Mary’s Unending Remodel – Part 8

If you’ve ever faced a big challenge with determination, fortitude and a sense of commitment that charging horses could not deter—only to discover in reality you’re nothing more than a wimp, boy can I identify with you.

This week I hit that wall. What on earth were we thinking? I’ve had it with the mess. So far, we gone through six boxes of Green Dot Topping—50 lbs. each—which is drywall compound you put on like you’re frosting a cake, allow to dry then sand it smooth. And I would swear that 200 lbs. of it have turned into drywall dust.

I can no  longer trick myself into believing that layer of white dust covering absolutely every flat surface in this entire house is a lovely protective coating. It’s everywhere! I can even feel it on my teeth when I walk through the construction zone.

Here we are more than two months into the project and suddenly I’m longing for the return of my old, horrible, mostly non-functioning kitchen. At least I could keep the place clean. I’ve gone to living in what looks for all the world like Oakie Flats in some really bad Hillybilly movie.

Now for some good news. Finally, we’ve decided on the cabinets. We’re going dark wood. Here’s a “swatch.” Trust me when I say this is the most beautiful wood with a dark cherry finish.

As you will recall, our first bid for cabinets came in at $12,500, including installation. Yes, I found that to be a bit mind-numbing. Really? $12,500 for kitchen cabinets? Uh, no.

The second bid came in at $6,500. However, they would be shipped unfinished, partially asembled and we would do the installation. That was somewhat better until we discovered it would cost $1,800 to have them finished.

The third option (see the cabinet sample above) came in at $3,500. Not kidding. The cabinets will arrive finished but unassembled. This price includes all hardware including handles and drawer pulls. All drawers come with Blum sliders and the awesome “soft close” feature. And they are drop dead gorgeous! Having made the decision is helping through this worse than ugly construction phase.

Wait. There’s more.

We’ve decided on the flooring as well! Our budget being $6 per sq. ft., we knew we’d have to shop well and do all the installation ourselves to come in under that number. Remember, it’s more than just the flooring material. You need installation materials and equipment rental and glue ($150 per can of the stuff) if we go with a glue-down install.

Well, the most awesome thing happened. Friends just remodeled their home and gave us a referral. We called Gabriel and his bid came in at $5.50 per sq. ft. … installed. Complete! Including all materials, labor, equipment, supplies and tax. Be still my heart.

Our new floor is scheduled to go in this coming week. It’s a one-day job for the pros, and we are so ready to let them do it. For the price, this is like a dream come true. I’m sure it would have taken us weeks to put down this floor and I’m not sure what kind of a job that would have been. Besides, at this point in the process, Harold needs a break. The guy has been nearly killing himself to beat my prediction that this remodel would take a year.

So, after all that … I’m one happy camper, that is provided I can figure a way to get rid of all of this sanding dust.

Next: Select the paint color for the walls.

What do you think?