Kitchen Renovation: Week 12

We're nearly there! The contractors are here sunrise and often past sunset, determined to not let the delays continue. 
Each day brings with it another task checked off the end of the list! 

On Saturday morning, the back splash subway tiles were installed. After a few hours, the bare space between my counters and cabinets took on a patterned background.

Interceramic Glazed Ceramic 

White Wall Subway Tiles

On Monday, they would return to add the grouting sealant between the tiles.

Bright White Custom Grout

The grout covers all the tiling 

and then they wipe it down, 

so it remains only in the seams between the tiles

Beginning of week 12

The electricians were here a good part of the day as well. 

The plumbers also came & went. 


In the middle of it all, I viewed my "fandelier" for the first time. 
I was very upset... it was way too big for the table & I panicked. 
It broke every designers rule and was only 5 inches smaller than the sides of the table.

Savoy House Etesian fandelier...  36" width! 

So much bigger in person than pictures.

I cannot tell you why I was so stressed about this... only to add it on to the list of things I overreacted to...
& went running to pinterest for advice on...
and then did what I wanted to anyways.

The men insisted it was fine... and in the end, we threw the decorating 101 rules of over dining table fixtures needing to be 1/2-2/3 table width out with the fixtures box. 

It was absolutely too big in the box resting on the floor.

But hung above... eh... (I'll give in to the guys on this one)---just a really cool and unique fan! 
They will install it next week.

Each time the electrician & or plumbers were here the appliances had to be moved... no easy task!

Still to be assembled the wolf still clings to its dollies

(too heavy for only one!)

Plumbers, Electricians, & Gas... oh my!

Currently, we have water!

Old dishwasher reinstalled...

Granite farmhouse sink receives its first drink

Hubby plays with jazzy new Delta Faucet with Touch2O Technology

BUT...

Our sink appears to have a mind all its own and they haven't quite figured out its spontaneous starts and stops yet... 
(As displayed on this video tour of the kitchen when the first spontaneous "waterfall" occurs.

A kitchen tour... concluding with faucets flow

The lighting overhead and under cabinets flutter and buzz and the hope is when all have the same light units, bulbs, and switches it will cease.

The fridge, stove, and all the rest of the appliances still need to be hooked up... but all are in place!

Subzero Pro 48 awaiting "dressing"

Sub-zero 18" Wine Panel & Sub-Zero PRO 48 with Glass Door

Wolf 30" Convection Steam Oven & Warmer Drawer

Wolf 60" Duel Fuel Range top with burner & griddle

On Wednesday they sent in a cleaning crew to tackle the construction casualties before they could apply paint touch ups on Thursday.

It was the very first time I could see the floor & the counters and cabinets and appliances all at the same time- with only plastic covering the counters and a few appliances. 

These ladies were fantastic.

I kept hoping the sink would not turn itself on while she was inside it though!

Nelson has been tweaking all sorts of things for me using the assortment of kitchen organizers we overbought on our trip to Dallas. 

Our garage continues to look like a carpenters workshop

idea for utensil storage in "spice cabinet"

"ta-da"

We picked up a rack for wine glass suspension

The old microwave fits perfectly in place 

 with coffee center to be created in the middle- 

all enclosed in the cabinet above the ice machine

panoramic fun of progress

oven doors & red knobs finally attached to my Wolf (with hubby)

Today the new table and chairs arrived! 

Furnishings by Bassett Furniture

Colors not reflecting well... table top and counter stools are gray

I adore this fabric... 

not so sure I will use it as a desk chair?

The space we are creating is so beyond my wildest dreams and while I am desperate for it to be over... I am loving the results!

Things will continue to be modified and tweaked... 
Some things (like glass cabinet doors and shelves- yet to arrive).
We have to deal with a problem with water flowing over the granite split sink... etc

BUT

We should have a usable kitchen next week!

lights fixed below cabinets glistening on to the granite

June's Crayon Challenge Completed!!!

My modern quilt group challenged us to play with crayons! 

We took turns blindly choosing crayons from a sack... the 3 you got were your colors. Some got great colors. Some were left in the middle...
and some...
well, some were just stuck. (...And I assure you- that is not the wording that came to mind.) 

I was luckier than many. 

My crayons: 

     Apricot

     Amarillo

     Black

We were also allowed to use white.  

We had 2 months to create.

It has been a VERY chaotic 2 months for me... 
but somehow... I actually met my goal! 

I decided to create a Wonky Log Cabin lap quilt

On design wall with backing ready for piecing

I love those foamy nubs on the edges of my basting pins!

I use a Babylock Elissimo sewing machine exclusively

The closer to the quilts border-

 the harder and harder it gets to quilt 

& the more I find myself wishing I had more space 

Somehow... 

in spite of the current utter chaos of my life... my crayon challenge did not get delayed or find its way in to the UFO pile! 

My crayon Wonky Log Cabin lap quilt

Quilts back

The last stitch on the label 

always gives me that added sense of satisfaction!

Kitchen Renovation: Week !!

