Ewww! I hate that stage!
Take pictures as things start going back!

What, you don't love the yellow walls behind the cabinets? Or the nasty cobwebs and dirt and insulation? I'm just glad we're moving forward! I'll be sure to take LOTS of pictures.

My dh and I were exhausted, laying in bed trying to go to sleep last night and he kept taunting me with all the cool new things that'd be in my kitchen:
"toe kick drawers...two ovens...granite countertops...refrigerator you don't have to stoop to see into...acres of counter space..." he says to me. Now how am I going to get to sleep?!?! There are too many cool things to think about to sleep, I'm too excited! My dh can be such a brat sometimes, but he's a keeper. He's done amazingly well putting up with me for the past year as I've planned, replanned and agonized over this remodel.

Bri, that's so exciting!

I remember the day I came home from work and my kitchen was completely gone down to the cinderblock of the outside walls. I had the exct same thought -- "no turning back now." Along with "what have I done."

The planning, dreaming and imagining are a lot of the fun of remodeling. The plaster dust and anxiety are not!

I can hardly wait to the the finished product. Enjoy the process. You are lucky to be able to do most of it yourselves. That's a huge savings.

Congratulations! You're at one of the best parts...where you can finally imagine the possibilities.

NOW. Here's what I'm having trouble with...you say you're not doing much cooking for a week. Surely, that doesn't mean you expect to be done in a week? Do you have a temporary kitchen somewhere?

Oh, that's SO exciting! I will enjoy watching the progress.

Thanks all! I'm so excited about the progress we've made this weekend and all the cool features the new kitchen will have. All the drywall patching got done today, hopefully the taper will be able to get to us on Monday so I can paint Wednesday, lay the floor Thursday and start installing Friday. So in answer to your question Claire, yes I hope to be done and back working in my kitchen in a week! What can I say, it's a small kitchen, we're not moving the walls or plumbing and I have amazing family. I just found out that my cousin may be coming up to help too, I don't know if there are enough square feet for this many people to work in! I already feel like a bad host for not being able to cook for my dad while he's over here working, I don't know how I'll manage when there are more people over! It's just what I do, I feed people! Ah, such a cross I bear, ha! Thanks again for all the kind wishes!

Dishes? In the bathroom?
Haven't you heard of pizza, sub sandwiches, chinese takeout, deli chicken???
No dishes!!

Congrats on all your progress. I'll be waiting for the open house! LOL

Deanna

Congratulations, Bri, I'll be looking forward to the finished product pictures!

I've never done a remodel on any part of any of the places I lived, so I can't commiserate, but I do hope you'll love your "new" kitchen.

Annie

Thanks everyone! I actually have news to report today. The drywall guy came and taped, mudded and textured today. He left mere moments ago so it's all still wet, but he did a great job and I'm so excited at the progress!! A couple pictures for you, the walls are still an ugly yellow from behind the old cabinets, but that will all be worked out with some priming and painting tomorrow!

I caN'T WAIT TO SEE THE after PIX!

Wow, that's happening really fast. I think I hate you. (Not really. I'm just remembering the painful nine months gestation my kitchen baby took. Never again.) Seriously, small kitchens have many advantages!

Isn't it wonderful you'll have a new space before the holidays? I feel your joy, and am looking forward to your pictures.

So exciting! I can't wait to see the completed kitchen, and am hoping the lack of a kitchen isn't wearing on you too much yet... Thanks for posting these!

Just checking for new pictures, I have to live vicariously, LOL.

Annie

Sorry your kitchen took so long Claire! I owe the speed of this project to my fantastic family. I'd be up a creek without their expertise and drive. It's amazing what you can get done when you have a hard deadline and people that know what's going on... :)

I got the walls and ceiling primed and painted yesterday and this morning. Then dad and I got the floors laid today. You can see the three pieces of hardwood left over laying on the floor, I don't think I could have cut it any closer. We literally have about 16" of waste wood in the bucket by the chop saw, I think we did ok as far as efficiency goes!

The floor is in not a moment too soon as my uncle called to say he's on the road and will be here tonight. So bright and early tomorrow we start installing all the fun stuff! I'll be sure to post more pics as I have them. Thanks for sharing my enthusiasm everyone!!

