part 3:

People always tell you that home renovations will take twice as long as you expect, and cost about 3 times as much. We were either in denial or just plain stupid, at least about the time frame. The cost was kept way down because we have an awesome friend, Mike, who just happens to know how to get stuff to hang on a wall without falling off.

I took our son out for the afternoon while the guys got to work. Along with Mike and my husband Jon, our friends Fish and Fred showed up, and they helped (hold the beer). Dogs from miles around heard my high-pitched squeals of happiness when I came home to the cabinets that just hours before were sitting in the garage!!




There of course was a huge catch. This is where the whole plan gets completely screwed up.
One of the lower cabinets - the one with the drawers- came to us damaged. We had to re order, so I called Home Depot. "No problem", they tell me. "When can I expect the cabinet? I have no counter top because I have no cabinet. No sink or dishwasher , either. Oh, and not that you care, but I have been washing my dishes in the bathroom sink for quite awhile. I also have a plumber and a carpenter who are ready to move on to other jobs because they can't sit around waiting all day for this one cabinet to finish their work, can you please rush this?"
"2 weeks tops" is the reply from Home Depot.
I give them the 2 weeks before I call and ask for an update. The girl grabs my file, looks....silence....she draws in a breath and says "I'm sorry, I see the order here, but the call has not been placed to Thomasville yet".
I think at that point I had an out of body experience. I don't remember what I said, all I know is my cabinet showed up 3 days later. They let us keep the old one, too for our trouble (big whoop). We were back in business!! After that, it went pretty smoothly with the exception of the hardwood floor patching in an area where we removed the half-wall. I have to really give credit to my husband- he is more handy than he gives himself credit for. He's super inventive, too. Like MacGyver with a tool belt.

While the guys were working on the installation, I was either following behind with the broom and dustpan, grabbing beers and pizza or painting. I always wanted to do a faux finish and this was a first try for me. It is a cream colored base with a glaze color applied with an old t-shirt:

In all, the project that was supposed to take a weekend (what a dork I am) took just under 2 months of weekends, and came in just under our budget of 13,000- that's everything. Cabinets, appliances , fixtures and counter tops.

The most important advice I could give anyone is, shop around and ask a ton of questions. For example: I wanted "Corian" brand counter tops- I talked to my counter guy and told him I was on a strict budget. He showed me a similar product that was alot less and was the exact style I was looking for. And because I saved money there, I was able to get the more expensive, deep sink I had my heart set on. Stuff like that really makes a difference when you're on a budget and want a completely new look.

The finished product!!!!

From this:
To this:

Before:
After:
More than how it looks, which, undoubtedly is a huge improvement, I have a functioning kitchen that packs alot of practicality and storage in a tight space.
Evidence of a happy cook: