The Remodel Continues

Day 4

First, a picture of yesterdays' final version. This includes new veneers and base shoes (I think that's what Jim said they're called) on the toekick.

The carpenters showed up bright and early today for what turned out to be a full day's work.

The first big job was leveling out the tops of the old counters, so the plywood has an even surface to sit on, so the granite has flat plywood to sit on ... you get the picture.  But it was definitely a time consuming job, as those old cabinets were particularly uneven.  No wonder when we spilled something on the counter, the liquid flowed away from the sink.

While this was going on, they discussed the fact that the border of the tile backsplash would run into the electrical outlets.  So, our resident electrician, also known as my awesome husband, relocated the plugs and switches on this wall.

Next job in the woodwork department was preparing the sink cabinet for the new farmhouse sink.  That required quite a bit of rework and reinforcement on the inner cabinets.  And, while they were at it, they replaced the bottom of the sink cabinet because that piece of wood was disgusting.  We just never got around to dealing with it before now. When they pulled up that board, they found a rat's nest.  Ewwww!  Thankfully it wasn't currently being used.

After all the basic structure was finished, some of the pretty stuff started going in. Yay! Thankfully, my bff has been such a help with the pretty stuff.  I can't wait to see how it all looks when it's finished.  But, in the meantime, the new apron front sink is in.

We really wanted the farmhouse look.  But, Jim did lots of research and found that the fireclay sink just isn't built to withstand the wear and tear that a homeschooling family of 8 can dish out.  It's not even built to hold a garbage disposal and I am not doing without a garbage disposal!  But, he continued his research and found that there is one Kohler cast iron sink that fit the bill (and the price range).  So, I still get my farmhouse sink. Yay!  And, it's big enough for an almost four year old to take a bath :)  

Back to the woodwork.  They also cut in the hole for the cooktop and added beadboard detail to the flat (aka boring) sides of the cabinets.  Can't wait to see this when it's painted. Oh, and Jim added a receptacle to this end of the counter so I will have a receptacle at each end of my new and exciting working counter.  Did I mention I'm excited about this new counter space?

I took the little guys out of the house today rather than try to deal with them in a construction zone.  We went to the park and met some new friends, then came home and had Shabbat dinner. I am thankful for my laundry room sink and counter (installed by my aforementioned awesome husband) which currently serves as a dish washing area. And, I'm looking forward to having a garbage disposal again. Amazing how we get so used to these conveniences. I'm also thankful for a working oven, Costco and Trader Joe's, which, when combined, keep my family well fed during the remodel.  

Day 5

And now, it's time for Shabbat.  All the work comes to a halt during this blessed day that God has us set aside for Him each week.  I'm ever so thankful for a day of rest.  And when Shabbat is over, we'll be back to work on the kitchen.