Surviving without kitchen was actually easier than I had anticipated.
To get by, we set up a make-shift kitchen in the basement. Now, I know what you must be thinking. The basement?!? Really, DJ? The reason it worked out so well was because of my husband, who, afew years ago, installed a utility sink next to the washer and dryer. The old refrigerator that we had in the garage also came in quite handy. We moved the microwave next to the sink and set up a card table and had our own little kitchenette!
Everyone but the dog adjusted well. After being let out in the morning, he continued to go upstairs to wait for my husband to cook breakfast and give him his snack. I would hear him come up the stairs and plop down, waiting for my husband. Then, a few minutes later, I hear the microwave beep and Keona trots back downstairs as he realizes that is where breakfast is being served! The card table was a bit lower than our kitchen table which made it easy for Keona, being a large golden retriever, to run his noise along the edge of the table. But as far as we could tell, nothing ever went missing.
The cabinets went up quickly and what a difference that made! Even though we were basically keeping the same layout for the kitchen, they really helped give shape to the new kitchen.
Then, more decisions! I don’t think I’ve ever had to make so many decisions in all my life. I had picked out the pulls (knobs) and handles for the cabinets, but that had been over a month ago. Which drawers were to get handles and which one were to get pulls? So, I lay them all out one night in the kitchen and looked at all the different combinations. I decided to put handles on the top cabinets and pulls on the drawers and lower cabinets.
The next question was placement. Where did I want them placed on the doors? Really, there is not a standard for this! Everyone does it differently. I am a visual person so, off I went to the showroom (I became a fixture there) to look at different options and I am glad I did because after seeing a few different placements, I knew exactly what I wanted.
After all of the base cabinets were installed, a gentleman came out to measure for the granite countertop. He brought a machine/computer with a laser (I’m positive that’s not the technical term) and measured every angle. Then the questions began. Did we want an overhang on the island? Should there be a backsplash on the cabinets that were not having titles put above them? What angle or finish did we want on the edges of the granite? Did we want the sink flush with the granite or an overhang?
He was a wealth of information, asking us great questions we had not even thought of, and offered suggestions for a completed look. He provided information to call and schedule a time to go and view OUR granite. This is something I would definitely recommend everyone doing. You never know if the small piece you look at initially is truly what you like in the long run. I was relieved to see that the granite I chose looked even better as a larger piece than it did as a small sample. They also showed us how it was laid out and cut in their shop (a very interesting process)! The best news was that they could install the countertop a few days later, so by the end of the week, the granite was installed.
It really was starting to look like a kitchen! Stay tuned for next week when I reveal the final product! I’d love to hear your remodeling stories. What rooms have you remodeled?
By DJ Stephan
