Where do I start? It's been quite a while since I had both time and inclination to write in this space. I'm not sure why, but I think at least part of it is the busy schedules, both personal and professional, that have contributed to my inattentiveness.In the time since I last wrote an entry, we have finished the construction phase of the everlasting kitchen remodel. All that's left is to buy a couple of new appliances, which can wait since what we're replacing still works...mostly. ;-) Yep, all the tile is up, the new countertops is done, new sink and new faucet. A new laminate floor replaces the 20+ year-old vinyl flooring that was peeling up. Old cabinets that were stripped to wood and repainted and hung with new hinges and hardware. We also trimmed the doors out in a shaker style with bead board on the bottom doors. You can't see it in this picture, but on the wall opposite the cabinets, we also installed bead board wainscoting and chair rail molding. Looks pretty good, if I do say so. And, no, we didn't do all the work ourselves. We hired pros to do the drywall tape/texture, countertops, sink and fixtures. The rest...we did with the advice and greatly appreciated help from friends who've been there, done that.
We are so happy to have a bright, "new" kitchen to work in. It makes cooking and entertaining our friends so much more pleasant. Next stop...paint the exterior trim. Not terribly impressive, except when you consider we have a two-story house and I have very short arms. Lots of ladder moves and LOTS of climbing up and climbing down. First to prep, then to paint. (A motorized, lift is starting to sound better and better...)
Our next construction project is the upstairs bathroom. Not a huge project, really, just having our tape-&-texture guy come in to repair some "oops" and finish out the new drywall I put up recently. We are toying with the idea of ripping up the floor and replacing it with the same type of tile we put up in the kitchen to warm up the room (with a floor warming unit underneath, natch). We'll replace the sink too, since the current one is cracked.
After that, we will put some additional recessed lights in the already-exposed ceiling of our basement to brighten things up (along with some paint, I suppose). I think we've agreed to call it quits on projects in this house after the basement is done. We are working toward saving up to buy and sell a "flip" now that we've had so much practice and then...a new home of our own. Definitely a rambler. Definitely set up for having our friends over...yes you're invited. :)
Blessings to you and yours.
