Nothing But Words

With Maria and the boys in Prague this month, I’ve done nothing but work on the kitchen, aside from my job. But I’ve actually really enjoyed it so I’m not complaining. I was hoping to “finish” before leaving to join them in Prague, but I’m leaving in a few days, so I’m going to have to settle for “functional.” Over the course of last week I painted and did electrical work. On Saturday I installed some cabinets and put up the microwave with help from a friend. On Sunday I finished installing the cabinets, cut the countertops to fit, and installed them (my neighbor helped me carry them, as the big pieces are very heavy). Getting everything level, plumb, and square with the cabinets and countertops was a challenge, as the floor has a substantial slope (more than 1″ over 6 feet, in two directions) and none of my walls are straight. Then today after work, I installed the sink and dishwasher and did some yard work. I also noticed I have a small gas leak in the line for my stove, so I shut it off and I have a plumber coming to take care of that tomorrow (since natural gas can explode, that’s one thing I tend to seek professional help with).

I’m thrilled to just have running water in the kitchen again (no more washing dishes in the bathroom!) and to finally have the refrigerator no longer constantly in my way, right in the middle of the kitchen (it has such low-profile wheels I couldn’t roll it anywhere off the tile floor).

Here are some more pictures. Maria picked the color and I really like it. The contrast with the wood grain of the cabinets and the living room color works really well (but it loses something in the pictures).

View at Picasa Purple kitchen!15-Jul-2009 15:40, SONY DSC-T1, 3.5, 6.7mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 160	View at Picasa The finished archway15-Jul-2009 15:41, SONY DSC-T1, 3.5, 6.7mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 160	View at Picasa There used to be a base cabinet here, with no tile under it. I removed the tiles that were cut to go around it, and then marked the locations for the new tiles17-Jul-2009 08:44, SONY DSC-T1, 3.5, 6.7mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 160
View at Picasa New tiles, ready for grout17-Jul-2009 11:39, SONY DSC-T1, 3.5, 6.7mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 120	View at Picasa The cabinets, plumb and level, which was a challenge with our sloped floor and bowed walls19-Jul-2009 16:05, SONY DSC-T1, 3.5, 6.7mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 160	View at Picasa The new butcherblock countertops, ready to be cut19-Jul-2009 16:06, SONY DSC-T1, 3.5, 6.7mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa I cut the countertops to fit the cabinet configuration, with a bar counter on the dining room side20-Jul-2009 15:07, SONY DSC-T1, 3.5, 6.7mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 160	View at Picasa The fridge, finally where it belongs after being right in the middle of the kitchen for 3 weeks20-Jul-2009 15:07, SONY DSC-T1, 3.5, 6.7mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 160	View at Picasa A friend of mine helped me put up the wall cabinets and microwave. I cut holes and ran wires for task lighting and speakers in the ceiling.20-Jul-2009 15:08, SONY DSC-T1, 3.5, 6.7mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 160