My kitchen cabinets are in!

I am so in love with them. I definitely made the right choice by going with the simple Shaker design in white. It makes the room look very airy. I cannot wait to get the countertops and backsplash in in the next couple of weeks.

I feel sorry for my install guys. They told me it would take 3-4 hours. They arrived at 11am and didn't leave until almost 7pm. Since my house is old, there wasn't a plumb, straight level line anywhere. They had to shim everything, plus accommodate an HVAC vent, and they were also kind enough to install the Rev A Shelf for me. It's kind of sad how thrilled I am to have in cabinet trash and recycling bins. The total kit including the door mounting kit cost about $100, easily the cost of an attractive Simple Human trashcan, so well worth it. Plus, now with the cabinets installed I realized I have no floor space for a trashcan anyway, so it really worked out.

Progress

I love, love, big pink puffy heart love my contractors. These people are amazing. They show up on time, get right to work and bust their butts all day long. Here are a few photos of the current progress.

When I went to work in the morning, my kitchen looked like this.


When I came home at lunch, it looked like this.


And this.


Eeek!

To expand the footprint of the kitchen, a doorway into the den is being moved to the right, along with the electrical and air vent that was located in that wall. Anyone else hear a cash register chime, or is it just me? But, I now have a new wall and a door!


My Hoss monster approves the new space.

A few before pics

Here are some before pics of the house taken right after I purchased it in May 2010. Please excuse the super crappy pics, I took them with a Blackberry. I don't have a fancy camera. If anyone like www.Canon.com or www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Home.htm would like to gift me a lovely SLR or hell, even a decent point and shoot I'll be happy to upgrade the quality of my photos. :)

Front of the house. It's a 1959 Ranch with "good bones", or so "they" say.



Back of the house. That big yard is a huge pain in the ass to mow. Luckily I have a neighborhood...shall we say, "nose candy enthusiast", who mows it for me for only $25. You couldn't pay me $25 to mow my own yard.



My beautiful kitchen. Please take a moment to notice the lovely homemade plywood cabinets, complete with brass hardware and water damage. Not visible in this photograph is the illegal wiring and plumbing for the dishwasher that was added by a previous owner. It's a miracle the house hasn't caught fire or flooded. This is where the overwhelming majority of the renovations dollars are being spent at the moment. This space is getting new flooring, cabinets, countertops, appliances, paint,lighting, backsplash, and electrical work. Lots and lots of electrical work. It sucks spending money on something that's not "pretty" like wiring, but it's a necessity.



This is the living room. Another big transformation is taking place here, thanks to getting rid of those hideous window treatments, adding a ceiling fan/light combo since there's currently no lighting at all, new flooring, and hopefully some new furniture too.



This is the dining area, between the living room and kitchen. Sorry for the super bad lighting. This area is getting new paint, lighting fixture, window treatment, and flooring.



There are more pics but this is where the bulk of the reno will be taking place for now.

First post

At the urging of a friend or two (peer pressure is *such* a bitch) I decided to keep a log of my home renovation experience. This blog was initially meant to be my cooking blog, but you can see how well that went (wah wah).

Anyway, I decided I should make a to do list of items that need to be completed. Before photos of the house will follow shortly. I will also try to list the resources I used in case you see something you like.

-Complete kitchen remodel, including new cabinets, countertops, under cabinet lighting, backsplash, sink, faucet, disposal, and flooring.
-Electrical work including updating outlets, installation of a lighting fixture in the living room, an exterior flood light on the back deck, a light/vent combo in the main bath plus moving the location of the light switch, addition of an outlet in the half bath (no outlet there at all)
-Updating all lighting fixtures in the house
-Painting virtually every room in the house
-New flooring throughout
-Complete remodel of main bath, including installation of wainscoting, new vanity, toilet, bathtub, and tile. Borrow space from an oversized adjacent closet to make a larger bath/shower enclosure.
-Complete remodel of half bath, including new tile, possible wainscoting, vanity and toilet.
-Remodel the laundry room including installation of a tankless water heater, purchase stackable front loading washer/dryer, paint, new floor, and install shelves for storage
-Landscape the front yard and install some lighting
-New windows

I am going to be poor for a long, long time.