Kitchen Renovation: Part 3 - The Finale

Looking back, the kitchen renovation wasn't as bad as we anticipated it would be.  We had mentally prepared ourselves, pre-planned meals, and planned our timeline meticulously all in hopes that the transition would go as smoothly as possible.  If you forgot some of our initial details and planning, you can check those out here (Kitchen Renovation: Part One & Kitchen Renovation: Part 2 - Demolition). 

We were extremely pleased with all the trades that we had coming and going to help us keep our lives as put together as possible.  Our contractor (Best Choice Cabinets) was absolutely amazing.  It was rare that Mike didn't answer the phone when we called and had a question and if I had to leave a voicemail he was always prompt in his replies whether via email or phone.  Best of all we came in on budget!!! 

There were some minor changes from our initial plans.  Our cabinet color changed from cream to this distressed "frosty grey" we absolutely fell in love with.  We also opted to use the white lantern tile instead of the originally planned grey lantern tile. 

 

The prep sink was the best idea I think we had for the kitchen in general.  It come in very handy but here are some of the other added features we are absolutely in love with!

 

Double spice pull outs on top and bottom along with a cookie pan cabinet to the left of the stove

 

Distressed cabinet drawers and doors

 

Our Caesarstone quartz countertops in "piatra grey"

We love our eat in bar area

And the pendant lights

A key cabinet on the side of this cabinet for when we walk in the door

And our double pull out trash/recylcing drawer with side storage.

 

Kitchen Renovation: Part 2 - Demolition

Boy have I sucked at keeping the blog updated on kitchen progress or what?!?  I have posted pictures periodically on facebook but now that we have reached a nice halfway point (based off of our 5-6 week timeline), I figure it’s time for a real update. 

Our real adventure began the weekend of March 22^nd with getting the washer and dryer relocated upstairs.  Plumbing went in, then electrical, and then Matt and his brother moved the beast of a washing machine in along with the feather light dryer (or at least it felt that way after they moved that freakin’ washing machine in).  We LOVE the new laundry being upstairs and honestly, the laundry portion went very smoothly and paved the way for the next step:  Kitchen Demo!!

Not the best picture but we have added a cabinet to house laundry soap and tiddied up the surrounding area a bit. 

Demo weekend was slated for April 5^th.  Matt and his dad went and picked up a trailer from our contractor on a Thursday.  Matt and I were so excited to get started that he and I got the appliances and cabinets out by ourselves on Friday afternoon/night.  When Matt’s dad and his brother arrived, we got the sink peninsula out and then we were ready to start ripping walls and ceiling down.  A HUGE thank you to Matt's dad and brother Brian for the help with demo and Matt's mom for taking Grant for the morning so progress could move along a little more quickly.   

Before the peninsula and old pantry were out

Demo of the old laundry closet

Demo is done!!

Little helper and big helper

We were pleasantly surprised at how smoothly demo went.  The hardest part of the day was ripping up the old flooring with the underlayment.  Plumbing got roughed in while we were demo-ing and electrical was roughed in the following Monday. 

Getting that floor out!

 

By Thursday of the first week, drywall was already going back up.  Drywall is now complete, painting is done and cabinets are now being installed. 

As soon as cabinets are complete, we are scheduled for our countertop measurement on May 1^st and countertop installation should be May 14^th.  I have the feeling the time between countertop measure and install will feel like an eternity but theoretically we are more than halfway finished with this process and getting closer and closer to the finished product.

Overall, we have been coping remarkable well.  My planning ahead with freezer and crockpot meals has saved us a ton (both my sanity and financially).  I updated that blog post with some notes about the recipes and changes I would make for next time so check that out here.  We have only eaten out one additional day each week so far.  It’s pretty much a given that we eat out both Friday and Saturday nights as a norm.  The biggest downfall for me would be the lack of a kitchen sink.  Doing dishes hunched over a bath tub in the basement sucks… bottom line.  Matt is peeved with the clutter of our makeshift dining room turned kitchen but again… we will survive and keep reminding ourselves of what is to come.  

Our makeshift kitchen... What a disaster!

Distressing Our "New" China Hutch

I have been checking Craigslist periodically for a China hutch for our dining room but just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on any of them mainly because of cost.  Well did I luck out one day when this one popped up.  I immediately contacted the guy and he said he had someone trying to find a truck to get it but would keep me posted.  The other deal fell through and it was ours!  He had it listed for $75 OBO.  I offered $60 and walked away with one heck of a deal!!! 

I knew I wanted to paint it but wasn't sure on color or technique.  We bought it right about the time we were choosing our cabinet color so I decided there would be no better color than to match our new cabinets.  I took our cabinet sample to our paint guy, he lasered the color to match, and we now have what will be a perfect match to our new kitchen cabinets. 

