I am way, way behind on this update. So first, please forgive me! When we started this renovation, I had all the plans to share weekly updates on the blog. So, since that clearly didn’t happen, here’s one big giant post with everything that we’ve been up to these last two months!
But first.
Let’s see the kitchen progression over the past four years.
Here is where we started:
And after we painted the first time:
And the second time:
And here’s where we are now:
When we first purchased this home four years ago, the kitchen was my most-anticipated renovation. I think I’m still in a little shock that it’s actually happening. And more than that – we’re almost done!
I will say, up until this point, living in the home we’re renovating hasn’t been that big of a deal. Mostly because the space we were updating wasn’t one that we were using too much. Well, they don’t call the kitchen ‘The Heart of the Home’ for nothing. Not having a full-functioning kitchen has definitely been a challenge. Even in our old kitchen, we still had one burner that worked on the cooktop! All complaining aside, we couldn’t be happier with how the kitchen is turning out, so without further ado, let’s dive into all the changes!
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Demo day commenced on December 26, 2019. The first to come down was the kitchen island. We wanted to utilize the storage and keep the mess to a minimum so we decided to start with the island and tear out the remainder of the cabinets closer to the deliver date of the new ones.
We also tore out the laminate flooring which thankfully didn’t go underneath all the cabinets so it was a pretty easy process. Once we had everything ripped up, it was time to tape out the kitchen island.
I’ll be doing a full tutorial on how we built the kitchen island but at a high level, we built the base, then added the sides, then topped it off with plywood. Easy peasy 😉
Once the kitchen was built and the concrete counters poured, it was about when the cabinets were set for delivery. We went with hickory KraftMaid cabinets, finished in ‘Husk’. They were delivered on Friday, January 24 and we ripped everything out that next morning.
Because the appliances weren’t set to deliver until the end of February, we kept the oven cabinet and just moved it off to the side. One can only do so many instapot meals!
After ripping everything out, we started on the peninsula. We were able to get that counter poured in one day, which was great!
Once that was done, it was time to redo some electrical. Because we were adding a range hood and gas cooktop, Brett needed to rework some of the behind-the-scenes stuff. We were also moving the fridge which meant the water lines needed to be moved.
We ended up ripping out a section of drywall to have easy access for adding in all the new stuff. On the positive, since we planned on adding backsplash, we didn’t have to worry about mudding and/or sanding any of the new drywall!
Once the new sheetrock was up, we could finally start hanging the new cabinets – we’re now up to the first week in February.
Thankfully, there were pretty easy to install and we had everything up by February 5. We poured the last concrete counter February 6 and started on the backsplash that weekend.
It was a pretty quick process of putting up the tile and Brett had it all done by Saturday afternoon.
Once the tile was on, we moved back to finishing off the counters. This entailed sanding and sealing. It’s a very, very messy process – you can read all about the details and how-to on this blog post.
Once the counters were dry, we moved onto the grout. We went with a charcoal color to bring in some nice contrast again the white and gray tile.
It was also about this time that we finished off the peninsula by installing the tall cabinet – this baby houses the Kitchenaid mixer and some other baking tools.
Last, but not least, Brett wired up the new overhead lighting.
They’re a little wonky right now because they’re not entirely secured to the ceiling, but you get the gist, right?
I originally found some lights on Wayfair that we both really liked and then quickly popped over to Amazon and found these ones that were (A) cheaper and (B) more our style.
The faucet is from Houzz and the water faucet is from Amazon.
The sink was a definite splurge but oh-so-worth it. It’s an Elkay farmhouse sink that we first found on Home Depot but ended up finding it cheaper on Houzz (about $90 off!) AND we got cash back from Rakuten.
In terms of what’s next… Appliances, overhead lighting and floors.
We’re also discussing new window layout and when we’re planning on installing the sliding glass door.
And of course, finishing off the island. We’re hoping to find some pre-made doors and drawers that will only need some paint.
Speaking of paint, I still haven’t decided which green I like best – I’m hoping that will become more clear once we get the flooring installed.
And speaking of flooring, I THINK we’ve decided on a style but we haven’t pulled the trigger yet so that could very well change.
So, that’s where we’re at with the kitchen renovation! As always, you can follow along with updates on Instagram and sign up for a weekly newsletter where we share some exclusive pictures and stories 🙂
All our best,
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