I'm a slacker (and some house updates)

most of my blogging these days is about the baby, so it's all over on my other blog (Our Greatest Project) but I do have a couple of house updates!

By the end of this month, this room should look put together finally and will actually have a purpose!  (This is a listing photo, so not our furniture).  For the 3+ years that we have lived in our house, the room (which connects our garage to the rest of the house and also has the door that goes to the backyard) has served has a walk-through and storage room. 

When we began renovating our kitchen, this room was tackled along with it since they share a wall and we were opening up the doorway between the two.  We took down all the paneling and added recessed lights in the ceiling and built a closet toward the front.  The whole room got new sheet rock/plaster and paint.  The front is tiled (it will serve as our mud room area) and the carpet was installed this morning in the rest of the room (it took us a LONG time to pick out carpet - we needed something capable of withstanding very high traffic and kid-friendly since it will be a playroom).

couch will go in this corner

We love how it turned out.  The couch is being delivered at the end of the month and MrT is currently shopping for a TV - soon we'll be able to actually use this room!

my kitchen

is basically done.  We are waiting for our new table/chairs to be delivered on Friday, but I wanted to show off my pictures :)

Let's take a look back at what my kitchen used to look like....

and here's what it looks like now!!  Just for reference, the range is in the same place in the old and new kitchen

about where the fridge is used to be a second doorway to the hall on the other side.  since we obviously don't need 2 doorways 5 feet apart, we closed one in.

 
we expanded the window above the sink (and took out the actual window) and expanded the doorway to the next room (and got rid of the actual door)

 

I'll have more pictures of the other side (the eating area) after the table is delivered on Friday!

new cabinets

this is going to be a quick post, I just wanted to show off these pictures!

kitchen renovation - updates

it's been a while since I updated, things have been really crazy but we have major progress in the kitchen!  3 weeks ago (I think), the old kitchen was completely demolished:

 

about a week ago (after the electrical and plumbing was done), we had plasterers come and make our new walls nice and pretty:

Then yesterday I finished painting!

Today the new hardwood floors are getting installed in the kitchen area (to match the rest of the downstairs).  Then beginning tomorrow, the new and existing floors are getting refinished so that everything matches.

Since 80% of our downstairs is hardwood, we had to move everything to the spare (and previously empty) room upstairs:

please don't report us to Hoarders!

Once the floors are finished, it's time to install the cabinets!!!!  Right now we're hoping to get that done Mother's Day weekend and then the counter people are coming to make the template for our counters.  I can't wait for that part!!

perfection

our new cabinets were delivered today!

kitchen design

I'm in love with our kitchen design.  I look at the printouts from Lowes quiet often and I'm so excited to see it take shape in real life!

Before I show you the new design, let's recap our current kitchen.

this is all of our cabinets and all of our counter space.  The dishwasher will be moving to the other end - to the right of the sink

this was pre-wallpaper stripping when we moved in.  We will be opening up that doorway and the wall above the sink

the stove will remain where it is.  The fridge will move to about where the microwave is.  We have a new microwave to go above the range.

Our eating area isn't changing much - just new paint, window treatments, and table (eventually).  That doorway on the right will be opened up a little more

Here's the new design!!  (courtesy of Lowes)  Look at all the cabinets and counter space!!!  I can't wait to bake in this kitchen!

<3

kitchen cabinets and countertops

In a very short amount of time, we've made decisions on the two biggest aspects to a kitchen renovation - cabinets and countertops.  We found great deals that we just can't pass up (and luckily for me, MrT loves deals!).  We're looking to order this week which will mean the project is officially underway!

Cabinets (not our house obviously) - Kraftmaid, maple cabinets, color = Chestnut

Countertops - Silestone, color = Kalahari

Things are looking good for a springtime renovation!

and so it begins

the kitchen renovation :)

okay, so it hasn't actually started yet, but the brainstorming/planning has!  We're working on the layout and I'm starting to figure out cabinet styles and finishes.  I got some samples from Kraftmaid and looking at them up against the paint color we're thinking of using. 

so far I'm liking the first wood sample and the white.  I really love the wood stain that's next to the white, but I think it's too dark for our space - our kitchen isn't open enough to pull of such a dark wood.  I also browsed Lowes for the type of tile we have talked about using for the backsplash - so you can see that there too.

Even though we may still be a few months out from starting the actual work (depending on which one of us you talk to), I'm so excited this is finally our next project.  It's been a long time coming!

first house project of 2011

After almost 3 years in our house, we are finally nearing the end of our major renovation projects.  All we have left is the kitchen and the room next to it (we call it the breezeway) that will end up being a den/playroom area with a small mud "room" area as well.

The first step to this project was replacing the door from the garage.  When we had our home inspection, one of the major things found was that the (former) door was not fire-rated (it was wood - so more like fire-inviting) and it also opened the wrong way (opened into the garage instead of into the house.  this wasn't a concern of the inspector, just a pain to us).

MrT installed the new door yesterday and also rearranged/added some electrical work.  There's now a new recessed light inside the door and the light switches have been moved to the other side of the door.

old door:

you can see the (black) light switches on the left of the door

also notice the cardboard in the bottom left pane - the glass fell out quite a while ago and we've had cardboard there ever since - not really insulating or secure!

 

new door:

it now opens INTO the house and no more cardboard window panes.  

here you can see the new light in the ceiling - there's a second one just out of sight by the windows - it's so bright there now!

Next up is knocking down the mini-closet (seen to the left of the door) and building a new closet.  Not sure when MrT plans on doing that, but hopefully soon!

family room carpet

as promised (and a little late), pictures of our family room put back together with the new carpet

bathroom progress - 95% complete

I am happy to report that after almost 2 months, our bathroom renovation is basically done.  The reason it's not 100% is because we're waiting for our shower head/tub spout set to be delivered and MrT still needs to hang the shower curtain rod (but drilling through porcelain tile is not easy.  It takes over 1 fully charged drill battery per hole.  He needs to drill 4 holes - he's done 1.  And he broke a drill bit.)

Long story short, we hired this plumber.  He was good in the beginning, got the plumbing in, etc.  Then he had to wait on us before coming back to finish.  We had to do the electrical work, new walls, tile, etc.  Basically he just had to come back at the end to hook up the sinks and the shower.  Well, we've been ready for him for about 4 weeks now.  Week 1 - he just plain forgot.  Week 2 - he apparently hurt himself and spent all day at the hospital.  Week 3 - he was later than he'd planned to be and we were having people over so we told him not to come.  Week 4 - we didn't hear from him (and still haven't - and it's been 9 days since we last talked to him).

So MrT decided to take matters into his own hands.  We've been talking about him finishing it for a couple of weeks now, but we kept thinking the plumber was coming THIS time.  But when T couldn't get a hold of him at the end of last week, that was the last straw.

To say I love it is an understatement.  I stand in there and stare at it on no less than 2 occasions per day.  I can now brush my teeth, use the toilet, and do my hair in there.  And hopefully after this weekend, I can shower and even take a bath!

Without further ado - pictures!

In the midst of this project, we also got new carpet (I think I mentioned that in my last post with the pictures of the hardwood floors.  Well the new carpet was installed last Thursday and I am in love with that too.  I don't have pictures of the room set up yet, but here is my beautiful new carpet, in all its glory!

Before:

After:

more pictures tomorrow probably with the furniture back in place!