On Saturday we headed over to the house around 9, 9:30 and got started. Nate and his mama's SLIC (spouse-like companion, love that term) Jerry began to take apart the kitchen immediately while I stood around and figured out what the hell to do. Such a Where Do We Start? moment.
Nate's mama took some knick-knacks out of the den that were being donated to a church and I noticed hammers. Have you ever tried to hammer through wood paneling? If you have, you were probably clueless like I was; Mr. SLIC taught me how to use a pry bar with the hammer to loosen the nails around each panel. He taught me that right after he saw me wielding a hammer and screeching like a maniac each time I smashed the thing into the wall. Which, actually, was REALLY fun - just totally inefficient.
After that first hammer blow I had to stop and admire the fact that I'd just knocked a hole in a wall. Kind of a first for me. I think I'm addicted now. I'm dreaming up new walls to knock down just for the fun of it.
So we pried the molding from the ceiling and floors, yanked the paneling in the den down, and smashed through the drywall on the other side in the living room. It was so cool to watch our new layout emerge - one little hole we could see through turned into bigger and bigger chunks and then it turned into this:
I did that!!! MAN. Demo makes you feel so proud and productive!
While I was kicking drywall and prying nails, Nate's mama was clearing out anything left over from the yard sale (oh yeah, there was a yard sale the Saturday before) and carrying huge pieces of paneling and drywall out to the car port. We're getting a dumpster for 10 days to hold all this crap, 'cause wow. The stuff piles up.
I also know now to get goggles and a mask for demo stuff. Lots of spluttering due to dust in my eyes and mouth. Put a bandana over my hair.
The shower I took when we got home was the best thing ever, but look, I'm digressing.
Nate and Mr. SLIC took down the entire kitchen during all this - oven, range, L-shaped cabinets, all countertops, all base and wall cabinets. That's a huge amount of work, and they were done by noon. It was shocking how fast stuff comes down. Putting stuff up is probably a different story . . .
It was a really, really happy morning. We finally got EXCITED about this project - things are changing and happening and it's all tangible now, and the house is morphing almost instantly into OUR place. Definitely not transformed into home or anything just because those main rooms are open now, but it's pretty crazy how fast it became something new and different.
We spent the rest of the weekend messing around on Ikea's 3-D home planner. That thing's AMAZING, clunky interface aside. After taking ridiculous amounts of measurements, we were able to completely plot out our kitchen and dining room layout. Being able to SEE something that, up till now, had been completely conceptual was stupid exciting. And I'm managing to have a banquette seating area!! Thought that would have to be tossed out the window, but nope. Made it work.
Went to Home Depot on Sunday to look at appliances and materials; OVERPRICED APPLIANCES. I think Brandsmart will be our next stop. But we did find some great glass mosaic tiles for a kitchen backsplash and maybe for an accent in the main bathroom. Beadboard's gonna be everywhere in both. And we're thinking slate tile floor in the kitchen. Hardwood would be a bitch to keep from warping, and I just don't like travertine or porcelain or ceramic tiles.
Anyway, enough typing. It was a wonderful start to the physical renovation process, and I hope the rest of it (or as much as possible) feels the same way.
Pics of destruction:
Den on left, living room on right, kitchen behind us.
Living room on left, den and backyard on right, kitchen ahead.
View from what used to be the kitchen.
The kitchen and garage entry. Laundry room in the back there. We're filling in that window to create some extra counter/cabinet space.
Next up: Contacting Ikea to help plan and organize the kitchen layout, getting the contractor in, smashing bathroom tiles.
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