The renovation project is in overdrive now. The transformation this week has been astounding. The main floor bedroom, bathroom and laundry room are nearing completion and preparations for the final phase, the kitchen, are under way.
Monday
While we met with the architect at a local tile store, the contractors sprayed and back-rolled the primer on all the drywall. Our daughter is a little disappointed that we no longer have “polka-dotted rooms”, but seeing the uniform surfaces was a good feeling for the rest of us who are looking forward to having our bedroom back.
Three things happened at the tile store: we changed our tile choices, we picked out our wood flooring, and we are now seriously considering a different counter top surface. The tile choice isn’t much different than what we had chosen at Home Depot. The main difference is that we are going with just one tile in the hallway, bathroom and laundry room, whereas before, we had two tiles selected, with the bathroom differing from the rest. Plus, “on sale” and “in stock” helped sway our decision. For the wood floor, we are going with a traditional oak, which will be more durable than some of the other options we had considered. Durability is good when there is a 50 pound black lab sharing the space.
The biggest development on Monday was that we are now considering spending some extra money and investing in granite counter tops for the kitchen. The granite is at least twice the price of the laminate we had selected, but it will definitely affect resale value (whereas the lack of granite might deter some buyers). We have gone with relatively high end fixtures in this renovation, so it makes sense to not stop short. Our kitchen is relatively small in size, so the actual dollar amount for granite counters is not going to break the bank.
Tuesday
The contractors spent the entire day painting. Once again, my wife has proven herself to be a woman of good taste (this in spite of the fact that she is married to me). Her colour selection is excellent!
Wednesday and Thursday
Floors! The tile and wood floors have been installed. The contractors had other commitments on Friday, so the tile floor will have a chance to set up over the weekend, ready for the grout on Monday.
What’s left?
While the punch list may seem long, it should only take a couple of days to completely finish the bedroom, bathroom and laundry:
- Grout
- Hang doors
- Install trim (which has already been painted)
- Install the plugs and switches for the electrical
- Move the washer and dryer to the new laundry room (vent the dryer to outside)
- Install the toilet and vanity (which is ready to be picked up again)
Kitchen
We met with the cabinet maker on Friday to give him the down payment so he could start making sawdust. We have chosen natural cherry with a Mission-style door– simple, clean lines, light coloured wood– that will give our kitchen a touch of elegance and class. I’m just happy to get rid of the 1/2 inch particle board slab doors with unfinished edges that we have now.
The cabinet maker had come by to take some measurements on Thursday, and in his conversation with the contractors, it was revealed that the gutting of our current kitchen could take place as soon as the end of next week.
The bottom cabinets will be finished first, so the granite guys (if we go with granite) can make their template and get started on the counters as soon as possible. However, it is beginning to look doubtful that the project will be finished in time for the in-laws’ visit. We’ll see what progress is made this week….
