Kitchen Day #1: Movin' Out

Well, folks, here's something you've heard before: a campaign promise for a new blog initiative.  At least my track record for actually completing projects is far better than reporting on them.  My latest idea is to keep you truly informed of the progress in the kitchen renovation.  The posts won't be wordy, necessarily, but I'll try to at least post some pictures to show the latest changes.  Dare I say....daily?

Today was preparation day.  (And, no, not for the Sabbath.  I think that's the only context I've ever heard "preparation day," is in the Bible readings for Holy Week).  But I digress.  I don't particularly enjoy preparing for any renovation project.  The tasks seem tedious, and I'm just anxious to get the project started.  Preparing to live without a kitchen for 6 weeks certainly didn't make it any more fun.  But we're ready to go!  And demolition starts (on schedule) tomorrow morning!

I'm too tired to write much more, so let's take a photo journey:

The kitchen, as advertised in the sales listing for this house (Justin would likely insert a comment about why we didn't just turn and run then).

These three best show the kitchen in use for the last year.  It was livable, but I grew tired of the lack of storage and consequential clutter.

Here's the kitchen as it looks tonight:

You can see above that we now have a little plastic bubble with which to travel from the clean upstairs to the clean downstairs (avoiding the kitchen, which is inconveniently laid out to include the passageway to upstairs).  There's a teeny little passageway of plastic, which ought to be loads of fun when transporting baskets of laundry up and down (no pun intended).  

Some of you may wonder about the panel list.  Ideally, we would have completed all of the items prior to renovating the kitchen.  However, I don't feel the need to delay this project just for the sake of a horseback ride, a visit to a winery, and a bike ride on a local bike trail.  We can celebrate the fact that our spunky writing on the walls inspired us to try cross-country skiing, complete a 90 mile bike ride around Cayuga lake, a night in a bed-and-breakfast, and several other fun events.  We've keeping the remaining items on a piece of paper, and we will probably end up keeping an ongoing "fun to-do list."

You may wonder how we plan to eat for the next 6 weeks.  We have a temporary ("very rough"...that was for you, Kathy) dining/storage area in the den.  If you want to take pity on us and feed us, we won't complain.  Also if you have ideas for meals that can be cooked with a microwave and/or a George Foreman grill, one large bowl, and one mixing spoon, that would also be appreciated.  Now that you all know how to comment, of course ;)

Just when we got the musical chairs settled (i.e., bachelor bed & desk out of the kitchen, our bed moved upstairs, desk in the den, etc), here we are with temporary arrangements again!  Oh....and the refrigerator is on the back porch.  It may be our most redneck move to date.

Ceremonial removal of the first piece of paneling:

(Yes, a year later, Justin still does most renovation work topless.  Don't try that at home).

Tomorrow, it's D-Day.  Demolition Day.  Good-bye paneling and old, non-insulative insulation day.  Hooray!  Check back for the updates on Kitchen Day #2!