We are a long way off. IÂm starting to think this little DIY kitchen is going to take a long long time. My angle plugs have come in but waiting for the under counter lights. The electric has been done to move the range and micro over a foot. Cabinet boxes are all together, my knobs & pulls have come. Have my backsplash and hope I can see that up in my lifetime, the stainless back splash part should be here next week. Have my hanging light. We started the upper drywall. We have not ripped the sink and counter all out on other side, still using that till the end. Still have to buy under counter brackets for eat-in counter, still have to pick a countertop. Need to buy window casings and pick & order window treatments. I need the glass/mirrors for the doors. Almost decided on stools. We need more wall paint and somehow have to match the drop down ceiling area where old pantry came out.
The good news is that by next week the wall cabinets will be up and out of the way. So much to do and no end in sight!

I'm still busted up over my new backsplash that I can't get right. I've probably made a decision based on the great advice I've gotten from you GWers, but am waiting for the new contractor to submit his bid. DH is anxious to start tearing out the bottom of the BS but I've gotten him to hold off until the tile guy tells us what he thinks of our current plans.

Jem-you are so close to being done!
We had some electrician-related delays (I will not rant, I will not rant...) and are about 10 days behind schedule. Floor got grouted today, and I can now do laundry! I never knew how exciting that could be. The hood is in place, enclosure is not completed yet, awaiting inspection.
Just got back from picking up Ikea cabinet boxes and sink, and those will be assembled (along with some custom pieces and the Scherr's doors) in the next 2 days. Range will be moved from MIL's garage on Tuesday, wood windows go in Wednesday morning, and hopefully counter templating Wednesday afternoon.
The tile store goofed on part of my order but it should be in by the time the counter is installed. My fridge and faucet are in transit. I need to order my beadboard tomorrow (spent too much time trying to find 4" beadboard planks locally), and I really need to choose some knobs.Oh, and brackets for open shelves...other odd bits. I'll worry about the paint colors when the counter and lights are all in.
So, it finally does feel like things are progressing! This should be a big week around here (and not one bit is dependent on the electrician showing up-OK, got that out of my system.)
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

Yippee yahoo!!! The tiles under old range location came out in full pieces. Well I mean thatÂs sort of good news but means the original tile job bites. But, there are zero of my tiles left on the planet earth so they are like gold to me. We only had a couple extra for the project which would have left me no extra for a few throughout house that needs to be replaced.
IÂm so grateful for the little things in life!

I'm oh so close but stuck with nothing happening for another week. Waiting on one replacement base cabinet to come in so the granite can be installed (and sink/faucet/dw/range).

They can finish almost everything in about 2 days at that point and I have blocked out the fact that the floor still needs another coat of polyurethane after that. I also need to go over my notes so I'm not taken by surprise when I get the final GC bill.

At least the new fridge is installed, which gives me time to come to terms with how little storage my CD Kitchenaid has! It's a good thing I don't cook or eat much. And this certainly forces me to get rid of old food as I go.

Other than that I'm really excited.

BS is to be installed this week, and then the hood can finally be installed! Barstools coming in as well, then the area rug for the dining room. Still trying to figure out the artwork for the DR -- looking at some local landscapes, but I really hope to put a fork in it an call it DONE soon!

Well, we have drywall up w/ mud. That's it :) This isn't the best pic of the kitchen, but... {{!gwi}} (it's the lower ceiling area.)

We are having electricians in this week and Hvac finishing up hopefully. I am placing the cabinet order tomorrow! I was all set on shaker, but another style cabinet door caught my eye and I am having him bring it up to see it. Probably shouldn't change my mind at this point, but I think it is last minute jitters! All for a kitchen!! I know you all understand, thanks!

Demo is done, new cabinets are in, electrical is mostly done and lights are installed, counters have been templated. Waiting now for GC to finish custom elevated bases for range and DW and for granite installation. Am very tired of this whole process.

cabinets started to be installed on Friday. He plans to have them done so templating can be completed on Tuesday morning. They still have to cut into the side of the house and put in the new windows. Flooring arrived on Friday and I am not sure when it might be put in. We are running 3-4 days behind after 3 weeks of work. I think I will be the one that will drag the end date out. Despite shopping for backsplash, I won't make a decision on until the counters are in, which can't happen while we are on vacation - mostly due to all the stories I have heard here!

The more it starts to look like a kitchen, the better my mood will be. Eating at swim meets is getting old!

Allie

My kitchen is a dusty shell, the footers have been poured for the extension, back stairs removed and floored over extending the second floor bathroom, much of the preliminary electrical work has been done (replacing the old knob and tube stuff to the point up to the kitchen), the upstairs bathroom floor has been ripped up and the vanity removed to allow for plumbing for new washer/dryer. In short, the house is a mess.

