Okay, after a few stops and starts we are now exactly 48 hours away from all of my cabinets and large appliances being Taken Out Of My Kitchen. As in, when I get home from work that day there will be no: cabinets, counters, island, stovetop, sink, etc etc etc. The dishwasher and double oven and fridge will still be there, but will be disconnected and probably in a place somewhere else in the house.
This is really happening, and so I’ve been working on the one thing that I am able to contribute to this project, which is the emptying of the cabinets and the drawers and the countertops. And oh my goodness.
You know that old nursery rhyme?
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard
To fetch her poor dog a bone
But when she got there, the cupboard was bare
And so the poor dog had none.
Yep, that’s me. Old Mother Hubbard. And Exhibit A is above, otherwise known as the poor dog and the bare cupboard, because as of this writing, I have now emptied precisely 8 drawers and 12 cupboards (and no, I am not finished, but I have 48 whole hours to go…gulp).
Full disclosure, that particular cabinet did not have any bones in it, it had: two popcorn poppers, a roasting pan, a panini press, a waffle iron, a fondue pot, a wire cupcake stand which seemed like a really good idea at the time, a mandoline which I keep in its original box because I am deeply afraid of it, a hardboiled egg maker that belongs to the Southern husband and that he calls Henrietta (not kidding), a juicer and a blender that you can read about by clicking here.
And that’s just one cupboard. Here’s a look at how many I need to get through by 48 hours from now.
Meantime, here’s the line-up of what is going to happen and in what order:
- Cabinets and appliances get taken out.
- New cabinets are installed.
- Templates of the island and countertops are made for the granite.
- Granite is cut, delivered and installed.
- Sink is installed and hooked up (I’m thinking that running water is the thing I am going to miss most during this whole process!)
- Appliances (new stovetop, fancy vent hood, microwave and warming drawer) and existing appliances (fridge, dishwasher and double oven) are installed and hooked up.
- Pendant lights are installed over the island.
- Floors are stripped and revarnished in the various places where my pacing back and forth from counter to stove to sink to fridge approximately 2,464,837 times has worn the finish off of them.
- The walls are painted a nice calming light sage green.
Somewhere in all of that the tiles we have picked for the backsplash and the bump-up (which I now know means that area right above the stovetop) are put in, but don’t ask me when as that is the one thing I have not yet asked my Fabulous Kitchen Designer about a thousand times.
I’ll be sharing more than you probably ever wanted to know about the types and brands of stone and cabinets and appliances and paint and lighting fixtures etc as we go along, but if anyone has a question about any of that in the meantime, just leave me a comment below and I’ll be happy to answer. These days my kitchen is pretty much all I can talk about anyway.
I’ll be back next Tuesday with another update and some gory pictures of what my kitchen looks like with all the cabinets taken out, which I will take after I have finished breathing in and out of a paper bag for a while – and I’ll have a couple of new recipes for you in between now and then.
But right now…yep, back to emptying those cabinets.
Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN! My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too. And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!
Only one thing will be different on the time line. After all the cabinets are out, the floors need to have preliminary treatment and after the cabinets are in but before their toe kicks are put on, the finishing of the floors will take place.
I’m excited about Every Single Step!
Oh I am so excited for you! I can’t wait to see pictures!!!
I’m going to take millions of them (the contractor will be so tired of my Nikon!)
Wow!! Good for you!! All the things that you have to move and store make me appreciate my itty bitty kitchen, and all that space makes me green with envy. ;)
I definitely AM so lucky to have a mice big space. It’s amazing how quickly I can clutter up that counter island though!
Is it weird that I’m GIDDY for you!?!
You are such a good friend to share my giddyness!
I’ve been a general contractor for more than 40 years and your construction schedule more the most part seems alright. I would change several things however; after you remove your old cabinets you need to make the additions and changes to your lighting then. When you change lighting you can’t help but drop parts of the ceiling on the floor. If your new cabinets are in place this becomes a problem and causes extra cleaning and protection of your new cabinets and tops. Also while the cabinets are out and the floor is cleared, that’s when you need to have the floors cleaned and resurfaced. This way the wood dust won’t get into your kitchen, you can place mat paper on the floors to protect them and the floors will look completely finished running under the base boards.
Thanks Brian – I appreciate the advice!
How fun! We are about to start our kitchen remodel. You will be ahead of us so I will know what to expect as we go along. Question — have you picked out your nice calming light sage green paint? We have been testing samples but haven’t come up with the perfect green yet.
We have! It’s Benjamin Moore Hancock Green, and I love it. Very soothing, and looks great next to the white wood of the cabinets.
My goodness! Your kitchen NOW is lovely.
Ha! It doesn’t look too bad from a distance – close up things start getting alarming. :)
Judeene, I agree. Kate, stop the madness!!! Can’t wait to see the new kitchen. And if you need a good home cooked meal, The One and I stand at the ready.
Aw, you guys. How can I turn down a delicious offer like that?
“…a mandoline which I keep in its original box because I am deeply afraid of it…”
Sister! I, too, have my mandoline still in it’s box and am seldom brave enough to take it out. I love the thought of all the wonderful things I can do with it, but I am sore afraid. ;)
All I can say is, if you use your regular dishes, be very careful washing them in the tub or washbasins. I chipped a bunch before I decided to become Chinets new BFF. You try to maintain some sense of normalcy, but it just isn’t worth it. ;)
I have taken a solemn oath not to wash ANYTHING in the bathtub no matter how long this takes! :)
Gosh, your kitchen is beautiful and HUGE! I’d love to have one as gorgeous as this. I can’t wait to see how fantastic it looks after the upgrade! :)
You & David Leite removed cabinets that look exactly like the ones I want in my kitchen. Hope you’re recycling yours too.