Blurry "Before" and thoughts about "mess"

I had taken some "before" photos way back at the beginning of March. They're blurry, but they give you an idea of what the kitchen looked like before all this began:

Looking into the kitchen from the door that no longer exists.

Note the extent of my counter space (and remember: both corners were unusable!)

Looking towards the dining room from the far window end of the room.

We're looking at the wall that got removed and the door that got walled over!

The fridge side of the room (which used to have only the fridge)

It's absolutely incredible to me that my new kitchen is that same space! Even with out-of-focus photos, you can see that what we had "before" was not all that nice. Now scroll down to the last blog and just LOOK at how the room was transformed! God bless Zane and Denis (the kitchen designer -- what a vision!). All I asked was that they make the best possible use of my space; they far surpassed my hopes.

Now, here's my latest discovery about renovating, now that we've moved our things back into the kitchen and are starting to reassemble the living and dining rooms:

We have lots of "stuff." I guess that's true of many people, but it is certainly true of us. While the renovation was going on, much of that "stuff" was put in various places just to keep it safe because we had to empty the entire first floor.

Now things are done, and it's time to move the stuff back in. Trouble is, we are in a "no mess" frame of mind, inspired by the clean lines and lovely finish on our cabinets and floors. That's a great frame of mind for many things; for example, we have places for all our kitchen things in those new drawers and cabinets and have even been able to put into the kitchen cabinets and drawers the food from our makeshift "pantry" in the back hall.

However, it turns out that there are some things which are by definition messy. Where, for example, to put my school backpack when I come home from teaching? It used to get flung on a dining room chair (since our workspace was in the dining room). Now that my workspace is in the living room, there will be no "flinging" of the school bag. Where do all my books and papers go so that they're not all over the place? How about all the dog training gear that used to be piled on top of a bin in a corner by the stairs?

This is my new challenge: how to store "stuff" that, while useful, is just not attractive. That's going to take some careful planning . . . .

Hmmm . . . this makes me think that perhaps I need another room on the ground floor . . . an office, perhaps. Not too open concept, so I can hide stuff in it . . . .

Since that is not likely to be happening any time soon, I will just have to be resourceful and rise to the "where to hide stuff I need but don't want to SEE" challenge. Suggestions?

Day 23: Only two small jobs left to do

Well, our journey is pretty much complete. Today Zane and Mike came to finish up little jobs like installing a new bifold door in the entryway and touching up some paint -- AND Zane also built a better mousetrap, changing my exterior dryer vent cover and caulking it so that the rodents couldn't get in to the house by that particular entrance anymore (wonder how many are in there now?).

Derek finished the electrical, installing the second pot light over the window and our ceiling fixtures.

So here's a look at the kitchen, waiting for us to move in:

The window side of the room.

The view from the back door.

Rugby invites you to visit his new kitchen.

I did NOT ask him to pose like that. Clearly the lad enjoys having his picture taken!

A closer look at the "peninsula."

I love how they took the stone right up along the window.

The ceiling fixture in the dining area.

The one in the kitchen matches but sits closer to the ceiling.

The jobs that remain to be done are sealing the stone and venting the range hood. Apart from that, we're finished! And over the weekend, we'll begin figuring out what goes where, a fun but rather awesome task. We're going to start with the cutlery . . . it has a specific drawer. So do the spices. After that, well, it's up in the air so far.

They finished right on schedule, and I love the way it all came together. Can't ask much more than that, can you? Another post or two next week to show you how it looks once we're actually "in," and then the journey will be complete. It's been fun sharing it!

Day 22: Stone and Tile with grout

The month of March has been so beautiful -- that's helped keep us smiling as we continue living in two rooms upstairs (though Ray has SO had it; he's been feeling a little claustrophobic in here, where we work, eat, feed the dogs, etc.).

Yesterday the tile men returned. John and Tony finished the fine cuts on the stone, and then John did the grout. I had actually kind of forgotten what colour the travertine was; when it's in the box, dry (not sealed), it looks much whiter than it actually is. Here it is after it was grouted and washed yesterday:

A pretty good look at the colour with the grout.

A closer look, but a little off in colour.

This one's better; I love how the grout fills the natural pits

in the stone but doesn't eliminate them.

Here's the front entry. The tile is porcelain, but it's slate-coloured. Zane would have liked me to get something really light in colour, but I love this (the tile I spotted on the showroom floor at the tile place):

Lovely narrow grout lines.

