Counters, Sink, Faucet

Below are some pictures of the new granite and the sink installed, as well as the faucet which went in last night with one minor hitch. It looks amazing! There's still plenty to do, but it's coming along well... We can begin to cook and clean and use the kitchen as more than just a tool storage area now.

It is advisable to see it in person. Tiny pictures cannot convey the awesomeness of it.

YIPEE!

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that the counters are in. They're BEAUTIFUL. I almost can't believe that I'm standing in my own kitchen when I look at them. Brad and Tim are working on getting the sink and dishwasher attached to the appropriate pipes and hoses so that normal kitchen functioning can resume! I think tomorrow's probably going to be a marathon baking day. We'll post pics as soon as we can. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I'm off to buy our first container of dishwasher detergent. After I finish typing my paper, of course.

The Waiting Game

No updates as of late.

We are still waiting for the phone call from the granite people to get us one step closer to being done in the kitchen. As soon as we get the granite installed, we'll post pictures.

Dishwasher, Sink, Lights!

Dishwasher was delivered the other day, and it now sits just feet from where it will reside for the next many years. Above that is our restaurant style, extra deep, 18 gauge, stainless steel sink. You could wash a wildabeast in that thing, it's that deep.

And the lights, excuse me, PERIOD LIGHTING, arrived yesterday and were installed this morning. They look great. They look much better in person.

Microwave is in

Spent some time later on saturday getting the microwave installed. Here's Katie doing the crucial, "pull the protective plastic off the face of the microwave for the camera".

Tagged our Slab

We drove to a remote part of the providence waterfront, which is rather sketchy, even for a sunny saturday morning, and tagged our granite. It's a nice piece.

CABINETS

CABINETS ARE IN!

Here they are. We're on the home stretch now. We've selected our counter top, we're putting in the outlets and outlet covers this week, as well as door knobs. We still need to select a sink, microwave, and dishwasher, but that will happen soon.

Below are the shots... there is Uncle Dave and Leon getting the upper cabs up.

Painted

So you're probably expecting a colorful picture of the freshly painted green walls in the kitchen. Well, it's not happening today. I took the pictures this morning, but looking at them on the screen just doesn't do them justice. It's amazing. Come see for yourself. Seriously. Get in your car and drive to our house. That's the only way you will be able to relish the sheer beauty of these walls.

On second thought, here is a black and white image to get your imagination rolling.



It's amazing. Really. The other news: The overhead lights have been ordered and the trim kits for the recessed lighting has been purchased. It's all coming together now.

Primer

So here are the pictures of the kitchen all primed. Brad and Tim worked at it all day and it was a lovely sight to see it all done when I got home. Next step, I believe, is another coat of primer. But I may be mistaken. Any thoughts on the recessed lighting? Alright. Well. Off I go. More posts after painting is accomplished. Cabinets are rumored to be in by the end of the month!!!!!

The Floor...

Floors!
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

...Is in!

Isn't she pretty?

It is now actually beginning to look like a kitchen and not just another unfinished room. We're moving the right direction, folks!

Sheetrock, Mud, and New Door

Sheetrock, Mud, and New Door
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Tuesday was a productive day. We got the last of the sheetrock on the wall, and most of the seams taped and mudded. Katie's dad came and installed door #2 for us. (as seen is this photo)

Center Bottom: Our new floor awaiting installation. That will happen tomorrow!

As always, click this picture for more images.

Complete Wall

Complete Wall
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Does this look crooked to you?

Anyways... it's the completely sheetrocked wall! We DID get something completed this weekend!

Brad-In-A-Box

Brad-In-A-Box
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Getting the cubby* ready for sheetrock.

*We still need a name for this area. Anyone?

Game Night

Game Night
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Took a few hours off Saturday night for game night, where the MEN sucessfully walloped the girls in 2 out of 3 games.

Katie Continues Her Insulation Career

Katie Continues Her Insulation Career
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

As seen here, she has branched out to fiberglass batt insulation as well as the stuff from a can. She has also increased her hourly rate so she can buy herself more cute pink hats.

Ceiling?

Ceiling?
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Most of the day Saturday looked like this. After all that though, we did manage to get the ceiling put in.

Electrical

Electrical
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Amazingly interesting photo, I know. The rough electrical is 90% done. Just one more switch box to wire up.

Next up: Insulation in the walls, Nailer boards for the cabinets, then sheetrock.

