We have Backsplash!

We could not be happier about our backsplash!  The lady at Emser tile was extremely helpful in helping us select it and the grout.  She has a wonderful eye for color.  Herbie has put it up this week and today put on the sealer/enhancer.

It reaaly worked out wonderfully.  Putting it up was quite the puzzle.  I came in the other day and here is what I found

Herbie was looking at this puzzle and trying to figure out what to do.  But, he figured it out and is looks wonderful.  We could not be more pleased. 

He is now working on the baseboards and quarterround.  We're also trying to decorate for Christmas so we have to clean up the outside which I'm sure the neighbors will be thrilled about. 

I gave Herbie a deadline so we could have a Christmas open house.  We've agreed on what will and will not be finished before then.  So for now, we have what we have and we're getting the house and yard cleaned and decorated.  It'll all get finished eventually:)

Behind the scenes progress

Herbie has been making progress althought not picture-worthy.  He has grouted the tile, got the tile under the dishwasher (although we still have the pantry to do), made great progress on the quarter round and baseboards.  The curent problem is the heated flooring thermostat.  We're in thinking mode on that.

We do have a plan and a goal.  We're having an open house while we have our Christmas decorations up.  We may not be finished completely but we'll celebrat what we have.

Quick update

Floor was coming along nicely until we ran out of tile!  Went to reorder and they're trying to find some out of the same lot.  The good news is that we have 6 tiles left which can finish out what you can see around the refrgerator and the dishwaher.  If the new tiles are slightly off color, they'll be going in the pantry and under the frig so it won't matter. 

We also ordered the backsplash.  We've been looking on and off for months and finally found something we really like. 

We're trying to get things washed and put in the cabinets so we can get the dining room cleaned up for Thanksgiving.  We won't have everything complete by then which was our hope.  There's always Christmas!

Floor and doors!

We've had a lot of progress and I've been remiss in posting.  Vacation was wonderful and I've been buried since then.  But, Herbie has been working diligently and has made tons of progress.

We have new doors to the outside and to the garage.  We also have new locks and hinges.

This is the heated flooring elements which will be under the tile.  This has been a difficult planning thing.  We have a therostat and 2 coils so they both have to start in the same location.  Herbie spent many hours planning this out.  We think the dogs will love it this winter!  We have to cover this with cardboad to keep the coils safe.  The dogs are so confused!

And finally, the tile floor is being laid!  We love it and are very excited.  The dogs are confused about all the barriers.  They have to be blocked off while the tile is being laid.  We have to be blocked off during and for a while afterward so the thinset can set (we can't have the tile moving around).  Good thing we have all that cardboard from the appliances.

Herbie thinks the floor will be finished by the end of the week.  Grouting will come next.  Will we make it by Thanksgiving?

Floor & Misc

We've had a lot going on so I've been remiss in posting.  Herbie's been working on the floor.  He did a lot of reading about tiling even though he's done it multiple times and became convinced that he needed to put thin-set under the hardy backer.  (Yes, David Murray, we are doing hardy backer because it made Herbie feel more secure).  After much debate with others he was convinced that the thin-set was not necessary.  So hardy-backer and 950 screws later, we have the laying of the floor.

Here we see the ever helpful Sunny surpervising the process.

The original plan for me to take the dogs to the resort while Herbie laid the radiant flooring didn't happen.  We ran out of time.  We are headed for a week in Florida tomorrow and we just didn't have time to get it all worked in.  Herbie spent this week once the hardy-backer was laid to do the door trim.

He got most of it done.  When we get back from vacation, he will finish the floor.  We'll attempt to do it with the dogs here and trying to block off parts of the kitchen.  We'll see how it works.

On a personal note:  I took a tumble Sunday night just before bed and ended up in the emergency room.  I got 2 staples and have a huge bruise on the back of my head.  Got the staples removed today.  Headed for our time share in Floriday in the mornning.  Sister Linda Bullard is here to dog/house sit for us.  I'm sure the sun will help me heal and help Herbie recoup for the final kitchen effort.

