Yay! The Counter Is In.

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

We still need doors on the cabinets as well as the new faucet and garbage disposal installed, but we're getting ever closer.

This is the pattern of our new quartz countertop:

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

It's really nice. I can't wait to use it to roll out pie and cookie dough.

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

The guys had some challenges getting the counter installed because Joe the contractor hadn't leveled all the cabinets. John said he was disappointed in both the counter installers and Joe because 1. Joe should have leveled the cabinets, and 2. the counter guys should not have installed it without Joe having done a better job. However, they shimmed and did magic to make the countertop level.

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

I wish the seams weren't as visible as they are, especially at the sink, but I guess it's just the nature of the color of the counterop.

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

There also was an issue with the little 9-in. cabinet to the right of the stove. It seems that it's now not nailed/screwed into a stud. The counter guys used silicone to glue the back of the cabinet to the sheet rock, as well as glued the backsplash to the sheet rock to make the little cabinet secure. John and I aren't sure that it's supposed to be that close to the stove, so when the inspector comes to look at the plumbing, I'll ask if that's up to code. It might be, but it makes it awfully tough to get the stove out without opening the door of the oven and pulling by the interior of the oven to get the stove out.

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

Ahhh. The new sink. The new sink is now more than 3 in. deeper than the previous sink. We also had to buy a new faucet because the main counter guy discovered that my old faucet was cracked. It was another $225 we didn't expect to spend, but John and I found a nice new faucet that will match our new cabinet hardware (to be installed whenever Joe makes his final visit) much better than the old faucet would. All said and done, I can't wait to use the new, much deeper, slightly wider and longer sink.

In the meantime, we're still making decisions about the new flooring and paint. I'm leaning toward a gold-colored paint, which will really brighten up the place. John and I agree that a much darker flooring will have to be our choice because it will add depth and make the rest of the kitchen really pop. It also seems that we've decided upon laminates instead of vinyl since the vinyl really doesn't look that great.

While I won't be cooking anything to bring to Mom's Thanksgiving dinner, I'm sure that she'll be making a great menu of tasty dishes. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Please Vote for My Pie at The Best Pie Bakeoff

Please vote for my pie in the Best Pie Bakeoff at The Kitchen now! Thanks!

Kitchen Update: The Cabinets Are in, Sort of

It started on Saturday morning, a bit later than scheduled (ok, 1.5 hours later than scheduled), but I'd already emptied the kitchen and covered the remaining pieces with plastic.

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

I'd also divided the kitchen from the living room with plastic smart idea because there was sawdust EVERYWHERE).

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

Joe the Contractor began by removing the cabinets from the wall above the stove (as well as the range hood).

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

There he is removing the awful countertop.

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

There was a lot of this (standing and staring, then working, then cursing. Loudly.).

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

Which brings us to where we are today.

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

The cabinets are in, although not hung completely, tightened up and straightened. Joe will return to finish the job when the counter goes in, which is expected to happen in about two weeks. The counter guy was here on Tuesday to measure and create a template. He was an enormous Russian fellow with a great big smile. He also gave us lots of information about what to expect and what will happen as the counter is fitted.

From Before and After Photos of the Kitchen

In the meantime, John and I will have to order flooring pretty quickly because the footprint of the previous cabinets was larger than these, so there's a tile gap on two walls. We're thinking vinyl because we originally wanted laminate, but it seems that it's not recommended for kitchens due to its susceptibility to moisture. We'll also have to paint soon, but I still haven't picked out a new color yet. Fun!

Kitchen Update

All the boxes are still in the garage, paired with another set of boxes with some replacement parts. Incidentally, some of the replacement cabinets and doors were worse than the originals, and we compromised on the new sink cabinet, which has a dark mark down by the bottom (which you really won't be able to see with the doors closed). However, Joe the contractor is scheduled to arrive at the crack of dawn (or thereabouts, thanks to daylight savings time) on Friday morning -- just two days and some change away. I'm planning to take photos while he's demolishing the old cabinets and emptying out the kitchen.

By the time Joe the contractor finishes installing the cabinets and the doors that were acceptable to us, the third round of replacements should arrive. We asked for a quote on a quartz counter top yesterday, but haven't heard back yet. We were trying to time it all so that we get our kitchen back, all shiny and new, by the end of the month. I will be without a kitchen on and before Thanksgiving, I predict, so I might just be helping Mom out for a change (HA!) instead of bringing some yummy thing along. Oh well.

Meanwhile, the contents of all the cabinets and drawers, along with the items formerly on the counter top, have been boxed and placed in the living room behind the couch. It hardly looks like I'm having any work done except if you look in the kitchen to see that the island and bookshelves are covered in plastic.

Tomorrow, I'm going to hang a plastic drop cloth between the kitchen and dining room to keep as much dust/dirt in the kitchen as possible. It worked when we sanded and repainted, so I'll use the same technique. I wish I could say it will all be over soon, but after all this is done, John and I plan to replace all the flooring in the house and, more than likely, replace the fridge with a new, EnergyStar version. Looking forward to that.

By the way, I've put up a fun little post you might enjoy on Altered Plates -- that is if you're happy about the way the presidential election turned out. If not, smile anyway. I'm happy you came to visit online.