Kitchen remodel progress: evolution of the sink wall.
Paul was on vacation a few weeks ago… a time of dirt, noise, kitchen progress, and me deciding that now would be the best time to try to convince him that we should drive to Arkansas to spend a shockingly-unholy amount of money on something utterly un-kitchen related… on Craigslist.
He said no… but what I heard was: sell everything we own.
I cannot show you what it is, because one of you probably has $8,000 that you do not need, and I cannot be the the one to facilitate your owning of what is rightfully mine.
So, instead of a trip to Arkansas, we have been working on multiple kitchen and addition projects… In an attempt to make the progress coherent, I am focusing on the sink wall.
What we started with in the kitchen/more before pictures.
Above is what we started with.
I have zero idea of what I am doing upside-down, but it is one of only two photos I have from before we removed the weirdly-low peninsula and jacked it up into an island… before you are a blogger, you do not know that one random photo will not suffice to tell an entire story.
Below, you can see that we moved the kitchen down to the addition for a makeshift workspace. Then, for fun, we moved it back.
The white space-pod looking thing is a reverse osmosis water filtration system… it tops any list I would make for kitchen “must-haves.” And in the new kitchen we are going to combine it with instant-hot water. I cannot overstate how excited I am for this… I drink a lot of tea during the winter, and the idea of not waiting for water to boil seems like an unimaginable luxury.
I’m so easy to please!
We already took out the strange half bath… and we put up more plastic to form an L-shape around the perimeter of the room so that we could gut the sink wall.
We gutted the sink wall for a couple of reasons:
– on part of the wall, the previous owner had sheetrocked over plaster.
– there was no backsplash behind the sink/water had gotten the plaster mungy over time.
– throughly insulate the exterior wall.
– there was some plumbing that was lazy-boxed rather than recessed into the wall at the corner.
So we gutted, recessed the plumbing, insulated, sheetrocked, and painted.
This is a brief summation of a big project… But I don’t have anything interesting to say about it and I think the photos are pretty much self-explanatory.
I missed getting pictures of some of the steps because Paul wasn’t about to wait for me to get home to document whatever was happening.
A few more things:
1. The piano island is NOT going to go sideways like it is above.
The island will be lengthwise in the other direction, but we had a dinner party, AND are having Thanksgiving, so I don’t want to move the TV into the living room until we are done having company.
2. The wall color is just a primer… we’ll use the same paint colors that we’ve used through the rest of the house.
3. We solved a dilemma that’s been holding the kitchen design hostage and I am so excited.
November 17, 2015 @ 11:09 am
It looks a thousand times better already. I’m so excited to see the finished result of all your and Paul’s hard work. Did I read your post right, you hosted a dinner party and are hosting Thanksgiving? Take out? 🙂
Happy upcoming holiday, I am very thankful for your blog friendship and always entertaining posts.
xo,
Karen
November 17, 2015 @ 11:20 am
Hey, it’s not a monumental bookcase but I know where you can find a monumental Victorian sideboard. And you only have to drive to Virginia!
Too small photo: http://pictures.estatesales.net/1040901/24850852/1-t.jpg
Info: https://www.beckestates.com/upcoming-sales.html
November 17, 2015 @ 11:29 am
You are hilarious and I know you will not accept this proposal BUT I think your true calling is entertainer rather than covetous Craigslist lurker.
You have actually given me the nerve to demand there not be a ho hum island in remodeled kitchen- only a grand piano or a small row boat will do! Thanks for the support!
November 17, 2015 @ 12:11 pm
Let’s start a go fund me page for this ARK. Behemoth! Just so we can all see what VEB will do with it?!?
November 17, 2015 @ 12:37 pm
So nice to see one of your posts in my email. They are a little ray of sunshine and laughter in a time that I have struggled with a heavy heart due to all the badness in our world. You’re doing more good than you know. Xo
November 17, 2015 @ 1:23 pm
We clearly suffer from the same hearing impairment! Whenever my husband says “No!” to a great find, my mind immediately jumps to “what can I sell fast on Craigslist?”. I’m so happy to know I’m not the only one with this affliction. Have you found a cure, other than hounding the husband until he gives in?
