An updated walk through.Butcher block counter tops are in. The wall behind the stove still needs to be prepped before tile.I’m reusing the upper cabinets doors on a new cabinet that David will build under this side of the peninsula.He’s literally building it to the half wall for support. The small panel of wood on the floor is covering the old vent and next to that, you can see the light area on the floor where we took out a cabinet at the end of the peninsula. The hardwood will need to be filled in and patched to match the rest of the kitchen.1 long shelf will go down the middle of this cabinet, horizontally.The work area outside.He’s adding doors, then the face plate divider, one at a time…David installing doors...And taking a pic of his work.This is much needed space and I’ll put small appliances here for easy access.The upper cabinets without all the doors. I was able to give away all but one of these before trash day!The peninsula with the butcher block already oiled. I used Mineral Oil to protect and condition the butcher block wood. I’ll add another layer of oil after we get the project done.My electrician came in and installed can lights, outlets and moved my thermostat.Butcher block oiled and prepped for marble back splash.David is reinforcing the wall behind the stove to mount the hood before he hangs backer board.I laid out the tile in the order I want to use. He’ll install it in a simple brick pattern.First marble going up. So fancy!Meanwhile, the back porch is temporary storage.Marble back splash done.Marble back splash goes up 6″, then changes to ceramic tile that looks kinda like white washed brick.This is a cabinet I refinished a couple years ago. It started out very similar to what I have now, but see how great it looks after distressing, paint and glaze? Very authentic, using a simple style door. The mess is ongoing and I clean every night when they leave. I can’t wait until this is done!Ugh!I have family coming into town this week, so we took a break. I did a lot of cleaning, found new homes for my kitchen items in my new cabinets and set it up to use while I had visitors. It’s the first look at how this space will be used going forward.From the kitchen side of the peninsula.I spent some time this week looking for some doors for my pantry. I found these at Habitat for Humanity for $10! They will need a slight modification, cutting them down, but I’ll paint them and they’ll be a great focal point in the kitchen while hiding all the food and keeping the dogs out of the soup!
Here’s where we’re at this morning.This is how the kitchen started before we began this remodel. I’ve already taken the cabinet doors off and cleared the space for demo!The goal is to remove this wall and open up the kitchen to the living room.This is the tiny doorway between the rooms.See how dark the living room is compared to the kitchen? I want to make this whole space brighter and welcoming.This is the same wall that will be coming down, from the living room view.Once the plastic is up, David built temporary supporting walls so the existing wall can be replaced with a thick support beam.These old houses have lathe and plaster walls instead of drywall. It’s super dusty and hard to remove. Makes a huge mess!The plaster is gone and the original support beams and being assisted with the temporary walls until we get the new support beams in place..It’s highly recommended NOT to live in your house while you remodel, for many obvious reasons. However, I’ve done this many times and while I agree with that strategy, I still do exactly that! It’s my hobby and each time, it makes me crazy and swear off any more projects. I always come back for more.I’m nervous when the house is being torn apart and rebuilt. Especially when the support beams are compromised. This part of the project is tricky, but David has experience and now they’re lifting the new beam into place.And securing the supporting post for the new beam going across the room.Lucy, my emotional support dog through the project! “It’s ok, my human”Now that the beam is in place, the temporary walls come down, plastic goes away and I can see the whole room opened up for the first time! Love it!I’ve never used marble before, but I’m excited to mix it with a more rustic tile to make the wall behind the stove a focal point. During the project, I’m basically home bound. It’s tough to sit here all day and hear the banging, breathe the dust and have my space being invaded by contractors. The weather is hot this time of year, so I alternate between the crowded back porch at 98 degrees and the A/C inside with the construction going on. And try to be pleasant to everyone all the while.These guys work all day and don’t complain. Even as I make changes throughout the process. They’re troupers and I am grateful to have such a good team for my project!After demo, I have a big pile of debris for trash day.My regular trash guy is awesome and I give him some cash to pick up the excess. This week however, my regular guy was replaced with another crew who weren’t as accommodating. I gave them $20 to take the debris and got a 7 minute monologue about how they need more money to pick up the trash as they loaded it into the dump truck and they would only take half of the pile. What? Is this extortion? Luckily another trash truck pulled up 15 minutes later and took the rest for another $20.Must be good karma.And the dust is everywhere. The sanding took place outside and got on everything!This back porch has already seen many cycles of storage and clean up. So glad to have a covered area to put things when I need the extra space.This is where I sit during the day while the construction zone is happening inside. Not very relaxing, but temporary and you already know how much time I spend out here normally. It’s a small sacrifice.David building and installing the butcher block counter tops. In my mind, the dogs are stressed out with all the noise, men and chaos. In reality I’m being anthropomorphic and it’s me who actually feels that way, not them. Finally, things are beginning to take shape.OMG! I love how open and airy this already is, minus the dust, of course!This isn’t sexy now, but I can imagine how cool this wall will be with the stove hood mounted, the marble back splash and whitewashed brick tile above the counter. I can’t wait!Literally 10:00 PM, trying to get water in the kitchen before a 4 day break. Everyone is tired.DUST!All in all, a good week! Glad to be past the demo and support beam installation. I now have an open living space and an awesome large peninsula island with a slab of wood on top. I’m happy and looking forward to giving you an update as we get the new base cabinet installed and tile hung!
Smart Girl Ideas 