Progress is happening! The guys working on our kitchen are hitting it hard and have been getting a lot done.
The wall is down, that went quick.
And they are going to be able to brace it up in the attic, so I wont have a beam going across the kitchen. That was an iffy thing, we didn't know till it was opened up if that would work or not. Old houses are a big question mark when you start remodelling.
Our cabinets are stored in the garage, waiting to be set back up when the new room is ready for them. My new refrigerator is ordered.
The tiles and four layers of linoleum are up, the nails and staples are pulled from the wood. There are lots of places that need patched, like around the grate. And quite a few other spots too. But the wood itself is much better than I dreamed it would be.
There were so many layers ripped up, that my ceiling is a few inches higher now!
Someone had already patched some spots, years and years ago. I wish I could leave this as is, for a souvenir, but- it has sharp edges since it is tin. I think it could be a toe ripper, for sure.
The guys have removed the window on the wall the cabinets will be moved to.
There was no choice, the window had to go. I hated the idea of losing the light, so I ordered two glass block windows from Home Depot online (they came in 3 days!) and they are now built into the space where the back splash will be. Won't that be nice light on my counter top?
To keep myself sane while having my house torn up, I've tried to keep other areas nice as I can. Like setting out a couple flats of fresh violets and pansies and some ornamental cabbage on the porch. I don't do well with chaos and mess, I like things pretty. Nice surroundings mean a lot to me. So, I needed a few pretty areas to look at and keep my mind off of the messy ones.
We've set up a coffee station in the bedroom. I like it so much, its tempting to keep it there. Its pretty nice to have coffee so convenient in the morning!
We've moved the fridge and some supplies to the studio. No microwave or toaster oven, and I am craving a hot meal.
When my husband is home, he grills for us, but I'm not much of a griller myself. Its been yogurt, toast and peanut butter, and fruit for me lately. My son, Ryan, eats turkey sandwiches almost everyday of his life so he doesn't mind. He watches what he eats, because about 6 years ago, he lost over 100 pounds, and keeps it off.
He looks good, huh?
He is as sweet as he is cute. He kisses me on the top of the head and tells me he loves me every time he leaves the room. Ryan lives in an apartment on the side of our house, and works two jobs plus spends an hour at the gym every day. He also does all of our yard work, so keeps busy.
I just wish he would have a social life. This is the shyest guy you'll ever meet.
The winner of our Craft Day Giveaway was chosen from the entries by Beth when she was here for a craft day again on Tuesday. Her pick was:
If you haven't seen Maggie's work, you need to go look at her recent post about her illustrations for sewing patterns. Oh my. That girl can paint!
I´m sure your new kitchen will be wonderful when finished Karla. A lot of work when working on it, that´s for sure, Can´t wait to see the finished result.
Have a wonderful day.
Hoping your transformation continues quickly; I love the idea of coffee in my bedroom–sitting in a comfy chair reading 🙂 Now if I can get through conversion for our Company this week, I will be doing this as the weather has finally turned here in the South. Can’t wait to see your final results. Kris
I dont handle house under construction well either Karla.. but the finished product will be sooo worth it!
Your son is adorable! (I should probably say handsome.. guys dont like to be called adorable I guess…! lol!)
have a great day!
xo
vivian
Your former kitchen was beautiful… can’t wait to see the new transformation!!
Hope your remodeling goes quickly.
Love seeing the progress! Can’t wait to see it as it transforms! Handsome son you have there, sounds like he is a sweetheart! and your urn with the cabbages is very pretty and what a clever idea to fill it with glass balls too! I am loving the fall flowers, redoing flower beds from the Texas drought!!! Always enjoy your posts!!!! Hugs-Sandra
Thanks, Vivian, my son hears adorable from his mom a lot!
Sent from my iPad
Thanks tami, it will be very much the same, just with a wall gone. Im re using all the cabinets and the same colors and style.
Sent from my iPad
Those gorgeous blue eyes run in your family,don’t they!!
Wow, your kitchen is going to be enormous! So nice having that wall removed between the kitchen and dining room!
And Ryan is such a cutie! How did he loose so much weight? The gym? Too bad he isn’t a few years older!!
Kitchen looks like it will be wonderful!! Ryan in a honey!!!!
Hi Karla, Oh, I have been through a kitchen remodel it is no fun, I feel sorry for you, but when it is finished you will love it. Your son is so handsome and such a hard worker. My son also lost over a 100 pounds over 10 years ago, such an accomplishment. Have a wonderful weekend. I can’t wait to see your finished kitchen. Hugs, Terri
That’s a handsome boy you have there Karla! And so great that he was able to lose (and keep off!) that much weight.
Maybe you can save the little tin piece from the floor and make an art project out of it to keep as a souvenir?
