Day 2: Rough Carpentry and New Subfloor

The old half wall was torn down and a new one made. It has to be higher to accommodate another plug, as per new codes.

Our contractor Jen also discovered two 3/4" plywood levels of subfloor! She had them torn out and a new subfloor installed, otherwise the kitchen floor would be higher than the surrounding flooring.
Plywood was installed where the soffits were taken out so the insulation in the attic does not fall into the kitchen.

We saw the new cork floor!

Tomorrow the plumber comes to move the water to where the sink will be, and HVAC will be installing the venting for the range hood. Then we wait for inspection before the next step: drywalling and sanding. Ugh.

After that things get interesting!

Day One Completed: Tear this Kitchen Down!

Today the old kitchen was torn out. The original cabinets were saved to be re-purposed for basement storage later. The soffits were torn out. The rug and two layers of linoleum were torn out.

It took four people to do the tear down.

 This is the corner where the sink and stove were.

And this is the wall where the refrigerator once was.

The contractor wants to remove the 3/4" thick plywood floor. It appears there are two layers that thick. The cork flooring is 1/2" deep and she wants the adjacent flooring to be more level with the new kitchen floor. So that's more tear-down ahead.

Kamikaze loves the sunshine

Our doggies weathered the ordeal. I spent the cool morning with them outside in the back yard. Kamikaze loves to sit outside. Suki only likes to be outside at night! All afternoon we stayed in a bedroom. I read, fell asleep, read some more. The doggies just slept.

 Its what they do best.

Day One: Tear Down

Good bye, old kitchen. My folks bought this house after my grandfather's death and my grandmother moved in with my family. Mom used to cook, and Grandma cleaned up. My brother was eleven when they moved in here, but I was at college.

I didn't do much in the kitchen until after Mom died. Then I would cook and clean up when visiting Dad. I inherited the house after Dad passed. A year later our son moved in after he finished college. And last June, a year ago, Gary and I moved in after he retired.

So this kitchen has seen four generations of my family.

We already have a new stove. The 1984 one had been the second in the house. When my folks bought the house the appliances were Harvest Gold. The lighted hood does not even have a circulating fan.

The empty spot is where the refrigerator was originally. Our new didn't fit.

The new refrigerator will stay in this corner. Mom once had a glass front hutch full of her Depression Glass collection there.

We have set up a coffee and microwave station in the living room. The family room carpet will be torn up also. We are having the same cork flooring in the kitchen and the family room.

Its going to be difficult for our doggies. Kamikaze is spooked by loud noises. Suki will be upset she can't get into her favorite room, the family room corner.

Kamikaze and Suki in the family room

But it is exciting to finally be starting the project!

Dad a few months before we lost him

Our Kitchen Remodel Choices & Update

We have signed off on a kitchen layout, cabinets, counter tops, sink, hood, and flooring. Whew! We are finalizing back splash options. We put down a deposit. And May finds us, one again, packing up! At least this May it is not to move--just relocating a kitchen in prep for demo.

Here is what we decided on doing:

Quarter sawn natural cherry slab cabinets. The quarter sawn wood has a more even grain texture. We really fell in love with these cabinets when we saw a display kitchen in the Ludington, MI Home Depot. It was 10 years old and the color was so pretty. We saw a 20 year old cherry model kitchen at Kurtis Kitchen in Warren. We have never had cherry cabinets before. I look forward to watching their color become richer. The soffits will be out and cabinets will run to the ceiling.

The quarter sawn cherry cabinets

Yes! Wilson Art "Betty" laminate in soft teal and gold and gray on off-white is their 2015 retake on a retro 70s pattern. Jen said it has caused quite a stir with her co-workers. How did I find out about it? Retro Renovation. Thanks, Pam!

We thought we had to decide between an apron front sink or the laminate counter top! But I found Kohler had a sink designed for this issue: the Vault top-mounted stainless steel sink can be used with laminate counter tops. O, the cleverness of me!(To quote Peter Pan.)

We bought a Hansgrohe faucet at Costco.

