Found In the Woods

So we’ve decided to take the plunge and do our first major remodeling. Up to bat first is the upstairs bathroom which we’ve always thought was a bit small and dingy in places. Second is the kitchen. We’ll be doing a complete remodel, gutting each room down to the studs and building up from there. So far we’ve done tons of research and planning and are finally about ready to get things going on the bathroom… we just need to decide on a faucet & paint color.

One of the familes that owned our house (probably about 10 years ago) did a lot of really poor quality work, which we’ve been correcting since we moved in four years ago. For example, in the tub surround, tiles which were removed for one reason were replaced with the wrong tiles and also in the wrong pattern. They also used grey grout, where everything else is white. The doorway has been chiseled away in places to make room for the door. In the kitchen the backsplash of the counter is about an inch from the wall. The floor tiles are sliding (they’re “stick-on” vinyl squares) around. The other day while going for a fork, the face of one of our drawers just came off in my hand. Time for a redo.

This can be a tremendously stressful process, especially when you have two opinionated persons vying for small details that go into two of the busiest, most heavily used rooms in the house. One thing I’ve learned is that compromise and sacrifice are your two best friends in this process. We’ve managed to steer clear of any huge blow-ups, but the stress is still high. I was adamant that we have no over-the-range microwave. I wanted to build a cabinet. Kris quickly nipped that in the bud and I have come to love the microwave/hood combo. We’re leaning more and more toward stainless trim on everything, which is what I wanted. All in all, we’re getting a new kitchen & bathroom and it’s gonna kick ass.

EDIT: Pics are up here!