Renovation Diary: Part {Week} Four

Day 22 (April 7) – Painting completed on the inside!  And the staining of all the wood trim, it really is looking good!!  I think I’m gonna like the paint color we picked out, but I’m reserving judgment until it is all completed.  

The new siding almost makes me want to do the whole house...almost...

Window and door trim all stained, walls ready for tile

It's a bit hard to tell, but we did have it painted

And we chose.....SEA SALT by Sherwin Williams

I was supposed to get a call from the stone company today to set up an appointment for install….still waiting.  Why is it so hard to call people back?  You have several people whose job is just calling people.  And yet, still no call.  Unbelievable.

Day 23 (April 8) – Got a text early from our contractor saying they are hoping to be by after lunch…I’ve seen this before and my hopes are not high that they will make it by.  But we will see.  

Got a call from my countertop people and they will be there on the 15^th to install the countertops!!! Woohoo!!! It will finally look like a kitchen!!!  I am also planning on being there for the fabrication process that is scheduled for Monday.  I can’t wait to see my lovely stone.  I think I love it as much as my sink.  But JD, you are still number one in my book.  Hmmm.  Debatable...  I think it's sink, counters, and then me.  

Looks like the crew got the dishwasher and stove in place and pulled up the covering on the floor. 

The railing on the deck was put in too.  They mirrored the look from the front porch and it looks great

I can see this filling up quickly with the grill and the smoker

Day 24 (April 9) – Saturday – no work today for the crew, but JD and I worked our butts off.  Well, kind of, we ran a 5k and did better than I thought, go us!  And, more importantly, we kicked butt at the pub crawl afterwards.

photo bomber dude - we know who are!

this is my reward for running 5k

Day 25 (April 10) – In non kitchen reno news, JD, CJ and I enjoy the first GP farmer’s market of the season.  Just wish we had a kitchen where would could put fresh veggies….

Day 26 (April 11) – No show for the crew in the am, I text the contractor and get the usual response. Coming in later.

I did get to go by our stone company and participate in the layout process.  Thank goodness you went, since they had a big seam right down the middle of the countertop.  Good job, getting the seam moved behind the sink.  You don't even notice it underneath our supercool vintage faucet.  Still loving our countertops and can’t wait to see them in our kitchen.

ah, there they are

isn't she lovely

I forget what all the crew got done (since I failed to write this on the day of), but I do remember they got the floors stained and sealed in the butler’s pantry.

much better upgrade from the vinyl floors

Day 27 (April 12) – The crew is installing the butcher block countertop in the butler’s pantry and taking care of the plumbing in there as well.  Loving our butler’s pantry so far, so much better than the old non-usable midget bathroom.

my handy work!!

it works!!!

They also installed a new window in our mudroom/aka dog’s room.

yes, I know, this is the most exciting photo ever

Day 28 (April 13) – So looks like the crew did some floor tiling today, and I have to say, I hate it.  We have been having the hardest time finding floor tiles that match in size and color for our existing ones.  We are still debating our options….pull up existing tile and replace with either wood or some other material OR try to salvage some full pieces of tile that are under the fridge/stove/hutch areas and reuse it in areas where we can see it.  Oh the joys of home renovations.

no, no, no {this is not going to work}

trying to find a match - no luck

finally a match! well sort of...not the 20x20 size we need...

Here's a panoramic shot of the butler's pantry and kitchen door, just to give you a little perspective...

I am most excited about the countertops going in next week.  A lot of work leading up to that point to make it feel most like a kitchen in one step.  So excited!!!

Renovation Diary: Part {Week} 3

Week 3

Day 15 (March 31) -  JD and I both had to leave for work early, so I left a few sticky notes around the kitchen for items that I though needed to be completed sooner rather than later.  That included, moving an HVAC vent (before flooring gets completed), electrical outlet above one of the peninsulas (it had been drywalled over), and a configuration change to the countertops below the microwave. 

The subfloor was installed in the butler’s pantry, and the drywall joints were taped and mudded.

This is where the beverage  (aka beer) cooler is going

Sink Side!

Waiting on the painters, and cabinet guys, and electricians....

I'm debating on leaving the door teal....or painting it white...white is boring... white.

JD started working on the sanding and sealing of the super cool wall we found behind the shower stall in the midget bath.  We wanted to make sure no lead paint might escape in the future.  He brushed it with a steel brush to remove any loose paint/chips.  Then he cleaned it with some 409 type cleaner to remove any dirt, mildew, etc.  Once it had dried he put a thin layer (3 layers) of Minwax Polycrylic on the wood to seal it. 

