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.