11:37 a.m.
The kitchen is empty and ready to demolish. We have moved everything into the dining room and there it resides, in huge boxes.
Here is one last a shot of the kitchen before the demo.
We’re going to try and salvage the counter tops so we can use them while we wait for the Quartz counter top to get here.
If the guy is still here by the time I pick the boys up from school, I’m taking them to the library so they can avoid most of the dust. I think all of this tile dust has been getting to them – they are congested and feeling a bit under the weather.
This living out of boxes for a week is going to be … challenging.
11:45 a.m.
I apologize for all the kitchen talk – I realize this is probably pretty boring. But I’d like to document this so we can look back, heave heavy sighs and say, “Remember what a PAIN IN THE ASS that was?!”
11:52 a.m.
I can hear the cabinet guy sighing pretty heavily in there. I wonder if he’s getting frustrated? I mean, really, how can he not? That’s got to be pretty tedious work. I mean, we’re taking out tile and I’m not even doing most of the grunt work and I want to scream.
And the pounding begins.
12:15 p.m.
Just had lunch with Kevin.
The cabinet guy found some stuff in the cabinets above the fridge. Oops! How embarrassing!
Kevin is now helping the guy carry out the counter tops. I’m so glad he came home! I don’t think … well actually, I KNOW I couldn’t help carry those out. They’re heavy!
1:27 p.m.
Oops. The guy had to turn the breaker off that juiced the hood above the range and that also happened to be the same breaker that keeps the DSL box and router on so … I was without Internet for a bit.
Cabinets are half gone. The guy pointed out a couple of holes in our wall, they were behind a cabinet and we didn’t know they were there. He wanted to make sure we knew about them so we couldn’t blame him.
It also looks like we’ve had some mice living in our cabinets at some point – there are tell-tale signs and a few tufts of insulation lying about. Kevin won’t be happy to see those holes. In addition, the floor under our sink had rotted out, so that will have to be replaced too.
It’s a good thing we have some time to do these repairs before the tile guys get here on Monday.
1:39 p.m.
I’ve been spraying Windex and Pledge everywhere. But every time I get one area clean, I turn around and it’s dirty again. It’s like I’m at war with the dust.
And I’m going to win, dang it.
And this is probably the most I’ve vacuumed in … well, ever.
1:54 p.m.
Okay, he’s working on the other side of the kitchen now. I wonder what he finds behind THESE cabinets.
Let’s go for nothing, shall we?
2:00 p.m.
The walls are vibrating and cracking – I’m going to choose to believe this is normal.
And I’m dying for a drink of water but I’m too shy to go in there and get some water from the water cooler. I could drink tap but ….
PSHAW! Right!
2:15 p.m.
Afraid to look … afraid to look…
2:24 p.m.
I swear, half the wall just came down …
Okay, not really. But it felt like it.
Maybe an earthquake?
Seriously, I’m afraid to look …
2:41 p.m.
I hear sweeping. Do I dare hope he’s almost done?!?
3:41 p.m.
And … it’s done.
If you look at the lower right-hand corner, you can see those two holes. You can also see that the floor under the exposed piping needs replaced.
It’s so WEIRD not having cabinets anymore! And it’s going to be a challenge working around that, er, little inconvenience this next week(s).
Next? The guys will finish taking up that backboard, Kevin will patch the wall and replace the particle board and this weekend we’ll move out the fridge, the range and the washer and dryer so the tile guys have a clean slate to work with on Monday.
Whew. Thanks for sticking it out with me. I promise not to mention the kitchen again for a few days at least. 😀
Write From Karen 