{{gwi:1452655}}

Wow!! You're working fast! Can't wait to see the finished pics.... do you have everything picked out?

Grace

I jus' wanna know why DH was at work today? HUH?
Why isn't he home helping????
Or does it just work better this way??? :-)

Deanna

Morning everyone! I'm not excited or anything, but I've been up for almost two hours already and it's not even 6...

Grace, everything is picked out, most of it's been sitting in my dining room for weeks (sinks, faucets, hardware, undercabinet lights etc). The rest is coming up with my uncle. Now all I have to do is buy things like water supply lines once we get things a little more situated and I can figure out how long they need to be. Oh and vent ducting for my OTR microwave. Gotta get that. And maybe one of those cool templates for putting hardware on the cabinets. Maybe I won't screw up as bad if I use one of those.

Umm, maybe I should have tried harder to go back to sleep, I'm a blithering idiot this morning! Sorry. :)

Deanna- DH was at work yesterday because he's in "fire fighter" mode. He even has to go in for a while today to clean up and make sure things are going ok. Though I will say that after 30 years of working together (ok fine, I wasn't much help until I was at least 5 or 6, so 25 years), my dad and I have developed a working rhythm. While I've never laid hardwood and we've never laid floors together, it only took us a few rows to figure out the division of labor and start working smoothly. Have I mentioned how awesome my dad is lately? Cause he is.

My uncle will be here in a couple hours, I've taken my ibuprofen and I'm ready to go!

Well, we're finally done for the day and we made a pretty good amount of progress! All the cabinets but one are set. There was a miscommunication somewhere between here and California and one of the cabinets got built a few inches too wide. So we'll take that to dad's shop tomorrow and cut it down. Nothing can be too easy, right? :)

Here's a couple pictures of the kitchen as it sits now, I'll post more tomorrow!

Holy moly - that is going to look fantastic! No wonder you are so excited. I hope since now it is the weekend you can spend 2 more whole days on it!

Fantastic! I love the counter tops and can't wait to see when this is all done.

Isn't it fun working with Dads? Somedays you fight and others you just know what they are thinking and the job gets done. Now can you loan him out to me? JK, mine is good and I also have the "adoptive" Dad, a neighbor that was a contractor and woodworker all his life. Without Gene my house just might fall down.

On to the finish line!

I have "Dad" envy!

Everything looks beautiful. I check each day for new photos.

I love watching your progress. It's wonderful so far! what a great father-daughter project. You sure are saving abundle by DIYing it. Can't wait for more pictures.

Wow! It's gorgeous, Bri! Very light and bright.
And is that cupboard doors on the outside of the bar counter??? So, BOTH sides!?!?!? I am jealous! Especially that corner one.

It's fun watching it come together.

Now we're never gonna get any work out of you, you'll be home cooking!

Deanna

This was fun coming to this post for the first time and seeing your progress. I'd be excited too! Can't wait to see the finished project. How nice to have great family to help, too.

Brenda

It's looking great, Bri! You've done your kitchen similar to mine. I have the black uba tuba granite tile counters and white shaker style cabinets. You're going to love your new kitchen I'm sure.

Sally

Ok, we're done for the day. We're all exhausted! My uncle left this morning to head home and the four of us finished up. Took about 6 hours to cut out and polish the sink cutout, but the guys persevered yesterday and even cut out and polished all the backsplash pieces. Today we finished all the plumbing for the sink, dishwasher and refrigerator, put in a new door, put up the crown, scribe, base and casing (not quite done, we have to figure out a different base for around the cabinets). We also finished installing the appliances, the undercabinet lights and cleaned up a bit.

Still to do: finish the base, putty and caulk all the trim, paint trim and the door and install the jewelry (aka hardware). Little stuff, nothing huge. Now I have to get the house cleaned up and back in order! But for now, sitting down feels really good.

Oh, and while we were at it, we replaced the (horrid) laminate countertop in the bathroom and put in a new sink and faucet. We'll have to do the rest of the bathroom at some point, but this is a good start!

IÂm so impressed that you did this in just a week. ItÂs beautiful and as tired as you must be you must be too excited to sleep.

Claudia

Wow, it looks great! I just noticed that your kitchen is almost exactly the same configuration as mine. The dishwasher and frig placement in yours is much better, though. I'm making notes... I am way overdue for a remodel.