Thursday Zane and Mike will be here to do final touchups, Derek will come to finish the electrical work, and Tony will return to seal the stone. And then -- dare I say it? -- we'll be done.

Oh, except for paying for it, of course . . . .

The Morning of Day 22 -- Daylight photos of yesterday's work

I got some better photos of the backsplash and a photo of the entry this morning. Daylight makes a difference! These should give a better sense of the look and feel of the stonework between the cabinets and counter:

The small counter on the fridge side of the room

Another shot of the small counter (without the flash shining on the cabinet)

Behind the sink

The "step effect" at the end of the counter

We weren't allowed to step on the tiles in the front entry last night, but I shot a photo through the doors this morning. The tiles are a sort of slate grey:

Ready for grout

It's going to be fun to take photos when it's all done -- sealed, cleaned, and grout in place. That will all be finished today.

Tomorrow Derek the electrician will return to finish his final tasks, and Zane and Mike will come in to finish up the last bits of touchup (including painting the repaired ceiling -- bless Derek for moving that fixture!).

So although I'm not going to hold my breath or place bets, it seems as if we'll be finished by the end of the day tomorrow, the job having taken exactly the month Zane said it would. Stay tuned!

Day 21: Stone and Porcelain

Day 2 of week 5 was yet another beautiful day, and it saw the installation of the porcelain tile in the front entry and the beautiful tumbled travertine (marble) on the backsplash area.

Our contractor told me to get the tumbled marble, and he was absolutely bang on with that recommendation. It's beautiful. I took a couple of photos, but I took them when it was already dark outside, so you can't really get a sense of the colour.

A bit of the stone backsplash on the fridge side.

It's really much lighter in colour than it appears in this light,

but you get a sense of the texture of the stone and the variations.

A shot of the other side, behind the sink.

I googled "travertine" and got this great description of it from "Natural Stone Interiors":

"Travertine stone is soft and delicate to look at. It breathes spaciousness. It's relaxed and soothing. The feeling is peaceful, tranquil, serene. It's a simple beauty. A casual formalness. The classic aged look of tumbled stone will warm your home. A polished or honed travertine becomes a bit more formal, yet it's still inviting. The soft earthy hues of this natural stone keep it in tune with nature."

Clearly this was the perfect choice for us. We're all about being peaceful, tranquil, and serene (you know, we have those three super serene dogs . . . ), and our "formalness" is most definitely "casual." In any case, I absolutely love how it fits in with the cabinets and the granite.

Tomorrow the tile men return to finish up. They have a few small pieces to cut and install, and then they have to grout everything and seal the travertine. We're almost done!

Oh, and the reparation of the hole in the ceiling continued today; in a day or so you'll never even know it was there.

We're already looking forward to picking up all the drop cloths, cleaning the floors, and (dare I say it?) removing the blue protective wrap from the appliances. Not long until I'll be writing my notes from the FIRST storey!

Day 20: Running Water!

Today the plumbers came to run new pipes from the basement and hook up the sink and dishwasher. As I watched them lying in the cabinet, drilling holes or connecting various fittings, I said, "I guess that isn't the most fun part of your job . . . ." They admitted that no, it wasn't -- and they added that in fact you never do get used to lying in a cabinet with a kickplate running across your back . . . .

My pictures aren't great (my lens and I don't agree on what is in focus from time to time), but here they are until I can replace them with better ones.

Here's the spiffy new faucet (it has an INSTRUCTION book, for heaven's sake!):

Here's the dishwasher, sitting proudly in its assigned spot:

And here's an attempt at showing you the colour of the granite, though this really isn't quite accurate as the brown is deeper in colour than it appears here:

At the end of the afternoon, Ray said, "Hey, I guess I can wash dishes in the sink tonight!" I gasped. Water? In my beautiful new sink? That's right up there with taking the wrappers off the appliances, isn't it?

And yes, I am aware that they are meant to be used. I'm just not quite ready to use them yet.

We're in the home stretch now; we should have this wrapped up by the end of the week. It doesn't seem all that long since we started, really -- and we'll be able to launch our new kitchen for our 25th anniversary, which is Saturday.

I can't really think of a more beautiful gift; thanks, Mom and Dad!

Day 19: Interesting discoveries

I won't take photos today because some things actually look less "together" than they did yesterday, and the things that were done won't really show in photos.

