Pardon Our Dust?

Things have been a little crazy here at Chez Engineer. You see, the great procrastinators have finally taken a rather large plunge. We have lived in our little hovel for 20 1/2 years and we have done a number of home improvements, but we have been reluctant to tackle the really (REALLY) big jobs. Painting and such are no problem, but we both knew that we were not up to dealing with a kitchen remodel. Believe me when I say that we needed a new kitchen. You don't believe me? Well, I offer up Exhibit A. Go ahead, marvel at its 1968 loveliness.




One of our favorite parts of the kitchen (in this case "favorite" is used to refer to something akin to a thorn) is the original 1968 wall oven. When we moved in the temperature markings had long ago been worn away so we calibrated the oven with an oven thermometer and etched marks for our most-used settings. The top door also had a charming habit of coming off in your hands if you didn't open it just right. We had long fantasized about taking a sledge hammer to the thing. Well, on Valentine's Day, we paid people to do just that! This was the sight that greeted us when we returned home that day:


Yep, all that old hideousness was gone!!!! We even had them remove the ceiling and bring it up to the level of the old lighting soffit. In case you were wondering, those dark patches on the walls were the original blue board from when the house was built. No, it had never been painted behind the cabinets.

Once all that mess was gone, we moved to anticipation each night as we came home. On Day 2 we had a new ceiling and plumbing! the drain and supply for the sink was moved several inches over to center the sink to the window and the gas lines were given new valves. Oh, and the (probably illegal) gas line to the outdoors that we had previously capped outside was gone.


Day 3 brought even more fun as the rough-in electrical was installed. We needed to bring a new circuit from the panel for the new electric oven and many outlets had to be moved or reworked to follow code and to allow for wiring for the new under-cabinet lighting. Oh, yes, and the new recessed lighting cans were installed.

Day 4 was pretty boring as it was spent by our contractor twiddling his thumbs waiting for the city inspector. Apparently 3 p.m. is still a morning appointment. Day 5 was really exciting since all the rough-in work could be patched, taped, sanded, and textured. The drywall/paint guy was busy all day

The painter was back on Day 6 to prime and paint! Yes, there is color on them there walls!

So, in one week we went from nasty, depressing kitchen, to utter chaos, to painted walls! Not bad. Not bad at all. Stay tuned for Week #2!