Kitchen Prep

I've been cleaning out the kitchen and getting ready for the big renovation.

A lot of people love my kitchen and I agree it turned out really quite

pleasant from where it started out.

This is what I started with.  It's a great example of the transformative

powers of paint.  I didn't want to change the floor so I chose a neutral

color palette and added the dark blinds and mirror with a black and gold

frame to draw your eye up.

I also replaced the disintegrating sliding doors with a pair of

old four-panel doors on the pantry and old bathroom that will now

be demolished to expand the kitchen.

I've removed the doors and pulled off the casings.  I still need to cut out the jambs

that Sam made to fit the doors.  They'll get reused on my closet and bathroom upstairs.

Behind Door No. 1 is the pantry.  A lot of people think I should keep it but

when you consider about two-thirds of the space in the center never gets

used, it's really a waste of space.  The pipe on the right provides heat to the

bathroom upstairs.  

Behind Door No. 2 is the old bathroom.

It was made handicapped accessible in the 1980s as evidenced by the

pink and gray tile.  Although it's a very spacious shower, you then have to 

walk back and forth across a wet floor to use the rest of the bathroom.

This is the only shower in the house and I can't believe I've

lived with this for so long.

This is the rest of that bathroom.  Nothing horrible by any means but

now that I've created the new bathroom, this is space that will be better

incorporated into the kitchen.  Actually, in an urban area where it's impossible

to expand the footprint of a house, this was the only way I could add

square footage to the kitchen.

Here's the floor plan of the future kitchen again.  The area in green

is the space being added by incorporating the pantry and bathroom into

the room, about 60 square feet.  The counter space along the back

alone is more linear feet than I have in the old kitchen.

My dining room shelves which have been very popular on Pinterest

have all been packed up to make way for my temporary kitchen.

They're my temporary pantry.

And the other side.

I'll move the refrigerator in here and between grilling and a

hotplate, I'll enjoy the challenge of making meals with a very

limited kitchen.  As a Boy Scout my favorite part of camping

was cooking my meals outside on an open fire.  This is a little

more like glamping so I have no complaints.

People like to ask how long the renovation will take.

I have no expectations.  I think expectations only set yourself up

for disappointment.  As a Boy Scout I also learned to be prepared

so, this Thanksgiving, the only thing I'll be making is a reservation.