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Diary of a Redo
My kitchen renovation is about to begin!
By Judi Gallagher
Well, after three years of discussions like, “Yeah, we should remodel; no, let’s just sell, no, we have to remodel to sell, anyway,” and “well, if the kitchen gets gas I will stay forever,” we have decided to bite the bullet and totally renovate our kitchen. Thanks to dear friend Marsha Fottler for suggesting Cook’s Cabinetry. From the moment I walked into their showroom and heard their Boston accents, I knew they were the ones. (That and I have been to a few gorgeous homes on Bird Key that have stellar kitchens thanks to Cook’s.)
Remodeling a kitchen is like having a baby. Your friends tell you all the horror stories like, “The dust will be in your house for months after” and “if it doesn’t make you divorce it already killed ya” and “the minute you finish you will want to do the bathrooms.” (The latter being true already but let’s not mention that to my husband just yet.) Now, I may live to eat these words, but hey, childbirth wasn’t so bad!
So for the sake of my health, marriage and sanity, I have devised a plan of attack before demolition starts later this month. First, I decided to hire someone(s) to help pack up the entire kitchen, dining room and family room (which is getting hardwood floors and new lighting as well). Second, I set up a working station out by the grill in our pool cage. A Ziploc freezer bag holds seasoning for salads and marinades, and a six-foot plastic banquet table serves as the prep station, with cutting board, knives, two metal bowls and a pan. Beside that will be table No. 2 as of next week: coffee pot-(under roof area) and mini microwave for the popcorn fixes during high-stress times.
Scenes from our renovation.
We already have a refrigerator in the garage, so that is not an issue; and walking to the garage and out to the pool cage will help burn the calories packed on from all those take-out meals. Take-out menus are also strategically placed in a plastic bag next to the cutting board as a “Yeah, right reminder—like you were going to chop and dice outside on this makeshift table.” Honestly, I have full faith that we will be cooking again before the end of December and cooking like I haven’t been able to in years.
There are a few challenges already. I already packed the serving utensils, and trying to put coleslaw on our paper plate tonight was a bit of a mess. Oh, yeah, and we do apologize for not being greenwise, but not only is our kitchen sink being pulled out of the wall, but the utility sink as well; plates just don’t fit in the bathroom sink! (Well, not until that gets remodeled.)
Do you have a kitchen remodel story to tell or advice for me in this one? Just click on the comment section below.
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