Range Hood installed

Range Hood was installed yesterday.  Herbie had to change from the flexible pipe to a solid pipe.  That flexible thing started tearing the minute we started trying to put it thru the ceiling.  Solid pipe worked out better anyway since the hole was smaller.  The insalling part was rather scary.  We both got up on the island and had to juggle holding the thing and getting the screws installed.  Too bad we don't have pictures of that!

Herbie caught me offguard when I was cleaning the range hood.  Mother always got on to me for getting on the counter!

Today he finished the job by getting the vent and electricity hooked up in the attic.  It works and it's still hanging up there so we're good. 

We also found a light to go over the sink that matches the glass and stainless look of the range hood.

Onward to the floor!

Still Progressing

I can't believe it's been so long since I've made an update.  We have been moving forward but a little slower.  We had to take care of some things that got put on the back burner.

Herbie's had a lot of plumbing work.  He got the garbage disposal installed but then had to take it out to put the water filter faucet in.  There were some persistent leaks.  He finally found some 'shark bite' parts that were helpful so I think we're ok now.  We did install some stick down vinyl floor tiles under the sink.  One tiny leak will bubble up that wood which we've learned on rental property.  We almost always install stick down tiles under sinks in our rentals.  It certainly has saved us in our own kitchen.

Heated flooring has been received.  Herbie spent a lot of time studying the products and installation.  He ordered from Thermosoft (http://www.thermosoft.com/).  Robert was extemely helpful.  He looked at our floorplan on the blog and made helpful suggestions on how to put it down and the layout.  We ordered it last Thursday and received it Tuesday.  And today, Herbie got a new issue of Handyman Magazine and there is an article about heated flooring and how to install it and they mention Thermosoft.

The Island Vent Hood is the next project.  Of course, that means a hole in the ceiling.  Getting it centered has been a real pain.  We've measured every which way to get it centered.  Then, when we finally get it right, there's a beam up there where the hole needs to go.

So the vent hood sits on the island while Herbie works on the solution up above.  Attic crawling, Herbie's least favorite task had to happen.  Hoping the flexible tube will fit thru the hole we have.

The floor is the next big task.  Herbie had previously tried to level sections that needed it resulting in doggie and people prints.  Today he blocked off one area from all traffic and worked on leveling that area.

Yesterday, we got windows installed on the front of the house.  We really want the whole house done but that will have to wait.  We really couldn't consider the kitchen finished without a new window and a new mini-blind in the kitchen.

We also ordered new doors for the outside access to the kitchen and the garage entry.

Next step is the floor.  There's some work Herbie can do over the weekend but then I'm taking the dogs to the 'Resort' so he can install the heated floor.  That will have to be covered with leveler and allowed to dry before the tile can be put on.  Doggie feet will not mix with that so we'll go away until the coast is clear. 

We're hoping we'll be all done by Thanksgiving!  Work continues....

A fully functional kitchen!

Can you believe it!  The sink and plumbing work, I have a garbage disposer that works, the cook top works, the dishwasher is hooked up and I have a microwave and oven!

There is a lot of work left to be done but we have a functional kitchen!  Plumber finished Tuesday afternoon with his part.  Herbie worked Wed and Thurs finishing up the hookups to the plumbing and gas.  Had a glitch with the electricity to the cook top for the gas starter but he got that fixed this morning.  We were able to use the cook top last night with a lighter for the gas.  I also ran a load of dishes in the dishwasher.

This morning he got the electricity fixed and now the stove lights as it should.

Yesterday afternoon, he called the next door neighbor teenager (Micahel Gibby) over to help him put the oven in place.  Oops!  Seems the electrical box was too low and the oven wouldn't go in.  So, today he moved it up and our another neighbors relative (John Pennington) helped him put the oven in.  It fit!  Took a little while to get the trim on but then we had the next issue.  The display worked so we turned the oven on.  No heat.  The display, lights, fan all work but no heat.  It was time for the game so we had to stop.  At halftime, he went down to the breaker box and figure out that due to the location, it was only getting 110 to the oven.  He switched it to get 220 and the oven works!

