hardwood in the kitchen (fingers crossed!). 

Happy Sunday!

D&L

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Happy New Year! We hope that everyone had a great holiday! While it may not seem like it, we have been busy. Once we finished the hardwood in the first room, we had some things in the remaining construction zone that we had to address before moving forward. First, we had to get rid of that  light switch that was hanging in the middle of the room and had some recessed lighting installed. 

To everyone that got us a Home Depot giftcard for Christmas, we wanted to say thank you for our recessed lighting! We also took advantage of the holiday deals and bought a gas stove. We are waiting to hook it up until we get a plan in place for the kitchen cabinets.

This weekend, we sat down and talked to someone about our plans for the kitchen layout. We presented our roughly sketched out measurements and designs on graph paper, and they put everything into a design program. We definitely felt like we were on an HGTV show!  

We decided to raise one of the windows, so we can run along the back wall and have an island that faces into the family room. It was definitely fun to actually see a true mock up of the plans we have had in our heads and seeing how it will really look. In the picture above, the whole right side looks really empty, however, that is where we plan to have our kitchen table and a hutch along the back wall. 

We have some things we need to finalize before we can get the cabinets, like picking out a microwave and sink. Once we do that, we'll order the cabinets, then finish laying the hardwood, raise the window, fill the seam in with some drywall and paint. Doesn't sound like too much :)

Cheers! 

D&L

First Room Done and Happy Holidays!

Sorry for the late post, but we've been busy getting ready for the holidays. Last weekend, my parents came down to help our with the hardwood. Our goal was to finish laying the hardwood in the first room, so we put them to work right away. 

My mom and I would help with the design and choosing the pieces, and then Dan and my dad would do the hard part of actually securing the wood to the floor. Luckily, this portion of the sub-floor wasn't too uneven, so they didn't encounter too many problems. 

The closer we got to the wall, we had to switch to installing everything by hand., but we still had time for a little silliness. 

When it came time to lay the last row in the room, we got lucky and did not have to rip any of the boards to fit. We were able to use the full pieces and they fit snugly against the wall. 

Once we got going, it was amazing to see how quickly we were able to lay the hardwood. We love how it turned out and completely changes the look and feel of the room. Plus we are still smiling at this point in the project, which has to be cause for celebration! 

We are going to be taking a break for the holidays, but will be back in full swing soon enough. For now, we have one room done, and one to go! We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and the best of wishes for the New Year!

 D&L