Trooping The Kitchen

~ snakesinthegrass2014
Source: Baamboozle

With apologies to Her Majesty.

The long nightmare is finally over. Our kitchen renovation is complete! No more will the six followers here be forced to read my constant bellyaching about our now-former dilapidated kitchen.

Needless to say, we are giddy with relief. We watched in awe as an endless stream of workers paraded in and out of our home, the majority of which we only ever saw for more than a few hours before they were replaced by a completely new set. And we truly were fortunate: all of them, I can report with a mix of pride and relief, were highly skilled and exceedingly professional.

Although I must say I was a tad bit concerned when the electricians first arrived…

In all the project lasted five weeks, which I know is nothing compared to what others experience (eh, Kate?). The small auxiliary refrigerator we bought kept us stocked with milk, assorted cheeses and yogurts, one bottle of wine at a time, and also the endless series of ready-made sandwiches purchased each evening at the supermarket for the following day’s lunch. To paraphrase Scarlett O’Hara, “As G-d is my witness, I’ll never eat another Publix egg salad sandwich ever again!”

It’ll be so good to have home-cooked meals again.

A couple of “Before” shots are offered below. Pride along with a dash of shame prevent me from offering you closeups of the rotting countertop edges (I don’t want to feel responsible if you’re reading this before a meal). It’ll also be a pleasure to no longer see all of the bubbles which seemed to form weekly on the cupboards’ laminate. The teenager in me enjoyed popping them when Gorgeous wasn’t looking.

And…. the “After” photos…

The new countertops are a stone called dolomite, which I enjoy endlessly because I can conflate mental images of both Clark Kent and Fred Flintstone on midnight snack raids.

Probably the biggest sea change for Gorgeous are the new cupboards and shelves built for her tiny pantry, which also doubles as our laundry area. It was previously an area that filled me with endless frustration and fear. Frustration because all I was ever hoping for was to try and find where she’d hidden the chocolate; fear because everything she stored in there was placed on thin wire shelves that I was convinced would break under the stress of all the weight.

My lovely bride is a gourmet cook and baker extraordinaire. She is endlessly passionate about the next recipe challenge.

Even a renovated pantry will still be filled to the gills, though. There are containers of flour too many to list; sugars of lump, baking, demerara, pearl, and confectioners; jars of goose fat; spices such as Vietnamese cinnamon and charnushka seeds; a panoply of pans: tart, quiche, spring form, heart-shape, brioche, baguette, brotform; and let’s not even start on all of the heavy pots, Le Creuset or otherwise. As a joke, I once placed a package of Pot Tarts in there; the next morning it was sitting on the chair in my office.

Needless to say she’s thrilled with her renovated pantry, albeit now with enough wall and strut support that would satisfy a licensed architect (looking at you, H)…

Despite a global pandemic, an ensuing lockdown, and supply chain shortages, we somehow managed to pull it off. Perhaps someday when stock market valuations return to something close to what we all had prior, I might even be able to pay it off!

Until next time…

50 thoughts on “Trooping The Kitchen”

  1. Wonderful! Five weeks is not bad! I love that you got a slide in range. Makes a big difference. Our kitchen took 11 weeks. Somewhere around week 8 I bought an electric fry pan because we couldn’t take the take out anymore! Right now we are in week 6 of what was described to me as a 2 week deck job but the end is near. Every day our contractor tells me what he is going to accomplish that day and never does. He left at 1:45 today. Once this is done in another week or two, he will never darken my door again. My kitchen carpenter, although he lost a week with a bum knee, was a more disciplined, organized worker and did a great job. Most of our delay was caused by a wandering sink but Jeff Bezos came to the rescue! Gorgeous’ cooking skills sound wonderful. Too bad I don’t live next door!

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    1. You were always my north star, Kate. It’s been that you’ve kept your sense of humor and sanity(publicly anyway), and I followed your lead. But yes, five weeks ’tis nothing in the grand scheme of things. We made a promise not to eat out too much to save some cash, but boy those grocery store meals got old. Here’s hoping your deck is finished SOON.

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  3. Wow. Looks great! I read everything, but what caught my eye was the quiche. I absolutely love it. I made it for dinner one night. “Somebody” didn’t like it, so I was never allowed to make it again. So…I’m waiting for my special invitation for a scrumptious taste of what to me is tantamount to ambrosia.
    Sometimes I wish I still cooked, but like smoke in the wind…that wish quickly vanishes (along with slapping myself in the face and asking if I’ve lost my mind.) Bwahahahaha!

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    1. Not too bad, at least in my opinion. I can roast a pretty good chicken or brisket. But my baking skills are more those cookies in the refrigerator aisle of the store (well… they’re warm anyway) or a box of brownie mix! 🤓

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  6. The kitchen is absolutely beautiful, and Gorgeous looks so very happy. I am sure you will enjoy many delectable meals as a result of Gorgeous’ talents and efforts. No need for Pop tarts! While I can’t predict the stock market, I do know how much money is saved eating at home. It’s a big win for both you and Gorgeous. Enjoy!!!

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  8. WOW! That’s all I can say. It’s absolutely beautiful and I especially love the countertops. Five weeks is impressive, although I’m sure it felt like five months at time. Well done!!!

