Renovation Update I

After having been without internet or television for over a week now, I've come to realize that there is actually a benefit to this scenario: shit actually gets done. Yep, our to-do projects are actually being checked off. On the other hand, having to do all these projects makes my weekends feel like continuous weekdays. I can't help but look forward to our cable installation next week so I can catch up on my shows. Potatoes gonna potate.

So far I've done a lot of packing and spray painting brass fixtures. There was a whole week of purchasing and returning sink and vent hood products before everyone actually came together and communicated about what could work. That was really frustrating. I had to call and make order cancellations probably five separate times. We figured out why ventilation hasn't been put in before for the range, because there's a structural support beam behind the wall that can't be cut through. The cabinet guy and contractor finally got together and settled on bending the vent into the side cabinet and up through the attic space. Finally.

Also, my mom's upstairs bedrooms are finished being painted a pleasant light green color, and the existing wooden built-in bookcase has been painted a creamy color. I personally would have left it as it was, but it's my mom's room, not mine! Her living room space will be painted today and tomorrow.

The kitchen this week is undergoing some plumbing modifications to reroute water to the refrigerator's ice maker, as well as electrical modifications because that apparently wasn't done correctly when the place was re-wired before.

We're also trying to figure out where the under cabinet lighting will be set for my open shelves. I've been having to shop for lighting this weekend, including a sconce over the window where I decided to go cabinet-free. All of my finishing fixtures have taken on a modern element to the design that I think will work with the space. I'm really, really looking forward to seeing the final product!

New Homeowner

Hooray! As of last Friday, I am officially a brand spankin' new homeowner. My first visit there with the keys in my hand involved lugging a camera around into every room to take "before" photos. We intend to change quite a lot of things cosmetically and some structurally, too, over a very long span of time. This past weekend involved spray painting some of the brass fixtures around the house into more pleasing palettes. We no likey brass fixtures.

The first visit as a homeowner also involved our real estate agent taking silly photos of my mom and me enjoying the house. She left us a gift on the kitchen counters welcoming us to our new home with a bag full of new tools, which we broke in over the weekend.

 

The first major renovation on the list is the kitchen. The existing cubby for the fridge is too small (we are replacing the refrigerator with our own), and there is no ventilation over the stove. This for the most part requires us pulling out the old cabinetry and replacing them with new ones, so we are essentially re-doing the whole shebang. I probably won't ever see it this way again myself: my mom is helping demolish the room today.

 

Don't worry, we are keeping those adorable breakfast nook cabinets.