Day 16 (April 1) – We fired our contractor today.  Just kidding! April Fools! I know dumb. Anyways, today, the crew started removing all the trash that had piled up outside of our kitchen (it was taller than me).  The wood floor is being installed in the butler’s pantry and a window in our mudroom is being replaced (hope they finish this before the storms come in!) 

Also, we had scheduled our countertop guy to come do the templates.  Now, I am a bit irritated with our countertop guy/company.  I had called the company earlier in the week after talking to our contractor and had scheduled the template to done Friday afternoon, that way it would give our contractor time to get our sink installed and a few other things.  Well, the actual guy who does the templating called last night to set up an actual time.  And the time he said was 10:30 am.  I argued with him for a while that it had to be done in the afternoon because that was the company said and that’s what was convenient for us.  He said he couldn’t do it then and that he would come by at 10:30 and wait for the guys to be ready.  HE also said that the company didn’t know his schedule and they couldn’t promise things like that.  REALLY??? Then why ask if I wanted a morning or afternoon appointment if it didn’t even matter?  I was not happy.  FINE, WHATEVER, JUST COME MEASURE FOR MY COUNTERTOPS.  So today he shows up around 11 and isn’t able to measure because the guys aren’t ready for him, sound familiar?  Maybe because I told him that the night before.  So we have to schedule another day for him to come back next week, and then we have to wait 1-3 weeks for the actual install…….Nope, not happy.  Once my countertops are installed and all pretty and shiny, I plan on doing a full review on the company (but I want to keep them happy for now until the job is done).

On a plus note, the sink is installed and I’m in love.  I might have to just stare at it for a while tonight.  Sorry JD.  Luckily, that sink is ridiculously heavy, or it would probably be up in the bedroom.

this is my wooosahhhh

Day 17 (April 2) –   JD and I bought paint samples today.  We chose three different colors and painted them on various places in the kitchen.  Not sure yet which one we will go with.  I think a Facebook poll is in order.  Today is Saturday and since the crew doesn’t work weekends, that means no changes for today or for Day 18 (Sunday, April 3). 

 

I was looking for something with a little color and a little gray

which one will it be?

trying the paint samples in all areas

had to make sure it would look good with the green....I'm saying no to the color on the far left

Day 19 (April 4) – Lots of drywalling and mudding and sanding going on today.  They also installed our beverage BEER!!! cooler and butler’s pantry cabinets.  IT is finally starting to come together.  I am a bit concerned about the cabinets on the right hand side when you walk in….they come right up to the door frame…Not sure how that is going to look with the butcher block countertop over hang…wait and see..wait and see….

Look at that! It looks like a real butler's pantry!

beverage cooler....aka....juice box fridge  NO.  BEERFRIDGE!

Day 20 (April 5) – The tarp came down!!! We can actually see what it looks like as a wide open space.  And it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  It’s crazy how one little wall coming down can make such a huge difference.  The crew also trimmed out the windows and the doors and put our original baseboards back up.  It was really cool that they were able to reuse most of the original trim from the house (original as in original to when we bought it…not sure if it is actually ORIGINAL.  The countertop guy came back and was actually able to complete the template and get the measurements into the stone company.  Bummer, he did say it could take 2-3 weeks for install….Not cool….I want my kitchen back.

love the straight, open shot to the dining room

and the view from the living room

and from the dining room

and another view from the dining room

Day 21 (April 6) – Today marks 3 weeks since the project first got underway.  Our contractor had originally said his time frame was 3 weeks if he had everything on standby ready to go.  Well, we didn’t meet that deadline, but even if he was ready we would still have to wait on the countertops.  The painters came in today and painted all the new siding on the exterior as well as the exterior trim.  It looks amazing.  They also prepped the inside and will come back tomorrow to complete the inside painting.  Can’t wait to see it.  I’m probably being a bit too optimistic here, but I’m hoping to at least have the stove and dishwasher back in and functioning by Saturday.  We will see.

As always, JD's thoughts (and corrections on my grammar/spelling mistakes) are in red.  BEER.

Renovation Diary: Part {Week} 2

Week Two

Day 8 (March 24) – We think that the news about the cabinets may have lit a fire under the contractor's butt to start getting things done.  Crew showed up at 8:30 and started knocking things out (and down).    JD went over a few questions for the contractor and I think we finally have things squared away.   When I get home from work, I can see they have been busy.  The door and windows that were in the kitchen are now gone and we have a huge hole in our exterior wall.  They are still working too.  A good sign, especially since storms are about to roll into town. 

Well, we did want 'open'

Today, JD and I also worked on a project ourselves for the kitchen.  We bought some butcher block countertops from IKEA and while we liked the look, we wanted something a bit darker.  JD sanded, and stained these bad boys until they were ready to be sealed.   But before he sealed them, we knew we wanted to put a little different touch on them.  Just a little something to make them unique.  We scoured the internet and Pinterest for different ideas, and we found a lot that we liked.  But we really wanted something specific to our neighborhood.  Finally we decided to put the logo of a local brewery on one corner of the butcher block. 