Although Zane the contractor dropped by this morning and told me that the plumber was coming but that neither the electrician nor the tile installer could come before Monday, I arrived back from walking the pack (my three plus the two babies) only to find Mike and Derek, the electrician, on my doorstep. Oops. The plumber had been and gone; apparently he didn't realize how much work he needed to do, so he's going to return on Monday with reinforcements. Luckily the gentlemen hadn't been waiting long.

So now, at the end of the day, most of the electrical is done (there's a pot light that needs to be replaced, one light fixture to install, and the dishwasher can't be hooked up until the plumbing's done). The plumber will come on Monday, Tony the tile man on Tuesday, then Zane and Mike to finish up the last touchups, including filling a hole in the ceiling (the result of Interesting Discovery #1).

Interesting Discovery #1:

We all forgot to think about the fact that once the cabinets went in on the fridge side of the room (they're deep because of the fridge), the ceiling fixture would no longer be centred. In fact, it was really not centred. After a conference and verifying that there was in fact enough wire, Derek moved it. Now there's a hole in the ceiling which will need to be fixed, and the fixture is in a much better location (centred enough to satisfy my slightly OCD tendencies).

Interesting Discovery #2 (not exactly kitchen related):

I was out in the yard, playing with the temporarily increased pack, when some sound made me turn towards the house. I completed my turn just in time to make interesting discovery #2 -- there's enough of a gap between our dryer vent and our wall for a MOUSE to fit through! I know this because I saw one shinny up the wall and in past the vent. How delightful. Now, somewhere in my basement, is a mouse. Will the cat find and destroy it? Will one of the DOGS get it? Unlikely. Most likely we will see it go running across a floor at some point, and I will make girlie noises because I simply can't handle the idea of there being a rodent in my house.

Time to replace -- and seal properly -- the dryer vent. (I told you that renovations make you notice other things that need doing around the house!)

We shouldn't be living on the second storey for too much longer, and Ray is very happy about that.

Day 18: Better than I'd imagined!

Cabinet installation finished today (with the exception of the one door that needs an adjustment), and I'm just going to share with you what I saw at the end (or almost the end -- you'll see that Mike was still doing some paint touch-ups when I took these):

The blue protective wrap will come off . . . eventually.

(I'm not ready to use it yet, anyhow.)

The whole thing is almost unbelievably gorgeous. Our contractor came by and was pleased as Punch. He said, "Do you see the finish on these cabinets? That's furniture-grade finish. There just aren't many who can give you a finish like this." It looks just great -- I hope the photos give you a sense of it. You wouldn't know you were in the same space at all!

And because life isn't hectic enough, apparently, look what came to visit for two days:

Hana

Dazzle

These two are enroute to Rhode Island from Alberta. They'll stay with us until Saturday morning, when I'll drive them to Syracuse. Guess they'll get to experience the plumber and the electrician tomorrow!

An extra bit: A taste of the real "Before"

I found this photo tonight; it's the best I could find to give a sense of the kitchen "before" since the ones I took just before this project began were all out of focus.

Taken at Christmas in 2004; Skipper is a baby,

Sage (no longer with us) is still spry.

Things worthy of note in the "before" photo:

The corner to Ray's left. Totally useless bit of space which was therefore filled with all sorts of random things, like dog food, a bread box, etc. There was also an even more useless cabinet in that corner. Accessing that cupboard meant kneeling and then trying to squeeze your arm and shoulder through the tiny door to get at things which were inevitably hiding in the very back. There was a similar space in the opposite corner; that one was full of bread maker, spice rack, radio . . . you get the picture.

The 12" of counter space between the sink and the stove. Kitchen planning guides say you need at LEAST 30". Oops.

The jutting bit of counter in the right foreground; that represents the edge of the kitchen counter and its corresponding cabinets. We had cabinets only along that one side. On the other wall was just the fridge (and a desk).

The attractive white melamine paint with its stencilled country details (hey, it was better than the terrible walnut-brown veneer that was there when we moved in).

I'm sorry I don't have a better photo of the whole room, but this gives a pretty good idea of what we had to work with before -- and so helps you understand the amount of grinning I was doing today.

The End of Day 17, and I can't stop grinning!

Frank, Luc, and the young lad (whose name we weren't told, for some reason -- maybe you don't GET a name until you've served an appropriate apprenticeship . . .) left about half an hour ago, and the dogs and I have been downstairs ooo-ing and ahhh-ing since then. Here's how things look right now:

The view from the dining area

The window side of the room

(Ray said, "Oh look -- new turkey roasters!" Uh, no . . . new sink.)

