Before and After

Jess wanted some before and after photos - so here you go.

The old cook top and hood:



The new cook top and hood:



The old kitchen sink:



The new kitchen sink:



The old fridge:



The new fridge:



Old kitchen, window side:



New kitchen, window side:



In other news, my Mom is coming back into town and she suggested we have a "put together day" so hopefully I will have some FO's to show you soon. I have two baby blankets ready to put together & edged. And I am working on the sleeves for Bizet. Going much better this time - so far!

Moving In

There is still quite a bit to be done, but the kitchen is fully functional now and we've moved back in. Hooray!



We got a new set of dishes and pots and pans to celebrate. Our new plates are square & I love them. I'm never going back to round plates again. You can also see in this photo what the glass for the cabinet doors will look like.



Happy happy! Plus, this weekend, Hubby entered a pen and a bowl in the local fair and found out he won first place and second place respectively. He has pictures on his blog: Beads and Coves. Go on over and congratulate him! He deserves it - not only for his fine woodworking - he also did most of the moving back into the kitchen this weekend while I was in a PMS induced stupor. (I swear I'm getting hot flashes too! I'm too young for hot flashes!!)

:)

Back Splash Tile

Our back splash tile is finally up. They did the grout today and will come back to seal it tomorrow. These pictures were taken before the grout.

These first two are without the flash.






Now with flash. The true color of the tile is somewhere between the two pictures but I think this at least gives a good idea of what it looks like.






That's all the major design elements up with the exception of the range hood, which should go in tomorrow and the glass in the cabinet doors, which will go in ??

At least Friday is the official end of the job and we will be able to clean up and move back in. I've already got an appointment for cleaning out the duct work. Our a/c has barely been working at all through this past heatwave so that is getting serviced as well. I hope it helps because with this heat the most I have been able to do is lay on the bed and read a book. Today it was 101 degrees and 70% humidity. If I didn't know that the a/c was getting worked on tomorrow I'd probably lose my mind!

We also got to buy a new kitchen table (our old one won't fit and has found a new home) and do some repainting. But probably both of those things will have to wait until it cools off around here!

Fridges: Then and Now

Just for you Chris. :)

You can't see it too well from this angle but this is the inside of the fridge that Libby ate. This was Day One of Destruction. The pictures I posted before were from Day Two.



It's all good though because we have a much better place to keep our drinks cold now.



That's right, at Chez Needles we worship at the Temple of Sub-Zero and it's Magic Drawer of Refreshment.

Counter Top Day!

Counter top day finally arrived!



The counter top - oh it is sweet! See the nice chunky bits?



The cook top. Hubbs has cooked two fine meals on it. I refuse to cook until the hood is installed. It's too HOT.



The sink. If only it were hooked up and working. Supposedly on Monday...



We even replaced the crappy wooden ledge.



Verdict = we love it! Installation was rough though. It was 95 degrees and the workers apparently were all raised in a barn thus they grew up completely lacking any door closing abilities. It quickly got very, very hot and humid in the house. Then they busted out some sort of industrial rubber cement which they applied liberally over the course of a few hours. So none of us could breathe due to the combination of heat and chemicals. But at least that's all over.

This week is supposed to be the last week. I say supposed to be because they still have to install a cabinet, fix and install the hutch, install the back splash tile (of which there is plenty), finish all the trim work including the several thresh holds which need to be stained before they go in, install glass in the cabinet doors which I know they haven't even ordered yet, hook up all the plumbing, install the plug molds under the cabinets, do all the trimwork on the cabinets, install the range hood, install the garbage disposals, the instant hot and the sink faucet, install the pantry doors and the closet doors which haven't even arrived yet, and do all the touch up and small repair work. I'm sure I'm missing something but you get the point. Seeing as they don't work on Mondays do you suppose they can finish all that in four days?

@&%$!!

Insert really nasty swear word here.

The blasted counter top has been delayed yet again!! They HOPE to have it ready to go in on Thursday. All I can say is they had better come through! Everything is being held up by the counter top. AND to top it off, they aren't even coming to work at all today or tomorrow. Granted, there is not much they could do but as long as there is anything they could get done then I think they should be here working. After all the delay is their fault and not ours.
:(

Ok - done with the mini rant. You know I'm upset when I use caps, bold and italics in one paragraph. :)

The good news is that we heard from the vet and Libby came through her surgery just fine. What a relief. There is always some anxiety whenever a pet has to go under anesthesia. I'm just glad it all went well.

