Day 1842

Very tired and yet so much more to do today before I leave for my grandparents' house early tomorrow morning, but I know you all want to see my pictures, so here they are!

Both walls had to be covered in plywood before the upper cabinets went up in order to safely secure them. This was yesterday...





And today, the cabinets are in!



































Now all that is needed is knobs, countertops, backsplash, floors, sink...you get the picture. Still a lot to do, but at least tonight I can put everything back in the kitchen and get my condo back to a functioning living space.

Day 1840

The appliances are here! The cabinets are partially in! Shawna is a happy girl. That is all.

I'm seriously in love with my new oven. Five, count them, five burners.







Dishwasher and refrigerator. I'm not actually the biggest fan of the fridge, but it was all I could get to fit in my that super tight space...not too many 28-inch width fridges to choose from. But both are energy star, which was important to me, and the Bosch dishwasher is pretty bad ass. Funny what gets this girl excited these days...isn't it fun being a grown-up?







This shows how they are building the cabinets all the way to the ceiling. There is actually a vent on top of the tall pantry cabinet, and they are building it out with a grate on the front to match the cabinets.



Here's the rest of it so far. Bottom cabinets are all in, minus the fillers to fill in the spaces and obviously the doors and knobs.











Today was honestly the first day that I have been excited about this whole project...just what I needed to finally getting me feeling better. Bonus is that half the boxes in my living room are gone, so I can actually clean up a bit and get some of the dust out of here. Finally, I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and am so excited for the final product!

Day 1839

Painting is done! Let me just tell you, painting while sick with a chest cold does not exactly lend to a steady hand...that said, it took me two very slow moving days to finish this job up by myself. I do think it looks fabulous though, thank you very much. That is me patting myself on the back.

I know, I know, the paint is dark. I don't care, I absolutely love it. Just trust me...it is going to look fabulous once all put together!







Tomorrow my appliances arrive and the installation begins! The beginning to the end of the kitchen remodel is almost here!

Day 1837

Busy, busy week. First there was the electrician, then the cabinets were delivered, then the plumber and finally a contractor came to patch up most of the mess that was left behind. Hopefully, it's all good for Monday when the cabinet installation begins. Honestly, I'm not so sure. If I've learned one lesson from all of this, it is to spend the extra money on getting a contractor to run the project...so worth the headaches of managing the madness.

In addition, I've been super sick all week. A massive chest cold and then on Wednesday a horrible stomach bug attacked. Two days later and I still haven't eaten pretty much anything. Not my best.

Regardless though, work has to be done. This weekend I have to pick up my backsplash tile, paint and clean this dusty, dirty wreck of a condo I've been living in the past few weeks. Oh well, come Monday, this will be close to over. I cannot wait, but also, I am so ready for this to be done.

Plumber's mess:







Cabinets are here!







Patched up and ready to be painted.

Day 1833

Two electricians, five hours, three dead outlets and ten holes in my wall/ceiling later, and the electrical work in my kitchen is NEARLY done. That's right, we're not finished yet. Once again, my kitchen electrical work was completely not up to code. Three outlets had to be moved, and somehow the original wiring was so convoluted with what breaker went to which part of the unit that they had to totally rewire half my condo. I mean, who puts the bathroom, oven and living room all on one breaker? Oh, that's right. The people who built my building did. Did I mention that my walls are made of cement and plaster? Can't wait to get that bill from the electrician.

Alas, progress was made and I'm just glad that now it is all done correctly.

Day 1830

First off, Happy Veteran's Day to all those who have served and their families and loved ones. Having a few vets near and dear to me, I appreciate the sacrifices made and honor you all today and every day.

Now, about the kitchen:
Today was Demolition Day! I planned on getting it all cleaned up and then to start painting tonight, but after close inspection of the aftermath, I'm getting a bit worried that this semi-diy project is turning into an all professional job. Parts of the wall that will be seen after the cabinets and appliances are reinstalled have been ripped all the way down to the plaster and cement, meaning that now I'm going to have to build those parts of the wall back up to make it all smooth and even. Ugh. I'm already for this to be over and done with, and it's only just begun. Anyway, here is the state of my kitchen tonight: