The color of my life

We've been renovating and remodeling our Pocatello house for the last couple of years. Prior to that, we freshened up the Salt Lake City condo before selling it in 2007. So we have a lot of leftover paint in the basement.

The last paint job was about a year ago, when my husband finished my office in the basement. We are, once again, ready to paint -- the doors that belong on the closet in my office, and that need to be reinstalled so they can be removed from the storage room in the basement (to make way for other things, of course).

As always, Tim wants to do this while I am away, so he goes to the basement storage room to look for the correct color the day that I leave for San Francisco. That night we talk on the phone.

Tim to me, speaking from the storage room: What color did we paint your office last year?

Me: Isn't it Cottage White like the living room and the kitchen?

Tim: I don't have any Cottage White left. What room did we paint Mirage White? I have some of that left.

Me: I have no clue where that might have been used. What color is Mirage White?

Tim: I also have Bridal Veil White. What's that from?

Me: Ah! That's the ceiling in the living room. It was also the ceiling in the living room of the SLC condo.

Tim: I have a gallon and a half of Natural Linen. Did we paint your office Natural Linen? (he asked hopefully since he has a gallon and a half of it).

Me: No. Natural Linen is what we painted the walls of the condo before we sold it.

Tim: I don't have any Cottage White and I don't think that's the color on the walls of your office. Was it Cinnamon Cake?

Me: I don't know. What color is Cinnamon Cake?

Tim, sighing deeply: I guess I have to go to Home Depot, gather some paint swatches, and try to figure out what color we painted your office last year.

Me: You do that.

Tim: By the way, the kitchen isn't Cottage White like the living room.

Me: It's not? Then what color is it? I thought we'd planned to paint the living room and kitchen walls the same color. And you need the same color for the front room off the kitchen, when we're ready to paint that

Tim: I don't know. But it's not Cottage White.

As of this writing, neither of us really has any idea what color we used in my office, although I still think it was.... Cottage White.

- Catherine

PS -- update: it was Mirage White. Who knew?

Two more pics

Here are two more pics of the kitchen -- the backsplash is done and we are back in operation. We are also still moving stuff back in and trying to decide which items belong in which cabinet, so it's all quite a mess. These are the latest two pics -- I will take more once we've made progress in the clean-up aspect of things!

Counter tops DONE!

Woo hoo! They're done and they're wonderful!

Yes, we still have more work to do before the kitchen is actually functional, but this really is a major piece of progress for the kitchen re-do. Our updated Web Album can be viewed by clicking here. Looking at the pictures of the stretch along the window, you can see the new dishwasher and the new trash compactor. What you can't see is the new garbage disposal (since it's under the sink, silly).

Now it's on to the tile back splash (which Tim will do while I'm out of town next week), some trim around the window, some more electrical work, some under cabinet lighting.... etc., etc., etc.

At last!

The workman are upstairs in the kitchen as I write this -- at long last, the countertops will be finished! Still need the tile backsplash (Tim's job), the door handles, some electrical work and under cabinet lighting, and other finishing touches, but this is a GIANT leap forward. Pics coming soon!

Lost in America

That’s where our counter tops are – lost in America. We were given the bad news yesterday by the cabinet installers.

How can a honking great package of counter top material get lost in the system of the revered United Parcel Service????

Sooooo…. Kitchen re-do has come to a screeching halt for the time being.

I’m bummed.

PS – vote for Hank the Wonder Pup – he needs the work.

And now.... a floor!

See our updated Kitchen Re-do Photo album for more pics. We're getting there! Tim tiled the floor last night. The cabinets have doors and drawer fronts. The countertops are promised for next week!

More Progress, Slightly Less Dust

Today I'm being "serenaded" by the sounds of power drills at work. The frames of the new cabinets have been installed, as well as some of the cabinet doors, and you can really see the kitchen taking shape!

You can see the progress in these two pics -- the left pic is the old kitchen and the right pic is the same view of the new one as its being constructed.

Progress and Dust

The Great Kitchen Re-do continues and we are making progress! The walls are sheetrocked and ready for primer/paint, and the awful plastic barrier has been taken down. You can see how open the new space will be, with the wall between the old kitchen and the front room having been taken down (for good).

I should probably also take a picture of the demolition/construction dust that lays thickly over everything in the house now! I spent nearly all day yesterday trying to clean the second floor, but that dust is going to take some special elbow grease to get rid of once and for all. It's in every nook and cranny imaginable.

While the kitchen is being constructed, Tim is also working on one of the basement bedrooms, preparing for a new egress window and, eventually, new carpet and paint. His efforts yesterday somehow resulted in great clouds of dust billowing merrily out of the heat ducts -- we're still not sure how that happened! Needless to say, I was less than thrilled at the sight.

The cabinets and countertops are due to be installed early next week, and then we're on the home stretch. Stay tuned!

The Great Kitchen Re-do

We are in the midst of The Great Kitchen Re-do at our house in Pocatello. Seriously not fun, but the results will be well worth it in the end.