I washed dishes this morning and I love the touch faucet!  I'm so glad we got it.  I also started moving things into to 'permanant' locations although I know we'll rearrange as we use things.  But, I got rid of the paper plates and plastic utensils.  We may have to go back to them when the dishwasher is disconnected for the floor installation but for now, we're good.  Had a minor panic when I couldn't remember what I did with the silverware but I located it.  Trying to figure out what goes where will be an ongoing process.

We are so excited about everything coming together.  We still have to order the heated floor mats before we can install the tile.  The extra sink is not hooked up yet.  The vent hood has to be installed.  The ceiling lighting, above counter lighting, and back splash are yet to come.  But, we can cook and wash so we're good to go.

Water hopefully tomorrow

Plumber couldn't come until this afternoon so I'm still without a kitchen sink.  He's working on the connections and running the gas line for the stove top.  Herbie promises I'll be hooked up tomorrow.

Other work has continued.  Herbie got the faucets, garbage disposers, soap dispensers and water filters installed.

We decided on the 'touch' faucets so we'll see how we like that.  I always a little leary about getting some new technology but it was just too cool to pass up.

Electricity has been run and Herbie is working on getting the first oven installed.

I'm very hopeful that tomorrow we'll have the sink hooked up and get the dishwasher installed.  I'm going to have to wash everything before I start putting things in their final spots. 

We Have Granite!

Busy week since last post.  Herbie has been running electricity and drilling holes in our new cabinets (Karen shudders).  He ran the icemaker line also.  Trying to get under the counter things done before the granite was installed. 

Yesterday Sherry from A-1 Granite Man called to ask about our sinks which she had ordered for us.  One was not as expected and after discussion she did indeed have the wrong one.  Thankful that she was on top of it before they cut the holes!  We got that clarifed and were set for installation today.

The island was the biggest piece, 5 X 8, 40 SF.  There was a lot of talk and grunting going on with this!  We were amazed they only had 3 guys.  Here they are moving it from the truck.

Bringing it thru the door into the kitchen

And here it is installed!

Then they cut the holes for the range top, faucet, water filter, and soap dispenser.  Herbie put the range top in place although he will have to cut out some spots to make it fit.

It is so amazing the transformation of our kitchen!  We are thrilled.  Of course, we have a long way to go but the major part is done.  I spent the afternoon vacuuming out the cabinets and drawers and cleaning the outsides of the cabinets with my new ecloth dusting cloths which I am so far in love with.  I also adjusted some shelves and moved a few glasses to their new spots.  It's going to take a while to figure out where everything will go and I'll have to wash everything before putting it in the cabinets.  I've given Herbie notice that the dishwasher needs to be installed soon!

Plumber is supposed to be here tomorrow but he's so busy, we'll see.  I need a sink really bad!

Progress Continues

The granite folks came out yesterday to do the templetes for the rest of the countertops.  I was thrilled that they're pretty sure they can do the island with no seams.  I cannot wait to see our granite island top!  It will be next week before they can install the granite. 

Herbie has been running electricity to hook up the ovens.  Fortunately, it can all come from underneath the floor from his workshop.  He has a great friend who works for an electric contractor who has been helping him out by talking him thru what he's thinking. 

He got the microwave installed!  First appliance actually installed!

Yesteday afternoon, the guy came to put in the supports for the granite overhang.  The granite people wouldn't install a 12 inch overhang without supports.  We've heard various people tell us it wasn't necessary but better safe than sorry.

Painting has continued.  In spite of the prior painting, there's a lot of touchup after installation.  It's an ongoing process. 

Plumber was scheduled for today but Herbie called to reschedule because of a conflict and hasn't hear back.  Water lines for the sink in the island for the gas for the stove top need to be run. 

We're (I use the 'we' loosely) are focusing on what needs to happen before the granite is put in.  We got excited about having all the cabinets in and started to put a few things in the new cabinets trying to figure out what will go where.  After the Granite guys were  here, we realized they cut the sink and stove cutouts on site so we're backing off on moving anything.  It looks like everything we own will be washed before it finds a new home.

Cabinet Installation Complete

We had a setback in the completion of Cabinet installation.  The installer broke his toe Thursday night after he was here so he didn't come back until today.  But he worked on it all day and got them finished.  We're missing some trim and he'll have to come back after the floor is done to do the floor trim.

