Kitchen Re-dumb

So, a $2000 budget to get a new dishwasher, stove, sink, garbage disposal (That was broken too), and countertops.  Could it be done?  Yes.  It was done, and we did not DIY this one.

Look, someone else is going to have to live with our mistakes here.  I actually wanted to entice someone into considering our home versus seeing the loooong list of things that have to be done before it is considered livable.  This is maybe not the time to DIY how to install new counterops.

Thanks to the good people at Lowe's, we got something within our budget, and looks great!  You be the judge.

The old stove.  Note the countertops on each side are pieces of plywood meant to give the illusion someone cared enough to hide the top drawers.  My husband actually lamented how easy it used to be to just reach into the drawers through the top.  Hmmm....

My kitchen galley before.  I never felt homesick in the aft galley of an Airbus.

Kitchen before:  What you really can't tell from this picture is that the countertops are sink are vintage.  See?  Already using real estate jargon to say they are they original from when this place was built.  There are knife strikes in that counter older than me.  And I don't even want to discuss the sink.  It's too gross to photograph, and my friends will question my ability to do dishes.

I should say this was not something that was done in a week.  It took us about a month from the time of the fire to completion.  So, how did I live without a dishwasher or stove for a month?  We went on vacation for one week of it, and the rest....

Microwave meals.  I never want to eat another microwave meal again.

 DAY 1- The Electrician

The electrician came to our house because the old stove was wired in.  We wanted to get with the times and get a plug.  Your welcome, who ever buys my house.

 So here was the homeowner problem I faced.  The current wiring allows the stove to be flush against the wall.  The electrician gave me two options:
A. Attach the plug-in, but the new stove would not be flush- in fact, it would stick out 3 inches
B.  Hard wire the new stove.

I thought of option 3, for which I'm kind of proud.  C. Cut the drywall and move the plug- in into the wall.  Genius!

Plug installed.  He did go back and patch it up.

 

 

 

 Day 2- The new stove's arrival to much fanfare, because I thought I was also getting the dishwasher.

Yay!  Appliances that match!  (The refrigerator is white, so everything else follows suit)

 Day 3- New Countertops

Bye Bye Harvest Gold countertops!

Bye Bye Plywood!

Preventing gravity fail by holding the countertops down

PRETTY!

Day  3 Complete.  Next came the plumber and the only time in the whole mess I was disappointed in the level of service we received.

On Day 4, there was much confusion about who was to bring what.  And that we would need to go buy some drain kits, and other such stuff, I don't know, my brain started to melt so I passed it off to my darling husband, who is so much better at managing supply than me.

I didn't much care for our plumber.  He brought a trainee who complained the whole time.  They would tell jokes and make fun of past clients... with me right around the corner.  I'm kind of old fashion about customer service, but I always feel it is in bad form to make fun of your clients in front of other clients.  I was in customer service in one form or another for 22 years before I became a stay at home mom.  Sure, we have all had the idiot customer who doesn't know their left foot from their nose when it comes to whatever service industry you are in, but it is just rude.  Don't do it, is my advice to you.  Wait til you are at the bar or on lunch to talk about them behind their backs.  The illusion is pretty important to your customers that the people you work for aren't complete idiots who are lucky they can walk and chew gum at the same time.

That said, I expected from all their talk to have thsi crazy outstanding level of service never before matched.  What I got was someone who didn't know what some old tube running from the wall went to (neither do I- do I look like a plumber?) and someone who left a clear gummy sealant inside my brand stinking new sink.  But, after I scraped it off for three days with my fingernail, it was fabulous!

After

Beautiful new sink!  Awesome new dishwasher!

Beautiful, huh?  And if you think I'm going to wreck this kitchen by cooking in it, you have another thing coming!