The Kitchen
A Project From 2017-2018
THE LENGTHIEST AND MOST DIFFICULT PROJECT — remodeling the kitchen — took about a year and a half, working evenings and weekends. It probably took at least that much off my lifespan, too. Not to mention that it was a genuine strain on our marriage. I dragged my feet on starting it for years because I really didn’t want to do it, but I also didn’t want to pay someone else to do it for us.
I’ll admit, it wasn’t a solid 18 months of work. There was a fair amount of procrastination on my part throughout the project. Many aspects were difficult to face, either because of the effort involved, or because I lacked confidence in my own skills. Or because I was lazy. But one thing’s for sure: Karen had to wash dishes in the bathroom sink for a solid 18 months.
We bought ready-to-assemble cabinets to save money. Our one requirement was plywood. We wanted to avoid particle board, so IKEA cabinets were out. The “relatively inexpensive” cabinets we ended up ordering did meet the plywood requirement, but once I started assembling them, it became clear that their quality was not exactly stellar. All plywood is not created equal. Quite a bit of work was involved addressing defects and shortcomings.
In the end, it turned out okay. We were happy enough with the results.
Your basic L-shaped kitchen
This space was formerly a closet pantry
Previously, an empty wall
