As you know, we are remodeling our kitchen. The kitchen as it sits now, I suspect, is the original 1985 kitchen. I know that’s not that old, but it’s not exactly modern, either. For example, there is no dishwasher and the stove has one of those flip clocks that hasn’t worked since I’ve been here (almost five years — zoinks!). Now, I realize that appliances can be upgraded without redoing the whole kitchen, but here’s my logic (be kind): I want a dishwasher. According to my pops, two people do not need a dishwasher. While I’d maybe say in response, no one needs a dishwasher, a better response would be (a) he has no idea how much Aaron cooks and how many pots and pans he requires to do it; the enormity of his tasks is overwhelming (he makes his own bacon for crying out loud) and the number of dishes (clean and drying or dirty and waiting to be clean and drying) on the counter at any given moment is upsetting and stress-inducing — it’s a small kitchen so using up valuable counterspace with dishes is silly; and (b) very few people will buy a place without a dishwasher; I am apparently the exception. When it comes time to sell, a dishwasher will go a long way. So, why not just install a dishwasher, you ask? Because to do so would require ripping out some cabinets and having a professional (since we know nothing about this and I really don’t want to mess up a house I intend to sell within a few, five, ten years) install it and recarpenter it and all that. And that seemed like it would be pricey. And then that got us thinking about replacing the stove (one appliance leads to another, you see). And the way the stove is built into the kitchen would require a professional to fix it so that the countertops worked. Right now, the countertop extends behind the stove a few inches so that would have to be ripped out and refinished to fit in a new stove. And that got us thinking about new countertops. No kitchen should have grouted tile countertops. They may look cute on the first day you move in, but they are little more than a daily hassle. Sure, it’s fun that you can set hot pots directly on them, but that fun quickly wears off as you stare into the nasty grout and can’t tell if you’re really getting anything clean. So, with countertops and new appliances and the carpentry that went with that … well, it just seemed like we should do the whole thing. And that’s what we’re doing. Well, we’re waiting on the floors for another day (may that day come soon), but we’re doing new cabinets, new countertops, a new sink, a new fridge, a new stove, a new dishwasher, a new microwave/hood and new lighting. Hooray! And guess what? It all starts tomorrow. Sort of. The cabinets are supposed to arrive between noon and four. So, enjoy these pictures of Kitchen 1.0. And please cross your fingers that we have the kind of before and after project that doesn’t make us lose our minds or the last vestiges of our pocketbook.
View of the kitchen from the front door
I left it in its natural state
In addition to a flip clock that has never worked, the stove below also has several other zany, fun quirks. For example, certain burners will work only at certain times. Another cool thing is that when you use the self-cleaning feature, the oven will lock up on you for what could be hours…or days. You never know! So unpredictable.
The infamous stove
The top light is a feature I rarely use in any room, but in a kitchen even I can see that one would be useful. The one that came with my house has been permanently shunned, however. In fact, when the kitchen guy came to get measurements, he asked to turn it on and I’m pretty sure I visibly shuddered. Can’t wait to get rid of this thing.
It hurts to look at, I know
It’s a galley kitchen, which I like. And I really hope I like the final product. I’m nervous, but hopeful.
Even the chalkboard wall looks bad
life and puppies 