Beachem! I was worried. How are you feeling? Sorry about things being rough with your dad's health..

Any news on this gorgeous quartzite of yours? I googled it-some slabs are Van Gogh all right..

Sorry about no input about which topic to cover..my topic-can we please be done already lol? and move in? It's some absurd reality. Better than many other types of absurd realities..but still..my sanity is clearly suffering some..:)

We are getting very close to moving back into the house . Final work is being done . We started bringing some stuff in from the storage units over the weekend . Long dirty process unfortunately and everything must be checked for mold and bugs etc , storage units are notorious for bugs.

We're still framing. Kill me now. No seriously. At almost 12 weeks with no stove and no kitchen. Hoping to at least have some gas installed in the next 2-3 weeks so I can get my stove running again (although we won't have anything else!!)

Wouldn't mind a check in thread with photos, just for some motivation and eye candy.

I could use help with lighting. I need to retrofit both general and task lighting and am looking for inspiration and ideas.

We are in demo stage/moving drain. Day 4. Super slow. Two kids 5 and 3. Yeah why did I do this again?

We are in week 9 and I am so sick of this! Counters go in on Friday, plumbing on Saturday, appliances the following Monday. I still need to choose pendant lighting, backsplash and seating. Im also hoping my cabinet guy actually finishes everything that needs to be fixed- he is so unreliable

Beachem, i hope you can catch a break soon. We had a really bad year with lots of medical problems in 2015. I don't know what I would have done if it had continued into this year. I suppose we all soldier on, but you have my sympathy and wishes for next year to give you some relief.

By my calculations, we are about week -17. Still planning but ordering cabinets late Jan or early Feb, with actual start date of early to mid-March. We are getting our foundation leveled the first week of December and nothing else can start until then. There is a visible slant everywhere in our house, and nowhere is it more visible than the kitchen ( 3" drop in about 8'.) It's taking about $5k of our $35k budget because we had planned on about $7k but it will cost almost $12k. I also got a $6k estimate on electrical. Even though I know it's all part of it, it still feels like we're spending $20,000 before we even start. And it's going to mean being without a kitchen during the holiday baking season. 9 holes through the slab in the kitchen and dining room

I can't think what I'd like to see in posts. After living with the idea of this Ali's proposed layout for a few weeks, I think we're pretty happy with it, though I'm sure it needs a little tweaking. I wanted butcher block counters and found 16 linear ft in the "as is" area at ikea for under $100, so that's a done deal. Flooring is linoleum, as much by virtue of what we do want as what we don't. I have a general lighting plan after the electrician's visit.

Mostly I'm here to absorb as much knowledge as I can so when the remodel is actually happening to *me* I'm as ready as I can be for what it throws at me. For example, had it not been for GW, I would have totally freaked out at the electrician's estimate. Yay, GW!

Beachem, glad you are back. Sorry about your dad's health issues. There really is nothing else that matters but family right?!

I am hoping to finish before Thanksgiving. At least, we are looking forward to having hot water again in about 1.5 week. I still can't believe we have survived without hot water for 9 weeks. Showering at the gym is getting unbearable.

Sorry to hear about your Dad's health problems. Makes everything else seem like small potatoes.

Although I declared our house 'done', there's still work to do in the kitchen, so I guess we're into year 4! All that really remains is the backsplash, which I haven't started because we're still undecided. We're probably going to go with an inexpensive white subway tile, maybe beveled. The big box store has a white that is very close to the BM White Dove that we painted the cabinets. What we're undecided about is how high to go, and whether to incorporate an accent stripe or some other accents to punch it up a little.

Someday soon I'll take some better kitchen pics and start a thread to solicit backsplash ideas and opinions.

We just started week 5. Demo, rough inspections, framing, drywall, tile down (but not grouted), first coat of paint. Cabinets delivered yesterday. Hope to template counters next week.

Sorry to hear the news about your Dad, beachem. I hope his health improves.

