June 6, 2012

Kitchen Remodel: The Endless Little Things

It's hard to believe but we're finally entering the home stretch of our kitchen remodel. The big projects are complete. More and more things are getting crossed off the to-do list and we're down to the seemingly endless list of little things. These days, it's looking something like this:

buy tall stool for workstation
sink & peninsula lighting

These mini pendants, one over the peninsula and
one over the sink, match the one in the dining nook

install under-cabinet light

A fluorescent light really brightens up this work area

buy or make plate rack
install spice rack
hook for cutting board (straight kind)
hang cast iron

We hung the cast iron cookware on
those iron brackets for hanging plants

finish trimwork in pantry hallway
install telephone

Gave this to Dan for Christmas 2010. It was on sale
at Heartland America. With coupon & free shipping
total cost was $20. Cheaply made, but I still like it. 

make peninsula endsplash
finish baseboards & corner mouldings
door and window mouldings (1 of 2)

Back door & one window down, sink window to go

modify list - sink window - how to trim?
paint door and window mouldings
paint miscellaneous trimwork

Bought these decorative pine brackets at Lowes

make rack to hang cooking utensils
buy or make knife holder
decide what to do with uncovered blind corner: sliding door? curtain?

One of the potential problems of doing your own
customized design plans, is ending up with
something you don't know what to do with!

drawer divider for silverware
storage for cookie sheets & muffin pans. Vertical rack? Where?
hooks for dish towels
finish painting cabinets and shelves


add to list - re-glue wallpaper edges where painters tape pulled it loose
add to list - clean up primer that leaked under painters tape

Tried ScotchBlue multi surface painters tape instead of
Frog Tape. What a mistake. The multi surfaces do not
include wallpaper, unpainted wallboard, or wood floors.
What else is there????

hang goat key holder
hang Dan's key rack box
order faucet repair kit
fix faucet
vinyl tile squares in sink cabinet

How I did this in this post (click here)

new compost bucket & lid, stainless steel?
add to list - get soap dish
finish hanging cabinet doors

Dan made the insets from our leftover tin ceiling panels.

install pull out shelf in sink cabinet

Waste basket will go here with cleaning supplies

add to list - get new trash can to fit slide out shelf
cover or veneer for toe kick
install rack inside sink cabinet door

Hoping this will help relieve clutter around the sink

dining booth: table, bench, & chair
clean the kitchen thoroughly
hang curtains
throw rugs
chair & bench cushions

After that, I can finally find and unpack all my kitchen boxes, which are spread out into the pantry, back porch, spare room, dining room, and my studio. This in turn necessitates not only deciding what to keep and figuring out where to put it in the kitchen, but in these rooms as well. Seems the kitchen is key to organizing the entire house! Last but not least is clean the house, because there's construction dust, dust, and more dust absolutely everywhere.

29 comments:

Prairie Cat said...

Sheesh. That list seems never ending! I hope you can get all of the little bits soon so that you can enjoy your new kitchen.

We used that brand of painter's tape, too, and it was terrible. I ended up being able to get a straighter edge without using it at all!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Leigh!!!

Mama Pea said...

Yup. When you list all the little things still needed to be done to truly finish the job, you feel like what the heck have we been doing in here for the past year?! Fortunately, the little things really don't take the time, effort or money that all the previous construction did!

I've had the same bad experience with the blue tape but Frog Tape has been working for me. Different paints, sealers, varnishes, polys??? Humidity? Dunno, but it is a frustration!

mashelly said...

its beautiful i love very country

Woolly Bits said...

I'd probably have started to move stuff in immediately - no patience:) esp. the cookbooks... I love the pull-out shelf, very practical! for those odd corners I used a small slatted blind, which usually was rolled up for easy access. I just let it down to hide the inside occasionally (when mother visited etc.:)) I have to admit that curtains are easier to clean, though... I think you should have a small celebration when everything on the list is done - after finding a place for everything that has to fit!

Anonymous said...

Leigh, all the hard work shows in your lovely kitchen. I really love the light fixtures. Maybe a curtain to cover the spot that is open would be the most traditional way to hide everything from sight. Although the list that remains is fairly long it doesn't look too bad - you should be able to knock it out quickly. Dan has done a wonderful job!

Carolyn said...

So much to do....yet so much has been done! It looks beautiful :)
And I vote for curtains on the blind corner!

Leigh said...

Prairie Cat, it does seem endless, and I keep thinking of more to add! Interesting about the painters tape. That 2 nay votes so far.

Stephanie, thanks!

Mama Pea, that's 3 nay votes for the ScotchBlue!

Joyful, thanks! Rustic Country was what we were aiming for. :)

Bettina, I've actually moved the cookbooks in, just now! Mostly I have to stay out of Dan's way, plus there is a lot of painting yet to do. Very exciting though, to be this close to the end.

Thanks for the idea about the roll-up door. I've seen those on appliance garages. It's an idea to look in to.

Martha, thanks! I bought the mini pendants at Home Depot. I think a curtain may be the way to go for that open spot in the end. It's not my favorite treatment, but if it can match my curtains I think it will look pretty nice.

Bernadine said...

I love the idea for your cast iron cookware! I'm familiar with having a list like that as we tend to buy "fixer upper's", and there's been five of them! I'm just too tired anymore. :-) My house cleaning list overwhelms me! haha... You guys are making incredible progress and quickly too. I love seeing what you're doing. Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Love that pullout shelf and it's coming along so nicely, your kitchen. I never like messes either, but love the end results! :)

Renee Nefe said...

about the curtain vs door for that corner area. Has Riley claimed that cabinet yet? I'm thinking with a curtain you may have a kitty corner there.
Your kitchen is looking so great! :D

I think that blue tape used to work better than it does now. I remember when it first came out how nice it was and now, not so much.

