…sorry for my absence but all is well

The holidays and the weeks leading up to Christmas were very busy and then I was down with a cold that really had me flat on my back or curled up on the couch for days.

As you know our kitchen renovation started in earnest at the beginning of November and it was mostly finished in time for Christmas dinner. Leading up to that day, it seemed like we would never have our house to ourselves again. Even before demolition started we spent days clearing out the cupboards, boxing up items for the new kitchen, items that were to be given away and items that were to be tossed. Most of the boxes ended up in the basement but a few were in the living room.

Demolition started the first weekend in November. All the old cupboards, counters and some of the old appliances were removed and sent to the transfer station for disposal. A few days later the flooring company sent a crew and the old floors were removed, new plywood laid now and sanded and then the new floor went in. As we sat in the finished part of the basement, sawdust rained down on us through the ceiling. Three days later the floors were 95% done. Only the new air ducts that matched the floor had to be made and installed.

Later in the week the painter came by and prepped the walls and ceilings and three days later we had a fresh coat of paint on newly plastered ceilings and the walls at the back of the house. Now the electricians came by and started ripping out holes in the basement ceilings to snake new wiring to the kitchen. More dust and sawdust in the basement. This was the biggest part of the job for these guys and it took them a full day. Since then our main guy has made numerous trips to work on some of the smaller details, especially after the cabinets were installed.

The last week in November the kitchen cabinets were delivered and two days later the installers arrived. It took two full days to put the cabinets in place. Now the counter guys had to come by and take final measurements for the granite countertops. There was a bit of a delay because the counters that we had ordered were held up on the west coast because of a ferry strike. Instead of waiting indefinitely we decided to choose a different countertop that was in stock. In the meantime I had to go out and pick up a new sink that would fit in the new space.

Once the counters were in place we were ready for the new appliances and lo and behold the oven was out of stock, even though we had paid for it back in August. After a bit of a fight over the phone and online we finally decided on a different model that still looked like the one we ordered but it was cheaper because it had one less feature. Chances are we wouldn’t have used it very often if at all.

One last thing that we needed was a new light fixture to go over our dining table. My daughter and I took a trip to a lighting store close to where she lived and we found the perfect light. Now it needed to be installed but when the electrician came back I needed him to hook up the oven and get some of the outlets above the counter to work. When that was done we were able to cook in the kitchen. He still needs to come back to install the task lighting but I knew that I could wait for that. In the meantime my husband tried to install the light himself but we needed our neighbour to help with that.

Now you might think that I’m in the clear but after seeing how nice the floor was right up to the front door I didn’t want to re-install the old railing above the basement stairs. I looked into redoing the stairs and railings using the same company that did the floors but the price was way above our budget. When I couldn’t get them to bring down the price enough I went back to my handyman, friend and neighbour to price out the cost if he did it. Together we went to the lumber store and found flooring treads and railings that matched the new floor perfectly and the best part was that it was all on clearance. Rod worked right up till December 23 to get it all done and the final cost was still less than half of what the flooring company wanted.

When our family from London, England finally arrived were able to host our Christmas dinner in the new (almost finished kitchen). As of today we still haven’t put any photos or artwork back up on the walls. Kevin wants to make sure we have a plan that works for both of us.

Three days later, when the stress of the kitchen was over and our son left with his family to join his wife’s sisters in an Airbnb downtown (a family reunion…everyone flew to Toronto) I could feel that Kevin’s cold had caught up to me. I hung in there to celebrate Brendan’s birthday on the 30th but on January 1st I was down for the count.

More to come …..