The cabinets beside the pantry.  Microwave goes on top and oven underneath.  Cabinets above have dividers for cooking sheets and flat pans.

 Island from the side where the overhang will be.  The granite will overhand 12 inches and we'll have barstools to sit at here.

 Island from the other side where the cook top and the second oven will be

Island from the end where the small sink will be.

It's amazing how different the room is from just a couple of months ago!  We're hoping the granite guys can come out tomorrow to do their templates.  Plumber will be here Thursday to run the gas and water lines to the bar.  Herbie has been working on the crown molding and has about got it done.  Still have a lot to do but this is a huge step!

Cabinet Installation in Progress

I finished the painting Wed. morning and Herbie got the crown molding.  We got started on cutting and painting  the crown molding but ran out of time in getting it all put up.  Herbie's 3 trips to Home Depot that day took time out of the project and  that paint drying thing take's time!  The cabinets were delivered late Wed.  Here's what our garage looked like.  There were more boxes in the kitchen.

We expected the cabinet installers this morning by 9:00.  After that didn't happen we found out that he was finishing up another job and he no longer has a helper.  He got here around noon and worked until almost 7:00 PM.  So far we have the sink/diswasher/frig and the desk installed.

He'll be back tomorrow 'mid-morning' so we don't expect him until noon again.  Hoping he can finish tomorrow but we delayed the granite cut-out to next week just in case. 

Herbie was able to finish the crown molding this morning waiting on the cabinet installer.  He enjoyed watching someone else work for a change.

We decided to get the Delta 'touch' faucets for the 2 kitchen sinks.  Herbie ordered them online and got such a good deal on the one for the large sink, we were really surprised.  Turns out the one we got wasn't the 'touch' one.  But we got it worked out and exchanged and paid the extra money so all is well.

Really excited to see the rest of the cabinets installed and see what the room will look like with the island!

Painting almost done

We spent the last couple of days painting and other tasks.  The sheetrock guy suggested that we put a coat of texture over the walls and ceiling before painting.  Since I don't like the 'popcorn' ceilings, I was skeptical.  He assured me that this was very light texture and the paint would adhere better.  So, Herbie mixed it up as instructed and applied it to the walls and ceiling.  I got into the act as the painter after the texture coat had dried.  I finished the second coat on the walls this morning. 

Not a great picture but I really love the color.

Herbie had to rework the subfloor since it wasn't level.  He got that all worked out and finished today.

While he was working on the floor, I painted the ceiling.  I hate painting ceilings!  I had paint in my hair and on all parts of my body.  Unfortunately for me, I have to do a second coat on the ceiling.  I'm not surprised but still not happy.  So tomorrow morning (Wed) , I repaint the ceiling while Herbie goes to Chuck's to get the crown molding.  If you don't know about Chuck's you'll have to contact Herbie.  They have some awesome deals.  Herbie will cut the crown molding, I'll paint it, and he'll put it up.  We're trying to get this done before the cabinets are installed Thrusday.  We'll see if we get that done.  Either way, cabinets will be delivered Wed and installed Thursday!

Sub Floor is back in place

Just a quick post with a few pictures.  Here's the big hole in the floor where the rotten wood was removed.

Below the kitchen is Herbie's workshop which you can see thru the floor.

He had to do some bracing for the new floor from underneath.

The sub sub floor and sub floor are in place

The last section put in was where the wall had been.

There's a little sealing to fill the gaps left.  Next up is painting!

Changes will happen!

More time with the sheetrock guy who was also going to remove the subfloor turned into more questions than answers.  After much discussion we asked David Murray to survey the situation and advise us.  The decision has been made to leave the floor intact execpt for the boards that had gotten wet.  We are going to put down tile warmers under our new floor in the walkways.  That means we have to have a place to put them and seal them under the tile.  So, we will be pulling up the subfloor in the areas the tile warmers will be.  The rest will stay in tact.

Thursday, Herbie started taking up the rotten subfloor.  Unfortunatly, the sub-sub floor (I'm sure that's a technical term) also has rotten wood.  So now all rotten wood is gone and we have a great big hole in the floor, quick access to the workshop underneath.  Since he worked all day today (Friday) on it and was exhausted, we have a piece of plywood over it for safety.  He had to constantly run off Sunny to keep him safe and finally put up gates to keep the dogs out of the kitchen.

