Happy Easter to all

We wish everyone a very nice Easter Sunday!

It is a beautiful day here at the old Martin Manor with plenty of sunshine and a cool breeze.  Our kitchen work is almost at a standstill.  I say almost because Jo is working hard at putting things back into the cabinets that are available to her.  With the different arrangement of spaces she is having to figure out what is going to go where.  When I need something I'll just have to ask.  The upper cabinet on the right end is not available yet because there is a wine rack to be installed to the right side of it and that door is not connected to facilitate that attachment.

We anxiously await the counter top installation and hope that progress will allow us to make our planned May trip to central Texas.  It would be good to get away from the hassles of our remodeling for a just a little while.  If we can get the counter top, sink, and wine rack installed then all that would be left would be the back splash.

last work for awhile

No picture progress today but lots of things got done.  The drywall cracks in the living room are finished and today the final coat of paint was applied and looking good so we now are able to put that room back like it was.  Several things in the kitchen were finalized but now we have to wait until the granite counter tops are cut and installed before we can continue with backsplash tile and final trim.  They say it could be two weeks so we will make do without a kitchen sink and dishwasher.  We are able to make use of the stove, new microwave, and fridge.  We will be able to start filling the new cabinets except for a couple that need to be left open for the final touches.  Jo has already emptied a couple of boxes that we used to store things.

hump day week two

Making progress without too much to show.  The drywall repairs have been completed and a coat of primer paint is on.  That took most of the day today.  Then the microwave was installed and the dishwasher set in place.  The microwave is usable but the dishwasher is connected to power and water only with no drain until the sink is set in place.  We also selected and ordered new light fixtures for both the center of the kitchen light and the one for over the counter.

the dishwasher

 the microwave

week two, day two

Nothing to show in a picture today.  This morning our contractor was back to finish the drywall repair in the living room cracks so they can start painting tomorrow.

The stone company came also to measure for our granite counter tops.  That was an extremely interesting procedure (for an engineer) as he used a laser surveying instrument to draw an exact plan that the stone will be cut by.  He used pins set along the tops of the installed base cabinets for the laser to reflect off of and create an exact plan on a computer screen.

That will be all the activity for today and tomorrow our new dishwasher and over-the-range microwave will be delivered.

start of week two

This morning one man from our contractor came to work on the drywall repairs around the upper cabinets and the cracks in our living room.  The man that came is the father of the company owner.  It used to be his company until a few years ago when he sold it to his son but then continues to work for the company.  Everyone associated with this company, that have been working on our renovation, has been great to work with.  He finished the drywall touch up and then installed the outlets and light switches so we could turn all the electric breakers back on.

Tomorrow the folks that are furnishing the granite counter tops are coming to do an accurate measurement of what is in place for them to fit over.  That slab of rock from the quarry needs to be measured twice and cut once.

end of the first week

Almost all of the base cabinets are set in place.  The only piece not set is a stand-alone base cabinet between the bar and the patio door.  This one will replace a desk that we had there and will provide some storage under the counter top.  The other item not installed is the wine rack which was supposed to be connected to the upper cabinets.  It has to be refinished to match the rest of our cabinetry.  We will have this weekend to work with the current condition and then next Tuesday the counter top folks are to come measure for our granite so they are sure to make it fit perfectly.  It will take one to two weeks for that to be cut before it can be installed.  The dishwasher and over-the-range microwave will be delivered next Wednesday.  After the counter top is installed we will have to pick out our back splash tile.

Here are today's progress photos

 This pantry is a new cabinet for us.  It is 15" deep and 36" wide from floor to ceiling.  Plus the above-the-fridge cabinet which is also an additional storage to what we had.

progress

progress was a bit slow today as guess what, our kitchen floor wasn't truly level. ;-(  With the base cabinets needing to support the granite counter top which will be a solid chunk of rock they needed to be level.  A bit of shimming took care of the differences and most of the base cabinets were installed.  Also our new pantry was installed which is next to the fridge.  The picture this evening does not show much because every afternoon before the guys, Randal and A.J., leave they bring their tools in from the carport and with the cabinets in place that takes up much of the remaining floor.

Here is the picture of some of the base cabinets.

looking good !

Today they hung most of the upper cabinets and they are looking good.  It takes time to align everything because our house isn't totally straight and level anymore.  The new cabinets look great and the guys are doing a super job in their installation.  We found a couple of "oops" to have to work around, which is normal in older home renovations.

taking care of the hidden stuff

Today we have the same two young men plus their boss.  They are running the electrical wiring as needed before the walls are covered.

By the way, our contractor is Aarow Building with shop and offices in Columbia, MO.  I found them on Angie's List with lots of good reviews and now from our experience we know those reviews were true.  From the previous work they have done for us and that being done now we are truly appreciative of their professional and can-do work ethic.

Jo and I moved a few things from the fridge out to the trailer so we can have our lunch there today.  We could just move there for the duration but as long as they let us have a pathway to our bedroom each evening we will not do that.  It's just too much fun to be able to watch the work being done.


Okay the folks just left, the wiring is done and drywall is in place covering the framing.

The cabinets were delivered and are in ...

in the dining room that is !!!!  because of the showers in the forecast.

 

This covers up our microwave and coffee pot so we are out for dinner this evening and probably for breakfast in the morning.

Day 1, oh my !

Today was demolition day and what a changed look it makes.  We had two nice young men working most of the day.  Jo and I had our 6 months blood workup at our doctors this morning at 8:00 and I called our contractor when we were done and they got here around 10:30.  They just now left for the day.

They put up a plastic curtain between their work and the rest of the house to help with the spread of dust.  They also put a floor mat down over our hardwood floors to protect them.  With the stove and sink removed meals will be a challenge until things are back in working order.  We did move the microwave and the coffee pot to the dining room area so they are available to us.

Here is the progress picture

what's happening

We are not on-the-go this month due to having our kitchen remodeled.  I thought I would use this blog to chronicle the change.

Last December we had our house foundation stabilized with piers being driven to rock and then the house jacked back up level.  Due to settlement over time with our foundation sitting on clay we had developed cracks in the drywall and doors that didn't open and shut.  Now that we are stable we hired a contractor to repair the wall cracks and realign the doors.  The doors are all done and working properly,  The cracks in the computer (my office) room have been repaired along with new flooring and new paint.  We also hired the same contractor to remodel our kitchen.  Jo has never been fond of all the very dark cabinetry.

Before we left on our March trip we had ordered the cabinets and now they are finished and our contractor is coming back on next Monday to begin the restoration.  Here are three pictures of our kitchen as a "before" documentation.

 

Over the past several days Jo and I have been clearing out the drawers and shelves.  I picked up some moving boxes to store "stuff" in and the only place to store them is Phyllis' room.  She said that she plans to get back home around Christmas time so I hope we can get it cleared out by then.  Here are a couple of pictures of that storage including the dining room area.

 

Now here is a picture of the kitchen after all that "stuff" has been moved.  Since this picture I have removed the towel rack from under the cabinet.

 

Stay tuned.