WOOTS! New Kitchen is Fab!

The kitchen makeover is done!

We have had approximately 5 weeks of dust and upheaval, but the kitchen makeover is done and we are VERY happy with it.  Thank you to Lisa (kitchen planner), Scott, Mike and Barry (construction crew).

Let me warn you, a kitchen makeover is not for the faint of heart.  Be prepared to:

• Have dust on every little bit of space in your entire house, even with the doors closed.
• Wash your dishes in a bathroom sink or tub when your sink goes away.
• Get inventive with your cooking skills...owning a gas grill with a side burner made us feel very, very smart.  
• Budget some take out meals.
• Stock up on lots of paper products...and...plasticware...AND.. be sure you THROW the plasticware away because that is the POINT of plasticware.  (Insert eyeroll here.)
• Roll out of bed EARLY to let the contractors in and be awake enough to know that they indeed are your contractors.  You all know I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON.  This however, was good training to try to make me one.   I'm not there yet...be patient.  My vampire-like lifestyle has been with me a long time.  "I love the nightlife" is still my fav disco era song.
• Hold your breath and count to 10 when something is accidentally damaged or broken, as there are always casualties when undergoing construction. I learned this about 4 construction jobs ago.  I am able to let it go...now.....after some therapy.
• Designate some kind of old plastic container as your "catch all" for "do-dads" and give it to your contractor to use to avoid curtain rod pieces, nails and picture hooks and other do-dads that will be around on counters, stands, windowsills, etc.  I realized this from other construction jobs in the past so this worked really well for us.  When McStevie went to put the kitchen curtain back up he found all the curtain do-dads in said container....but one.  Lucky for him  me, he has a do-dad drawer at his workbench in the garage and lo and behold he found an exact copy of the missing do-dad.  I dunno, but he may have his baby teeth tucked away out there.  :)
• Keep your sense of humor.  Some things can be very funny.  Scott and Mike (contractors) are much younger than me and are very attached to their radio station and tunes when they work.  I got a kick out of the times I heard them singing to the old Rolling Stones tunes that I grew up with....getting the words right was optional...LOL.

It is all worth it in the end, don't you agree?  (click on the pics to enlarge and to see the detail in the new kitchen....the new backsplash has some lovely glass tile accents)

BEFORE

AFTER 
(LUV LUV LUV the new island space)

Oh, and we received a surprise thank you gift box in the mail from the Cambria (quartz) countertop people; a cheese cutting board in our countertop pattern.   Really unexpected because when the contractors came with our countertops they left us an oval cutting board in a different material as a gift.  How awesome!!

Kitchen Makeover is Coming!

We ordered the cupboards today! A sample of a cupboard is pictured below. They are Maple wood with a Paprika Chocolate Glaze. Doesn't that sound divine? Can't you see me in my favorite Martha Stewart apron, mouthing the words YUMMO like Rachel Ray and doing my little "BAM" routine from Emeril? Oh Ya, I am KICKIN IT UP A NOTCH! Actually, SEVERAL notches.
OMG OMG I am getting sew excited. We have lived in this house for over 15 years now and we have done all kinds of makeovers from new bathrooms to new siding, saving the most expensive item for LAST. I have struggled with this non-functional kitchen with the pitiful few cupboards for what seems like an eternity.

Yippee, no more drawer that goes off it's hinges when you pull it out just right. No more throwing Tupperware in the corner cupboard and closing it quick to be sure nothing shoots back. Ya, the stuff I really want, the stuff that takes up lots of space, is back in the corner where you can't even see it and have to reach in blindly to "feel" for the right piece...ugh. And, NO more little dinky cupboard to hold ALL my pots and pans. Think I'm kidding? See below.
I got new Rachel Ray cookware (see her trademark orange handles?) last Christmas and I really hated to cram them all in my little non-functional cupboard...eech...I hope Rachel will forgive me. :)
We have picked out something we like for quartz counter-tops and need to look at some back-splashes. We are ordering the cupboards, counter-tops and back-splash at White's Lumber in Watertown. We are working with Lisa, a most patient and informative kitchen planner, as well as just a really sweet person. We have done lots of work on our home and we wouldn't have anyone but Scott Phelps General Contracting for that. He and his crew are the best and we recommend them highly.

Tomorrow we are gonna venture out into the world of new appliances. Our refrigerator is over 15 years old. Do you think appliances have changed much? I'll be sure to keep you posted on the makeover in the weeks to come. Won't be right away though, cupboards take 4-5 weeks to come in. Meantime, I'll be sitting on my hands and praying that it all comes together.