New Kitchen Progress Report

The kitchen remodeling project is finally making some progress. If you remember, we signed the contract and made a down payment in late October to hold our place in line. The basic plan was to completely remodel the kitchen and replace the flooring in both the kitchen and adjoining room. The further plan was to have all work completed in three months while we were gone south for the winter! Will they make it? Below is an update of the good and the bad…

Our custom cabinet maker, Norman’s Cabinetry in Radford, had to first make all the cabinets and paint them. Then it was on to the removal of the old units. Some of the old cabinets were going to the garage to be installed. Some to the basement. And quite a few were to be stored in the garage to be given away. The old cabinets were removed in mid-February.

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And there have been a few surprises along the way to delay the project. First, there were some delays building the new cabinets due to Covid and some other customer’s projects that were delayed.

Then, they discovered some of the kitchen electrical outlets needed to upgraded to three wire with ground. In the last 1989 remodel, one of the prior owners elected to not update from the original 1956 circuits. Bummer.

The next surprise was finding a very cool solid wood paneling behind the old cabinets. While the knotty pine was very popular in the 50’s, it is not so much anymore. So, they removed all the wood and installed better insulation and covered it with drywall. Then the drywall required a mud guy to come in and semi finish it.

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While this was being done the flooring was installed taking about a week. Removing the old ceramic tile and carpet and then preparing the floor took most of the time. I certainly hope the flooring looks good installed. The photos just do not convey much. The flooring was completed in late February.

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Once all the above was done it was finally time to begin installing the new lower cabinets. Then it was time for the quartz counter top people to come in and perform their laser measurements. That just happened this week. The specialty order quartz slab was already at the shop and ready to be cut to the final sizes.

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The should be able to install the quartz within a day or two and then the cabinet guys can finish with the upper units. Then it is the plumbing and any final electrical work and to install the new fridge and new induction range.

We arrive back home in just over a week. So, we may arrive just as they are finishing! Or maybe not…

The backsplash is still an open item as we will need to select tile and pattern and schedule the job. After that is done, Norman’s will return to install the range hood vent and crown molding.

It has been a long process and at least we were not disrupted since we were in Florida. We took our other kitchen with us!

A new kitchen these days will cost a small fortune. All the real estate folks say that it is a good investment in a house for a return on your investment. Although that is not the reason we are having it done. It just needed to be updated. In all of our prior homes, we did the smaller fix up jobs like painting, replacing some fixtures, and replacing broken things. At this stage of life it was time to get exactly what we want for the next however many years that we have.

It is also makes me a little nervous in not being able to really see the work as it progresses except through photos. Will we be pleased? I believe so as we did much due diligence up front. Pat looked at cabinet colors for weeks before deciding on Iceberg. Then it was a careful review of granite versus quartz and then what color and design. I won’t bore you with all the other decisions such as sinks, faucets, appliances, but all that took time and planning.

We will know in a week!

Thanks for following along. Take care and God Bless.