Okay, what's up with the very blurry image for the verification??? Are they trying to make me feel as if I need glasses?

Renee Nefe said...

cookie sheets and baking tins... I have a very small cabinet (roughly 8 inches) that I installed strips of trim in the bottom to make ridges to slide my cookie sheets, cutting boards and some bakeware in. It works very well for us.

I need a system for all my glass cookware as I don't have any organization for it!

Judy said...

I vote for a sliding door in that corner unless you don't mind a cat in the cabinets. LOL

Stray paint drips comes off with a product called Dad's Drip Strip. Here is a review about half way down the page.
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-10-10/news/vw-1768_1_murphy-oil-soap
When we painted Mom-n-Dad's house for the estate sale I found a couple of small cans in the garage and they cleaned up the stray drips quite well. It even cleaned up some old drips, from the last time Mom and my sister painted, off the woodwork.

Farmer Barb said...

If you go with a curtain for the dead space, consider one of those little short rods that swing out. You don't want to be fussing with the curtain when you are rooting around under there!

It is looking very sweet in that kitchen!

DebbieB said...

Oh, it's really coming together, Leigh! I vote for WEAVING a curtain panel for the corner treatment. ;)

Lynda said...

I love the rack for the cast iron! I'm going to "steal" the idea for my cabin. Everything your have done in your kitchen is awesome! I have so enjoyed your journey...can't wait to see your next project!

Theresa said...

The list is always never ending. And it will continue to evolve. It's just the nature of kitchens.
Hmm, that opening. Why not figure a way to extend the shelfs into the cabinet from that piece, paint it the same green in as out and then trim it out in some pretty lace or put some of your prettier things in to fill the opening, like a big crock or???

Unknown said...

Looks good! I love your cast iron cookware hangers, and stars on the corner moldings!

Sherri B. said...

Wow, you have done so many great things I don't know where to start. - One thing I thought of about that space in the corner that you don't know what to do with..well when I saw it, I thought you could use it for cookie sheets and things that could slide in easily. - I love how you hung your cast iron, and your pendent lights and well..everything actually. It all looks great! xo

Madeleine @ NZ Ecochick said...

Wow looking great!! I love the pull out tray under the sink I want one of those!! What a great use of space. Everything has come together so nicely. You must be so proud and spend ages just staring at your new kitchen!

Cat Eye Cottage said...

I recently saw the idea of using the white tension curtain rods to create storage for cookie sheets, etc. You just adjust them to the height of the cabinet and space them appropriately for the pans you are storing. I haven't tried it myself and don't know what kind of space you have, but it's an idea to consider.

lou said...

Wow! Beautiful, and worth all the work.

Leigh said...

Bernadine, I have to admit that as enthusiastic as I originally was about this fixer upper, I'm about ready for it to be done. We still have a long way to go and I love doing it, but there's so much more I'd rather be spending our time and energy doing!

Pam, thanks! I found the pullout shelf on clearance at Lowes. I bought it without knowing whether or not I'd be able to use it!

Renee, Riley's been too busy outside! That may be true about a curtain though.

The blue tape is now manufactured in China. More than one review said it's gone downhill. :(

Blurry image word verification? Annoying isn't it?

And great idea about using trim to hold cookie sheets!

Judy, we'll have to see about that cat! Thanks for the link and recommendation. I will definitely look into it. Actually, Murphy's Oil Soap took a lot of it off!

Barb, thanks! I'll have to look around for one of those.

Debbie, LOL. Weaving is on my list for kitchen throw rugs and chair cushions. May be awhile though. :)

Theresa, so true, so true. I like the idea of the lace. More good ideas to consider.

Nancy, thanks! The hangers for the cast iron just came together. We started with another idea and the as is evolved. It was great fun. :)

Sherri, that's a good idea about the blind corner as well as what to do with those sheets. I'll have to play with the space a bit and see what I can do.

Madeleine, thanks! The pull out was a fortunate bargain. Things like that really help utilize the space. My kitchen is actually pretty small, so every little thing helps!

Candace, thanks for that! I've got several workable ideas to consider now. That's encouraging!

Lou, thanks!

Donna OShaughnessy said...

Remodeled our kitchen 4 yrs ago. Finally got floor trim up last week. Oh well. LOVE the way you hung up your cast iron pans, just hope a bracket never breaks. poor kittie MeOOOOOOW!

Leigh said...

Michelle, sorry your comment ended up in spam and I overlooked it at first. Now I've marked it not-spam and it's disappeared!

Lynda, my apologies to you too. I missed thanking you for your comment! Help yourself to the cast iron "tree" idea. :)

Donna, LOL. He pick the strangest places to take naps!

Jocelyn said...

You're getting there! Can't wait to see the finished product.

We have an old repro phone too, but it's a 1950's repro. Bright red, which works in our house. It's also cheaply made, but I still love it.

bspinner said...

Beautiful kitchen! You and Dan must be so proud.

Bridget said...

The hard work will be worth it...it's looking so fab.

Kari said...

I got tired just reading your list! Your kitchen looks great and I love that it has its own unique personality instead of just following current trends.

If it helps, building from scratch isn't necessarily faster than a fixer-upper. We started building a year ago and still have the upstairs closed off and unfinished. We are currently working on outside projects and hope to start on the upstairs in the fall. .