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| Dishwasher and wine cooler to follow |
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| Range, hood and spot for microwave |
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| It's GLORIOUS! |
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
CABINETS! GORGEOUS CABINETS!
Renovation frustrations
The window guy said it best when he walked in, saw the dry wall and floor happening at the same time, and said, "you're not just doing a kitchen reno - you're the general contractor for the whole project!". Yes, sir, yes, I am. How people do major renovations and work full time I have absolutely no idea. For the last two weeks, I've been running around, looking at samples, getting questions answered, being here to answer questions, letting people in, getting things measured, getting them measured again, dealing with a dog who is CONVINCED that every single one of these men enters our house for no other reason but to inflict bodily harm to me, and scouring the internet for the best prices on every tiny thing we need for this renovation (big score: gorgeous hood for $350 with free shipping!).
Most days I have been able to keep it together, but today, I'm stressed. In the grand scheme of things, is what I'm going through a big deal? Not really, when you compare it to real problems like hunger and war and homelessness, but this is my job right now so I reserve the right to get stressed about it.
The night after the plumbing guys left, we got ready for bed only to find that the cold water in our faucets wouldn't turn on past a trickle. Sweet. Spent the next day and a half trying to get someone here to fix it. I didn't dawn on me until the guys started putting the cabinets in today that I needed the cabinet pulls/handles. This prompted a run to Home Depot to see if they had anything in stock that we liked. They didn't.* Which left me completely frustrated that I was going to have to pay a trip charge for these guys to come BACK to put the hardware on the cabinets at some point. (Could we put hardware on our cabinets ourselves? Yes. But having a perfectly new kitchen and knowing I can't make any measuring or drilling mistakes is a kind of stress I don't need.) Another surprise came when the installer informed me that one of the upper cabinets doesn't have the smooth "furniture finish" on the outside like it's supposed to, so we have to send it back for another one with it hopefully arriving in under a couple of weeks. However because they have to order a new cabinet, they will come back at no additional charge, which means I now have a week or so to find the cabinet handles I really want and get them here. Divine renovation intervention, I say, but a frustrating situation nonetheless.
I contacted the floor department today to get an ETA on the laminate and apparently there's one damn trim piece that won't be available until August 6th, even though the rest of the flooring will be delivered to the store on the 2nd. They won't schedule the install until everything is there, and there's currently a 7 - 10 lead time for scheduling installs. The template for the countertops is being done day after tomorrow, and with an estimated two week turnaround for the countertops, we're pushing things dangerously close to not being done in the right order. The countertops could technically go in before the floor, but with the amount of dust that's going to be kicked up from the floor demo, I'd rather have the floor done first.
This is basically what my mind does all day long - it runs dates and pieces and appliances and questions around like a hamster wheel. I know tomorrow will be better, but today, I'm frustrated. The only thing easing the annoyance is the amazing smell of bbq pulled chicken in the crock pot. Is it dinner time yet? :)
*Have to give a shout out to my amazing hubbs who works his tail off, lives his day in and out of meetings, yet knowing it would ease my stress level gave input on the crazy photo texts of cabinet handles, and called to be sure I was doing okay. I'm beyond blessed to have a partner who realizes that what I'm doing may not be bringing in any income, but it's contributing to our household and not only expresses gratitude, but means it.
Most days I have been able to keep it together, but today, I'm stressed. In the grand scheme of things, is what I'm going through a big deal? Not really, when you compare it to real problems like hunger and war and homelessness, but this is my job right now so I reserve the right to get stressed about it.
