We are in RF, off York. It has been SO fun watching Michael! His house is right around the corner, and we belong to Meadowbrook too, so it has been pretty neat. My 5 year old said to me the other day, "Mommy can Michael Phelps move houses?" Not sure what he meant, he elaborated, "you know, can he pick up houses and cars becuase he is so strong?!" So cute. Anyway, the MD TKO getogether should be great! I was just getting into being TKO on GW when Igloochic was here last year- so I am looking forward to it. Anyway, I know what you mean about the stiff drink. DH had that last night after the plumbing was done. I asked him if he wanted to replumb our kitchen (and downstairs bathroom) DIY, and he told me he was an emergency only plumber. To be fair- our kitchen/bathroom is a HUGE job, as it will require new pipe chases through the roof and the addition of vetning in the bathroom (none was done by the contracor I am suing right now, long story..). We have been here for a little over 5 years. Pretty much nothing had every been done to this house. I have the original 1942 kitchen (with a 1970s formica countertop "upgrade"). The only "improvements" that were made are "upgraded" outlets (3-prong) which I am now concerned are not grounded is some places, and two additional closets which were constructed with 2x4 (that is how they are finished on the inside) and luan sheets instead of drywall on the outside. So far we have done the windows and doors, replumbed the upstairs bathroom, tripled the basement bathroom size, and finished the rest of the basement into a family room with cabinetry built ins, and redid the laundry room (partially). Even with the kitchen we have soooooo much more to do. But the kitchen is the priority, unless something else breaks...

Annap, don't worry about a couple of months or a couple of years, actually to make finish choices. Really. Think about it. If you go with something that's not AH HA THAT'S IT, you'll end up changing it and wasting money. I'm here to tell ya'. After all. I installed reuse center cabinets. I reconfigured, gave them away or redonated, and built most of the next set myself. Then. I. Discovered. That. Beaded inset. SCREAMED my name. I gave all those away/donated and started again, with yet another reconfiguration. (Then I moved my refrigerator into the mudroom and cut off the peninsula, but kept the cabinets.) So just take it easy and go with what you love. I think I might put a sticky on it or something, so you don't get used to it. That way, something vaguely annoying that you remember you don't like will remain a (dare i? Sticking point) something to address. How are you enjoying those gorgeous windows?

Just one side note, it was mostly DIY- all of the plumbing and tub installation was done by a plumber. And the plaster walls were resurfaced by a professional. They were pretty bad after removing the tile. And my husband wanted plaster not Sheetrock.

I can't believe where we were with this just one year ago. In case anyone is interested in a followup, the Coretec floor is holding up just fine. I have a large and rambunctious dog who often slides all the way across the floor and I don't see any scratches. The cabinets are Sophie's old favorite(ha ha ha) Fabuwood. They have been absolutely great. They're deep, the crown molding looks great, nothing binds or sticks and the finish is very washable. So there you have it. Yes, you can have an entire kitchen, including taking down a wall and a peninsula, moving a door and a refrigerator, done for $20,000. In a week! Is it a Houzz worthy $100,00 kitchen? No. That would be ridiculous in my modest over 55 neighborhood. But if you have a modest budget, don't be discouraged into believing you can't remodel your kitchen for less than $50,000. You can. Here's the proof.