Well, technically its not a remodel per se, more like an upgrade. Our house was built in 1977. When we moved in, the previous owners had done quite a bit of updating already, including new paint, carpet and floors. When we moved in, one of the first things we did was to tear out a non functioning steam room and replace it with a large pantry/laundry room.
That was my first foray into the world of home remodeling. If you had asked me any time before that if I would enjoy that sort of project, I probably would have said something like "sure! I love being self sufficient!" Well honey, I have learned my lesson. Big time! The combination of having parts of your home ripped apart, having strangers in your house all day, constantly dealing with dust, mud and other construction debris, not to mention the cost, was enough for me to decide pretty quickly that these sorts of projects would be limited, and my involvement in them would be limited even further. We did however, get a lovely and much more utilitarian room out of the deal.
The next project was replacing the windows. They were original, aluminum, double storm windows (not double paned, actual double windows . . . one in front of another). I talk about this project more here. This is all leading up to our latest project: replacing the old mid nineties counter top with something more modern, less work to clean and of better quality.
All of the bad parts of the laundry remodel were repeated this time (except for the strangers part), with the extra fun caveat that the construction zone was now in the most used room in the house, and I didn't have a sink or an oven for almost a week. We ate a lot of take out and leftovers (thank God for the microwave!), I didn't grocery shop for a week, and the bonus? We went camping in the middle of this project and we had to come back and set more tile and grout immediately upon coming home from camping. Yes, its true. We are certifiable.
Anyway, at this time, the counter top and the ledge are officially finished and phase two of three of this project is about to begin: installing under cabinet lighting. That shouldn't be as bad however as phase three: installing tile back splash. While the back splash part will make the kitchen a little bit of a construction zone again, it won't involve as many materials and shouldn't be as dirty and disruptive . . . I hope. I will post an update when the project is totally complete. Wish us luck!
p.s. I should add that husband did most of the hard work (cutting wood, cement board and tile) and our good friend A.J. helped us out majorly with the initial steps as well. Thanks guys!
Before construction. Ugly Subway Tile :(
Construction begins: old counter top removed. What a mess!
Boys love to play with mud as they prep for cement board.
Cement board installed. It smells like mint and stone . . . mmmm mmm. Pica anyone?
Tile glued and spaced. Also? Grout is a bitch. It eats your finger skin.
Counter surface complete! Look at this awesome corner Michael designed and cut!
Entire counter surface complete with installed ledge. Tape solves everything.
Finished counter top!!! I can finally bake and wash dishes!
That was my first foray into the world of home remodeling. If you had asked me any time before that if I would enjoy that sort of project, I probably would have said something like "sure! I love being self sufficient!" Well honey, I have learned my lesson. Big time! The combination of having parts of your home ripped apart, having strangers in your house all day, constantly dealing with dust, mud and other construction debris, not to mention the cost, was enough for me to decide pretty quickly that these sorts of projects would be limited, and my involvement in them would be limited even further. We did however, get a lovely and much more utilitarian room out of the deal.
The next project was replacing the windows. They were original, aluminum, double storm windows (not double paned, actual double windows . . . one in front of another). I talk about this project more here. This is all leading up to our latest project: replacing the old mid nineties counter top with something more modern, less work to clean and of better quality.
All of the bad parts of the laundry remodel were repeated this time (except for the strangers part), with the extra fun caveat that the construction zone was now in the most used room in the house, and I didn't have a sink or an oven for almost a week. We ate a lot of take out and leftovers (thank God for the microwave!), I didn't grocery shop for a week, and the bonus? We went camping in the middle of this project and we had to come back and set more tile and grout immediately upon coming home from camping. Yes, its true. We are certifiable.
Anyway, at this time, the counter top and the ledge are officially finished and phase two of three of this project is about to begin: installing under cabinet lighting. That shouldn't be as bad however as phase three: installing tile back splash. While the back splash part will make the kitchen a little bit of a construction zone again, it won't involve as many materials and shouldn't be as dirty and disruptive . . . I hope. I will post an update when the project is totally complete. Wish us luck!
p.s. I should add that husband did most of the hard work (cutting wood, cement board and tile) and our good friend A.J. helped us out majorly with the initial steps as well. Thanks guys!
Before construction. Ugly Subway Tile :(
Construction begins: old counter top removed. What a mess!
Boys love to play with mud as they prep for cement board.
Cement board installed. It smells like mint and stone . . . mmmm mmm. Pica anyone?
Tile glued and spaced. Also? Grout is a bitch. It eats your finger skin.
Counter surface complete! Look at this awesome corner Michael designed and cut!
Entire counter surface complete with installed ledge. Tape solves everything.
Finished counter top!!! I can finally bake and wash dishes!
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