Final Renovation Reveal

I think things were pretty much finished up in my last post - we just had to clean up and put a few last things away. The big difference has been actually moving back into these rooms and getting to use them. Finding out if all of our years of thinking about this project, planning, and imagining how the space would work would actually pan out. 

In the kitchen - we had to make a few compromises, but mostly this is exactly what I'd hoped. My favorite part is still the short wall the holds the coffee maker and all the dishes. It turned out to be big enough to also hold the liquor stash, so now coffee cups and coffee maker are next to each other, just like wine glasses and wine bottles - so one of us can pop in for a refill without getting in the way of 

the chef. 

my favorite coffee and booze wall

We added lots of new workspace by the stove and on the island. Now it's much easier to move between the stove, fridge and sink, but also to have two cooks at the same time. 

bigger workspace between the stove and fridge

huge island workspace

a good space for a second cook to chop

The other huge improvement is the lighting. It's amazing what a difference it makes - but just having a few options and the flexibility to turn things brighter or dimmer as needed is huge. It's hard to remember how dark this kitchen used to be. 

pendants matching the mudroom

so many lighting options

very different view of the back door

The other big layout improvement was moving the sink - now I can wash dishes with a clear view of the dining room and living room - making the endless task seem less horrible because I can stay involved in the rest of the house. Generally, even though we couldn't make the kitchen any bigger, we definitely made it much more functional.

view from the sink

washing dishes while watching the boy eat

getting coffee

 Upstairs, the new master suite is such a huge improvement. Instead of having three awkward space - the small master bedroom, unfinished sleeping porch, and small spare bedroom, we now have one cohesive suite.

view of the new suite

The new bath is amazing. Not only do we have a double vanity, we have two separate medicine cabinets so we don't have to share toothpastes.  The shower is huge and gorgeous, and nicely separate so that someone can be brushing their teeth while the other is in the shower without being in the way.

double vanity and double mirrors

view toward shower room

huge shower

view back towards the bedroom and closet

By removing the old closet in the bedroom, the master bedroom got huge. We can fit the bed in the space where the closet used to be, squarely under the new skylight. It really opens up the floor plan for the room. The skylight is also just a huge improvement - this room was so dark before, but now we don't need lights on during the middle of the day anymore.

the bed fits in the alcove where the closet used to be

cats like the new skylight

view towards the office

big open floor space in the room now

So - I think it's officially done now. The contractors are gone, the dust is mostly cleaned up, and things are pretty much put away.  It's been a long couple of months, but we are relieved to finally have our house back, and so much better than when it started.

old view of the bedroom closet 

the old kitchen

the old sleeping porch

Renovation Update: Finishing Up

So - the last two weeks have been all about finishing up, cleaning up, and getting the house back together. 

Kitchen

They finished installing the cabinets, and then we had to wait for the countertops to arrive. While we waited, the electrician came back to finish all the lighting and outlets - which look amazing. Everything's on a dimmer, so we have lots of options to make it really bright for cooking, or dimmer and cozy. We almost immediately started putting things in the cabinets - glass cabinets are trickier than I expected. I also got to work staining the floor, making it the same color as the upstairs which we refinished a couple years ago, and then giving it 2 coats of poly to protect it. (I want to do another coat, but haven't gotten the chance). Lastly- the countertops finally arrived, so they were installed, and then the sink was hooked up. I got to work painting the walls, which makes everything look clean again. The cabinet above the fridge doesn't fit though, so we had to reorder a new one and wait to get switched out - otherwise, we're basically done. 

lights are on!

floor gets a quick sanding

then stain

then poly - almost done

 stuff going in the cabinets

counters arrive! 

Upstairs
They finished the tile in the shower, and installed the toilet and towel racks. Unfortunately, they broke the shower doors while trying to install, so then we had to wait for new ones to arrive. While we waited, they installed the heater in the office and trimmed that window, which were two small things we wanted to do to that room, but we'll plan to actually finish it ourselves. After some debate, they also patched the floor where the old closet walls had been in the bedroom - making it almost seamless.

