The Saga of Kitchen Renovations

We watch enough home renovation shows that we should have known better. How many times have I laughed at the homeowner on In A Fix who is forced to wear the “It’s all my fault” t-shirt. Where would I buy one of those for Robin??

A couple of weekends ago (just after R’s birthday), Robin and Jay began the process of preparing to refloor the kitchen. As you know, we’ve had beautiful tiles sitting in my living room since the spring. A couple of days prior to this, we removed all the appliances etc from the kitchen. We’ve been without a stove/oven and sink ever since…



They gleefully demolished the base cabinet. The countertop already had to be replaced (previous installers didn’t bother sealing the sink around the counter!) and I’ve always hated the cabinet to begin with. Jay has grand visions of remodelling our home! We tell him he needs to get his own house!! Of course, I was in full agreement and helped him convince Robin that the easiest way to remove the base cabinet so that they can refloor is to demolish it. Otherwise a plumber would be needed, pipes would have been cut, etc.



Darla watches on, wondering what all the ruckus is about.



Robin patches and begins painting the walls.



A couple weeks go by without progress. Note: no sink, no stove! Dishes are being washed in a washbasin in the bathtub. Food must be raw, microwaved or BBQ’d (or take-out). It’s like living in a dorm…



We primed over the leaf stencil. The only leaves in the new kitchen will be potted.



At long last the linoleum and ¼” plywood is removed! This was after 2 weeks of Robin agonizing over the subfloor. Turns out the subfloor is OSB and it is not advisable to tile over OSB for many reasons. We almost reverted to new linoleum or wood-laminate throughout the main floor (damn, so close to getting rid of the carpet!) and said ‘screw it’ to the tiles. Replacing the entire subfloor would have required hiring someone to do it, particularly with a fully-finished basement beneath. In the end, however, we learned of ways in which OSB can be tiled over successfully. It may not be the optimal choice – but we’re not building a floor to last forever. With proper care there shouldn’t be any problems.



Here we are today. Look what we woke to on the day Robin needs to begin working with powertools outside…



At long last, preparation for the tiling has begun. Here is our first panel of cement backerboard. This was as far as they had gotten when I last took photos this afternoon.



Here is a sneak peak at the future. Blue walls (we went with a lighter blue than we’d previously chosen – thank goodness) and a tile.



And here you can see what I’ve been living with for the last several weeks…



“It’s all my fault” – maybe I’ll just paint that onto a t-shirt for Robin.



Good thing I have an office to get away to.



Not even the basement is safe. (I think I need to clean my camera lens!)



To add to the fun, I was a last resort for taking in two kitties whose foster mom is in hospital. They’re upstairs in the spare room, while my kitties are locked in the basement for the duration of the construction. Darla is locked with me in my office for the time being…