It's hard to believe we've been at the Heap for nearly six years. The kitchen was one of the biggest adjustments I had to make when we moved out here. It was so small that I had to get rid of a lot of my specialty cooking items and, as the center, of the home, it was pretty hard to disguise the old and yuck of it all. But, over the years, I've learned how to cope with it and make it work for me. I was actually feeling pretty content with the situation when the Hubs decided it was time to conquer the kitchen remodel. Now, don't get me wrong, I have been dreaming of what my kitchen would some day look like since we moved here. I wasn't opposed to remodeling, exactly, I just wasn't completely in the right frame of mind for it. I had recently started my full-time job with cardiac rehab and I had taken on the job of teaching high school Biology at our home school co-op. Being very busy and chaos don't play well together for this Type A girl and I wasn't sure I could handle it. But, when the Hubs decides to take on a job, you change into work clothes and get ready, so that's what I did. It was a rough go, but the results are pretty fantastic.
Demo took about a week and created an epic mess. Pretty much everything had to go- the walls, the cabinets, the appliances, the old and gnarly insulation in the walls. We decided to just cover over the ceiling rather than ripping it down, but everything else was removed and carted out. The Hubs wanted to get rid of the arch between the kitchen and dining room while we were at. This gives us a bigger opening for getting things in and out of the house.
The dining room became the makeshift kitchen and everything from the dining room and kitchen that wasn't imperative was stored in the living room. For the entirety of the remodel we had no table to eat at, no couch to sit on, and no area to hang out together as a family. In addition to chaos and extreme mess, I had to deal with a rather disjointed and disconnected family. It was hard. Really, really hard.
This remodel was different because, unlike previous jobs, we did not do most of the work together. My other commitments kept me out of the house a lot of the time or frantically trying to put together lesson plans, while the Hubs and Boo worked. Then, as we neared the finish line, Bug and I spend time painting and decorating while the menfolk worked outside or rested. Everyone got used to being in separate areas, doing different things, and we are still recovering from the shift in dynamic.
Cooking wasn't impossible, but it was very inconvenient. Cleaning up was even more difficult. In the end, we ate a lot of junk and tolerated a lot more mess than usual.
The Hubs did an amazing job of thinking of everything. I approached the remodel with no expectations. I did not think the kitchen would change much as far as layout or usefulness, it would simply be prettier. The Hubs really saw the opportunities and made changes that have ended up being invaluable. One of those things was an attic entrance. Previously, there was an attic fan in the kitchen. Because of significant seasonal allergies, we were never able to use it, so replacing it wasn't on the agenda. The Hubs decided to widen the opening a bit and put a new attic ladder in it rather than just letting it go to waste or be covered up. Now, we have an attic ladder in the house already, but it is located in our bedroom, directly over our bed. Anytime anyone needed to go into the attic (which is way more often than you might think) we had to move our king size bed out of the way. And, of course, there was always a mess from the work being done too- right on my bedroom rug. Now, we have a way into the attic that requires no moving of anything and an easy location for cleaning up the mess. I am very happy with that.
The ceiling was a design feature I requested. Throughout the rest of the house we have paneling, which we have opted to paint rather than try to completely remove. This gives a nice texture to the walls and makes the house feel sort of cottage like, I think. But, in the kitchen we had to remove walls and put up drywall, so there was no texture. This gave me the chance to put texture somewhere else and I chose a plank ceiling. At first, the Hubs wasn't a fan, but once it was done we both agree it looks really, really good. I love it and I think it keeps the general feel of the house intact, which is important to me. I want it all to feel cohesive and as though it was all done together.
It felt like forever before we were really ready to start putting things back together. There was a lot of electrical work that had to happen and each step always took longer than I thought it was going to. Hanging a light fixture might take all day if it involves rerouting lines and going into the attic to put new junction boxes. Almost every outlet had to be moved and rewired in some way. Exterior walls had to have new insulation put up before drywall could go up. New water lines and gas lines had to be run. In between the necessities, I would get teasers- going to order cabinets or appliances. I tried to take joy where I could and wait patiently, but some days I was pretty sure it was never getting done.
Once we had walls, doors, and flooring it was time to bring in the cabinets. Once again, the Hubs thought bigger than me. I had planned on having cabinets in the same configuration as before, but the Hubs suggested we move the refrigerator to the opposite wall and flank it with cabinets. This would allow us to have cabinets go all the way down the wall and around to the door, which would leave us room for a dishwasher and a lot more cabinet and counter space. I had resigned myself to several things- never having enough cabinet or counter space, never having a dishwasher, and never having enough room in my refrigerator. With one wave of his hammer, the Hubs fixed all those problems and several more. I now have a dishwasher and a beverage refrigerator and all the counter space. He's a smart guy, my Hubs.
Another design element I was very insistent on was my sink. I wanted a farmhouse sink, no matter what. The thing about these beauties, though, is that they are crazy heavy and they don't just go into a regular cabinet. Because we went with the, ahem, frugal option of cabinets, the option to buy a sink cabinet designed for farmhouse sinks did not exist, so it had to be modified. I think my marriage hung in the balance for a few days there, but the Hubs did a wonderful job and got my sink in. I love, love, love it. I'm really glad I did not compromise on it because I think it is absolutely perfect, but it was a pretty serious source of tension for a while. Not that I blame him really, it was a total pain in the rear to put in, but seriously, it's so beautiful!
The flooring is the same tile we have throughout the house. It's perfect for a farmhouse. It hides spills and track throughs pretty well and it's not too fancy or perfect. As with a lot of things in this house, it's not quite what I would have picked, but I really love it.
After five months, it came together. We were able to move into the kitchen and get our living room and dining room back on Christmas Eve, which was a combination of answered prayers and perseverance from the Hubs. Over several more weeks we finished little jobs and I put all the little touches I wanted in place. I think it's beautiful and I love it. In all honesty, it is not the kitchen of my dreams. If I had more money or more space I would do things differently. I don't like having all the stuff on the counter tops and I would never have picked white cabinets if I had any other suitable choice. But, it is perfect for the Heap. It is a small farmhouse kitchen, just what should be in a small farmhouse. I love cooking in it. I even love cleaning it up. I am beyond grateful that we were able to get this large project done on budget, with not one cent of debt. The Heap is really becoming a home and home is really where my heart is.
Tonia
