The scales have fallen from my eyes, I can see how far we have sunk. Oh, to be sure it was a gradual descent, and there were certainly plenty of good times; baking birthday cakes, mixing up cookie dough with the kids when they were so small that they had to stand upon chairs to reach the counter top and dip their fingers into the bowl of raw cookie goodness. Yes, the peach harvest processed in the kitchen and the making of elementary school science projects like the baking powder/vinegar volcano - good fun and good times all.
But time does change things. And the years had not been kind to the builder grade, linoeum floor, particle board and contact paper cabinets and honestly, have we had enough of those industrial fluorescent lights and popcorn ceilings? The answer is yeas - yes we have. Or maybe more like, "Aaack Kack Kack - I can't live like this anymore!" It was time somebody did something.
The plumbing put in by the builder was slipshod and was never done right. Over the years I've applied electrical tape and putty to staunch the foul spewage that came from ill-fitted PVC pipes. As a last resort I had long ago stationed buckets and catchment mats to hold the wayward gray water. It was time to make this hell hole go away.
The linoleum had creased with the shifting slab, raising ridges in the flooring, only to be be eroded by foot traffic, leaving a hole in the linoleum and exposing the cement slab below. Awful, just awful.
Time for a change. Once we started thinking about the possibilities, we realized how bad thing really were in the kitchen. We began to cruise the home improvement circuit, kitchen & bath remodel places. We decided on a new color scheme, found some tile flooring we found attractive and explored counter top and cabinet options and perhaps a new ceiling treatment. Then it was time to think about a budget. What a bummer to have to use real money to pay for all of this desired change.
My original plan of piece by piece, start with the ceiling, spend some money. Then I would take on the floor DIY. We could later have some new cabinets installed. We soon got talked into the necessity of doing the whole project at once; starting with tearing out everything, then doing the floor. Followed by plumbing and electrical and then installation of some good cabinets after all of the above had been done. I admit that order of business did make sense. However, I could and would do the painting and save significant dollars on that end. We inked the deal.
We originally wanted hickory cabinets, but when we got back to the store a couple weeks later, the hickory was discontinued. But there was a good sale on what remaind in stock, so we pondered and decided upon the maple wood.
Eager to lift ourselves out of the the hellish kitchen, Sue was chomping at the bit to pack up the culinary accouterments and get the deck cleared for the impending demolition. The upstairs bedrooms made handy storage space and were quickly filled while we crammed the few items reserved for dining, plates, silverware and some basic bowls, into the now cramped dining room. We would be eating out a lot more and using the backyard grill frequently once the oven was disconnected.
As a part of the process, much of what we discovered in our drawers and far away recesses of the upper shelves where found to not be of use or needed any longer. A pile for the Goodwill Store was growing by the minute.
From here on out, things will be different she swore as she tossed another plastic goo-gaw onto the 'good riddance' pile.
Enough material was delivered to fill up our garage and force our cars out onto the street and driveway. But something new and different and a big improvement was on the horizon. Now we wait for the contractors to schedule time to tear everything out, replumb and rewire and prep the walls, floor and ceiling for glorious new kitchen. We have made the decision and we will no longer live in ignominious degraded hellish kitchen conditions. Get thee behind me, thou art but rubbish destined for destruction. We are on the road to glory.
But time does change things. And the years had not been kind to the builder grade, linoeum floor, particle board and contact paper cabinets and honestly, have we had enough of those industrial fluorescent lights and popcorn ceilings? The answer is yeas - yes we have. Or maybe more like, "Aaack Kack Kack - I can't live like this anymore!" It was time somebody did something.
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| All Hell below the kitchen sink |
The linoleum had creased with the shifting slab, raising ridges in the flooring, only to be be eroded by foot traffic, leaving a hole in the linoleum and exposing the cement slab below. Awful, just awful.
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| The Old Hellish Kitchen After 28 Years of Wear & Tear |
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| Clearing the kitchen for demolition The worn floor is an eye-sore |
My original plan of piece by piece, start with the ceiling, spend some money. Then I would take on the floor DIY. We could later have some new cabinets installed. We soon got talked into the necessity of doing the whole project at once; starting with tearing out everything, then doing the floor. Followed by plumbing and electrical and then installation of some good cabinets after all of the above had been done. I admit that order of business did make sense. However, I could and would do the painting and save significant dollars on that end. We inked the deal.
We originally wanted hickory cabinets, but when we got back to the store a couple weeks later, the hickory was discontinued. But there was a good sale on what remaind in stock, so we pondered and decided upon the maple wood.
Eager to lift ourselves out of the the hellish kitchen, Sue was chomping at the bit to pack up the culinary accouterments and get the deck cleared for the impending demolition. The upstairs bedrooms made handy storage space and were quickly filled while we crammed the few items reserved for dining, plates, silverware and some basic bowls, into the now cramped dining room. We would be eating out a lot more and using the backyard grill frequently once the oven was disconnected.
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| The shelves are emptied and the appliance stowed upstairs |
From here on out, things will be different she swore as she tossed another plastic goo-gaw onto the 'good riddance' pile.
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| Our garage is filled with new kitchen cabinets, tiles, shelves and drawers awaiting installation in the coming weeks/months (?) |
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