Insulation and Lighting

Insulation and Lighting
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Because we took out the ceiling, we were able to add lighting to a relatively dark kitchen. We added some recessed lights, as well as a center light. The recessed lights will be dimmable.

No cooking going on today!

IMG_7548
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Another view of the gutted kitchen. Our life has turned into a series of paper plates and microwaved meals.

Insulation Specialist: Katie Smith

IMG_7544
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Katie took on the important task of weather sealing the windows. Look at the concentration she has here! She is, in fact, available for hire; you supply the little can with long nozzle full of fluffy insulation, she'll do the rest.

Studs only

IMG_7537
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

The current state of our Kitchen. Studs and three pipes sticking out of the floor. You can see one recessed light in the cubby there, and since this photo, four more have been added, with the purpose of curing our constant eclipsing of the work area by our bodies.

Snow Shovel?

IMG_7535
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

So after gentle prodding from Katie's dad, we decided to go ahead and rip down the ceiling. It will be easier to match new sheetrock to it, and we won't have any problems trying to get those ugly swirls to match. It'll be a step that we're glad we took. Once the ceiling was down, we were left with two layers of ceiling and one big mess of loose insulation. Big mess calls for a big shovel. It was very dusty, I was not wearing the mask for fear of bird flu.

Cabinets are in!

IMG_7516
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Delivered Friday, they are currently taking up our entire office/music room. They look great and will look even better in the kitchen.

Phase 1 done, next up: Phase 2

feb25_2_0001
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

As you can see, the sheetrock is up in the "fridge room" (we are taking nominations to pick the new name for the 'area' in which the fridge used to reside.) It's also up to the left in this picture, where our microwave used to be. Next step is the pantry area to right of this frame. Then we'll work our way around the rest of the room. Doesn't it look big without the wall there? Click this picture for more pics.

Cabinets are'a comin'

They are on the truck, heading for Rhode Island. They will be here March 3rd. Anyone wanna demolish?
Brad

The rest of the wall

IMG_7443
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Almost gone. It is now, just didnt get a updated picture of it.

The rest of the wall

IMG_7454
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Going.... Going...

Insulation In.

Insulation In.
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Added insulation the other day, and also roughed in the electrical outlets for this section of the kitchen. We added insulation here because I would guess a lot of warm air escapes up the walls into the stairwell behind it. We'd rather not let that happen.

Katie's Cleaning

kitchen20019
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Katie was working overtime this weekend cleaning up the quarter inch layer of dust that settled on every flat surface of our house after the kitchen exploded.

Next...

The next thing to do will be to put up the sheetrock and head over to the other walls to remove them. Then new sheetrock on those walls. After that I believe we're headed to the flooring department. We're currently in a bit of a ... (I can't think of the right noun that means that we can't make a choice) about the paint color. We'll have to keep you updated as to what we decide. One of the choices on the table is called Basil. It's a great name for a color, especially one that might find its way into our kitchen. Well, I'm off to start dinner in the dining room. We've got the cabinets Tim removed from his kitchen propped up against the dining room wall, just left of the giant fork and spoon. We've also discovered that we have an abundance of canned goods. The plan was to use those up and restock the new kitchen with shiny new canned goods, but due to the recent news of the Bird Flu in the UK, we might have to develop a new plan and save those cans just in case a British bird decides to sneeze on a American bird and spread the germs. Happy Saturday!

Tim finds our tenant

kitchen20010
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Just kidding. No other inhabitants in this house. Here's the side of the kitchen without the cabinets, drawers, and little counter. You'll notice that the piece of wall that used to be around the doorway into the area affectionatly known as the fridge room is no longer present. You'll also notice that yet again Tim's doing the work. I think that that first swing photo that we saw earlier in the blog was purely ceremonial much like the first pitch at a baseball game. Am I being to harsh? I'm kidding of course. Brad did do lots of work, too.

Out comes the wall

kitchen20006
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Here's Tim helping Brad to get rid of the wall behind where the cabinets were. Although I guess that since Brad spent the whole morning taking photos of the progress we should say "Here's Tim taking the kitchen apart so we can have it redone."

We're gonna tear the doors off this place!

kitchen20005
Originally uploaded by smithbradkatie.

Let the remodel begin! Here's Brad taking a whack at the cabinet door in the kitchen. This isn't really how they took this part of the kitchen out. As it turns out, my suggestion of using a screwdriver to remove the doors from thier hinges is a far more efficient way to take apart a kitchen.