D-Day

Today was demolition day #1, and we couldn't be happier. The contractor informed us this morning that demo should be complete by the end of the week, and based on today's progress that seems realistic. We're very encouraged, and can't wait to see things continue to improve.

Our kitchen walls, ceilings and floors are about 70% gone, and over the next two days we expect to see the remainder disappear, as well as the bathroom walls, ceilings and floor. You saw our before photos yesterday, so soak in these photos of the kitchen just one day later.

Entering the construction zone from the living room.

 

Kitchen without walls.

Corner of cabinets and walls left to remove.

Wall from kitchen to office.

Back door.

Future half bath space, between kitchen and office.

Kitchen Eve

I think the biggest challenge in renovating an old home is living with work in progress. Holes, old flooring, cracked plaster — the ugly parts that you're saving up to fix when you are ready.

Well, tomorrow marks the beginning of the end our current kitchen and upstairs bathroom.

Here's a last look of the original "before."

Someone is ready for some demo.

Getting Closer!

Remember all that stuff that I have to buy am so excited to buy for our project? Well today I made a big dent in my shopping list! And it was just as fun as I thought it would be. The lovely sink pictured above was today's biggest purchase, but there were several others as well - in red and crossed out below.

Long story short, all our plumbing fixtures (sinks, faucets, etc.) should arrive on our front porch in approximately 4-7 business days, as well as a few fun accessories. Our island delivery was delayed from September 1 to September 13 (boo!) but hopefully we'll have it assembled and ready to show off this week! 

Kitchen Shopping List:
1. island - I just ordered a walnut butcher block island today!
2. 4 overhead lights
3. 1 pendant light for over the sink
4. sink - farmhouse sink I've been drooling over for the past 2.5 years
5. faucet - to keep the sink company
6. cabinet hardware - knobs and pulls for all the cabinet doors
7. appliances - dual fuel range, microwave, dishwasher, scheduled for delivery in September
8. rugs - 2 2x3 rugs for the backdoor and sink areas, gifted from my parents last Christmas

Half Bathroom Shopping List:
1. sink
2. faucet
3. mirror - purchased from my favorite French boutique this weekend
4. towel hook - also purchased from the French boutique this weekend
5. toilet paper holder
6. vanity light - gifted from my parents 2 Christmases ago (originally intended for the kitchen, but plans change in 2 years!)
7. rug

Upstairs Bathroom Shopping List:
1. 2 wall-mount faucets
2. 2 medicine cabinets - ordered this summer during Restoration Hardware's bathroom sale
3. 2 vanity lights
4. 1 overhead light
5. 2 towel hooks
6. 1 towel rod
7. shower curtain rod - reusing our existing rod and roller hooks
8. toilet paper holder
9. shower curtain
10. bath mat
11. bath and shower faucet
12. window treatment - cafe plantation blind
13. cabinet hardware

As you can see, the kitchen and half bath are getting pretty close! The upstairs bathroom needs some love, so I'll have to get rolling on all those items soon - mostly lighting and hardware.

I keep telling myself that the arrival of all of these items will be a great reward for all the cleaning out we have to do this weekend to get ready for demolition to begin on Monday, but somehow I'm still not feeling all that motivated to pack . . . 

To Do

Construction is slated to begin next Monday on our kitchen and bathroom - only 6 days! It feels very surreal, and we couldn't be happier. Between now and then we have a few things to do to get ourselves ready.

- Empty out kitchen cabinets, getting rid of stuff we don't use.
- Set up a makeshift kitchen in the guest room - toaster, crock pot, microwave, paper plates . . .
- Clear everything out of upstairs bathroom.
- Clean gross basement bathroom, and make it as usable as possible (I got this out of the way last week)
- Caulk leaks in downstairs shower. (I think this is a honey-do)
- Get rid of unneeded furniture and appliances on Craigslist - old kitchen island, hutch, wardrobe, range, dishwasher
- Finish purchasing items from our extras list (this is the fun one, so I saved it for last!)

I think that's the bulk of it, and really it's great that we can do so little and be ready for such big stuff to begin. We can't wait to see the walls come down!

Won't you be our neighbor?

Seriously, there are several homes next to us that are a total steal. Check this one out - it's a fixer upper, but the price is ridiculous, and the house is cute. We need some diy can-do neighbors to give this house some love.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6200-Harrison-St-Kansas-City-MO-64110/2413535_zpid/#{scid=hdp-site-map-bubble-address}

Zero!

 
After 27 months, dozens of chain links, more floorplans and time surfing google images than I care to imagine, 8 contractor interviews, 4 bids and just generally lots of anxious, impatient waiting, we're there!

We have selected our contractor, are finalizing details for a contract and are mere weeks away from tearing up our kitchen and bathroom! Or rather, coming home from work to find our kitchen and bathroom torn up - this is what contractors are for, after all!

We're thrilled to be about to get this huge project underway, and are thankful for all the sweet friends and family who have listened to us obsess and complain while we waited the past two years. And we're also thankful for all the times they will (hopefully) have us over to dinner over the next two months. *hint*

We'll have lots of updates throughout the project, and look forward to finally having a housewarming party once it's all said and done.

Yabba Dabba Doo!!!!!

I'm sure my not so subtle hint yesterday left very few of you puzzled, but if anyone is still unsure of my activity today maybe the picture above can clear things up for you.

When CJ and I began planning for our kitchen, we looked at granite because that's what we tend to see in kitchens. However, as we kept obsessing over looking at pictures of beautiful, classic kitchens in old houses, we kept seeing beautiful white and gray carrara marble. We quickly decided that was the way to go.

So, I made an appointment today to visit a stone fabricator and select our slab - that's right, the very slab that will become our countertop! Chris decided at that last minute that he couldn't stay away, and was able to sneak away from work for a minute to join me. We were nervous and excited - you know, sweaty palms, hearts racing - and then we saw it!

Isn't it beautiful? This slab should be just about the perfect amount of stone to make countertops on our kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanity. We love the lightness of it, and the grey veining that makes big, dramatic lines across the slab. Needless to say we were obsessed. 

Very obsessed. I hope there weren't cameras in there.

Anyway, after we finished talking business with the sales guy, we went back and just hung out with it for a bit. It's amazing how real this makes everything feel. This exact piece of stone will be in our home, in (hopefully) not too long at all. 

We decided on a honed finish (vs. polished) for several reasons. We prefer the matte look, which helps you really notice the texture and color of the stone, vs. being able to check your teeth in the reflection of it polished. In addition, it is a more durable finish for marble, which is softer than granite. The edge will be a simple, squared off edge with very slightly rounded corners.

In the end, it was hard to leave our beautiful slab behind at the fabricator. To ease our pain (and yours if you're having any sympathy pain for us), I just watched SNL's "Mike's Marbleopolis" skit - which is so silly, but totally cracks me up. Don't worry - no marble columns are included in our kitchen design . . . . . . yet.