May 2001.

The first thing we did when we bought our home in 2001 was to gut the kitchen.  It was the original 1950 (rusted) metal cabinets and formica counters.  It was pretty awful.

We did the layout and design.  Our contractor really wanted us to do pot lights in the ceiling and granite counters.  I said no.

The house is a 1950 ranch and I didn’t want to walk from a 1950 living room into a 2001 kitchen.  I wanted a bit of continuity.  So, while we did get some pretty high-end cherry cabinets and a great floor, we opted for ceramic tile counters and back-splash.  Classic black and white.

March 2011.

After ten years of cleaning grout and watching HGTV, the tile has got to go.

It was really evident after painting and cleaning the wood that the counters really had outlived their usefulness.  There were pits and chips and the grout was never going to come clean.  For half a moment I almost semi-considered cutting out the grout and redoing it.  Fortunately, that idea didn’t stick around.

In the past 10 years, the cabinets have darkened to a rich, deep, cherry color.    They really do look sharp and could only be enhanced with a decent counter.

Victor had seen an ad for granite at Colonial Marble in King of Prussia, so we crunched the numbers and went to see them.

Things worked out well.  Without them knowing, they hit our budget perfectly.  Two days later the template-maker came out and did the template.

It was really happening!

Unfortunately, that meant I had to get to work.

The sink, garbage disposal, cooktop, and dishwasher all had to be removed for installation.  Tim’s Friendly Contractor Services were put into action.

Ugh.

It’s not that I can’t do any of this stuff, but if I don’t have to…  you get the idea.

First ting was to take out the garbage disposal.  And yes, the cabinet under the sink really was that clean.  I attacked it two days before our wedding during my “I’m not nervous” phase.

It came off with relative ease, as did the sink itself.

The propane line to the cook top was a bit of a challenge only because of tight quarters to work in, but that came off, as well.

But it was all done in a couple of hours.

Off to the diner for dinner.  No dish-washing in the bathroom.

to be continued…