Kitchen Renovation '09

So our kitchen renovation is finally complete, prepare to be blown away...

This photo was taken before we moved into our house back in 2007. We had done a little painting but this is basically how the kitchen looked until we started this project back in mid-October:



We had to start by removing our counters, about half the original cabinets, the stove and wall oven. After about four attempts, we were able to pack all of the above into our little cars for a trip to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Belgrade.





I started out by laying down the new flooring (directly over the old flooring). It is a modern linoleum product called Marmoleum and it comes in 12" square tiles that simply click together. I finished the installation in just a few hours.


After some painting and minor electrical work we started assembling and installing our new cabinets that we picked up at Ikea during a weekend trip to Salt Lake City.



Our new appliances arrived about the same time we finished installing the cabinets. They are trendy stainless steel and we love them dearly. Once the new refrigerator was in we were able to get rid of the old one via craigslist.



Once we had the bulk of the new work completed we turned our attention to the other side of the kitchen where we kept the original cabinets, put in concrete countertops and a new sink.

New concrete on left, old laminate on the right:




Note: For those of you who don't know, fabricating concrete counters is not fun. The upside though, is that they look fantastic and I spent about $400 on them, which includes all materials, tools and other supplies.

The last major item was to tile the backsplash. We used 1"x2" glass mosaic tile from Oceanside. Installing this tile is pretty tricky but with some patience it went smoothly and looks great.



At this point our work was basically complete. The final piece was to have the original cabinets (that we didn't donate to HFH) professionally refinished. We hired Sean from Deluxe Lustre, he did a great job. We finished things off with new door pulls from Ikea and new hinges from ACE Hardware.

Wallpaper . . . yes, that's right, wallpaper

We hung wallpaper. That is not something I ever thought we would do, but this stuff was too cool to pass up and totally adds a ton of character to the house. It took some time and teamwork, but we finished it in about one full day (started on a Friday night and woke up Saturday and finished). The paper is from Ferm Living. Enjoy.

Plants

This year I decided to add some perennials to the small plot against the back of the house. This space has gone through a couple changes since we moved in. First I weeded what was there when we moved in, then I decided to make it a bigger plot and plant some bulbs and now I've added these perennials. Hopefully they will make it through the winter like they should and come back fuller next year.

Veggies

The pics below are squash, carrots and sugar snap peas from this years veggie garden. I also grew lettuce, but it has all either been eaten or died. I planted a ton of it and we couldn't keep up with eating it all. I've still got another couple squash coming and hopefully some cherry and pear tomatoes. We'll see if the weather can stay nice enough for them to finish ripening on the vine.

Bathroom '09 - Complete

At long last we have completed our bathroom renovation. This project consumed most of my weekends for the last couple months and we feel pretty good about the results. I have added links to most of the products we used, feel free to post with any questions.


The concrete vanity top turned out great, especially considering it was my first attempt. Check out buddyrhodes.com to find where you can pick up supplies for your own project.


We went with Oceanside Glass Tile for the accent and shower wall tile. The tile comes in 12" x 12" sheets and the mix can be customized using a variety of colors. We added some stone tiles to our mix. Also, the glass tiles are made from up to 80% recycled content, www.glasstile.com



I do not know the manufacturer of the floor tile but it is Italian porcelain, which sounds a lot more expensive than it is (it is actually quite inexpensive and a great product). These specific tiles are 6" x 20" and are finished with Custom Building Products Polyblend Grout in Platinum color. This and the rest of the tile were all from Montana Tile & Stone.




It was not the original intention but I ended up replacing the old shower window. Once we had the old wall opened up it became apparent that there was significant rot in the old wood window so we picked up an Atrium vinyl window for replacement. I am typically not too big on vinyl but for this high moisture area it is appropriate.





In case you are wondering, we used a combination of Kohler and American Standard fixtures and accessories, all of which are available at improvementdirect.com at prices that are quite reasonable (even free shipping. We refinished and reused vanity base cabinet, the new white wall cabinet comes from Nameek's and is available online at several outlets, we ordered from irawoods.com

Let the sun shine!

Last weekend we took a short break from the bathroom to plant some trees, a couple of planters and some sunflowers. Check it out:

Aspens off the deck


Planters on the deck


Sunflowers in the brick planter


And of course I couldn't resist a pic of the pooch. Bill is loving all the sunny, warm weather we've been having.

Bill, looking quite serious

It's not easy being green . . .

One can only stare at those swirly green wall tiles for so long. . . we are currently in the middle of our bathroom remodel. Jim began the process at the end of March. It's been a fun time. In between working we celebrated Easter, took a trip to Seattle and enjoyed a lovely Spring snowstorm (or 2) here in MT. It is easier and more fun to SHOW you:

The lovely "green machine" bathroom, prior to demo.

We will be replacing the mirror, but have plans for this one somewhere else in the house.

Goodbye green! Thanks to Josh for helping Jim get the old cast iron tub out and into the backyard.

Happy Easter!

Floor tiles are in place!


Time for some fun in the city!
Jim and Trav


Megan, me and Trav


Back to work
Jim has been busting ass on this bathroom. I've only been helping a little with staining the cabinet and some of the wall tile. He took on the project of pouring a concrete counter top. It turned out SWEET! Fits great and the sink looks fantastic. Love the contrast and the texture of the concrete. We'll be sealing it once it is officially in place.


Oh, I thought it was Spring. Silly me, I live in Montana.
12" of snow, mid-week. If you look close you can see our old toilet hanging out there on the deck.


Yay for new wall tile that is made of ceramic and not plastic! I helped some with hanging the white tile and setting the mosaic tile in place, but 95% of the work has been done by Jim.



Stay tuned for the final product!