The kitchen Renovation: WEEK 8

Memorial Day weekend is not only a time to honor those who gave their lives to make our country a better place- It also means furniture shopping sales!!! 

For the first time in a VERY long time… we were among the sale participants!

In 4 weeks or so, they will deliver our new navy & grey farmhouse table & chairs. We also chose 3 bar stools, a desk chair & fabrics for upholstery. 

By days end, I finally had a kitchen decorating palette!!!

 Blue Bahia Granite, Silver Gray & Shimmer Gray Paint for walls, 

White Subway Tiles for Back splash, 

Navy & Grey Wood samples of furnishings, 

& assorted Fabrics for Upholstery & Curtains

On Tuesday & Wednesday cabinet installation continued & was mostly completed by later that night! 

island reassembled to face its correct direction

inner "L" of counter

On Thursday they put together some more cabinet trims, frames, drawers, etc.

It was quite the "production" while 5 people manipulated the stoves vent hood for placement measurements.

The mega 66" range hood vent

Later that day, they put the 300+ pound sink in place so it was ready for the creation of the granite templates...

The granite company will come over and create a set of templates for cutting out the granite to perfect size & shapes...

Alas, 

the sink was placed in the wrong direction.

36" Polished Granite 60/40 Offset Double-Bowl Farmhouse Sink

On Friday, the granite folks were forced to cancel yet again due to high water flooding shutting down roads in Dallas. 

We have NEVER had a spring this wet. The flooding is surreal... 

Houston was especially hard hit last week & I have a close friend whose home was all but destroyed by the  flooding  :(

We expect more thunderstorms & another 2-6"of rain over the weekend. feh...

Today's crew spent the day sanding & caulking to prepare for cabinet painting.

I have chosen the walls & trim colors, but am still having trouble finding a cabinet color to match the subway tiles. 

walls & trim

So many choices... how does one choose?

Anyhow, they left late afternoon and will be back again to continue in the morning. 

caulked drawers they left stacked to dry

caulking between all "joins"

I am not quite sure when the granite templates can be rescheduled. (Or when this rain will stop!)

So, in closing... please put up with me, 
for I need to share a bit of a rant.


Dearest weatherman,
You start every segment with a handsome smile... "Severe thunderstorms are expected again this afternoon and evening. Stay alert for further storm warnings & weather alerts throughout this afternoon and increasing again this evening for your area. We have further chances of flash flooding, damaging wind gusts, hail and tornadoes". 
Seriously, this has been going on now for several weeks. You have my permission to say "have a good day" without your smile and to be angry. We all have too many family members & friends trying to pick up the pieces. I have resolved to keep a bottle of wine and bag of chocolate beside the bathtub in dread of the next time we must "hang out there"... & feel free to spare me your future forecast graphics of another weeks worth of "torrential storms". And GROWL some... this weather sucks... you can admit it!

OK rant over... 

The kitchen Renovation: WEEK 7

Kitchen work all but came to a standstill the first half of the week awaiting the drying of the "Mud" on the walls and ceiling. 
I think I explained last week that the "mud" as they call it, is the layers of plaster to make it all "flow"... it fills in the holes, the splits, the panels, etc and gives texture at the same time. 

Drying the mud layers requires 5 days & has been stressful. 
I cannot recall there ever being so wet a spring in East Texas. The storms have been daily & humidity a constant. They have done their best to keep air circulating for the surfaces to dry.

The ceiling "Mud" crew

Somehow,
In the middle of all the bad weather (after several weeks delayed), they actually succeeded in finishing the solar panel installation. 
We can't wait to see how much power we can generate when we actually have a full day of sun.
After permits, installation & inspections, the power company has to be reached out to so we are "added to the grid" and generating power "for sale".  If we reach a point when we are actually generating more power than we use, the electric company is required to purchase the excess.

 metering the solar power

The solar panels during a cherished spring moment of after storm sun

Next up for their crew: the filling of the trench... 
aka... 
the babbling brook created by the spring storms of 2015.

They have trucked in dirt.

They have planted sod.
Hopefully it will not float away during this weekends expected additional 4-6 inches!

Back to the kitchen...

On Thursday morning the kitchen cabinets arrived. 
I was so excited to finally see them. You stare at pinterest & houz & plan and plan... but until they are touchable they just aren't "real".

There was one team trying to unload the truck between downpours, one working inside, and finally a third station set up for cutting and "fittings". 

It is like a beautiful wood Lego set.
Alas, I can read their architectural directions as well as I could those Lego's! So while I played guess the piece... I eventually had to go to the back and let the crew create their magic.

By the end of Thursday they had made a lot of progress!

china cabinet... still need to choose glass cabinet doors

window seats

pantry

On Friday the cabinet installation continued after a few measurement discrepancies, resulting in a few being sent back for a redo. 

All lower cabinets must be in place before the granite shop can come draw their templates. Then we must choose the counter cut locations based upon those template layouts for best use of our granites beauty.

the morning cabinet crew

(mostly) finished desk

part of "L" counter

pantry

fridges

After the crew had finished for the day, I finally made my way up front to explore.

Indeed, they had gotten very far... There are more cabinets in place, than stacked in wait!

But...
further adjustments will also need to be a part of next week. 

My island and stove are facing the wrong way! 
Hilarious- (to me anyways, I doubt my contractor will think so)

center Island with stove slot on desk side?