Rumor has it that the builder will build the extension next week and knock out the back wall from the present kitchen. I'll believe it when I see it.

We're SO far behind all of you! We're just getting started. I'm so jealous of those who are in the "final stages"...

Our demolition is done - 850 or so sq. ft. removed from our home and carried away in trailer-load after trailer-load. Concrete slabs were jackhammered out and carried away yesterday and today. Tomorrow, they'll start digging the new foundation. In my mind, it'll the first day of the new construction, and I'm quite excited! Can't wait to be where some of you are (near or at the end), but with a projected completion of Christmas, I better get me some patience! :-)

Demo done. Rough electrical mostly done. I hope it will be finished tomorrow. Scheduled to be done this week: frame out new opening between dining room and kitchen (made more difficult by discovery of metal lath in the wall), frame out and put in new window, plumbing work, and assess how to best fix the "curse." (The "curse" is a particularly slanted floor along our back hallway).

I can't wait til the new framed opening and window are done. I'll be better able to visualize how the new kitchen will look.

Demo done. 1 window closed up. Another window replaced. Coat closet knocked out. Dividing wall knocked down. Plumbing done. New radiator location set up. Mud down on floor. Waiting for electrician. Hope he comes tomorrow. Was hoping to have floor down, electrical done and walls up by Thursday for cabinet delivery on Friday but not sure if that's gonna happen. So far we're about right on schedule, maybe a day or 2 behind. I'm pleased with the way everything has been going so far and can't wait to be back in the kitchen.

2 major problems otherwise I would be posting interim and completed pictures.

1. We were just about ready to move back into the new kitchen. I was looking at the completed drawers and cabinets last week to figure out where I wanted everything to be when I opened up a drawer in the new peninsula and smelled mold. Mold had already covered the entire bottom of two drawers and much of the back cabinet wall. It has been temporarily remediated and I think we have found the cause but not sure what more needs to be done. Perhaps the peninsula will have to come out to see what is there that we can't see. Before the drawers are replaced we must make sure the cause is gone. It appears to be the responsibility of our condo. Good thing because it was not caused by a leak or flood so it is not covered under our mold insurance.

2. Hard drive in my desktop crashed, probably from construction dust. Just got my computer back last week. That's why I haven't been able to post any kitchen pictures. Still having trouble syncing my camera.

So what's the good news? I LOVE my kitchen! The insurance adjuster told me he sees about 500 kitchens every year and mine is the nicest he has ever seen.

Am moving stuff of the camper trailer, which has served for nearly 3 months as our temp kitchen. I have one kitchen sink basin and one faucet that work. Range works. Refrig works. Am trying to figure out in which nooks and crannies all the regular kitchen stuff was stored. Shelves have not been installed in cabinets yet so I can't start playing around filling them, but at least I can begin hauling boxes of food and utensils and things into the kitchen space. I made potato salad for a crowd tonight, but had to ask the neighbors for paprika and had to do without the rubber scraper or proper knife or potato peeler and where was the lemon juice for the dressing that I know is somewhere around here? And the spuds had gone bad in the humidity and heat outside so there was an emergency trip to grocery store. But the salad was excellent, once it was made. I got to use one new breadboard! And the compost bucket! And an outlet for the blender! And the range hood!

DH has left town for 6 weeks and I'm in charge. I think I'll read a novel and eat leftover potato salad.

Here is a link that might be useful: countertops installed this week

I'm very happy, the electrician is here today so things are progressing very well.

Home stretch here. Today the cabinet handles and knobs were installed and had some clean up on the counters done - still not a great seam but it is better. Need to have hood installed, temporary light fixtures replaced and dining room painted. All other appliances and fixtures were installed last week. The most exciting news is we moved back in on Friday - after living in an apartment during the 5 month gut rehab. Doing everything at once was crazy from a decision making perspective, but great now that it is all *nearly* done.

DH spent hours deciding on where everything would go in new kitchen. I just smiled and told him not to but anything on my desk :) We are still arguing over the use of the smaller basin in our double sink. He seems to think it is some type of superhero that must be ready for action at any moment. I love the idea of using it as a dish drainer for clean puts and such. I despise having a towel on the counter or using a dish drainer & the granite people talked me out of the runnels (concern about chips in the softer pietra del cardosa counters.) A weak moment...but I still love the counters and may still convince hubby of use of 2nd basin as dish drainer. To Be Continued....

Home stretch for us too. We have had a working stove in the kitchen for six days -- feels like aeons. So fun to try out new recipes!

The countertop repair guy came today to sand down a bump on the lip of the CS where it was out of alignment after install.

Waiting for light rail. And then that's it, except for accessories!

I'm gathering all my info to put in a "finished kitchen" post. It seems unreal!

Next project is painting the family room, which is open to the kitchen, and updating furniture in there. I've already been moving our old furniture around to try out new layouts.