I got a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas and have not had much time to play with it.  But I saw a tutorial where someone made a stencil.  So, I thought ‘hey, I can try that’ and if I screw it up, then we just cut off that part of the countertop (since it is too long).  I found the logo and used the PicScan mat to upload it to my Silhouette Studio, then used the trace feature to trace out the words.  Now, since this was going to be a one-time use stencil only, I didn’t want to spend the big bucks on the stencil material that was suggested.   Instead, I used Target shelf liner aka contact paper (and saved some $$).  I positioned the contact paper on the cutting mat and let the cameo do its job.  I have to say, the stencil came out really nice. 

Once the stencil was made, I transferred it to the butcher block.  I used the scraping tool to make sure there were no bubbles and that the stencil was really secured.  I then used black stain and a sponge paint brush to apply the stain.  I let it dry and pulled up a corner of the stencil, not dark enough.  I ended up doing 4 coats of black stain to get the look I wanted.  A couple of corners were a bit smudgy and I blame myself for peeling up those corners to see how it looked…guess you could say I am a bit VERY impatient .

Proud of my work!

Can't wait to see it in the pantry

Day 9 (March 25) – I had to be at work early, but JD says the crews showed up at 0830 and started working away.  I was able to get some photos of the progress and the new door and new set of three windows have gone in.  Thank you Jesus, progress!!!  We were told that the cabinets would be installed on Tuesday….can’t say I’m holding my breath even with the recent progress.  Call me realistic or call me pessimistic. 

Love our new windows

and our new door 

So much brighter now, even with the tarp.

JD bought some awesome stools today for the new kitchen bar areas.  I saw some I LOVED from Ballard Designs (here and here) and bonus they were all on sale.  Once I added them to my cart and the shipping and taxes calculated, it was $100 more! Um, no, not cool.  So I decided to call a couple of Ballard Design stores in the Atlanta area to see if they were in stock or if not, if we could ship to store and at least save on shipping.  Store #1 had them in stock.  Awesome.  But we also have a Ballard Design Outlet Store…yep, hoping they would have them and that they would be cheaper.  BONUS!  Not only did they have them in stock, but they were %50 off of the online price!!!!! So what would have cost us around $650, ended up costing us only $311.  I’d say that’s an awesome score.

Day 10 (March 26) – Well, well, well, they showed up bright and early this morning at 8:30 am.  And the normally don’t work on Saturday’s, so we are thankful.  We left for breakfast around 9 and then took CJ to gymnastics.  When we came back from our errands, the wall between the kitchen and the dining room was gone AND wall between the midget bathroom aka butler’s pantry was gone too!  Now, I’m a bit confused as to why they took down the entire wall between the butler’s pantry and the kitchen, when all we wanted was a doorway…..hope we are all still on the same page or our kitchen just got a lot bigger. 

and the trash pile keeps growing!

We decided to stay the night at JD’s parent’s house to avoid the extra dust hanging around today, plus Sunday (Day 11) was also Easter and JD’s mom’s birthday.  So some family time was in order.

Day 11 (March 27) – Easter – He is risen!  No work today, crew is supposed to come back on Monday.

Day 12 (March 28) – Cabinets delivered today!! Since it’s actually Friday (April 1) while I’m writing this, I forget what all actually happened on Day 12.  I do remember they were prepping for the cabinets to be installed.  I think they did some framing and insulation, but other than that, I’m drawing a blank.

And now we have cabinets...EVERYWHERE

Day 13 (March 29) – Cabinets started getting installed bright and early this morning.  I had an unexpected trip to Nicaragua today and get back tomorrow.  JD sent me some progress pictures.

new siding, makes me want to do the whole house

Day 14 (March 30) - Two weeks in!  I get back from my short (but quite the opposite of sweet) trip expecting much more to be done.  All the walls were drywalled at this point, cabinets had been installed under the microwave and the sink wall and peninsulas were done.  The hutch base was completed, but nothing else. 

Can't wait to see my beloved farm sink here

The base for our custom hutch

Here's how the rest of our house is looking:

Sorry for the dim picture, but this is our current dining room, everything covered in plastic

and our hallway...with a little plastic barrier that doesn't do much

That's it for now.  Can't wait to update you on the progress next time!

Not sure if JD will have much to say tonight, but I did threaten him to proof it or else he doesn't get his pedicure.  That's a true story, and you can see as proof of me proofing this blog, the bright red comment I made.  LOL.