Kitchen Journal
2010
I'm having fun going through all my pictures to put together a timeline of our kitchen renovation. We have lived in our house for 7 years now and started this project in 2010 and finally we will have a kitchen soon.
Ken and I are both in the food & beverage industry so days off sometimes are non existent and when you are off you can barely function because you just worked 5 12-14 hour days. We are both crazy energetic and love our careers plus adore restoring our home. This is why we are in the 3rd year of this process, not allot of time. We only hired out the plumbing and have done all the work ourselves.
I had grown up with helping my Dad, who was a Master carpenter and my Mom who was obsessed with DIY projects non stop. The two of them built the house I grew up in with only the help of my Grandfather who did all the plastering, old school no sheet rock back then!
Ken on the other hand has never in his life done anything like this. He is self taught I guess by trial and error and he defiantly has talent. Even my picky Mom was impressed.
I get a kick out of the picture above. Ken is sitting, looks like he is fiddling with something electrical, where we tore down the wall between the old kitchen and the dining room. I especially love that he has his head lamp on, nerd, and the coffee maker is sitting on a chainsaw box. We had to cut down a tree in our front yard that lighting struck, another skill we learned along with one more tool added to the growing collection.
Also if you notice the doorway that leads to the staircase we closed that up to make more wall space. At this stage had decided on a galley style white kitchen with a vintage cottage modern feel.
2010
Scary
This is the original ghetto kitchen. We had just installed the new insulated door that we love. All the windows and doors would steam up when you did any type of cooking. We have replaced all the windows in the house except for 3!
The sink will be moved to the other side and bigger windows installed making a new home for a L shaped window seat eating area. I purchased the white chimney cabinet years ago in Philadelphia which we have restored and made into our pantry, pictures later.
2010
Don't you love that we just kept the protective covering on the refrigerator for 2 years. Everyone thought we bought a blue one, hahaha!
I had decided to keep this renovation on a strict budget. I bought the appliances not when we where ready but when they where on sale. We would just move the boxes to different spots around the house so we could work, cray cray!
We had gutted the kitchen down to the studs and replaced the wiring and insulation. We where now getting ready to attempt to install a smaller window in place of a larger and it was freezing outside. Somehow we did it! The staircase doorway has been sealed and the walls are ready for sheet rock. Hey see our TV trays, we had dinner on those for 3 years!!!! Oliver is always with Ken, so cute. Hey does anyone want a chandelier?
New project! Ken, please build us a porch.
2011
Poor Ken, because I had the bright idea to buy the entire kitchen on sale even if we where not ready, big problem..... storage. First the cabinets where in and had to be delivered. In the living room we had sheet rock, tools, dishwasher etc. ugh.
Now he has to figure out how to build a screened in porch to solve the storage problem and have some extra space.
We both took a week off from work thinking this will be so easy, shoot the house already has a deck so we'll just tear off the railings and use the deck part for the floor, build a roof, add walls and screens.
We then said, hey might as well get 3 ton of rock delivered and make a patio area. I found out fast that wheel barreling rock is a back breaking job and building a porch takes longer than a week. But we did it!
All the aches, pain and misery was well worth it. We enjoy our porch and patio everyday.
back to kitchen:
2012
Moving along, we decided to do half of the kitchen at a time so we would have space to move around and work. The sheet rock is going up and we are getting ready to mud, yuck..... that means sanding which leads to massive amounts of dust everywhere!!!!
Wow, windows in & tape/mud on. We have taken some of the cabinets out to see how it is all going to work. Few minor problems but we have a plan. We have been cooking on the stove where ever we move it, it's all good.
Ken thinks I can't see him!
Don't you love these tall cabinets
Yes, walls are getting painted and the layout is working. I bought the cabinets on sale at Home Depot, Martha Stewart Collection. We chose to go with simple and white. Next the counter tops will be installed soon. We are feeling it! The ceiling we are going to put up white wainscoting and beams, a cottage feel.
A beautiful thing. Silestone counter tops from Home Depot. Looks like marble but a fraction of the cost. I really really love them. You can't tell but we have sanded the floors. Which we have decided to paint white much cheaper than new bamboo flooring and I think it will look grand! Running water soon, just waiting for the plumber.
Phase 2
Same as the other side, ripped everything out to the studs, new wiring and insulation. We also put new larger windows in. This will be where the window seat is. The view is so
pretty!
Found this adorable kitchen table at West Elm, got it for a steal!
Ken will flip if he finds out I posted this but how cute is he with Oliver. We are enjoying Christmas breakfast relaxing at our table in our kitchen. This is a first!! And yes we wear matching Christmas PJ's, total nerds!!!!
2013
I can picture the window seat. I have a feeling this will be my favorite spot in the house. Oliver will go nuts squirrel watching. I am starting my search for the perfect fabric to have the cushions made. I think a trip to Calico Corner is approaching.
More dust and hard work we conquered the walls, trim is up and sanded the floor. Ken is applying the first coast of paint. This paint rocks. We highly recomend it. I read about it on a DIY blog. You can find it online.
The last picture is our super tiny powder room. During the kitchen renovation we had to gut it. It turned out amazing. This is another story, kind of a horror story which I will tell later along with pictures.
Here is our current To Do list:
finish painting and sealing the floor
finish the door trim and paint
wainscoting on ceiling with beams
tile sink and stove walls, white subway tile
install ceiling lights, check out www.schoolhouseelectric.com
window seat and cushions
FINITO!
Next weekend we are going to start the window seat. Will update soon!
XOXO,
Cher
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