Demo, Drywall, Planking & Flooring. Kitchen Post #3

Summer 2016. Probably the most trying and exhausting yet fruitful summer we've ever experienced as a family. We found out about a week into this project that a kitchen renovation is not for the weary. The kitchen functions as the heart of the home and we had to learn to cope without it. As much as I tried to keep the mess in the kitchen alone, the project lingered into the living room. Tools, drywall, dust and debris everywhere. We knew it would be hard but I wasn't quite ready for the mental toll it would take for me to mother & feed three little ones on a construction site. We slowly learned to function out of our master bedroom. My dresser housed our microwave, toaster and Keurig and we plugged in our fridge on the deck and created a canopy with a tarp. My neighbors could literally see me, pajamas and all, retrieve my creamer for my coffee. It was great. We used paper products and ate a plethora of PB&J's and became well acquainted with the staff at Jimmy John's. As tools took over, decorations and furniture filled the bedrooms to the brim. There is no doubt that more grey hairs sprouted because of this DIY. Once again, totally worth it.

So here is about a month of work stuffed into this one post. Demo, drywall, planking and flooring. On top of those huge projects seen below, sometimes the unseen take the most amount of time. Justin had to re-wire all the electrical and move the gas line (terrifying). He just rocked my face off this summer. The things he knows how to do because of growing up on a ranch. It's impressive. What a crazy project!

Right before the demo commenced.

Saying goodbye to that window wasn't easy. We wanted to extend our kitchen into the breakfast nook so we had to see it go. I think a rule of thumb is to never eliminate natural light if you don't have to but thankfully we have plenty of it with a whole wall of French doors and two other existing kitchen windows.

Curtains down and hammers up. My younger brother Bradley demoed this space like a beast while Justin was away at work. The kids and I were his trusty assistants. Thanks Brad!

Our home is filled with old hardwoods besides the kitchen. This space was a poorly installed section of laminate. We were more than happy to see it go.

Appliances and countertops out the window and all opened up!

A couple weeks later, my brother Jon and his wife Amanda were in town and they installed new insulation and we tackled the drywall together! Thank you two! Capri wanted to wear a tool belt just like her uncle. Heart melted.

Justin and I planked the ceiling and added in a faux beam for an in-home date to celebrate our 11th anniversary. I'd rather be throwing up a hammer with my man than eating a fancy meal! This design was implemented mainly so we didn't need to match the different ceiling textures from the living room to the kitchen. It also broke the space up nicely and added a lot of dimension.

DRYWALL! This was one of the most exciting steps for me. This gave the space its shape for the first time.

Eventually, Justin and I painted the planking white than taped and mudded the drywall. New hardwoods were installed a couple weeks later. Flooring was the one project we contracted out. Some money saving tips on flooring: 1) install your own plywood (ask your flooring contractor the width to use) where the cabinets will sit. We saved a couple hundred dollars not needing to buy hardwood that will never be seen. 2)  if you hardwoods need to be feathered in/blended with old hardwoods, consider putting a header in to save on labor. As you can see next to Justin in the last pic on this post, there is a strip that goes horizontal and no strip where the island would be placed. 3) do the demo/removal of all your old flooring. We obviously removed the laminate in the kitchen but our entry way was filled with white tile. We removed that section and had them install hardwood there as well. It made the whole space that much more cohesive. Tile entry way:

That's it for now. I'll be back with floor stain, cabinetry and countertops next! Thanks for stopping by!

Love,
The Officer's

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