At this point there’s almost no way to share all of the things that are going on around the house and in my head in any kind of logical fashion. The only thing I can say for certain is that there is, in fact, progress.
For example, two of the three sections of green granite counters are out of the kitchen…
I’ve given up all pretense of doing things without help on this project, as there’s been a pretty steady stream of hands helping me out over the last few weeks. Mostly my mom and grandma, but also a very smart bearded guy.
It’s hard not to let him help with a setup like that, right? Also, granite is effing heavy. And even though I don’t usually like asking for help, it’s not a hardship to watch a man with a beard use his muscles. And cook omelettes. So that’s a win-win-win and no more granite counters for me.
My mom and I also did a little “investigative demo” on this arch. It’s definitely coming out….
I’d been waffling on it for a while because, personally, I really don’t like the two arches in the house. Everyone else seems to love them, so I was trying to talk myself into just letting it go and leaving them, but my mom kept reminding that I’m going to be in this house, looking at these arches, for decades. (She said it just like that too…” for decades”.)
So, we investigated… with a sawsall. There’s no structural reason for them to be arches, so they are coming out. Add that to the list of things people are going to help me with because my dad (who doesn’t want to miss out on all this fun) decided he was going to come up this weekend and help with that part. We’ll see how that goes, because it’s taken 33 years for us to figure out how to work together, and we only did it successfully once last year on this big project… but we had a lot of fun and it turned out great. So there’s that. We’ll see how much of my kitchen survives this…
In the meantime, my mom also had another great idea. Over the last few weeks she’d been looking at this spot next to the upper cabs on the left side asking if I could build shelves or something to go there.
Meryl (from Picardy Project) also commented that she loves having her cookbooks on display, and Sunday night I was looking for any excuse not to keep sanding the ceiling so I went out and found some scrap wood in the shop…
And built myself another cabinet.
Which was a really good decision.
(Okay, that middle shelf is not actually in the middle which I realized after I took this picture… this is my PSA on double-checking your measurements after having a few glasses of wine. #dontdrinkandDIY)
It’s just going to be open shelving for cookbooks. The counter has an overhang that will extend to just under that cab as well, so I think it will all look more integrated once everything is put back together… and once I move that shelf up an inch or two. Hmph.
I have a lot more things I want to say about cabinets (both the building, designing, and installation of them) but I’m going to stick with the update for now, and the plan for the next several weeks. I’ve been playing it by ear thus-far, but it’s about time to start planning a few weeks out. Here’s where we’re at:
Upcoming Weekend 4/9-4/10
- Finish sanding and priming ceiling (1/3 left to sand and I’m hating every square foot of it)
- Frame out new opening to mudroom
- Build last small cabinet for uppers
- Build drawer for microwave cab
- Patch drywall and install range hood (and stove outlet)
- (maybe) Build box around hood
Weekend 4/16-4/17
- Put crown and toe-kick back on cabs
- Build out panel on back of peninsula
- Take out sink and last section of counter
- Prep cab for new apron sink
- Finish masking off cabs
- Degloss all doors
- Build “spray booth” for doors upstairs
- Possibly spray primer
Weekend 4/23-4/24
- Spray! Practice on closet doors first.
- Spray first coat cabs and doors (Sat)
- Sand & spray second coat on cabs and doors (Sun)
Weekend 4/30-5/1
- Doors back on cabs + hardware installation
- Temp (plywood) counters
- Install new sink
- Woo!
After That
- Finish drywall work
- Paint walls and ceiling
- Install new trim on recessed lights
- Order actual counters
- Install ceiling beams
- Build window bench
- Order bar stools
- Refinish or build new table
Whew. We’re getting there, and I won’t be sad if it only takes me until the end of April to have a somewhat-functioning kitchen again. Plus I’m trying to fit some other fun things in like the next stages of mead-making, bee-keeping, and the installation of a greenhouse kit that should be here in a few weeks. (I’ll try to keep you updated on all the awesome, but if I don’t it’s because I’m face-down on the floor somewhere inhaling paint fumes…)
Article reference Liberty Kitchen Progress: Update & Plans
No comments:
Post a Comment