Help fill the money pit by clicking the ads on our page :)  Think of it as a charitable contribution.

And Then There was Light

This past week was a "back to real life" type of week with both Sarah and I back to work...at least the type of work where we get paid.  The contractor stayed on the job most of the week and was able to get a few big things done for us that we've been waiting a long time for.  One of the main things we're trying to do on the lower level (where we will live one day) is to bring more light into the space.  And what's the easiest way to do that?...knock some holes in the wall of course.  In the back wall where the kitchen will be we're enlarging a 24" wide window to a 72"+ wide window and we're adding a completely new window on the west side of the living room.    

The opening's all ready to go...now this should let in some light.

Setting the window in...I look like I'm doing more work than I actually did.  I was just making sure the window didn't lean and fall out while the contractor screwed the window into place.

Sarah braved some crazy cold to get a big pile of siding painted while the window went in.  I think her feet are still frozen.

While Sarah was freezing outside, Millie and I worked in the warm upstairs kitchen installing shoe mold and base cap to finish off the trim and put the final touch on the kitchen.

Did I ever mention we have the greatest contractor ever?  After talking about cycling with him he mentioned having a road bike he didn't use anymore and said it was mine if I wanted it.  Hmmm... a free bike worth some major $$...sounds good to me.

Sarah painting even more siding...luckily this time in the house.  You can see the new window in the background.

Another view from the living room looking towards the back kitchen and both new windows.  Turns out we have a little bit of a skyline view of downtown from the window on the right.  These two rooms are now about four times as bright as before so I'd say a job well done.

Here's where all that siding went that Sarah was painting and you can see both new windows.  Next step is to paint all the trim once the weather warms up a little.

What a Difference a Week Makes

This past week and a half has been just about the most productive time so far during the house renovation.  Even after taking time off to travel for Christmas and New Years we were able to get quite a lot done including:

- tearing out the old lower kitchen cabinets upstairs
- having the new lower cabinets and counter top installed
- painting all the cabinets white
- finishing laying and grouting the tile...finally!
- cutting and painting baseboard, shoe mold and base cap for the upstairs kitchen
- having the triple window installed in the downstairs kitchen which involved rebuilding the entire wall
- having the double window framed out in the living room downstairs
- getting the dishwasher installed upstairs
- replacing one spindle on the stairs, reinstalling another and tightening several others
- having the contractor repair the foundation wall under the kitchen downstairs
- installing the kitchen sink upstairs


And now, since pictures tell a much better story, here are the last week and a half's highlights:

Millie's supervising to make sure I'm putting the sink in right.  Turns out I forgot the plumber's putty under the trap and it leaked the first time we tried it out.  Problem's solved though and everything works great.

Sarah painting the new cabinets we had to buy.  Turns out the old ones were too far gone to be able to install a new counter top.  When we took them out they just fell apart.

All the lower cabinets have been removed and everything's ready for the new ones to go in followed by the counter.

Finally the kitchen is done!!!!!!  Everything's been installed and painted and even the tile is actually finished.  This  was a tough tile job for our first one considering the unevenness in the floor but we think it turned out great.  The only thing we might do is add knobs to the cabinet doors but that's something that can wait for another day. 

Another shot of the new kitchen

Here's what the kitchen used to look like.  Pretty much the only thing we kept the same was the layout, the stove and the upper cabinets.  It's taken a lot of hard work, time and money to get to this point and it's certainly a milestone for us.  A big THANK YOU to everyone who's come to work on the house with us, especially during those first couple hot and sweaty months while we were rushing to get things done before the wedding.