kitchen re-do done

After the counter top was installed, the only thing left was the wall/backsplash tile.

I looked at lots of tile and tile designs for the wall, little pieces and big pieces, different layouts like diamonds and even tile quilt squares, I pinned pictures on Pinterest. In the end I decided I didn’t want the little wall space between the cabinets and the counter top to be the focal point, but the beautiful hickory cabinets instead. I wanted the wall space to fade into the background. So when we found these 18" square tiles which fit perfectly into the 18" space, it was a no-brainer. Although Buddy would have agreed with anything I picked out, he was visibly relieved to not have to cut and lay out many small tiles.

Like so many things, it reminds me of making a quilt, sometimes you just want big square pieces with simple lines, it goes together fast and looks great.

Having never done this before did not slow Buddy down of course, he did some research, watched some YouTube videos, and voila!

Just like a jigsaw puzzle, the last piece is in (the one we were looking for), whew!

Merry Christmas to us!

one step closer

counter tops in, check

one step closer to the end of this project!

something old, something new

I got this quilt in 2010 from one of my neighbors. I wonder what the pattern is? I believe it is in the log cabin family because of the red center to each square (representing hearth and home). I really liked the colors and fabrics, but it has been tucked away since then.

All the new and shiny stuff in the kitchen is great but it needed just a little soft touch… like curtains, towels, how about a quilt?

I tried a couple of quilts before uncovering this one in the tote in the basement. I hung it up with pushpins first to see how it looked and fell in love with the look! I then followed the directions on how to hang a quilt HERE.

In the first picture above, notice on the bottom row, the right side of the quilt is about 4" longer than the left, the blocks look like they have been cut off at an angle, which makes me wonder about the history of this quilt, maybe it was damaged along that edge and someone cut it off and hemmed it up? At first I hung it up like it was, but that crooked bottom got to me and I just had to straighten it up. The leftover squares make great pot-holders!

So some color has been added to the browns and blacks of my new kitchen, an old quilt, new towels and rugs - I feel like a bride - something old, something new, something blue...

transformation

Monday - day 18 of kitchen re-do:  

Refrigerator and stove moved in, up and running!

The weekend project was floor tile. 

The blue lines were chalked and the two hired hands went to work.

It is kind of convenient to have the fridge in the dining room, 

but much better to have it back in its cubbyhole in the kitchen.

No excuses now, time to fill up those cabinets and fridge with food for Thanksgiving dinner, time to try out the new stove and all that extra counter space. 

Entire kitchen remodel in 18 days, awesome job by the in-house carpenter, and he even went to his real job some of those days! I guess if you want a job done right, hire the right craftsman, let him work all hours, but you might have to feed him and let him sleep over too, just sayin'.

p.s. yes still waiting on the quartz counter top, but the custom wood counters are great in the meantime!

11 days

Day 11 of kitchen re-do! Ceiling grid and tile done, lights installed. 

Walls prepped, window trimmed out, temporary plywood counter-tops, stove found!

I am a list person, I like to make lists, I like to check stuff off lists... so here is the schedule, to-do list. The counter-top folks are coming today to measure but we were warned: It will be 20-25 days before installation. So no counter-tops or wall tile before Thanksgiving, but no worries, nice new temp plywood counter-tops (mmm much cheaper, maybe we should keep those?).  

this week

Day 7 of kitchen re-do, all cabinets set, dishwasher and hot water heater in place, new electric outlets installed. This time last week we hadn't even decided to remodel...

He really has turned into Papaw Tidwell  ~ Melissa

What's the rush, does he realize Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away? ~Carrie

He works all day and then comes home and works on the kitchen all night, 

he is 60 years old! He needs to slow down! ~Daniel

So Susan got her way? ~Kyle

If the 3 amigos can install cabinets (Heidi, Lisa, & Sue), 

then I’m sure you guys won’t have any troubles. ~Heidi

If you need any help, just call me and I will pass it on… to Heidi ~Sue

just a squeak

Well it started out as a squeaking kitchen floor…

After tearing up the old vinyl and pulling out all the offending nails, replacing with screws, the squeak was fixed, so then we had to look for new flooring. Found some at Dalton that looks like stone tile, it is on order.

In the meantime, Buddy was walking through Home Depot and spotted some kitchen cabinets that we have been admiring for a few years, marked way down, so….

I am usually against any major purchases, just a cheapskate frugal at heart, but the price was very good. 

But, you know what this means, right?

If we get new cabinets that means new countertops

And maybe a new stove

And new wall covering

And redo the ceiling

And maybe curtains… whew!

Melissa described it best, it is like that book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff:

If you give a mouse a cookie

He is going to ask for a glass of milk

When you give him the milk

He'll probably ask you for a straw…

(and on and on)

or our version - if you give a man a hammer...

With lots of folks coming for Thanksgiving, Buddy promised to wait until after then to get started. But he couldn't wait…

The kitchen is now down to bare bones, exposed studs, sub-floor, ceiling joists, ready to start from scratch. We even found evidence of our 1970s wallpaper above the dropped ceiling.

Marriage is made up of compromises, give and take, so if he wants to give me a new kitchen, I guess I can accept that.

As for Thanksgiving, will it be done? If not, maybe we can go next door to Melissa's or have it at Carrie's new house? J