Boy do I wish I could have a kitchen remodel like yours, not just patches! You will love your new space even tho you have to make due with peanut butter, toast and fruit. And you are serious about your son Ryan, whom you were hiding all those years from us???;) He’s nice looking, and I wonder why he is so shy and not bubbly like the rest of you all?:) Most woman would like a guy like him who works 2 jobs, is handy and into sports.What does “woman” want more??? Maybe, now that you’ve advertised him, you will not getting comments on your kitchen and blog, instead you will be flooded with interested woman???:-D
Wow! Taking out that wall is really opening the place up! That’s amazing! I can’t wait till it’s all finished for you. Hang in there girl! It’s all going to be SOOOOO worth it!
Oh I wish the little meatal California Orange piece of tin would have got to saty in the kitchen.
There is a sealer that could have been put over it something like decopodge glue.
I know it will be fabulous when your done with it
Never mind the kitchen, lets have more pics of your son, lol 😉 !! What a handsome lad.
Kitchen remodel — I’m both a tad envious and relieved I don’t have to add all the stress of upheaval to my already upheaved world! It will be wonderful, though!
Hee hee, your son is handsome!!! I had no idea he’d lost so much weight. What an inspiration! (Maggie’s link is broken.)
Been there, done that! We gutted our kitchen at the last house – turned into a six week project and I am a 3 day project girl. I was sick of Taco Bell by the time we were through but it was worth it! Can’t wait to see your finished kitchen – know it will be fab!!!
Its always tough at the time, but such a joy when it is all done!
Sent from my iPad
Oh my goodness, Karla, if you need something pretty to look at just gaze into those blue eyes! I can’t believe the ladies don’t take care of the shyness for him.
Hang in there on the remodel and just keep the “vision” in your head. It is going to be worth it!
Major remodeling is exciting and exhausting at the same time. Then you get to the point where you hit the brick wall. You feel like you will never see the light at the end of the tunnel and you are sick of all the dust that permeates the whole house. It’s all so worth it when it’s done and you swear that you’ll never do it again. LOL
We are currently getting ready for new windows and need to have the outside of our house sand blasted and restucoed. The contractor told us that we will want to be gone for two to three days when they do the sand blasting and cleanup. I’ll take his word for it.
Your family certainly produces beautiful children!
~elaine~
~elaine~
So far this remodel has been pretty painless. I hope it continues as smoothly. Good luck with yours.
Sent from my iPad
Karla:
What a handsome son you have, and those beautiful blue eyes. If only we lived closer, I could have those blue eyes looking into my “single” daughter’s eyes, lol….
As always, LOVE your blog!
Siggghhhhh….
Oh Karla so enjoyed the yummy photo of Ryan! Glad he is doing well! I am so excited over the kitchen redo! I have to in the next year tear off my family room which many years agp was called a summer kitchen, home built in 1923!And anywho…the mess is gona drive me nuts! Both the moving things indoors to the outdoors trashed!! Hugs, Lori
Your son is adorable.
We are also remodeling our kitchen and I can’t wait to see the outcome, still excited to the design my wife handed to the contractor and I believe it will be a good one for my wife is a good artist.
Well gee, should I comment on the son (I do have a young daughter!!!) or the kitchen? I guess I have a question – I LOVE how huge your kitchen is going to be with the wall out!!! I also live in an old farmhouse, and would love to take the wall out between the kitchen and dining room – how do you tell if you can do that safely or not??? Ours is a load bearing wall, so doesn’t that mean I do have to have a beam or something to support it? But we have very low ceilings as it is, I would love to be able to support it from above!!!
Anyway – it is fun to watch your progress – can’t wait to keep watching!
Hugs from Michigan – Diane
Yes, it would be nice to have light on the counter top! Besides, just like photography, natural light inside the house can make a BIG difference in making it look livelier and cozier.
It’s a good thing that you have some reliable people to help you with this challenging major renovation. All of the hard work (as well as the expenses) has finally paid off. So, what was your first impression when the task was finished? Feels like heaven, isn’t it? =)
Would you have updates by the time they finish your kitchen? I’m excited to read about it! 🙂 In kitchen remodeling, functionality is an essential part, considering how work and human traffic would flow harmoniously in your kitchen would dictate how great the design was. Good lighting and easy to clean flooring are one of the concerns that should be primarily settled.
You’re right, the lighting set up will make your kitchen look good and will provide a comfortable feeling whenever you use the kitchen. Putting up a window that will allow natural light to enter is indeed a great idea. It’s also cost-efficient and will save you from paying bigger electricity bills. You can also apply that in your bathroom! It can make you feel so refreshed whenever you’ll take a bath!