Kitchen Confident Y'all

So you know how I thought we had two weeks until install? Well having been through many-a-construction projects with quoted timelines that are way optimistic, I thought, eh, we've probably got two and a half, maybe three weeks. Wrong. We got a call from the cabinet maker on Monday (one week into construction), telling us he could install as early as Tuesday (yesterday). So that joke I made about breathing into a paper bag last week wasn't too far from the truth.

While we didn't have to install this week, we figured, having a kitchen is better than not having one, right? So the plan of me miraculously learning how to tape, mud and skim coat drywall quickly flew out the window and we had our handy man come in and do it.

Mark and I then rallied until late last night to prime and paint the areas around the cabinets that will be visible.

Surprise! Mark shaved his head!

this totally brings back memories...

All of this was done because the cabinets are being installed today!!! I waited at home for them to arrive this morning so that I could see them in their uninstalled, unfinished state.

The cabinet above that looks like a speaker box is actually going to house our wine fridge

these are the uppers you don't need rehab for using, but please don't abuse them

I can't wait to see what awaits me when I come home tonight!!!

If these walls could talk

...they'd say "We're walls!"

That's because up until two days ago, they were just frames. The drywall went up on Tuesday. We still have to tape, mud, skim, and paint them, but it's progress, and progress is good.

All of the electrical is ready to go. You can see on the first photo, the blue circle on the ceiling is where one of the pendant lights will go.

The hood will be just to the right of it, and on the other side there is wiring for another pendant light. I'm still drawn to these ones, but we may have to hold off to keep our budget in check.

In the second photo, on the right wall, the wires poking out are set up for under cabinet lighting. At this point we're not installing anything, but this way, if down the line we want to add another level of lighting, the wiring is ready to go.

So there's plenty to do, and with the cabinet construction having begun on Monday, we are at t minus eleven or so days until they're ready to be installed. That's nota-lota days. Pardon me while I go breathe in a paper bag... -Actually we're totally up for the challenge to get the room ready to go. It will all be worth it when I'm makin' Mark some bacon on a gas stove and admiring the lovely custom utensil drawer. -Oh and don't get me started on the pantry!

Soffit to me

Mark and I checked a few more kitchen-prep items off our list this weekend! It feels so good to know we're getting closer and closer to the finished product.

First, we had someone come and build out a couple of soffits. In case you're unfamiliar with what a soffit is, here is the wikipedia definition (see bullet #4). In our formerly known as the kitchen, kitchen, the cabinets over the refrigerator only came out 15", however our refrigerator is 30"+ deep. That makes for lots of climbing on cabinets and step ladders to reach paper towels. The new soffit will span the depth of the refrigerator to accommodate deeper cabinets.

framework for the soffit

finished soffit

The other soffit was just a 1" addition to the existing soffit to allow for nice crown molding at the top of our cabinets.

In other adventures, there was some stucco patching, flashing (not the arrestable offense kind, the waterproofing your house kind), granite scouting, and stain sampling.

We made a trip to a local stone yard where we took a few samples of slabs we like. Currently, pistachio is a front runner for us, with desert sand as a close (cheaper) second.

at the stone yard...

pistachio, our front runner

Lastly, we paid a visit to Jimmy, our cabinet maker to check out some stain samples. Both Mark and I are in love with the distressed look, but it is a little cost prohibitive (cabinet #1). We will most likely be going with a chocolatey walnut look (cabinets #2 + #3, but in the shaker style of #1).

It was super cool to see our plans all laid out.

our future kitchen

Oh! And my niece, Dahlia, just turned 3 months... Are those not the most pinchable cheeks you've ever seen?!

Blank Canvas or Pup Playroom?

The demo is complete! Our kitchen is an empty shell, and boy does it look good!
-The dogs think so at least.


They have taken it upon themselves to scatter all of their toys across what is now their playroom. Griffin is loving it because he's not getting crated during the day -there's really nothing for him to destroy.

Yesterday our cabinet guy Jimmy came by to take final measurements and our trusty demo-er/electrician/plumber/friend Yaya laid out plans for electrical/plumbing.

We've ordered the hood and sink too! Now it's just a matter of figuring out the granite for the counters. We want it to be on the lighter side since our cabinets will be a chocolate brown. I like this, this, this and this too! We're open to suggestions!

Honey, I think we need a new kitchen.

word.

Good Riddance Kitchen...

Mark and I spent the greater part of this weekend prepping for the demolition that will ensue on Tuesday. That's right, friends, our kitchen goes bye-bye come this Tuesday.

I focused on clearing out and packing the kitchen, while Mark worked on clearing out the garage to make room for our temporary kitchen/kitchen storage.

Sometimes you don't realize how much cookware you have until you have to pack it all up. I packed up six, yes that's right SIX pyrex dishes. Granted, a few are different sizes, but lemme tell you, if you're having a lasagna & kugel potluck, I'm your gal. Really.

We also took the opportunity to get organized in the garage and get some racks and shelves to store our tools.

Come Tuesday, Lola and Griffin are headed to Doggie Day Care and our kitchen is getting done-torn-up like nobody's business. The cabinets - gone. Floors- say goodbye. And that hood! -serious tears of joy with that farewell...

We have gotten a great deal on custom cabinetry and will be going with a shaker style cabinet in a chocolate brown stain. We decided to go a little bit lighter than the original espresso, because we don't want the space to feel small.

Stay tuned for more photos of the demo and kitchen in progress!

What-the-what?!

I'm baaaack! I think. Who knows for how long. It's been months. ages. eons. I'm still alive and kickin! In case anyone is wondering, or still reading for that matter, the main reason for my hiatus is I took on a new role at work which is more challenging than what I was doing before. I spend all day in front of my computer and the last thing I want to do is go home and be on my computer again. I love my new job though, and hopefully as I get more settled, the gaps between posts will be smaller and smaller.

Let's see. In the time I've been gone,

we got grass!

Lola got a brother! -Meet Griffin.

Griffin graduated puppy school!

...and Dahlia Jane, my adorable niece turned two months old.

So much more has happened. We grated the back yard (de-weeded and leveled), got a ping pong table, and have been getting closer and closer to starting the kitchen.

We've been out of town most weekends for weddings, camping, etc, but we'll be here this weekend, and hopefully make time to replant some hydrangeas and clear out the garage so we can relocate the kitchen in there. Stay tuned!