The refrigerator side of the room, across the "peninsula"

Another view of the fridge side of the room

The cool opening for the microwave -- vented and everything!

I still can't believe it -- just look at all that counter space! I've got to find a good "before" photo so you can see how much counter space we had to work with before. It was pretty sad. Now we have this glorious expanse of lovely granite on which to work (I'm picturing rolling out dough on there!).

Counter space. Storage space. It's a version of heaven, no?

Tomorrow the crew returns to finish up the installation, including the trim and valance and all the doors. I'll still be ogling . .

The Morning of Day 17: "I told my wife I make a lot of women VERY happy!"

We awoke to a bright and shining morning. People had asked me if I was excited because cabinets were coming today, but I really wasn't -- I didn't quite believe it would happen.

The line in the title was Frank the cabinet installer's response to my comment, "I think you have the best job in the world."

It's lunch time on Day 17; I'll let the photos tell the story.

Truck #1: Equipment and Prep

Protecting the floors (and I didn't have to ask.)

Tools ready to roll

Truck #2: Cabinets and Stone

"Look! Paparazzi!" (I was in my bedroom window.)

Christmas in March -- packages to unwrap!

A set of drawers -- and a good look at the colour and door style.

Another big piece that shows colour and grain.

It's incredible how quickly it's all coming together! I'll take photos at the end of the day; it's going to be quite the change in that room.

Days 15 and 16: Calm before the storm, and a taste of what is to come

Cold drizzle called us back to the reality that it is still only barely spring here. Still, it's clear that winter's last hurrah can't be far away.

Yesterday we had a day of total calm. No tradespeople in the house, nothing arriving or leaving. It was nice having an extended weekend of relative tranquility.

Today, we got a glimpse of the kitchen that will be, as the appliances arrived this morning and now sit in what will be the dining area like patient troops awaiting their marching orders:

Tomorrow reinforcements arrive in the form of cabinets; leadership will be provided by the cabinet installers, who will begin the final stages of making this all come together.

Excited? Me? Nah . . . .

Day 14: Home again!

The end of Week 3, and we have returned from our 4-day exodus to the hotel. We're all happy to be back in the house, and the floors look incredible. We've got sheets all over the place -- we're afraid to walk on the wood! (That feeling will pass, I'm quite sure . . . .)

By this time next week, we should have a kitchen!

This weekend's mission: to move some furniture back into the living room so that we aren't confined to just the two upstairs rooms. We'll start doing that tomorrow. The weird thing is that I'm not sure what I want to put back in the room and up on the walls. I've got a clean slate in there, and it's kind of a wild and liberating feeling.

Meanwhile, I've learned that renovations make you start eyeballing the rest of your house and noticing what needs to be freshened up. This is NOT good . . . .

Days 12 and 13: Floors get "wow" and I'm more resourceful than I thought!

Today I went over to see how things had progressed with the floors, which had received their a buffing and then a second coat of varathane yesterday. I was delighted to see how beautiful they look in the daylight. Birch has such variety in the grain of individual boards, and that grain really pops when you put stain on and then seal it.

Here's what I saw this morning:

The kitchen/dining area side.

The front hall, with the spiffy vent cover.

Looking into the living room.

Another view of the living room floor.

I'm really pleased with how they've turned out and quite sure the cabinets (also birch, but darker) will look really nice against the wood of the floors.

The other great discovery today was exactly how resourceful I am (or what a forward-thinker, I suppose). Yesterday I was feeling sorry that I hadn't been able to download the photos from my camera because I hadn't brought along a USB cable. Then I thought to myself, "I wonder if by chance there might be one in the buffet?" (which happens to be in the totally accessible basement). Well, yesterday when I was home feeding the cat, I checked, and SURE ENOUGH -- there was a USB cable in the buffet.

But it gets better: this morning I looked in the cloth bag I'd used to transport my camera from home when we left there on Monday, and there in the bag was the USB cable I use all the time. Apparently I hadn't forgotten it after all!

So instead of having no cable and no way to upload photos, I now have two cables, and the blog gets visuals once again.

Tomorrow we return, and we'll start moving the living room furniture back in over the weekend as soon as possible (it's what Ray wants for his birthday -- to escape living in two rooms!).

Next week the "stuff" arrives, and by this time next week, we should be looking at a kitchen that is at least starting to look like a kitchen. That's the plan, at least . . . but so far I've no reason to doubt it!