We loved this Evora cork flooring for its "Canvas" color and 'stone' look. Turned out to be a high quality floor as well. It will be installed in the kitchen and the adjacent family room. The family room is on a cement slab so the insulation quality of cork will be a real plus.

We have ordered a Akdy European stainless steel wall mount hood from Houzz. I don't have a photo. There will be a pot and pan drawer and will feature two 18" glass front cabinets. I will have more counter space than I have ever had around a stove. We preferred counter space over a pantry. That wall ended up looking like this:

Completed Kitchen photo

Instead of how it looks now.

old kitchen

We already have a Samsung convection five burner convection oven and a Whirlpool bottom freezer three door refrigerator. (Bought on sale over the past few years.) We bought a Bosch dishwasher with a third rack. We wanted a quiet one as the family room is open to the kitchen and the bedrooms beyond the doorway into the kitchen seen above.

The refrigerator was moved to a wall where Mom had a hutch. We  built it in with a utility cabinet. A two step ladder is stored in the cabinet.

In process: built in refrigerator

There is still room for a dining area in front of the window wall or centered in the room. We have three table options.

 The $40 1950s tulip red and gray Formica table I found a year ago.

 My childhood 1950s table. (Shown with our retro chairs bought at Target many years ago.)

The Chromcraft 1950s table with crushed ice gray Formica top.

The Chromecraft Table in our kitchen

We loved the retro vibe of this spun aluminum pendant light fixture from Elk Lighting. I bought it from Overstock.com. It will hang over the counter between the kitchen and the family room. In drawing below you can see the half wall into the family room. I love the little open shelf at the end of the cabinet.

Completed kitchen photo

The kitchen has a sink on that peninsula now. It will be moved to the stove wall. Dad's stained glass pendent will go to my brother.

old kitchen photo

We are not installing pot lights. Under counter lighting, a light over the sink, and the lighted hood over the stove will supplement existent outlets. For over the dining area we ordered this Percussion 3-light flush mount polished chrome fixture from Houzz.

We considered a stainless steel sheet behind the stove or metallic look tiles. We loved this tile!

stainless metal tile backsplash

We will get paint samples later and pick up a color from Betty.

I have lots of dishes to choose from.

 The Ben Seibel 1958 Iroquois "Blue Diamond' is a set I love.

 Both of our parents had the Cornelle Harvest Gold butterfly set.

Gary's folks good china. I also have an amber Diana set of Depression era dishes.

This has been a lot of work. It was over a year ago we first talked to someone about a remodel. We looked at a lot of online and print information, visited numerous retailers, and spoke to three contractor/designers. When we saw something we liked I shopped around for the best deal. Prices change constantly, so if we saw a deal we bought it right away. As the flooring is going into the family room we will have to clear it out as well.

In the end we will have finished remodeling two rooms!

Now we have to pack.

Update: I found this great fabric for curtains! I liked the retro look with two tiers. It offers a lot of options for privacy and, as a western window, for when the sun is setting.

 They are lined and hanging on rings.

May Brings Smiles and Sunshine

May has me smiling. The snow is over. Sunshine has returned.

Last Saturday I took an all day painting class. Everyone in the class was far more advanced and were quite adept. Teacher had to finally give me a little one-on-one to catch up.

 I received my first real--not ebook--for review! Thanks Schiffer!

Our apple trees have loads of buds after a good pruning.

We will be signing the contract for the kitchen remodel soon. We are going with the natural cherry cabinets, the Betty laminate from Wilson Art, and a lighter cork floor.

Our new tree is blooming. (We planted it in September:

 http://theliteratequilter.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-new-tree-comes-to-yard.html)

 And we have had daffodils and now tulips in bloom.

Our doggies have had needed dental care and teeth removed and they are eating with relish again.

Suki

Kamikaze

I also started writing again...something creative and not related to quilts or books I have read. We were at the Detroit Symphony concert last Thursday and during Schumann's Spring Symphony I was given an opening line and a character. I hope this time I finish what I have started!

Life is good!