My dream kitchen is nearing completion. It is so close…

but these final tasks may leave me certifiable.

Monday, the final touches on the cabinetry were completed and our contractors crew returned to the charge. 

They would continue their checklist of tasks throughout the week.

There were holes to be drilled, a vent, knobs, trims... 

Tuesday was the day we had waited for for so long! The delivery of the Appliances! 

It felt like the best Christmas ever. (For us anyway… for the crew having to lift the hundreds of pounds worth of stealthy appliances? Not so much.)

But for us it was glorious. And they even got it all unloaded between the storms!

It seemed almost unfair that we would all have to wait until one by one, it was their turn for installation.

me & my wolf

Wednesday, the storms took their toll & the granite crew had to delay until Thursday.

When they finally arrived Thursday the chaos was only about to set in.

Happy it all made the journey safely. 

(We would need a second delivery for the remnants aka outdoor kitchen of the future)

My contractor had questioned from the beginning how this granite company was planning to do this job without templates for cutting. 

BUT, 

they insisted the guy they sent a few weeks earlier to do measuring had taken care of everything.

HE HAD NOT…

So, time was lost in search of materials to create the cutting templates for the oven and sink that should have been created weeks earlier.

templates for sink & stove cuts

The ogee edges were lovely, yet each piece needed shaving and filing because the measurements were all a bit off. 

But the foreman is a true artisan and piece by piece he was making things fit.

our driveway and garage became a "granite studio"

desk & backsplash

They worked until 9PM that evening and were then forced to spend the night at a motel.

Desk top

centering for backsplash

desk assembled with backsplash

china cabinet

They had to carry in every piece to make sure it fit 

and then prepare templates for cutting

They resumed work this morning at 7AM.

The had to maneuver the granite through the house maze

each individual piece had to then be lifted off dolly & centered

My word of the day: "BOOKING"... 

referring to how Granite Slabs are 

Cut and Polished... Angled... and Mirrored- allowing the Marbled Flow to look like a Stunning Art Quilt.

The cutting back at the shop matched like an open book... but that was before 

the edges and extended ogee were removed

 and the edge trimmed correctly to actually merge.

AND... 

THEN...

Let's review:

As I said, Our “L” corner appeared on delivery to have  Perfect Booking … 

... but- several measuring errors were made:

and Inaccurate Length was Cut at Factory on this central piecing… 

ARGHHHHHHH!

It was 4.25” too long even after the shave to merge the joints was completed… 
this left it unaligned with center island. 

To Cut...

To Shave further...

To disreguard inaccuracy from architectural plans of those Inches-
in spite on my Contractor Advising us it SHOULD be done right… 
especially for what we were paying!?!?

(Or in quilters terms… do I just pretend I never noticed the poor piecing and keep quilting, regretting it forever more... 
or should I spend hours with my seam ripper so I know it is pieced correct & can be proud of it...) 

Are there granite police out there the way we have those irritable quilt police? 

(And have I become one of them?)

(I feared I might be overreacting?)

I needed to take a step back.

I took a lunch break while my husband and contractor figure things out. 

He went back to the office...

and the garnite team went back to their work.

And then-

I returned home less than 1 hour later.




I tried to be patient & not overreact... (fighting back the tears and rant) as soon as I returned to the kitchen and saw it.

MY 

PERFECT 

BOOKING 

WAS 

GONE.

It was disjointed, mismatched, and undeniable.

And the disturbing truth, I had no choice now but to say aloud:

I 

HATED 

IT!

my "V" bookmarked flowing illusion was gone 

Honestly, I was so upset there are no words.

All I could see now in that entire kitchen was that SEAM, taunting me.

.

It looked like a fox's face that had been flattened by speeding truck!

Other things were happening all over the kitchen... 

but all I could see were those seams :(

And by now... all knew how upset I was and knew it looked bad.

In the mean time:

The stove had to be removed so they could cut out its space.

He did so my creating a "tube with plastic sheeting"- 

completely surrounding it and him ---

 cutting it with his template right there in place!

afterward it was pushed back in place... it fit just right!

My husband came home from the office as soon as he could to work with my contractor and the garnite foreman for an idea.



... and HE figured out the math to repair the angles and make the "booking' look better.

We were forced to lose 2 more inches of granite...

BUT

his mathmatically angled layout let things work again--
so it wasn't so disjointed visually.

And the granite team foreman was able to fix things on site...

avoiding the long delays that might have been ahead if the company had to send other equipment & artisits- perhaps weeks away- in the future.

A true artist... in blue

He created an adhesive "palette of mixed colors" that he then

 painted them in over slab joints... 

saving the beautiful booking 

I had been memorized by and loved previously... (Thank you Eddie)

It has been a very long 2 days, but the amount of work accomplished this week has been remarkable. The granite crew stayed past 10:30 PM! Their dedication will never be forgotten.

...There is truly an end in sight... 

This is a pic my husband took of the sunlight reflecting 

on to our islands granite slab before installation & cutting!