Chris - I'll get you that photo of the inside of the destroyed fridge. It's worth seeing to appreciate the massive destructive power of those giant dog jaws. My hubby hadn't ever been around a mastiff so he was very impressed. Needless to say we ordered her a giant kennel that she can be in whenever Libby is at home unsupervised. It's no good just putting her in an empty room or something - a bored mastiff can quickly and easily eat the walls. I've seen it happen! Maybe we should have gotten Libby sooner and set her to work on the kitchen demo. (LOL)

The Inevitable

Sigh.

Well - we've hit that seemingly inevitable point during any major home overhaul, the point at which STUFF GOES WRONG.

First the good:



Our beautiful upper cabinets are hung.



Having the upper cabinets up has really thrown the room back into proportion. It was looking a bit off to me without them. Now I see how it will eventually all come together and I'm loving it!



However -

The peninsula cabinet was not delivered on time. That meant that the date for the counter top templating was missed and pushed back two weeks. Now we won't have our counter top installed until a week from now. Which means that - no back splash tiles can be put up until after then, no cook top can be installed until after then, no hood for the cook top can be installed until after then...well, you get the idea.

The photos of the upper cabinets were actually taken last week. Not much has been done since then. It's really frustrating to have a week and a half of essentially nothing going on. We REALLY REALLY need the kitchen back.

Also in bad news - one of the upper cabinets was the wrong size so it has to be remade (who knows when we will get that) and the hutch was also made wrong. So two rather major pieces which could take many weeks to get installed. Arrgh! The kitchen remodel has already sucked away our entire summer. And I'll be damned if I let this thing drag on into the next school year!

The only really good news is that they have turned the fridge on. I'm SLIGHTLY mollified by that circumstance. I have to admit it looks really cool with the fridge light softly glowing. I always hear a little chorus of angels (aaaahhhhhh!) in my head when I open the fridge door. :)

But there is still SO much to be done. The finish date has been pushed back from the 3rd of August to the 10th. I SERIOUSLY doubt they will be done then. There are just too many things, MAJOR things, that can't even begin to happen until the beginning of August.

So - that's where were at around here. And like I said - I guess it's just inevitable. But that doesn't mean I have to like it! Grr. :(

Appliances

Well the appliances are in place. I'm not sure if they are all hooked up yet but it is nice to see how they will look.

The oven:



The cook top is above it. I'll have to show you that when it gets installed. It's an in-counter models so it won't be all set until the counter top is done.

The dishwasher (the sink goes in to the left):



The beast of a fridge - hereafter to be known as "my precious": ;)



No hiding bodies Chris, we went with the glass door. :) The entire left side is all freezer & the right is the fridge.

Another look at the fridge. Man I can't wait 'til that sucker gets plugged in - I want cold food!!



I think I could stare at that thing all day. My husband loves it so much I think we may have to build a little temple around it so he can worship there daily. (LOL)

Last but not least, the upper cabinets, waiting patiently for their turn to be set. That's what they've been down there working on today.



What d'ya think? I think the rest of the house is going to look a bit shabby when this kitchen is done!

OY!

Today was pure chaos at Chez Needles, because today was appliance delivery day.



That's all I'm letting you see for now, but trust me, the appliances they are SWEET! Look at that fridge! What a beast! Somehow it is looking way bigger in my kitchen than it did at the appliance store. By the time we picked out the fridge I think I was in a daze from all of that stainless steel. All I heard was "48 inches" and knew I had to have it. ;)

Here's where the beast will be living.



All comfy and cozy in a built in wood surround. :)

Pretty much all of the bottom level cabinets have been set - except for the peninsula ones. No doors on yet. I hope the rest of the cabinet setting goes fast so maybe we can get the fridge hooked up.



Cold food storage would be nice. But I'm not holding out much hope since the electrical for the fridge isn't really finished yet. :(

Tile with Grout

How's that for a catchy title? ;)

This is the tile with grout and sealer. You still can't see all the variations in color but at least the photo manages to capture some of the richness.





And right now they are down there installing cabinets. Yay!

Houston, We Have a Floor!

Thank you guys for all the compliments on our granite counter top choice! We are very excited to see it in place. But for right now there has actually been some other significant progress made...

Our tile floor has been laid! Yay! This is a close up of the pattern.



Here's how it looks in the room. The tile is dusty and dirty so the true colors aren't showing up perfectly but you get the idea.



Still needs the grout too. That's Monday's job. We are going with a parchment color rather than a bright white. I think it will look much more natural.



It is SO strange to see a different tile on the floor and I was almost getting used to the ply-wood. But I think this is a vast improvement over that nasty old grey tile. What do you guys think?

Next we hope to see the cabinets starting by the end of next week. Wait 'til you see them! :) Baby steps!

Presenting....

Our countertop to be!



