Sunny and I fell in love with the house partly because of the old-fashioned look of the kitchen cabinets. So when we decided to remodel the kitchen we realized that not just any standard box would do. We approached my Dad, and after a little nudging (begging), he agreed to build our kitchen cabinets by hand. Going into this, I knew this would be the most difficult part of the entire remodel. The kitchen is arguably the most important room in the house. Making a mistake in this room would be serious. So, we measured twice and cut wood. I took a vacation from October 11 to the 18th to help. Within two weeks we were installing the cabinets. They look gorgeous and the appliances fit perfectly. I am real proud of the work we did. Take a look.

The kitchen changed dramatically, but I feel we kept the old cottage look that we were after. Some details: We increased the width of the lower cabinets from 21 inches to the standard 24, which allowed us to install a dishwasher (we made the lower cabinets from scratch). We raised the upper cabinets 7 inches to give us 18 inches of space above the countertops. This allows us to put small appliances, like mixers and coffee makers, under the upper cabinets. We raised the height of the cabinets from 34 inches to 36, which feels more comfortable. We removed all the old vinyl flooring, uncovering a beautiful tongue and groove fir. The sink remained about the same – ours was manufactured for us out of Corian. The countertops are gorgeous, the Corian should last us forever (we chose the Cameo color). We reluctantly removed the in-wall faucet for a countertop faucet from Kohler. We added a 3/4 horsepower garbage disposal from InSinkErator and four new appliances from GE Café. We covered up three holes in the wall, using one of them to vent the microwave (two holes were from an old icebox, the other was used to vent the range). I ran lines for under-the-cabinet-lights (future plans), Dad ran all new pluming and Boyer Electric ran new outlets (all to code). The kitchen actually feels more open than it used to, there is more cupboard space and more countertop space. I can’t wait to entertain! Take a look at the before and after photos:

My father-in-law, Scott, and I trimmed the trees and rhododendron bushes around the house today. Removing the huge rhododendron bushes from in front of the spare bedroom made a huge difference in the amount of light that filters into the room. We also pulled the brick away from the front stoop. In the process we discovered that the soil had settled about four inches below the brick. We also discovered a tiny amount of dryrot in the treated wood against the foundation. Not difficult to repair, but we will have to wait until it warms up before we can lay mortar. More to come.

We just received the keys to our new home! Here are some photos. We are planning a two month remodel. If all goes well, we will move in by December 1st, just in time for Sinterklaas!

Cute picture of Sunny and I. We had a great time at Sunny’s work picnic. The weather was beautiful! I’ll post more photos when I finish my office at our new home!

My newest Haiku:

Tan line around a ring.

Great song by Rome from Raw Session.

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Kelli and Shawn have a beautiful new home. We had a fun time at their open house BBQ. And Shawn can cook!

We also celebrated Adam’s graduation.

Dad and I joined Idamae and Khai for lunch to watch the US vs. Ghana World Cup soccer match. We lost, but we had a lot of fun.