I'm done for now. The basement is finished, but I need to put another coat of paint on the walls and trim. Other than that, the only thing left inside really is the stairs to the basement and the floor of the laundry room. For the stairs, I'll get the re-tread kits, stain them and have someone install them. I likely have to get drywall for the stairwell.. I can't use my click together vinyl floor tiles in the laundry room because there is a slight slope and drain, so I think I will use the really flexible peel and stick wood floor look stuff. I found some that matched the adjoining basement. I am hanging a heavy curtain in the doorway, so it won't be entirely visible. When the stairs and laundry room floor are done, that will be it for inside.

Next year I have to have a new roof. And we'll be doing our trip out west, so likely no renos unless I get a new contract at work or work a crazy amount of OT. LOL.

Seems like we are in it for the long haul with this house that is turning into a money pit. Week 7 of a kitchen remodel. I made a number of relatively small design mistakes that make me wish I could start over (ha ha - not really!). I recognize that I did have the info from what I gleaned here but I guess I did not "get it" enough and/or bowed to the wishes of others. I'd like a thread on design mistakes to avoid (although I know there are already some like that). Because we are doing IKEA, I like to read about how other people approached their designs/installations.

M_gabriel,

I would be interested to hear (in a new post) about your small design mistakes. I once read an article about how few bad decisions it takes to turn a road trip into a life threatening emergency. In a similar vein, I recently read the blog of a woman who remodeled her kitchen, starting with one strong vision, and trough a series of wrong choices, ended up with something nice, but not at all what she wanted.

Im sure when you're all finished, you actually be pretty happy with your new kitchen. It's harder to look past the little things when you're sill in the middle of something. A finished project *usually* feels good enough to focus on the positives.

townlakecakes, that article sounds interesting. Could you share a link?

Dh has started buildling the pantry cabinets that we don't need to disturb the kitchen to build. It is a challenge to juggle DIY with all the family activities. However, I did just order the cork flooring for the kitchen, so I think we are approaching the point where we just dive in.

I have been really indecisive about things, sort of going off the reservation with a crazy idea periodically before settling back into a design that is almost identical to what I've been planning all along. I just read one of those articles about my Meyers Briggs type (ENFP) and realized that it is a typical part of my "process" lol. So, maybe you could have a kitchen design thread where you figure out how different personality types go about the design process.

A good one for the season could be "doing the holidays without a kitchen."

Oh Beachem, I was so hoping you were going to get that already paid for slab. I saw about the crack....

I am so sorry to hear about your dad, (hugs). He sounds like things are on the mend. It will get easier.

Year 3. Island cabinets ready for marble. Hubby doing power and painting metal for island this weekend, hopefully. MIL keeps him hopping during any time off so the snails pace

has slowed to glacial. Good news- I did lose 30#! Whoop whoop.

Keep pluggin' away Beachem! We are all rallying behind you!!

i think some good ideas have been posted here for future threads.

yrs ago after reading here for a few yrs I decided NOT to redo my kitchen because I didn't have the strength, energy or decision making capabilities to do so - from what I read here. I didn't want to go thru the things you all do - lol! I don't cook much anymore and I'm not in the kitchen all that much. the insides of the cabs are good, the outside is just tacky - and I only have 6 drawers (not very wide either). But I've muddled thru ok for yrs. I have planned to have 3 or 4 drawers put into 1 lower cab that's 24" wide. haven't gotten to that yet tho.

I do need a new faucet and have a new/used sink to be put in... but then I think of the blah/old counter top I have and figure I should replace it at the same time. BUT, I think my first spring here I had ants attack the kitchen. they were so very, very tiny, if my counter hadn't been plain white I doubt I'd have even seen them. that made me rethink the patterned counters I'd decided on... it took me over a yr to convince myself to go for color and pattern rather than plain white or beige. and I tossed out the whole idea because of ants... that was 3 or 4 yrs ago. now I'm thinking about it again...

the same with my mstr bath. it has a 5' vanity but the sink isn't aligned with the lights over it... and the under sink cabinet is very misaligned. the right door of it is under the sink and the left door of it is under the counter to the left of the sink... yikes! I could use more drawers in there too and I have the space for them. I have 3 maybe 10-12" wide drawers. and again in there, it started with the faucet not working right. it's very old and ugly. the sink is bad too so that should be replaced... so while I'm at it I should replace the cabinet... and while the cabinet's out I should replace the flooring...

see what a mess I'm in? lol! I didn't even mention the light fixture and mirror need to go... I'm not sure I'd live thru the bath or kit redo. but 1 thing just leads to the next until it's way beyond what I think I can deal with.

