August 21 She Comes In Colours

Rick and I have a reputation for struggling with color choices. Rick admits to putting off this part of the journey, dreading the conflict. Since the late afternoon light is so much warmer than midday, I have taken a half day off of work in order to start playing with different sample shades. Our beloved Koontz Hardware has little samplers of Benjamin Moore colors. I pick up a huge selection before coming home. I'm hoping to convince him that the stone, tiles, backsplash, and exposed Doug Fir are enough color for one room, that we should stick with neutral paint colors. I use a piece of chartreuse fabric to represent the huge amount of "Apple Martini" CaesarStone. (Imported)

August 20 Cabinet Finesse

Today Mesfin came to install the last two cabinets.

This one had been cut down to a 23" depth. Now we can visualize having a built-in dishwasher!

Craig and Danny leveled out the countertop.

This is the temporary cabinet which is removable. Someday if we want to rent out the duplex we will be able to put in a stacking washer/dryer.

Mesfin also put in the drawer. It was adjusted to clear the pesky breaker box.

Remember me?

Craig and Danny also filled in the gaps between the uneven ceiling and the cabinets, making this old imperfect house look level and new.

August 19 Rick's Bar

Because Rick goes to work much later than I do, he has the opportunity to give design input while the guys are working. For this reason we are calling this countertop "Rick's Bar."

Craig and Danny painstakingly match the new with the old.

They found a nice piece of fir so we can leave it unpainted.

Rick worked with them for two days to get this angle right.

Craig is amused by Rick's "Chinese shit." I think Rick was talking about Feng Shui.

August 19 Calendar Reality leads to Temp Door and Dump Run

Well, the new door is most likely not going to be ready until after Labor Day. Today we also learn that our CaesarStone won't even be in the country (I thought it was made in Los Angeles) until September 23. It's coming from China. I have been sparing you from having to read about most of our little frustrations. This is a big one. That said, we will move forward and do what we can while we wait for the CaesarStone. Having been without a back door now for 6 days and nights (and lots of mosquito bites) we ask Craig to put a temporary door jam in so we can put our old door back.



Now that he has weeks to kill while we wait for the door and stone, Craig starts thinking of other little things to do. Thankfully, a dump run is fit into the schedule. The debris pile is gone!!!

August 14 Pantry Tile Extraordinaire

We are using an Italian porcelain tile in 18" squares. Chris, the tile guy comes and lays all the tile. He leaves it for the weekend to dry. Monday he returns to do the grout. He is a very skilled tile guy. It is breathtaking.

August 13th Life Without Doors

08/10/09 No one shows. I call the contractor and he thinks the painter is still working. I tell him that the painter finished on the 9th. He promises to send the stone guy on 08/11/09.

08/11/09 Bob the stone guy comes to measure for the CeasarStone.
08/12/09 No one shows. I call the contractor.

He plans to come on 08/13/09 to prepare for the tile guy.

We have chosen a door that's bigger than our existing door. Since the tile has to go in before the new door, the old door had to come out.

08/13/09 The contractor cuts the hole for the new door. We come home from work with this opening in the back of our house.

August 4 through August 9 Paint Preperation

Tuesday August 4th. Jim, the painter starts stripping and prepping.


The old cabinet doors come off.


Jim strips the corner cabinets and finds beautifully grained old growth fir.

Very nice.

We have decided to keep it exposed and make the new small counter from fir rather than Caesarstone.


Jim decides not to prime the new wood until we know what color the cabinets will be. That way he can tint the primer for a truer color.


Where's my dog food?


Time to think about the color. The red tile will go in the pantry area, the green swatch is the Caesarstone, and the travertine bullet tiles will be the backsplash. The original doug fir door is on the right.


The debris pile continues to grow.

July 30 through August 8 The Cabinets

Thursday July 30th. Mesfin drops off the cabinets. Takes long weekend.


July 31st. The sink, dishwasher, and refrigerator arrive as promised.



I wonder how long our sexy new fridge is going to wait in the garage.


Here is where the new built-in dishwasher will go. I've never had a built-in dishwasher. It's very exciting!


This one is supposed to go where the breaker box is located. How's that going to fit?

Here's the breaker box.

Monday August 3rd. Just lose the drawer and cut a hole in the back of the cabinet.

Everything looks better in the light of day.

July 17 through July 29 Electrical, Plumbing, and Drywall

The new pipes.


Haunting silhouette of old chef light switch plate.

We will finally have outlets on our countertops!!!

And all new wiring for the kitchen.

The newly framed opening which will someday be a small countertop.

Reverse angle.


It's starting to feel like just one room now, instead of two.



The drywallers are here.

The new larger doorway into the pantry area.

New plumbing fixtures in case we ever want to put a washer-dryer here.



Sink area with new plumbing, electical outlets, and drywall.

Electicity for the 21st Century.

Handy shut-off valves and power for the garbage disposal.


Smooth and soft!


Last day of drywalling.

Drywall is completed on 07/29/09.