The night after the plumbing guys left, we got ready for bed only to find that the cold water in our faucets wouldn't turn on past a trickle. Sweet. Spent the next day and a half trying to get someone here to fix it. I didn't dawn on me until the guys started putting the cabinets in today that I needed the cabinet pulls/handles. This prompted a run to Home Depot to see if they had anything in stock that we liked. They didn't.* Which left me completely frustrated that I was going to have to pay a trip charge for these guys to come BACK to put the hardware on the cabinets at some point. (Could we put hardware on our cabinets ourselves? Yes. But having a perfectly new kitchen and knowing I can't make any measuring or drilling mistakes is a kind of stress I don't need.) Another surprise came when the installer informed me that one of the upper cabinets doesn't have the smooth "furniture finish" on the outside like it's supposed to, so we have to send it back for another one with it hopefully arriving in under a couple of weeks. However because they have to order a new cabinet, they will come back at no additional charge, which means I now have a week or so to find the cabinet handles I really want and get them here. Divine renovation intervention, I say, but a frustrating situation nonetheless.
I contacted the floor department today to get an ETA on the laminate and apparently there's one damn trim piece that won't be available until August 6th, even though the rest of the flooring will be delivered to the store on the 2nd. They won't schedule the install until everything is there, and there's currently a 7 - 10 lead time for scheduling installs. The template for the countertops is being done day after tomorrow, and with an estimated two week turnaround for the countertops, we're pushing things dangerously close to not being done in the right order. The countertops could technically go in before the floor, but with the amount of dust that's going to be kicked up from the floor demo, I'd rather have the floor done first.
This is basically what my mind does all day long - it runs dates and pieces and appliances and questions around like a hamster wheel. I know tomorrow will be better, but today, I'm frustrated. The only thing easing the annoyance is the amazing smell of bbq pulled chicken in the crock pot. Is it dinner time yet? :)
*Have to give a shout out to my amazing hubbs who works his tail off, lives his day in and out of meetings, yet knowing it would ease my stress level gave input on the crazy photo texts of cabinet handles, and called to be sure I was doing okay. I'm beyond blessed to have a partner who realizes that what I'm doing may not be bringing in any income, but it's contributing to our household and not only expresses gratitude, but means it.
End of Days 2 & 3
It happened.
Somewhere along the way, we got completely sucked in. The kitchen was going to look gorgeous, so we needed to replace the horrifically old, inefficient and ugly window and sliding glass door. We had already been discussing doing the floors at some point (currently a delightful mix of mismatched tile and carpet), so figured while we're at it creating an enormous mess in our house, might as well do the floors too. So let's just call this what it really is, and that is NOT a kitchen renovation. We're in the throes of a complete first floor renovation, folks. Yikes.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Kieslings Go West - Episode 1
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| What? Windows down?! YES! |
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| Penny catching up on some history |
In the first episode of Kieslings Go West, we took to Prescott, AZ. We were in need of a getaway from the kitchen craziness and wanted a break from the heat (temps average 10 - 20 degrees cooler than the Valley and it's only 1:15 from our house!), so decided to explore Prescott, the original capital of AZ back in the 1800s. A darling old mining town, much has been preserved and it's just a cool (literally) place to get away. Just there for a daytrip, we stayed near the town square, had a lovely lunch and explored the shops and galleries. And as if it couldn't get any better, Prescott is a very dog friendly town, so we were able to take the Moosh!
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| Love the adobe rooftops |
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| Whiskey Row |
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| Raven: delish lunch spot |
End of Day 1
Can lights! Reconfigured HVAC! Undercabinet lighting! Hooray!
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| Microwave will be to the left of the door |
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| Pantry corner |
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| Left wall will be fridge, oven and hood |
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| Farm sink, dishwasher, wine fridge |
And then we celebrated a successful day 1. With beers as big as our heads.
Like an episode of HGTV...
Our TV is either on the news, sports or HGTV, so with the amount of home renovation we're witnessed, we should have known that there would be problems, or at least something that would mess with the budget. In all reality, we expected there'd be something that would pop up, but it's amazing how frustrated you get when it does. In short, it seems whoever hardwired and plumbed (is that a word?) in the kitchen was a complete bonehead. However, $2,500 later all of our plumbing and electrical problems are fixed. The good news is this means soffits are officially gone and the drywall is being patched today. So yay. I think. We are still dealing with cold water not wanting to turn on harder than a trickle in the master bath sinks (the master bath is right above the kitchen), but they tell me that's a common problem after messing with plumbing and is something they can easily fix. We'll see.