I do plan to talk to my handyman on his next trip here. bath 1st maybe...

but what do people with patterned/colored counters do if they can't see the ants? isn't like these things are big enough to be easily seen (or like I have good eyesight or wear my glasses in the kit) or black or something (wearing a sign?). maybe I'm stuck with just plain beige.

I think I could deal with it if it could be done in maybe a week... it's just me and I don't really have to cook and there's no kids but I don't think me would survive it! you all are so brave and gutsy!

I know if any of you had a magic wand you'd share it with me - right?

beachem, I hope your dad gets totally better. and sorry to hear about the slab - VG is one of my favorites, but I'd like a piece for wall art not counter!

I'd never see the ants in a VG countertop!

beachem, I'm hope your father is doing better. My heart goes out to you. I think the stolen slab would have been one straw too many for me. {{{hugs}}}

We're in the framing out and rough plumbing stage. Picture taken this morning. The bumped out window is being framed. The header went in yesterday. Our lead carpenter didn't give any regard to the wiring for the home security system and simply clipped the wire very near the unit hanging from the rafters on the left side of the room. Sigh.

I'd like some design discussion that helps one determine whether they should use matte or gloss finish depending on other elements being used in the room. Are there hard and fast design rules or guidelines that one can follow?

For example, if you have a matte countertop, should you use a gloss finish on your backsplash?

TIA

It's been 1-1/2 years now since we started our kitchen remodel and there are just minor things that need to be done still (new light fixtures and the barn door to the pantry). We still need new staircase railings. We have, I believe, 98 of the small balusters alone, so it's going to be pricey.:-(

So, the biggest thing I need help with is designing the staircase. I've posted about it before, but didn't get much feedback. Perhaps I'll try again in the future.

I'm hopeful your dad is recuperating well and will be better soon. It's so hard to watch our parents aging or suffer in any way.

I lost my dad six years ago this month. I still miss and think of him often. I saw a woman with her young child and also with her older mom in a store today and she was so snotty and disrespectful to her mom. I gave her quite the look of disapproval.

So good to see everyone's progress. Beachem, you are an unbelievable inspiration to us all. As are the rest of you. I'm tearing up as I type.

The hawaii cottage is getting closer to finished now. It's slow due to other obligations. No comment... :-(

Flooring was shorted on us, not due to Mr. Rebunky' calculations, but store owner admitted he gave us the wrong sq ft per box.

I picked out a countertop at our one pre-fab shop in town. It's not what I'd have picked if had a choice, but I went with it because I only had like two choices. It's a Quartz.

Bedroom is mostly done. New bed is so awesome. I want it for myself. Comfy!

I soaked in the huge bathtub on the lanai. And let me tell ya, it is HUUGE! Some of you might remember it was a freebie from millionaire's home!!!

Our tile guy for the bathroom is very good, but has other jobs plus personal stuff to deal with. Don't we all? We told him our project is not the priority, so it's going slow. The shower walls are in, but the pretty blue-green glass waterfall accent tile is what I'm dying to see! Don't know when he'll get to that. It's inspired by Lisa.a, which, ummmm, I'm waiting to see her bathroom reveal. Hint hint...anyone want to remind her?

Anyways, sorry I have been MIA for awhile, but life has thrown me for a loop lately. I wish I was as strong as you are Beachem.

eta: What the heck with distributor selling your gorgeos slab? Are you serious? I remember it was awesome perfect. Oh man, I'd be so flaming mad, they'd be crying for mercy!