It's going to be stunning - if I do say so myself. :)

This second picture is much closer to capturing the richness of the mossy green color and the myriad of variations & other colors (pinkish, pumpkin, tans etc) - but still NOTHING close to the splendor of the original. Can you tell I'm in LOVE? I think it looks like what Gustav Klimt would have painted his women's clothing like if he was a tree hugging nature boy. Joy!



Sharp eyed readers will also notice the floor tile and the backsplash. ;) The floor tile is all in variations of shades of brown - subtle & rich like a good skein of hand dyed yarn. Unfortunately the back splash tile looks bland & yucky in this photo but trust me, it's gonna look great.

When last we saw the kitchen...

It was a pretty big mess. Now the majority of the drywall is finished. They still have some sanding left to do.






Not real exciting but at least starting to be semi human again.

Wires Wires Everywhere

Here's the kitchen at the end of the rough electrical.



Wires in the ceiling.



Wires in the walls.



Drywall starts tomorrow and they CLAIM they will hang it all on Friday. Do all the coats on Monday & so be finished by Tuesday. Do we believe them? Not so much. But I am interested in seeing how they fix drywall in situations like this:



All I'm sayin is it better look good.

It's Hot and Dusty Round Here...

Oh the chaos. I'm so over it.

We've had four days of electrical work. Mucho pounding, sawing and drilling. Many wires hanging everywhere and bits all over the floor. It's dusty and hot because we are keeping the doors shut to try to minimize the dust transfer. Supposedly drywall starts at the end of the week so I have alot more dust to look forward to - but at least that will be the end of the demolition mode and the beginning of restoration to normal. But I won't feel like we are on the downhill stretch until at least ONE, just one little new thing is installed. Just one piece of tile. That's all I want right now.

So - between the heat, dust and being sick there's been little knitting or anything fun like that.

How about some more photos as a distraction?

Remember I mentioned I got some Angel Fish?

Meet Rasputin. She is a gorgeous black (obviously) fish. I like to think she is the evil genius of the tank.



This is Nelson. You can see he is missing one of his fins. So I named him after Admiral Nelson who lost an arm in one of his battles at sea. (As an aside and a glimpse of the minutiae with which my brain is filled, Admiral Nelson was created Duke of Bronte by the King of Naples. Patrick Bronte, father of the famous Bronte Sisters,was a great admirer of Lord Nelson. Scholars have argued that Patrick took his last name from the Nelson-Bronte connection, the family name having previously been Prunty or O'Prunty.)



Nelson and Rasputin have spawned. They laid eggs yesterday on one of the broad leafy plants in their tank. Surprisingly they didn't eat the eggs over night and are guarding and caring for them assiduously. Unfortunately black Angel Fish + black Angel Fish = infertile eggs. So I doubt most of them will hatch although I am holding out some hope for the few eggs that do look fertile. It's only about 5 eggs total and they will probably get eaten if they do hatch. Sigh. Oh well.

And speaking of infertile eggs it looks like Ron and Rosmerta's eggs were all duds. Poor things they tried so hard!

Kitchen: End of Week One

Geez - is that all it's been?



Demo is finished - thank the gods! Hopefully that means the loudest and messiest bit is over. New plumbing has been run and the electric work has started - after a 2 hour walk through. We're gonna have one well lit kitchen (and one monster bill! I'm pretty sure we're over budget on this one...)



To answer some questions - Yes, we have a contractor doing this. It's WAYYYYY beyond our capabilities. I hope it will pay off & so far I think it will. And yep - the kitchen was vintage 1980. Our house was what I lovingly call "a brass and glass monstrosity" when we moved in. If you lived in a hip house in the late 70's early 80's you know what I mean! *shudder* I wish I had taken a before photo of the wet bar (!?) we had in the family room (which is only like 5 steps from the kitchen and if you are that drunk or that lazy that you can't get up and walk 5 steps to the kitchen then you need to cut down on the alcohol buddy!). The wet bar was shiny black (painted over what had once been red!!) and had a huge mirror stuck to the wall with adjustable glass shelves mounted on it. NOW THAT'S what I mean by a brass and glass monstrosity. Perhaps it's better for everyone that I didn't post a before photo. Sometimes I wonder how I have managed to flourish despite living in a house with such a gawdawful soul sucking horror! (And we have ANOTHER wet bar in the basement. For crissakes couldn't Mr. Former Owner just carry his drink from room to room with him? At least all the wet bars provide some explanation for the decorating scheme...)

Oh well - the ugly wet bar is gone now & will shortly become a useful and much more sightly storage closet.

Keep your fingers crossed, but I think I am starting to feel a bit better. I'm glad I've still got Sunday to rest though.

Anon!