Tomorrow Herbie willl put new plywood down. Then we start painting.  The cabinets are scheduled to be installed next Thursday so we should be able to get all the painting done before then.

We ordered pizza last night and ate in.  Tonight we went to Corky's for ribs.  We are also going thru the filtered water and it's only been a week since we lost the sink!  The stove will be gone by Monday although we aren't using it.  But the electrical connection for the stove has to be removed from the floor before the cabinets get here.

And I'm not even going to talk about the mess and the attempt to keep the place clean which is a losing battle!

Sheetrock & Plumbing

Herbie spent Monday punching holes in the wall to find and rerun electricity and then removing the door frames and baseboards.  He was plum worn out!  The sheet rock guys got her a little after 4:00 and proceeded to do their stuff.  Really glad we hired them.  We didn't expect the finishing guy today but he showed up and proceeded to 'finish'.  After watching him, Herbie knows why you need a finishing guy.  He's awesome. 

Today the plumber came. The plumbing stub-out is complete so the sheet rock can be finished.  Thanks to Adam Brooks for coming out on short notice.
Tomorrow the HVAC folks will be here to relocate the heat/air vent in the ceiling.  It was in the fur down previously.  They'll replace it with 2, one on each side of the room.  Then, tomorrow afternoon, the Sheetrock guys will be back to finish the holes from the plumbing and the ceiling.  I'm sure another trip or 2 will be required.

The other thing is the floor.  When Herbie got the cabinets up along the wall where the plumbing was, he found rotten wood in the floor.  The Sheetrock guy who also does floors and stuff finally convinced Herbie that the sub floor needs to come up.  In addition to the rotten wood, the floor would be higher than necessary after the backer board and tile are in.  So, we're hiring him to remove the sub floor.  He can't do it until next week which delays the cabinet installation and hence the granite.  In addition, Herbie has to put the hardy backer down after the sub floor is installed.

What a week!  It's only Tuesday and we're both exhausted.  Herbie has done a great job of trying the keep the kitchen area clean which is an ongoing job.

It appears that the folks we are hiring have 'day' jobs and work on the side so they show up at our house around 3:00 or 4:00 pm.  Last night we had sandwiches for supper after they left after 7:30.  Tonight we are cooking fajitas which will require some dish washing but not much.  I stocked up on sandwich stuff today with a couple of TV dinners in the freezer just in case.  I've also signed up for as many restaurant clubs as I could think of to get coupons.

All Cabinets are gone.

As promised, I no longer have a sink or dishwasher.  The remainder of the cabinets are no more.

We found where all the waterbugs have been living!  Herbie fed them well today more than once.  We also found a lot of damaged wood.  The leak had been going on longer than we knew and who knows how many other leaks have happened in the past.  So there's a lot of wood to come out.

We decided to hire someone to do the sheetrock work since that's not one of Herbie's best skills.  We also have a HVAC guy coming Wed. to relocated the air vent which was in the furdown above the bar.  We'll have 2 vents now on either side of the island.

I got all of the dishes washed and put away and we ran the dishwasher last night.  We went to the resort yesterday to get our filtered water dispenser and all of our bottles of water so we'd have filtered water after the sink disappeared.  I have located my supply of paper plates and disposible utensils.

We're in camp out mode for real for several weeks!

The Floor is no more!

The horribly ugly (see above picture) green and yellow floor is now in a dumpster.  After several days work, we slayed the beast this afternoon.  Much practice revealed the most efficient method:  Herbie manning a Floor scraper and Karen (me) manning the heat gun.  Herbie had done a lot by himself using various other tools but it became obvious that a 2 man operation yielded faster results.  Obviously we don't have pictures of this operation since we haven't taught the dogs to take pictures yet!  But we do have the result:

You cannot imagine how excited we are to be rid of this floor.  Every time I tried to clean, I felt I was actually mopping up part of the actual floor.  Good ridance!

