I’m so sorry @marionberries , I’m a bit like your wife I’m afraid Mr. Imma is good at many things but DIY is not one of them, so I typically do DIY on my own or with a friend occasionally. We needed to do a lot of work and he wanted to hire it all out, but as we are not made of money and we had a lot of things that needed to be done (not wants) it meant we needed to DIY more than what would have been ideal. We had a few leaks so waiting longer to save up would have meant more damage to be fixed later on. I also didn’t feel comfortable increasing our mortgage more than we did. I have health issues that got worse mid-renovation so that meant I took even longer to finish some things (plus I work, too). I know it wasn’t great on Mr. Imma’s mental health. Two years on we’re nearly finished and there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel! Your kitchen will be great when it’s done but for now you just need to get through this period as best as you can.
Your choices do sound very stylish! I’m in a big city with a large industrial design school, so lots of fashion forward people here, and copper is definitely a colour / material that’s making a comeback. I’ve seen literal solid sheets of copper used as a backsplash, but also burnt orange-coloured kitchens (with counters like yours!) . Super trendy kitchens can feel dated really quickly, so it’s best to either get what you truly like, or get something neutral if you don’t have strong preferences. I like looking at property website, but the fashion cycle goes so fast here, and especially for kitchens somehow. You’d think that’s not something you want to rip out every couple of years, much easier to change out furniture or paint colours.
It’s hard when health or family issues or for that matter, money, get in the way of finishing projects. We are using some of my inheritance from my mom to fund this. But our saving money lifestyle keeps getting in the way…and things are very pricey these days…ridiculously so.
My dad was a DIYer, grew up in a small farming town and did everything from plumbing to electrical to surveying to building additions. He built the most beautiful kitchen cabinets when he redid our kitchen.
When my mother passed away, my sister wanted the minister from our hometown church. And she had purchased our old house years ago. So we met her at the house and had a tour. They had added additions and rearranged the house, but those cabinets were still there. As well as other bits and pieces. It was fun and nostalgic.
So you think I would be used to delays in projects. Dad tore the house apart about every 5 years with a new project.
My vision for a workable kitchen is starting to take shape, it feels good.
4 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
2166
We moved a lot when I was growing up due to my father’s military career. He always fixed up the places we lived with his room dividers, bookcases, etc. to make things feel like home. We had limited money, but he always managed a way to salvage furniture and thrifted items. My brother and I both got his DIY gene. Unfortunately, I can’t do a lot of what I want myself because of health limitations. I can’t use a ladder or stand too long or bend in odd ways to do some of the projects.
I am repainting the guest room vanity. I was just going to replace the knobs, but the last person who painted didn’t remove the hardware so my new knobs don’t cover the unpainted parts! Simple project is now going to be a two-three day project!
Always something…I have about a month to get my house as ready as I can since my sister and her husband are coming to visit.
Our builder stopped by this morning to hang the new basement door and bring the cabinets inside to warm up. Our marshmallow (poodle) was thrilled to see everyone and check out the new stuff.
More kitchen fun. My DW and friend have been busy installing cabinets. Lowers last week and now uppers. We ran into an issue where one narrow cabinet rested between studs…not a support in sight. So they cut the wall open, added some 2x4s and mudded up the wall. Luckily none of it will show. Hopefully tomorrow the rest will go up.
I love it. The kitchen feels so much better and bigger, though it is still a small 10.5 x 11 foot box.
My husband has starred on my shelves Not sure if they’ll be ready for paint this weekend or not but should hopefully get them into the studio by next weekend.
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
2176
I can’t wait to see them done! We need to redo the kitchen but I really don’t want white cabinets any more. Everyone says dark grey, but I really want blue! My whole house inside and out is more blue since it is our favorite color (and it goes with orange, my second favorite color!).
All our cabinets are in and the finishing pieces are in progress. Fillers and trim. I still have to stain and refinish the old cabinet frames tomorrow.
Hopefully the counter top people will come soon to make the template. For now we have plywood and a few pieces of the old counters.
And I love the new configuration and feel.
I love giant lower drawers instead of cabinets! Our last apartment had huge drawers in the island instead of cabinets and it made getting pots and pans out so much easier.
They’re so great! If we ever redo our kitchen I’m getting them put in instead of lower cabinets.
3 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
2183
I love drawers as well! We store our plastic ware there. You can attach lid holders to keep everything neat and to find the lid!
We use our corner turntable to hold out pots and pans and lids. I have one bottom cabinet that has doors and slide out thingies but we mostly use it for things we don’t use often like the soup pot, griddle, etc.
Mr. Imma is good at many things but DIY is not one of them, so I typically do DIY on my own or with a friend occasionally. We needed to do a lot of work and he wanted to hire it all out, but as we are not made of money and we had a lot of things that needed to be done (not wants) it meant we needed to DIY more than what would have been ideal. We had a few leaks so waiting longer to save up would have meant more damage to be fixed later on. I also didn’t feel comfortable increasing our mortgage more than we did. I have health issues that got worse mid-renovation so that meant I took even longer to finish some things (plus I work, too). I know it wasn’t great on Mr. Imma’s mental health. Two years on we’re nearly finished and there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel! Your kitchen will be great when it’s done but for now you just need to get through this period as best as you can.
Not sure if they’ll be ready for paint this weekend or not but should hopefully get them into the studio by next weekend.