    >

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  9. I’m impressed with the crew you had working on your project and their work ethics, although I did chuckle at the ‘Motley’ service provider! It looks truly lovely but very practical and nice to work in. In the pantry, you’ll want to stock a few extra bags of flour with all that is going on in other parts of the world that grows wheat. Be like a Boy Scout and ‘Be Prepared’ so that great cook and baker you live with doesn’t run out of supplies. Now, I’ll be expecting more financial posts on how you’re figuring out how to pay it off. 🙂

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    1. Oh, such good advice about what lies ahead with grain and flour. You’re right — a good time to stock up. Yes, the financing part is our lifeline until our savings valuation comes back. I’m sure several posts there. 😉 Thanks, Judy!

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  10. Wow, it’s beautiful! Between you and Kate, I have serious kitchen envy. Since we just finished a huge DIY deck re-do, I don’t think we’ll be tackling another project anytime soon, but a girl can dream, can’t she? Enjoy your new kitchen and the delicious meals that come out of it.

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  11. I’ve got kitchen envy Marty! Or rather pantry envy! Now all you have to do is sit back and enjoy Gorgeous’s yummo cooking! What’s Vietnamese cinnamon?

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  12. Looks great!! I so wish I had that kind of range. I had one in my last house, after I updated my kitchen. Unfortunately, in this house, we’d have to redo our backsplash which I’m not ready to do. Maybe someday. Enjoy!!

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    1. Thanks! We really took a flyer on all of the appliances. We ordered all of them back in January, right at the beginning of the supply chain problems. Our contractor begged us to get those ordered well ahead of time, which we did. But we were still constrained by what was possible vs. what Gorgeous wanted. Fortunately she liked nearly everything and that made it easy. Another client of our contractor has been waiting nine months for her stove because she wanted a specific one (a Wolf). We didn’t want to put ourselves in that position.

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  13. Oh it looks wonderful, and I have HUGE pantry envy. If Himself catches sight of these photos he’ll get all grumpy about our kitchen again, so I’m keeping this one from him entirely! 😉 One way, I too will blog about a new kitchen – just not yet. My good friend is going through kitchen horrors which would put me off, so I’m glad to have you balance that out. I’ve been fortunate in having always previously had good experiences with kitchen and bathroom remodels, but they are never entirely stress-free, and certainly not noise or mess free.

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    1. You were on my mind as I put this post together, Debs, because I had previously promised you shots of the floor tile and backsplash. It got a little graphics heavy, however, so please look for an email from me soon instead. I’ll show you both in a bit of detail. 🙂

      I too have heard some horror stories about kitchen renovations — one of a former colleague’s that lasted three months. I knew we wouldn’t have that with this particular contractor, but it still remained a bit stressful at times. Our bathrooms are next, and I’m afraid we’ll have to work with what we have already — just a professional “sprucing up” is all we can afford!

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      1. Ooooh, thank you Marty, I shall check my email forthwith. A sprucing up sounds good, overhauling the major – ahem – equipment can really add to the stress 😉

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  14. “Pride along with a dash of shame prevent me from offering you closeups of the rotting countertop edges” Yeah, I know what you mean, only in our kitchen it’s all about the stainless sink (like yours in your before photo) that is lifting up & out of it’s countertop cutout and it’s all icky underneath where it’s been separated! So, I relate to your ‘dash of shame’ !
    While the kitchen reno is fantastic – my fav part is the efficient redo of Gorgeous’ pantry! We have the same setup – a makeshift pantry inside the laundry closet. There’s lots of potential for sure.
    Horrah for you guys!

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    1. Thanks so much, Laura! Yeah, the only good thing about lockdown was that no family came to visit to see how bad our kitchen looked. Now it’s the guest bathroom that we need to hurry up and “spruce” a bit before any visitors make their way here.

      Gorgeous is thrilled with the pantry. It’s a tight space, but they really doubled the storage she has now. So that’s a huge plus. Thanks again!

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  17. Make that 7 followers!! lol
    I love the new kitchen, and compared to a lot horror stories I hear, it took a relatively short time.
    Gorgeous is gorgeous and I can tell deserving only of the very best.
    I wish I was near and I could enjoy the baked goods. Baked goods are my drug.
    Blessings! Enjoy the new kitchen!

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    1. Aw, thanks so much! At the end of the day, it really was quite painless. As you point out, there are a boatload of horror stories out there who have experienced contractors from hell. If you lived near, we’d love to have you over for a cuppa and cake. 🙂

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  18. Hi Marty, Yay, great news about your kitchen. Ha, ha, about the electricians. The “after” photos look wonderful and Gorgeous makes such amazing food – the heart of your home. Obviously worth it. Ah, like you say well “…a gourmet cook and baker extraordinaire.”

    I must remember to dim the lights if you ever have the opportunity to come to my home. Exceptionally beautiful photo of Gorgeous!

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    1. “Dim the lights” lol Oh, if you could only see the rest of our place, Erica. When we bought the place four years ago, the sellers proudly highlighted the brand new carpeting they installed. That carpet must have been the cheapest offered because it’s fraying in several places. We have to replace it because it’s so embarrassing. Bye, money! 🙂

      But we’re thrilled with the kitchen, of course. If the local health department had seen it easier, we might have had an order filed against us!

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  19. Oh, that is a nice-looking kitchen! Nothing unreasonable in complaining about kitchen renovation…that is a huge project. We should probably be planning to do that with our kitchen sometime…I don’t even want to think about that *puts hands over ears* lalalalala…

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