Base cabinets are being installed tomorrow which will be the first big piece in place - I am literally bursting I'm so excited :)
Base cabinets are being installed tomorrow which will be the first big piece in place - I am literally bursting I'm so excited :)
Friday, July 26, 2013
Wannabe builder
I love building things. I don't know if it's petite girl syndrome or what, but I get such a thrill out of tackling a project that seems like something I would or could never never do, especially when I get to try it on my own. Thankfully, I'm actually pretty handy (past success includes installing shelving in a cabinet to make a panty), but there's always a moment of nervousness tackling a project like this - mainly that I won't be strong enough to hold things in place while trying to drill or hammer or whatever.
I was literally dripping sweat (perhaps the fact that I was installing it in my garage in Phoenix in July had something to do with that) but I'll be damned if I didn't get this thing put together all by my bad self. Was it that hard? No, it only took about 30 minutes, but don't rain on my girl power parade.
I was literally dripping sweat (perhaps the fact that I was installing it in my garage in Phoenix in July had something to do with that) but I'll be damned if I didn't get this thing put together all by my bad self. Was it that hard? No, it only took about 30 minutes, but don't rain on my girl power parade.
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| New (and much needed) storage for the garage |
Houston we have cabinets...
...and I am SOOOOO excited - they're gorgeous!
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| They arrived... |
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| ...and were inspected. All good for install next week! |
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| This beast will be my pantry. Excited beyond belief! |
The makeshift kitchen
How does one go on functioning while their kitchen is completely unusable?
Why, you turn your kitchen table into an all in one pantry-prep-storage space.
Never mind our new kitchen sink...
Why, you turn your kitchen table into an all in one pantry-prep-storage space.
Never mind our new kitchen sink...
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| View from the kitchen into our new "kitchen" |
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| Yes, this is the space we use for EVERYTHING kitchen |
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| Half bath meets kitchen sink/drying rack |
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
The plan
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| Inspiration kitchen |
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| Viatera Quartz Countertop in Mulholland |
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| Farmhouse Sink from Quality Bath |
Stardust Foundation
Michelle (our HD designer) recommended a location organization to do the demo, the Stardust Foundation. I think the concept is absolutely brilliant, and it saved us money in demo labor, which made us even happier!
In short, Stardust kind of like Goodwill, but for things like cabinets, flooring, sinks, disposals, toilets, mirrors, etc. They have three retail locations in the Phoenix area, where they sell these types of items that have been donated. They also have a deconstruction service, where they come out and demo things (like my kitchen cabinets, countertops, and back splash) for free (note: they do ask for a donation to do back splash demo). Money that the retail stores make, as well as some of the direct donations they receive go to benefit community service programs, like Angels on Call and Computers for Kids. Free demo labor AND helping the community? Now that's something to get behind!
In short, Stardust kind of like Goodwill, but for things like cabinets, flooring, sinks, disposals, toilets, mirrors, etc. They have three retail locations in the Phoenix area, where they sell these types of items that have been donated. They also have a deconstruction service, where they come out and demo things (like my kitchen cabinets, countertops, and back splash) for free (note: they do ask for a donation to do back splash demo). Money that the retail stores make, as well as some of the direct donations they receive go to benefit community service programs, like Angels on Call and Computers for Kids. Free demo labor AND helping the community? Now that's something to get behind!
