Thursday, March 14, 2013

There's No Turning Back Now....

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So after stressing about all the details (sweating the small stuff!) we finally started our kitchen renovation yesterday. Oddly this was not stressful. Getting everything packed up and out of there (the night) beforehand was crazy stressful. Our contractor was really sweet to leave us a working sink for as long as possible, though that may be until this afternoon. I think the plumber is on his way right now.

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I know I need to go back and do a for real post on the kitchen before so there will be an even grander Aaahhh, Oooohhh when the final reveal comes but I need a day or two for that. 

I'm excited (and nervous) that it's finally actually happening.

Also, we found a little piece of the original vinyl flooring under the cabinets. It's actually kind of cute in an early 80s vinyl flooring kind of way.

I got a little view of the original floor in my kitchen. Kind of cute all things considered. #renovation #workinprogress

Lots of stuff happening here. Now I just have to be patient for it to look like a real room again!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

I Need Some Inspiration

We are still plugging along with the planning stages of our kitchen renovation (and still living with the ripped up floors.) We are making progress though. It all comes down to budget. This is (one of the) stressful times in the remodeling process when you have to decide what can stay and what has to go to make the project actually affordable. I really want a apron front sink but can I justify the extra cost in our budget. The banquette with drawers is too expensive. Can my contractor site build something to keep the cost in check? These decisions are not fun, but they are necessary.
So, having said all of that what I really need is to look at something pretty and think about how much I'm going to love our kitchen when we're finished. I made a mood board for the room to inspire us. The Husband laughed at me for calling it a mood board. Clearly he doesn't read design blogs!  This is what is currently inspiring me today.

kitchen mood board

  1.  Cafe curtains for the kitchen windows in a pretty fabric inspired by nature, maybe like this one
  2. A new burlap shade for the pendant light over the sink
  3. Reclaimed wood openshelves with hand forged shelf brackets, image source here
  4. A sleek single control with high arcing spout and a pull down spray possibly like this; in my fantasy kitchen it would be a beautiful bridge faucet with separate hot and cold water controls. But let's be honest, when your hands are full and/or covered in gunk you don't want to have to fiddle with the water using both hands to get the water that you need.
  5. White recessed panel cabinets 
  6. Pulls for the cabinet drawers...or maybe the doors in a brushed brass finish
  7. A soft neutral wall color to let everything else in the room shine, Benjamin Moore OC-47 Ashwood
  8. Lagos Blue Caesarstone countertops; what I really want is soapstone, but budget, grrrr, we'll see
  9. Stainless steel range similar to our existing one we will reuse
  10. New stained hardwood floors in a darker but not too dark finish
  11. Knobs for the cabinet doors...or maybe the doors in a brushed brass finish
  12. This is a Murano style glass chandelier that is serving as a lovely color inspiration for my own plans to breathe new life into a hand-me-down chandelier. More one that as the plans progress
  13. An antique farm table; I have to say goodbye to a table that I love because I've finally accepted that it is and will always be too big for the room. Here's a little inspiration for future table shopping.
  14. Cushion fabric for the banquette/bench seat in the kitchen, maybe like this
I'm feeling a bit more inspired. Hooray!  Now to get back to crunching the numbers! Question of the day: How do you determine what is worth it to you and what is not when trying to stay on budget?



Monday, January 14, 2013

A New Beginning

The end of 2012 brought a little mini disaster to the Reslus Arms that is setting the stage for exciting new possibilities in the new year.  My Mother-in-law discovered that our water heater had cracked and was seeping water into the house.  It was Christmas morning and she had stopping by to check on the Old Inherited Cat while we were at my parents for the holiday. Thanks to some quick work by my  brother-in-law the water was stopped and complete disaster was averted.

We arrived home late on Christmas night to this....

Boo Boo Boo!!! Hot water broke while we were out of town! #nowhatiwantedforchristmas

The water heater lives under the stairs behind a coat closet. The hardwood floors ins the surrounding areas had already started cupping.  We were sad and frustrated but honestly thankful that it wasn't worse. 

The next day we started making phone calls. A friend that's a contractor came over and helped us get it drained and out of the house. Apparently the builder installed the heater then built the house around it! We had to remove the closet door and door FRAME to get it out. Next our insurance adjuster stopped by and we got the ball rolling with that.  Later the clean up crew showed up with their moisture meters and their fans and then their saws and hammers to dry everything out.....

A little taste of today #giftofthewaterheater

Then we got the flu. While the fans and dehumidifiers were roaring downstairs I was upstairs with the door closed unable to get out of bed.  

Sneaking onto the pillow #chihuahua

Finally the new year came and the fans and dehumidifiers went away. I was finally able to drag myself out of bed and downstairs to this...


Missing floors

A new beginning...we have always wanted to extend the hardwood floors into the kitchen. This would be a very good time to do that. Of course that means we will need to renovate the kitchen now rather than later. There is always a domino effect when thinking about house projects. I am little excited and a little scared about the prospect of so may changes and decisions at once. I do this for other people every day but it is much harder to do it for myself. I will be posting about our new adventure over the next few weeks (months?) as we make decisions about flooring, cabinets, counters, lights, appliances, etc. and will show you the progress along the way. Let the adventure begin.



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