Construction Pics!

Mid-demolition. For those not super familiar with our kitchen (lol, probably everyone) the wall originally extended a few feet to the right of that stud with the light switch on it. The fridge was nestled in the corner the two walls made, we had about a foot of counter space, then the stove, then another foot of counter space. On the far side, with all the open cabinets in this picture, the dishwasher was right up against the wall, then the sink, then another two feet of counter, then a funky triangular shaped floor to ceiling cabinet. And that was it. It was pretty small, limiting, and difficult to work in. And the area right in front of the sliding glass door you see in this pic was pretty much wasted space. Not big enough for a kitchen table, so it was just empty. Lame.

Nearing end of demolition. All the cabinets have been removed. So have the four(!!!) layers of some very outdated linoleum. This is the view towards the sliding glass door.

Tearing the carpet out of the dining room. Who wants carpet in a dining room?!?

Pretty much the end of demo. The carpet’s gone now and so are the studs.

Old light fixtures are gone, and now the door and window have switched places! Isn’t it lovely? The door in the dining room makes so much more sense for the way our space is set up. Everyone who’s ever came in has commented on how weird it was that it was in the kitchen. So I’m super glad it’s not anymore.

Lights! Whoo-hoo! Grandpa’s working in the plumbing in this pic. The sink is going to go under the window with the dishwasher to the left of the sink.

And this is what it looks like tonight! All the plumbing and electrical completed and signed off by inspectors, so the sub-flooring is back down, the drywall is up and in the process of being mudded. We (we being applied very loosely here) are still working on the casing for the door and window, but that’s not urgent. We need to finish mudding it all, then texture and paint by the end of the weekend. We have hardwoods going in on Monday, then cabinets and counters shortly after that.

It all feels like such a long process, but it’s actually coming together pretty nicely. I’m trying to reconcile myself to all the dust and dirt that inevitably makes it way everywhere, and even though there’s lots for me still to do at home (I still have to feed people, do laundry, etc), we’re trying to spend a fair amount of time outside the home too, so the kids don’t get into everything and I don’t go crazy trying to keep everything clean. Not that I’m even a neat freak or anything even close to that. Something about construction debris really gets me going though.   But it’ll all be worth it when our kitchen is complete. Ben and I are really really excited about it. The kids are totally catching on to it too. I think Lily still thinks it’s going to be delivered one day. She keeps asking “Is our new kitchen here yet?” And Michael understands that Grandpa is working on the kitchen all day.

Speaking of Grandpa, both the kids love having him here. It’s so cute. They always want to go upstairs to say hi to him and watch him work. During meals both of them talk and laugh with him the whole time, and they are always trying to include him in all their conversations. Which is really cute to watch, because Grandpa is extremely hard of hearing, so he tries his best to respond appropriately to what they are excitedly telling him. But half the time I have to repeat very loudly for him what they just said. The best is when Lily remembers on her own to be extra loud and we all hear her loud and clear as she bellows up at him something totally silly like, “GRANDPA, I’M BEING A GOOSE!”

Lots of writing for just a few pics, all really to say that it’s going well, and I can’t wait till it’s finished. The end.