 

new linen closet all trimmed out (on the right)

floor getting patched where the old closet walls were

 

office baseboard heater and window trim

tile done - shower doors getting finished up

toilet and a cat (they like the heated floors)

vanity all functional

clothes going back in the massive closet

Clean up and Put things Back
The biggest development though, was that they finally took down all the remaining curtains and floor covers, which let me finally vacuum and dust everything. With an almost fully functional kitchen, we took apart the temporary kitchen in the dining room and half bath, and got those spaces back in order. The house still has a few boxes and paint cans around, but it's feeling almost back to normal.

able to cook again! 

The guys are finishing up the punch list right now - so hopefully they will be all done and out of our house. I will post the final revel asap.

Renovation Update: Rapidly Losing Patience

So - whichever week we're on now - is it 9? - seems to have been the turning point of my patience. I could handle the cooking outside on the grill in the middle of the night - but now every little thing is driving me crazy. Sadly, it looks like we still have at least one more week to go. End is nearly in sight, but not close enough.

In the kitchen - they finished installing all the cabinets, and started putting on trim. They also hooked up the vent hood.

cabinets in, hood up

more cabinets

Upstairs - the big progress was getting the tile started. They put down the floor in one day, and then most of the shower walls the next. They will be finishing up the walls and then grouting today - so that room is getting close to done now.

shower tile

Another fun development is the door to the new linen closet upstairs. So far, we've been able to reuse old doors everywhere, but we didn't have one for this new closet. The contractor got quotes for a replacement door - $1000 for it to actually look like our others, and $200 to be white. Since none of the other doors in that hall are white - i thought it would look silly, and there was no way we were going to pay $1000 for a door. So, we went to this 2nd hand building supply place, found a perfect match that was exactly the right size, for $15. They begrudingly framed it in.

new linen closet door

 I guess the other big progress this week was me starting to put the house back together. After a couple days at home with a sick kid, I finally lost my patience with all the tarps blocking the doors and hanging down from the walls, so I just took them down. I also started pulling out Christmas decorations, which isn't really on the list of things you're supposed to do during a renovation - but hey.

halfbath gets repainted and put back together

with the door covers gone, cats can now hide under the floor covering. 

 

almost looks like christmas. 

So close. so close.

Renovation Update: Floors and Cabinets

So once the big issue was fixed last week - the team really got moving and got a lot done, despite the short week. 

In the kitchen - the floor went down after spending the weekend acclimating. We ended up going with an unfinished white oak so that it's the same species as the rest of the first floor. I will just finish it later, once there's room. They quickly covered it up to protect it, and then the cabinets arrived. On Wednesday and Friday they were able to get almost all of the base cabinets installed, so that the countertop people can template today. We had a couple issues - and thankfully I had the day off and was there to help - firstly, the floor isn't even (shockingly), so they had to build up bases to level them all off. Secondly - the corner cabinets couldn't be opened without hitting each other, so they ended up having to cut down the massive pantry cabinet so that the door next to it can be opened. The real news is that they hooked the stove back up - so we can cook again. This is a huge improvement - since we had been grilling outside and it has gotten cold and dark. 

new floor goes down

cabinets arrive!

cabinets coming together

more cabinets getting installed

countertop selection made - should be bright and white and sparkly!

The big action was all downstairs, but there was some progress upstairs too. They worked on floor and window trim, and hooked up the new vanity. Since I was home on Wednesday, I painted the bedroom - so one room is starting to look finished. I still have lots more painting to do though. 

bedroom gets floor trim...

...then i paint it- looking almost done

window trim

vanity all hooked up and working

 So - the countertop people are coming today to take measurements. I'm hoping that means all the remaining cabinets go in quickly, and then maybe they start doing tile and finishing touches. We're getting close!