Upon moving the refrigerator to remove the floor, we reazlied we needed to remove the cover of the cooling tubes to vacuum.  Note to anyone with animals, we need to do this!  My goodness.  I could not believe it!  I've freqently moved the refrigerator and vacuumed behind it and vacummed the back but I will definitely be more diligent now!

The dogs think Mom and Dad have lost their marbles.  We had to keep chasing them out because of the heat gun. 

After we disposed of the flooring material, we were not thru with our working day so we removed the remaining cabinets doors.  You have to realize that we are retired and our work day starts between 9 and 10 AM and ends by 4 PM if not before.  Normally during the summer, we stop at 2:30 and head to the pool.  This summer has been the exception.  We're ready to get this sucker done!

Herbie loaded up the doors and remaining drawers and hauled them to the Habitat for Humanity Restore.

Sunny is wondering what the heck happened!

Tomorrow, he's at least going to let me wash up the dishes before he starts destroying the rest of the cabinets.  He has assured me that I will not have a sink by Saturday.

Behind the scenes work continues

Herbie spent a couple of days working on the electricity after he got the wall out.  As you may have seen in the last pictures, there were wires hanging from the ceiling.  He got that all taken care of and nailed some boards over the holes in the ceiling to eliminate insulation falling in the kitchen.  We're still cooking and using the oven.  I baked dog biscuits Saturday and I probably need to do another batch before I lose my sink and dishwasher.

Now we're working on taking up the rest of the old floor.  This is VERY time consuming.  He's using a heat gun and prying the old floor up.  My lest than agile husband has been on his knees and taking frequent breaks in this effort.  Today, I assisted by manning the heat gun.  Then he had to leave to show our car that's for sale.  So after thinking about it, I figured why not so I managed to remove the rest of the floor that he had for his goal for the day.  Nothing like teamwork.

The rest of the cabinets will be out before the end of the week, so says husband.  That means loss of sink and dishwasher.  He's still talking about cooking on the grill.  Paper plates are already purchased but I'm trying to figure out if I really want to wash cooking utensils in my bath tub.  We'll see where this goes.

The Wall is Gone!

It took longer than expected but the wall is history!

Wow!  The room is big without that wall!  The ceiling hasn't fallen in yet:)  We cooked supper tonight, I'm wondering if that will be last one for a while:)  As you can tell, the oven is kind of hanging out.

The rest of the cabinets came in today.  We have scheduled the cabinet installation for Aug 26.  We are going to be very busy between now and then.

Next are the cabinets along the kitchen wall.  The time to lose the sink is drawing near

All cabinets empty, more destruction coming!

Herbie has injured his knee so anything that requires getting on the floor is out.  It's better today so hopefully we're on the mend. 

The pantry door has been installed!  Today, we got a door handle so it's all ready.  I love it!  As I mentioned sometime ago, this was one of my indulgences.  Taking a picture of it proved a challenge!

I spent this afternoon emptying the rest of the cabinets.  Emptying the cabinet with the dog's stuff in it was interesting.  Sunny went crazy.  I finally got it emptied and opened it so he could see that nothing was there.  When I came back thru the kitchen, I opened the door and Misty was sitting inside the cabinet where the dog food used to be.  Too bad I couldn't get a picture.

We took the microwave down.  It was a combo microwave and vent hood.  We have a small microwave for the bar area downstairs so we brought it up to use.

Tomorrow, Mr. Destructo is going for the rest of the cabinets in the middle.  It's time to bring the wall down.  David Murray, who put the support in the attic for the wall, will be present for the destruction of the wall.  I'm thinking of taking the dogs to resort so I won't have to witness this!  However that would require me cooking so we'll have to carefully thing about that.

The time is coming where we will have no sink or dishwasher.  That will be serious and require a lot of paper plates and no cooking!

The Bar is history!

Friday was a big day, the bar is now gone.  Herbie got the laminate off and shuffled it off to Habitat Restore.

The usual lady wasn't there and the one that was didn't know if they wanted it but they took it.

Then the cabinets came out and it's officially gone!

Boy does this look different!  That's Sunny over by the door wanted to know where dad took everything:)

Onward we go.

