Grout Indecision

Tim and I chose a beautiful 16x16 porcelain tile for the floor, but we're stuck on grout color. You would think something like grout, which seems so insignificant, wouldn't become a subject of debate. But with so many different colors, all of which are slightly different from each other, the decision has become a challenging one. Then when I've narrowed it down to a favorite and runners up, Tim throws his famous proverbial wrench (and occasionally a literal one) into the discussion, causing further doubt. So, we're down to these two grout color choices: Mushroom and Almond. I'd love feedback if you can tell the difference between these tasty hues.



Almond












Mushroom

Cabinet Installation Begins (May 2, 2008)

Tim took the day off from work and joined Ian for cabinet installation. The based cabinets are in, and they look great. The cabinets are made of maple wood, constructed in a shaker style and stained ginger in color. We went for all drawers, where we could, for easier access to pots and pans and other kitchen items. Also, under Ian's recommendation, we upgraded the cabinets to include Blumotion, also known as "soft close." So, when we close a drawer or door the Blumotion mechanism installed in the door takes over before it's fully closed and gently finishes the close. No angry slamming of doors and drawers in this kitchen. Also, the cabinet drawers are full extension, which means that the entire drawer is accessible when fully extended. LOVE IT. Pics to come soon.

Subfloor, lighting rough in, drywall work

Work continued on Sunday, bright and early again. The work was slightly less dramatic than the demo day. Ian and Tim installed the subfloor, patched the drywall and roughed in the electric for the recessed lights, pendant and undercabinet lighting, among other activities that I'm probably not aware of. During the rest of the week, Tim worked solo with me on clean-up. He finished the drywall work, and further secured the subfloor.


Ian roughing in the electricity for the recessed lighting from the kitchen.
















Timmy roughing in the electric from the attic.

Kitchen Demo Begins (Saturday, April 26)

After months of planning and making difficult budget-busting/saving decisions and wading through minutia and compromising and encountering marriage-testing discussions, Tim and I have finally, officially and physically begun our kitchen rehabilitation.

Here are a few before shots to help paint the scene.

In August 2007, we made the easy to decision to renovate the kitchen. Ever since we moved in, the kitchen posed challenges and frustrations - from the ugly laminate floor and the easily-stained white ceramic countertop and sink, to the poorly placed, leaky dishwasher and the outdated appliances. Also, while we loved the buffet-style counter, especially for entertaining, we desperately wanted better access between the kitchen and the dining room. So we created a budget and a renovation plan. Tim's brother, Ian, a general contractor by trade has been and is our key source for guidance on budget, design, procurement, contracting and other kitchen rehab essentials. He is also a major force, with Timmy, on the labor side of things - a huge HUGE reason our budget could withstand a rehab of this size.

During the rest of the year, Tim and I embarked on our research mission - sporadic, though, until the first of 2008 when we kicked our decision-making into gear. Cabinets first, then appliances were purchased. Before we knew it, the cabinets were ready for delivery and we hadn't chosen a countertop or a floor. True, we were nearer to our decision on a faucet, but after four weeks of exhaustive research, you should be able to choose the right faucet - and we did. And soon after, although, painstakingly, we settled on the perfect granite countertop and porcelain tile.

So we scheduled demo for Saturday, April 26. Ian arrived at 9 a.m. with McDonald's breakfast - the essential launch to any major house renovation. A geyser-like pipe explosion, a few hidden treasures found inside the cabinet bases, a structural scare, and four hours of four layers of floor removal were some of the exciting snippets of the tiring eight-hour day, illustrated below.



Most of the cabinets have been removed. The major piece of countertop is yet to be taken out. Underneath this piece of countertop, we found a prayer card with Jesus on it. We determined this was a very good sign for a safe and successful rehab.









Removing the last of the cabinets uncovered a daunting discovery: The only structural "support" in our open-floorplan living area meant to hold up the ceiling and roof in that part of the house barely supported anything. We speculate that previous owners constructed the jenga-like post when they knocked down walls to open up the living space. Thankfully it never posed a problem, and now we have the opportunity to remove the miscontructed post and properly install a support structure that will prevent our house from falling down.










Close ups of the post. Notice how many different pieces of wood are used to build the post. Also, at the bottom, the pieces are stacked dangerously uneven.


































The kitchen floor was composed of four layers of laminate - from the ugly country floor we've been walking on for the last two years to what we believe was the original floor from 1952. And it took four grueling hours to remove it. Every layer had to pried up individually. At one point Ian crafted a pry bar from a 2x4 and hammered it underneath the layer of floor we were removing. It was the best leveraging agent we had, but didn't completely alleviate the challenge.






Most of the floor layers came up in wooden shards and plastic bits and pieces, creating a further challenge - not just in the removal but the clean up.











First hard day's work finished.