November 17, 2015 @ 1:42 pm
Ladies – it is the 7th photo down you must focus on – the shirtless man behind the plastic. Focus ladies!
November 17, 2015 @ 2:21 pm
Victoria:
I must admit that Paul in a tee shirt with flexed biceps is a particular ray of sunshine. The GFT from Arkansas has your name all over it, wishing for a way for you to get it. Let’s see, no kitchen, hosted dinner party, and hosting Thanksgiving…In Darth Vader voice,”Most impressive! ” Hugs to Elvis.
November 17, 2015 @ 3:29 pm
I love the way the sink wall looks so big and clean and 2! windows….I do not like the color of the GFT-It seems to be that awful orange look-not pretty especially so big!!
I must say I noticed no dancing? and no Miss Elvis ……………………………..missing both but post was great-as usual…
November 17, 2015 @ 7:17 pm
I should be making dinner or at the very least, washing the pile of dishes in my sink. I can’t as I am stuck pursuing all the GFT’s in Arkansas. That seller has all the GTF’s in Arkansas apparently. Gorgeous secretaries! I die. I will die hungry, but I die. Apparently dinner won’t make itself. Good luck with Thanksgiving. I have a fully functioning kitchen and I’m stressed at the idea of preparing such a large meal. You are a superhero. It will be fabulous and there will be dancing. 🙂
November 17, 2015 @ 7:25 pm
Arkansas is really pretty especially this time of year. You will probably also be the first on your block to go there and purchase an $8,000 souvenir. At $8k, this souvenir may still be available in the spring. Spring is also pretty in The Natural State as Arkansas is known.
November 17, 2015 @ 11:35 pm
The room is hugely improved already ! What a ton of work ! ( I hope Elvis is doing ok….. )
November 19, 2015 @ 10:05 am
Progress looks good.
I love that you have had a dinner party and have people coming for Thanksgiving. That would give my mother in law a twitch because for her everything has to look perfect or else you can’t have anyone over. She is amazed we have people come for dinner and yet our living room has unmatched chairs LOL.
November 19, 2015 @ 4:42 pm
A handsome fellow with dance moves AND biceps, sigh . . . Janna’s got it right – focus, readers!
Looks like the doorway to the kitchen and family room is gone – the header is gone and the walls are held back. Since I know there will be fancy moulding and trim, I’m betting there is must be a victorian glass transom window hiding in the attic .. . . . guessing also that the wall where the sink was going to go was probably informed by what you found in the wall when you opened it up for insulation and plumbing and plaster . . . so i’m going to study those demo photos more closely .. we will all now try to display Elvis like endurance . . . to wait for all your thunder (and more GFTs).
Will you have the new, more enlightened (and single) Don Draper at your holiday soiree? He best wait for the New Years Party so you can put your best (kitchen) foot forward .. . my new years prediction .. .in 2017 = local home tours will be beating down your door . .
Happy Thanksgiving Victoria – we are thankful for you!
November 19, 2015 @ 8:49 pm
Oh…….Ditto Ditto Ditto the Thanksgiving wishes-may all your dishes be Delish—-And double thanks for your wonderful Wit and Writing. You have brought so much Smiles,Chuckles, outright guffaws and laughter (that I wouldn’t have had without it) into my Life.
November 20, 2015 @ 10:07 am
I have been binging on your blog the past few days and upon reaching your last post was grief stricken. I was so excited to see your impeccably outfitted room finished, sparkling and ready for use. Alas, the blogosphere is also subject to the reality if time and resources. I will continue to cheer you on in hopes that one of us has a finished kitchen for Christmas.
March 15, 2016 @ 2:49 pm
Oh my gosh, I have one of those instant hot water faucets! I had never thought of such a luxury, but it came with our house when we bought it (along with a hot and cold outdoor faucet, which confuses and annoys the staff at every hardware store we’ve gone to asking if they sell larger outdoor faucet insulators. “Why would you need hot water outside?” “I don’t know, it was there when we bought the place! But since you ask, it’s actually kind of amazing!”) Anyway, the instant hot water faucet is soooo nice! Good choice!
March 21, 2016 @ 11:45 pm
Hi! I live about 1.5 hrs away from your AR GFT (in Harrison AR)! So wish I could bring it to you! -Kayla