Tile and mason

The mason's been here! Preparing the original wood fireplace for the new mantle and tile surround. Unfortunately, it turns out the drywall and framing above the mantle is so distorted it has to be replaced. More extras.


You can see the test-painting I was doing. The future color will be Kelly-Moore "Dustry Trail," the greenish color on the left.

The first bathroom's tile is in! Grout still isn't in, so the lines look a lot darker. I love that onyx border. We'd long since settled on these materials and design when I learned that the onyx border is $18.50 a foot -- and this design has a double border! Agh!

But, I've also learned, that a detail like that is worth putting a few extra hundred dollars into. This bathroom will be Grand Central Bathroom, where all the fingernail-clipping, bandaid-applying, allergy-medicine-finding, morning toothbrushing, last-minute hair touch-ups, toddler-potty-training, pre-dinner handwashing, mudbath-rinsing and countless other functions will take place. I'll be spending a lot of time in here.

The kitchen cabinet installation continues! Here, the kitchen designer, the cabinet installer, the project foreman and the countertop templater discuss the farmhouse sink installation. Seeing this collaboration makes me very, very, VERY happy!


I'm really happy with our kitchen designer, for numerous reasons. Not only did she design a beautiful kitchen, and keep aesthetics in mind while working with a very functionally-oriented client (me), but she's also well-versed in the countless details of installation. She's been onsite many times answering countless details about the installation that I'd never have thought of: how the countertop edging works with the sink edge. Where the countertop seam should go. How to conceal a triangle gap at the ceiling. How to reposition light fixtures that were misplaced. More and more I find myself answering questions with, "Whatever she says." I'm not even choosing the knobs, other than to rule out the bin-style cup ones because they force you to twist your wrist to open a drawer and that's just not functional enough. See what she's up against?

Exterior framing done

Kitchen cabinets ordered!!

Exterior framing pretty much done. Rumor has it that windows will start to arrive next week.


The arch for the tile niche above the cooktop is framed in the wrong place, as our most marvelous kitchen designer observes.


Someday it might look like this.

(editor's note: that inspiration persisted right up until tile selection, and I still love it.)

Making use of all spaces, this area under the stairs will be accessible for storage, from two different places. It'll be a great place for kids to hide. Or grownups to hide from the kids.


Big meeting with the plumbers today to review valve placements.

Cabinets ordered

Almost a sign-off meeting with the kitchen designer, still need some measurements, but I'm on a short leash to sign off as soon as she's done, and write a very, very large check for our cabinets. We made some changes that will save some money, such as changing one drawer design to another that won't require a custom cabinet; or removing some drawers.

It's going to be spectacular. I'm still not sure how it ended up "spectacular," I'd have been fine with "great," but these things have a tendency to run away with me.




The cabinet order alone will cost over $70,000, but it's for far more than a kitchen -- it includes a desk area, pantry, hutch, and entertainment area -- over 30 drawers, 50 shelves, and 80 handles. Then the countertops and appliances are on top of that. Gulp.