Another day of progress, however slow

We had a lot going on today but Herbie managed to make progress in spite of having to pick me up at the BMW dealership and then take me back there later.  He also had to pick up rent and cleanning and make a rental deposit.  We used to get so much more done when we worked because time was limited.  Now, it takes forever to run errands and you wonder why you didn't get anything done.  But, I digress:)

The rest of the sheetrock on one side of the wall is history!

We ordered our floor tile and it came in so we have it in the garage.  I think I mentioned that yesterday.  Herbie brought some in and laid it on the floor around the cabinets we already have installed.  I love it!

Mr. Destructo is threatening to take out the bar tomorrow.  That will be exciting and will really open up the room.  Poor puppies will have to go into hiding(:



Mr. Destructo is alive and well

First I have to point out that a Facebook friend brought a mistake to my attention.  A post about our Pantry had a missing 'r' so the title had to do with 'Panty'.  I hate when that happens!

The cabinets are just about empty so Herbie decided to get rid of the cabinets doors.  He made a trip over to Habitat for Humanity Restore to get rid of them.

We're getting closer!  He also tackled the partial wall between the breakfast room and the kitchen.  The is the scary part.  Supposedly, we have support in the attic so it's safe to take down the wall.  I'm struggling with confidence in this assessment.

While taking down part of the wall, there was electrical mishap.  The pantry (including freezer) was out of commission for a while.  But, handyman extrodineer, found the problem and fixed it.

We ordered our tile and received it so we had to make room for it.  I'm really excited about it!

Tomorrow is another day!

New doors and cabinet destruction

While Herbie was waiting on the guy to help install the sliding glass door, he got busy.  He was going to start taking out the cabinets over the bar.  That's when he discovered they were built in when the house was built.  The fir-down was actually build over the frame of the cabinets.  So he had to tear that out which he hadn't expected to do yet.

Don't you hate when the insultation poors out of the ceiling?

So the sliding glass doors were installed Tuesday afternoon.  Didn't go as expected (imagine that!).  Herbie had to go buy some boards to fill in the edges.  When the door was installed, it wasn't 'finished'.

Still have framing to do, both inside and out. 

Then Herbie installed the new pet door.  What a disaster that has been!  The flap is better because it won't let bugs in as easily BUT the dogs are used to it being easy to push open and this one is heavier.  After working with them and much consideration, Herbie decided to remove the metal piece that had the magnets. That has worked and Sunny has it down.  Josie and Sophie are tentative but getting better.  Misty is a problem since she's mostly blind but we're working with her.

Today, Herbie turned into Mr. Destructo much to the dog's dismay.

The cabinets above the bar are history!  We've talked about this for years.  We can now see the whole room!

Notice the TV is in it's new spot, too!

My next task in moving the rest of the stuff from the lower section of the bar.  Mr. Destructo is ready to roll!

Pantry Done!

The pantry is finished!  Herbie was going to do the floor but realized it needed to flow with the rest of the kitchen so it'll be done after everything else is installed.

It's kind of hard to take pictures of a pantry.  that last picture was one I took yesterday.  We added 2 more shelves today.  Now I can finish cleaning out the cabinets and Herbie can start being the destroyer.

We picked up our new sliding glass door that goes from the kitchen to the cooking deck today.  It's got the blinds between the layers of glass which I'm really thrilled about.  We also have a new doggie door that fits on the end of the sliding door.  We really couldn't remodel the kitchen without putting in new dooors!  The rest of the house will look dated but the kitchen will rock!  Tomorrow, Herbie has a guy coming over to help him install the patio door.  Hopefully we'll have pictures in the next day or 2.

We also picked out our tile for the floor.  We're really excited about it.  We found several that would work fine but this is different and we really like it.  Don't know how well the picture will show it.

Another shout out to A-1 Granite Man in Maumelle.  We found this tile at Emser in Maumelle.  You can't buy from them but they help you pick out tile and give you samples.  Then you can order from someone else.  We are odering from A-1 Granite Man who is doing our counters.  They gave us a GREAT price since we're doing other work with them.  They also gave us a good price on our sinks.

So onward we go.  Tomorrow (Tuesday), Linda and I will meet in Hot Springs to close on Mother's house.  Herbie will be installing our new door.  Then we start destruting the rest of the kitchen!