Kitchen Remodel - pray for me!

[ny biker]

I took a bazillion photos to show the work that was done every day. Of course I haven't uploaded them all yet. I'll try to work on that soon.

But I will say, for all the hassle, it was so worth it.

[malkin]

I'm buried in it now.

One tiny scratch in the surface dreck revealed a complete disaster, complete with burned and rotten flooring and mysterious/hazardous wiring. Not sure when we're going to even move in, let alone have a finished kitchen. At least we still can watch the TdF at the old place.



I wonder: does remodeling have its own patron saint or do we go straight to St. Jude?

[Dogmama]

I wonder: does remodeling have its own patron saint or do we go straight to St. Jude?

I'm thinking straight to the Virgin Mary. She's a woman - she'll understand.

[Dogmama]

Eleven cabinets, one corner turntable thingie (love it!!), a bunch of drawers, a cabinet that has sliding shelves - in 1.5 days!!! That's demo of the old stuff including countertops & installation of cabinets!! Now - where to put everything??

Waiting for final measuring of countertops so they can install corian. No water because corian will include the sink. Then installation of new stove & microwave and repair of tile. So, still doing dishes in bathroom sink & no microwave but at least the stove is hooked up & we put old shelving over the new cabinets to make a temporary counter.

I used a local company known for its upscale work. Heard too many horror stories about Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. I wanted to be able to grab the owner by the throat if necessary. These people aren't cheap and I had to wait 1 month for the cabinets to be made, but so far, so good.

[Crankin]

We did a major kitchen remodel after moving into this house and it went exactly as planned. They said 6 wks. and it took 5. We set up a microwave and burner on the table (we have a separate eating area) and put the fridge in the dining room. Bought lots of paper plates and prepared foods from the grocery store. I did have to wash things in the bathtub, upstairs, but right when we got sick of it, it was over. I am a super neat freak, too, but there was not much you could do about the dust. Our family room and bedroom are on a different level, so that helped. Not all construction is a nightmare. The same people did a gut job and remodel of our master bath and there was only one glitch, not their fault when the guy who they hired to do some work on the hard wood floor didn't come when he was supposed to. However, DH was able to be at home for most of the work and he really knows about this stuff. Me, I looked at the plans and said fine to something in the bathroom, and I ended up not liking it. I don't have the patience to deal with the details or planning of this stuff. I like nice things, but I know nothing about house stuff, to the point that after 31 years, this is the first time I participated in any buying, remodeling decisions, except for furniture. I mean, i made the decision about which house to buy for all of the moves, but not the carpets, floor, window treatments, landscaping. I find this stuff to be boring; maybe I didn't get the female gene here?

[Dogmama]

but I know nothing about house stuff, to the point that after 31 years, this is the first time I participated in any buying, remodeling decisions, except for furniture. I mean, i made the decision about which house to buy for all of the moves, but not the carpets, floor, window treatments, landscaping. I find this stuff to be boring; maybe I didn't get the female gene here?

I'm with you here. I have zero taste. Wish I knew about colors, etc., but I just don't. DH is the decorator. He has exquisite taste. I'll think that something is really hideous, but when it's in, painted, installed, etc., it's gorgeous. For example, our tile is shades of beige and our walls are light peach. When I walked in after they painted it, I almost threw up. But after everything was moved in, it's really nice & peaceful. (A MAN picking out pale peach?)

[ny biker]

When you live alone, you have no choice, you have to make all the decisions, do all the legwork, etc. My brother gave me a good tip about getting magazines at Home Depot that show kitchens and baths. That gave me some good ideas. Then I used google images to see more examples of rooms in the style I liked. Plus I watch lots of HGTV, particularly shows like Designed to Sell and Get it Sold that stick to low budgets and avoid designs with themes.

I had at least 3 marathon sessions at Lowe's to pick out cabinets and then look for other stuff like tile, grout, hardware, lighting. Also spent hours at a specialty lighting store, and drove all over northern Virginia looking for a cool white 3x6 tile that didn't cost 5x more than the warm white stock tiles at Home Depot and Lowes.

I had help along the way from some people who worked in the stores I went to. Most friends and family reacted to my decisions by questioning them (don't you want a different shade of blue? why don't you want tile on the floor?).

When I finally save up enought to gut the bathroom, I expect it to be much easier. Kitchens are just more complex, because of all the cabinets.