The kitchen Renovation: WEEK 6 & The CRAYON Challenge

By 5 AM Thursday we were at the airport, Boston bound for my sons college graduation at the Berklee College of Music. 
We flew my folks in from Florida to share in the celebration. We walked & ate our way from one end of Boston to the other. 
We watched him perform one last time as a college student on his cello 
& walk across the stage for his diploma. 
I couldn’t be prouder.

By the time we returned home late Monday night I was too tired to really look around much at the kitchen renovations. 

The storms in Texas have been more violent than any I remember in years past and I was happy to have flown in without complication. 

A town very nearby had a violent EF3 tornado the night before and the path of its destruction was severe. We had been very lucky.

It wasn’t until Tuesday morning that I could see what had gone on in the kitchen while we were gone. The crew had kept busy.

The gas lines had been moved to accommodate the “megastove” and as were the returns for the air vents. 

Windows, electricity, waterlines… all were tweaked and inspected… and then retweaked.

Attic & wall insulation was replaced & air vents were placed in living room. 

Also, The rounded corner on the brick steps was eliminated in preparation for the wood floors.

The new gas line

(I didn't do it!)

Tuesday was drywall application for resealing the kitchens walls and all that lied beneath and above it.

Wednesday I shall call the “mud” parade. 

The gang arrived early to tape down floor coverings before they began to apply the “mud”--- staying way past normal work hours. 

It fills in every seam, hole, cut… it creates the new walls & ceiling…

(and one heck of a mess!)

I am told it will take at least 5 days to dry and turn from gray to white as it does.

We also had a new kitchen door installed.

Unfortunatley, the current humidity is not helping the drying process & it is beginning to crack... 

so the "mud" gang will be back in the morning.

More severe storms each afternoon and evening have left me wondering how long it really will take since we need to close the window and doors as the weather intensifies.

AND

drum roll please…

I finally returned to my quilting room and remembered the joy of quilting. 

I took my selvage quilt off the wall to the WIP pile after realizing I had been staring at it for months adding to my frustration & I needed a fresh mindless start.

My modern quilting group is hosting a “crayon challenge”. 

We each chose 3 crayons from a bag without peeking 

and are challenged to create something with its colors. (We can add white as a 4th)

And while peach & lime are absolutely not colors I would usually quilt with… I must admit, I am rather glad I am. 

I am creating a full sized lap throw with a wonky log cabin concept. No measuring, preplanning, or stressing. Just piecing & smiling.

I have the front pieced, the back, & the binding ready to go! Hope to quilt it next week!

AND

My son flew home with us to visit for a few weeks and discovered the reverb in the empty kitchen! I have always loved listening to him sing...

enjoy...

The kitchen Renovation: WEEK 5

This day got off to a dreadful start when my refrigerator achieved subzero gravity. Fortunately (or unfortunately) my shoulder and ear stopped it from hitting the ground. I am running the clothes I was wearing through the wash for a second time now in a decreasingly optimistic attempt to free them of the pickle juice that exploded everywhere! I was attempting to empty the fridge out because today they are grinding away the brick floor. Now I won’t pretend to fully understand all that is involved with that… but I know it was not meant to be done with the odor of pickle juice and shattered glass. So now I whimper in the back of the house, blasting a TV over the sounds of progress while “licking my wounds”.

It has been a very productive renovation week thus far. 

I am writing midweek because we head out at dawn for my son’s college graduation. We will miss 3 kitchen workdays, so I am not quite sure what we will return home to.

The solar power guys worked all weekend determined to get their concrete poured between the thunderstorms. Texas appears to be laughing in the faces of all and anything being planned outdoors and has chosen now to recover from its multiyear drought with a dramatic crescendo of storms. I have begun to call them "the little solar team that could”.

They continued to dig their trenches… & the snakes finally seem to have gotten the message this campground is closed.

By the weekends end- they had all the metal poles buried deep awaiting their cement. (The skies above put a stop to that… repeatedly)

(First support placed Saturday)

(Nearly a full row of supports by Sunday)

I spent several hours reorganizing my “kitchen pack outs” already piled throughout playroom and compacted it to one side so as to allow for storage of appliances as needed as they arrive. Then I moved on to straighten up my sons room in case he decides to spend some time home after graduation.  

On Monday, drywall removal revealed even more termites came to dinner  :( 

(Awaiting exterminator assessment)

It was also a  final visit with Deandra’s Dr. Who style crack in the wall. Years ago, when learning to drive, the wall in the garage got in her way when the gas & breaks were a bit misplaced.

(Deandra was here)

Tuesday was dedicated to ceiling vents & another picture window. I was really excited when the sun appeared (briefly) to shine in.

(SUN)

We got our first view of the long pantry window without obstacles blocking it off

and

kudos to the skies above and the determined "little solar team that could” for finally pouring the concrete to support the solar panels.

(Tuesday)

(The extended pantry with its new window!)

Today, Wednesday- the sounds of the brick floor grinder were deafening while the jackhammer (or whatever it was) dug out paths for gas lines and wiring.

I honestly expected the whole kitchen to look like a lego toy box when I reentered... but it didn't.

(The new window over the sink)

(The brick floor after being ground down all day. 

They drew outlines of cabinet placement on them for our final view of placement.)

(Todays Panoramic)

Somehow,  "the little solar team that could" managed to install most of the solar panels before the afternoon skies erupted. I hiked out there for these pics. The mud is bubbling like quicksand. 

(mudwalk)

Time to wrap this up.

Mason graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston this past weekend... we couldn't be prouder