New Window

Our new huge window is finally installed and it makes all the difference. I had no idea how much it would change the look and feel of the whole kitchen -- and actually the whole main floor! I haven't had to turn on any lights during the day since this was installed! I love it.
(excuse the photos, it was surprisingly hard to get a decent photo)

We are almost green-laminate free! We installed a piece of our old countertop and the old sink temporarily so we had a semi-working kitchen until our new counters were installed. It will be a happy day when it is finally gone for good!

The new counters are scheduled to be installed on Tuesday -- hopefully we can be ready by then...We still have quite a bit to do.

Kitchen Progress

We've got our cabinets mostly re-installed to the new configuration. We have two on the backside of the island that still need bases, but we're getting to those next. Ignore the old countertop and sink/faucet-- we decided it will be a few weeks before we have countertops, so something is better than nothing. I actually have a semi-functioning kitchen now! Although, the old faucet is leaking, so I'm trying to use it as little as possible. Thank goodness for a tiny bar sink downstairs! I'm going to try to never take for granted being able to wash dishes in a kitchen sink, or not having to run up and down the stairs for every little thing in order to cook a meal...
This is the latest on our layout:

Everything is still a total mess, but it is coming together bit-by-bit. We just got some quotes for a large window in the wall in front of the island. I can't wait for that! It will let in so much light! In my world, you can never have too many windows or too much light...

We're also trying to source some granite or quartzite for our island. I think we've narrowed it down to two options.

Luke is still going to have to get in the attic a couple more times to finish the electrical work, but for the most part, the utilities are finished. And as soon as we make a final choice for the stone, I can get started painting all the cabinets. I really like our cabinets, but with the floors that we are putting in, and the other finishes, the maple wood is turning very pinky-orange. Not going to work. So, I see weeks of painting in my future...Fun, fun...

Kitchen Demo

Yep, we did it. We tore into the one room that we really hadn't touched much during this renovation. The kitchen "makes or breaks" a house design in my opinion, so I really wanted to make sure it was right. After a lot of brainstorming and tweaking, I came up with a reconfiguration that would completely change the function and aesthetics of the kitchen, but we could use all of our existing cabinets -- major budget saver. It was a bit of a challenge to get Luke on-board, but he finally agreed that the new plan made a lot of sense. So, demo began!

This is our makeshift kitchen downstairs...yep, very classy.

Again, my brother-in-law was awesome and came to help us for the weekend. Between Luke and Brett, we were able to get all the plumbing moved and most of the electrical work finished. Because we are completely changing the configuration, we had to redesign the lighting plan. Good thing we are redoing the ceiling because currently, the ceiling looks like Wack-a-Mole with all the holes in it.

Yes, moving plumbing is a bit of a mess... Good thing the guys know what they are doing!

We're almost done reinstalling all the cabinets, so progress pictures are coming soon. The new layout is such a huge improvement!