Kitchen Reno - the back story
When we started our house hunt in Phoenix, we did not intend to choose a house that needed a new kitchen. It's funny what you end up falling in love with. Both with our house in DC and this one, it was just a feeling. I walked in and knew almost immediately, without seeing much, that it was going to be hard to convince me NOT to pick this one. We'd seen lots of houses with beautiful, upgraded kitchens and bathrooms, but there was something about this one...the bones were exactly what I wanted (and the backyard ROCKS). Eventually (or what we're calling Phase 2) we'll tackle some bathroom projects, but for now, we're focusing on Phase 1: the kitchen. Now, it's certainly not the ugliest kitchen on earth. But my biggest issues are the original cabinets that I'm fairly sure had been painted over 752 times, the countertops that are the same tile as what's on the floor, the white appliances, the soffets, and what seemed to me the wrong configuration. So basically everything.
Our relator had warned us that the Phoenix area is particularly known for contractors who don't finish what they start, aren't licensed, etc (people who lost jobs and are now claiming to be all inclusive contractors to get work), and obviously this made us wary. But we got a couple of recommendations for local people and kept them handy. We also have friends in DC who renovated their kitchen and used Home Depot. Frankly, I felt more comfortable knowing there would be a company backing the process and making sure that their sub contractors were accountable, so we started at Home Depot. Long story short, we hit the jackpot with our designer, Michelle. From the first meeting, we knew she was the right person to be working with us - our personalities meshed and she's no-nonsense. A few measures and lots of sit downs with materials later, we had our plan (I'd already been compiling loads of pictures and ideas on Pinterest, so I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted). Good-bye 1985 kitchen!
Our relator had warned us that the Phoenix area is particularly known for contractors who don't finish what they start, aren't licensed, etc (people who lost jobs and are now claiming to be all inclusive contractors to get work), and obviously this made us wary. But we got a couple of recommendations for local people and kept them handy. We also have friends in DC who renovated their kitchen and used Home Depot. Frankly, I felt more comfortable knowing there would be a company backing the process and making sure that their sub contractors were accountable, so we started at Home Depot. Long story short, we hit the jackpot with our designer, Michelle. From the first meeting, we knew she was the right person to be working with us - our personalities meshed and she's no-nonsense. A few measures and lots of sit downs with materials later, we had our plan (I'd already been compiling loads of pictures and ideas on Pinterest, so I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted). Good-bye 1985 kitchen!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Home on Hold
We took a trip back to DC last week - my first time back since the move - and I will admit, I was nervous about how it would make me feel. Someone else lives in my house for goodness sake! But landing into DCA over the amazing views of the Capitol, Washington Monument and all the GREEN, I felt something strange. Yes, I was a little sad and definitely nostalgic, but I quickly realized what I was feeling was content. I miss our old life, but there's so much fun and excitement going on with the new one...I'm doing okay. I looked at Brad and told him that even though it was tough, DC just felt like home on hold. And knowing it's there waiting for us to come back someday somehow makes it easier.
It was wonderful seeing so many great friends, as well as seeing with a few people I hadn't been able to connect with before the move. Until next time, DC - know I think of you often and am sending love from the steamy Southwest!
It was wonderful seeing so many great friends, as well as seeing with a few people I hadn't been able to connect with before the move. Until next time, DC - know I think of you often and am sending love from the steamy Southwest!
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| At POV for the quintessential DC happy hour |
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| So grateful for so much time with our goddaughter! |
First visitors!
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| Pinnacle Peak hike |
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| Pool time |
We had our first visitors in June - two of my very best friends came out to celebrate one of their 30th birthdays! I was in serious need of familiar friendly faces, so the trip couldn't have come at a better time. Plus, once the trip was finalized, I had great motivation to get the last of the unpacking and organizing done. (I highly recommend scheduling a party, visitors, or something similar after you move into a new house to keep you on track!) Of course, there were still a few things that weren't exactly how I wanted them (ie: one of the guest rooms still had a Chiefs/Cowboys football field painted on the wall), but overall I was happy with what Brad and I were able to accomplish. Thanks, friends, for (perhaps unintentionally) being here right when I needed you.
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| Happy birthday, Claire! |
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| So much yummy food |
Congrats Matt & Karen!
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