Flooring is in, we finished painting the living area today, all electrical is roughed in and we can now hang the rest of the lighting since the painting is done. My appliances have been delivered and we're making an appointment this Friday to go to IKEA and get the cabs. Next week I guess we'll begin cab construction! That is... unless we decide to finish the guest bath which should take a couple of three days.

After 3 years I'm finally seeing real progress. Even DH is excited. He's so happy with how everything looks and is coming together. Our paint colors are just perfect for what we wanted. He told me today, "honey... all that research you did really paid off. I never would have beeen able to do this. It looks warm, subtle, just beautiful"! This from teh man who nixed just about everything I was suggesting because he couldn't "see" it with out "seeing" it. There's been so much work and sooooo much other life stress that kept getting in the way but it's a wonderfully gratifying experience.

I have a working kitchen for awhile but only now painting the kitchen (I'm also sanding, priming, and painting MANY other rooms plus 60 six over six windows with 25 of them in 2 sunrooms...sigh...) I only have the kitchen and half bath colors picked out - 3 to 5 colors on walls in other rooms. I'm shooting for Thanksgiving to have a "finished" kitchen including built in banquette, walk in pantry and alcove cabinets built by DH. I'm running out of steam.

The electrician finally came today and hooked up our power. And then they turned on the A/C for the first time since our fire in March '09. I couldn't have worked a minute longer in that house - it's July in Houston and man is it hot.

Now that the A/C is on we have to wait a few days and then the marmoleum installer will come and do a moisture test on our slab. At that point we'll be ready for the kitchen floor to go in, and then I suppose we'll follow up with the Thermador 48" built-in fridge. The cooktop, wine cooler, wall ovens and warming drawer are boxed up in the L/R, so they could go in (I guess we need the plumber for the gas cooktop, but the electrician can do the rest).

We'd hoped to move in this week, but I think we still have a week or so of work to do. So hopefully next week. Because if we are not in next week then I am going to have to cancel or significantly revise my planned vacation and someone is going to get a serious lecture. Our builder said on June 9 that we were 4 weeks away...hah hah hah. That was before his electrical sub stopped returning his calls. GRRR!

Time for a glass of wine.

I slid my 48' inch range from my breakfast nook to the kitchen, hooked up the gas, plugged it in and shimmied that monster in to place all by myself today. The house is covered in dust and at first, I was pushing and my flip flops were sliding and I was basically ice skating in place. I kicked them off and it was smooth sailing, kind of. Only once before have I been irritated enough to muster that type of strength and my washer machine that flooded my laundry room and was still half full of water ended up in the driveway as a result.

Now, the fridge needs to go in, mw and panel on the dishwasher and the kitchen will be done!

I never thought I would welcome being back at my little "temporary" kitchen (going on week 11), but after 3 days of camping, even with great friends, food, wine and weather, I actually enjoyed washing dishes in the teeny tiny little sink.

However-this is getting a little old. Good news: countertops installed a week from today, then we're on the downslope (hopefully) for sure.

Our things to do list for the kitchen just now fit on one page! And none of the things on the page are like "reframe two-third of the rear wall of the house".

Yipee! You'll excuse me, but it's time to sing "Oklahoma" as loud as I can and do the happy dance.

We start demo the week of 8/23. Still waiting on final plans from cabinetmaker (hood design issues), he is coming out to visit again next week. Still not 100% on floor choice. Need hood finalized before I can order backsplash.

On plus side: I now have all of my lights, as well as the hardware for my panelled fridge. I bought my r/f drawers over the weekend (good sale at Sears) and also my faucets. Going to order the rest of the appliances on Saturday and to pick my soapstone on 8/7. So moving along, but every time I click 'place order', I have a mini anxiety attack that I have just made a horrible mistake!

Kitchen was templated for Granite today and the templater discovered the area for the DW was too small. Good catch, but really, that should be an easy one. I just reported some of the issues with the cabinets, will call as a follow up. Now that they have my money, things aren't so quick on the response.
I am most definately going to slow things down with decisions, but it can't be helped. If I can get DH to decide on a focus piece for over the range, we should be good for backsplash. Won't order until we confirm with the granite in though. Just will have samples to check out.
Apparently flooring is next. That will be exciting!
Allie

I'm so close I can taste it -- literally. I have been cooking for 2 days in there, despite not having drawer fronts or cabinet doors in some cases, or hood. Tonight was chicken and dumplings.

I have door fronts now, and missing 2 drawers. I also don't have cabinet/drawer pulls yet. Dimmers are missing, along with a few minor things, but thank god I don't have to eat burgers anymore.

I have plans this weekend to cook a standing rib roast -- my first ever. I can't wait to post before/afters. This has been 17 years in the making/waiting/planning.