Please ignore the current dining room color (that doesn't match the new hutch).  It will also be changing along with the kitchen reno!

I love the distressed look and after seeing my friend's awesome dining room table that she did I wanted to try my hand at the look but I was nervous about doing it to such a big piece for my first try. 

I started by removing the glass, doors, and hardware.  Then, I lightly sanded the hutch and doors with an electric sander (probably not necessary especially if you use a primer but I think it helps the paint grip the surface better), wiped it all down very well to clean it and then began with a layer a paint.  (Some distressing techniques recommend applying wax (candle) or Vaseline to the edges before painting to make distressing easier.  I opted not to do the wax and for me it work out just fine not waxing before painting). 

Ok so reality check here... this was NOT a fun piece to paint!  There were a lot of corners, edges, and weird angles that required me to literally stick my head and half my body inside of the cabinet.  Not even halfway through I was kicking myself but kept telling myself the end result would be worth it!  I took it all in steps and worked on it each night after the kids went to sleep.  

Halfway done!

After the painting was finished before I was set to distress the piece, I'll be honest... it was a bit tough to bring myself to take the sander to it.  I had worked so hard already and liked the clean look but I went for it anyway.  I started out a bit timid, sanding by hand but soon pulled out the electric sander and started slowly.  After I got the hang of how much pressure I needed and the rotary speed needed, it went quickly.  And here is the end result with a couple close up pictures!

The final touch was new hardware (not pictured) to match our new kitchen hardware

A closer look at some of the distressed edges

A closer look at some of the distressed edges

I am so happy with the end result and still stop to look at it and do a double take.  It absolutely does not look like the same piece and I am looking forward to the when the renovation is over and I can finally put some of the China I have on display!

25 Crockpot and Oven Freezer Meals for $230... In 4 Hours!!!

Going into the kitchen renovation I knew I was going to have to do some planning ahead for easy meals options so we didn't end up eating out of a box or the drive-thru for the duration of the process.  We will pretty much be confined to using a crock pot or a small portable convection oven so the meal plan had to align with those options.  Then it dawned on me that a friend of mine (Thank you Mrs. Warnell) posted some links to some various crock pot and make ahead of time oven freezer meals which seemed like they would be perfect.

Another perfect use that I wish I would've done... make them for a new baby's arrival!  I made some freezer meals but nothing anywhere close to this.  It would be perfect for new moms with little ones!

I pulled my recipes from three sources (10 Easy Crockpot Freezer Meals, A Month of Freezer Meals in One Afternoon, and 40 Meals in 4 Hours Crockpot Slow Cooker Freezer Cooking) and basically picked out meals that seemed appealing to us and our tastes. 

The meals I chose from these sites (you will find the recipes and shopping list for these attached) include:

Update:  We have had to opportunity to try several of these meals now and most of them have been good.  I wouldn't say they are excellent though.  We much prefer a fresh, home cooked meal.  What I have found with the crockpot meals is they tend to get very watery after cooking (maybe from the moisture cooking out of the meat and veggies) so any of the recipes that originally called for a can of cream or mushroom or chicken I have been adding another can of soup when I get home.  

Oven Freezer Meals
Easy Cheeseburger Casserole (Good)
Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Bake (Good)
Basic Chicken Casserole (Good)

Crock Pot Freezer Meals
Potato Soup (So-So)
Fajitas (Good)
Enchilada Pasta  (Good)
Buffalo Chicken  (Good)
Chicken Tacos (Good)
Applesauce BBQ Chicken
Teriyaki Chicken (Yuck)
Balsamic Glazed Drumsticks  (So-So) 
Honey Garlic Chicken  (So-So)
Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs  (So-So)
Orange Chicken  (So-So)
Beef Tips and Gravy
Teriyaki Pork Chops
Pork Chops and Rice
Pork Carnitas

You can find all of the recipes here:  Recipes

And the grocery list can be found here:  Grocery List

As mentioned in the title I was able to get all of these ingredients for under $230.  There were only a very few items that I had on hand already.  To really save money plan a trip around when chicken breasts are on sale because you need alot of them or stock up ahead of time.  Meat is always the most costly item.  I have complete confidence with many of the thrifty grocery shoppers out there that they could probably do this for closer to $200.  I will be the first to admit I am not normally a grocery sale shopper but I did luck out that chicken breasts were on sale which probably saved.

Following some of the various tips from the websites I pulled from I did everything in steps that would hopefully make assembling the meals easier.  I decided to do all the oven freezer meals one day and the crock pot freezer meals the next day.

The first day I began by labeling all of the freezer bags and aluminum pan lids with the meal names, cooking instructions, and ingredients that needed to be added after cooking (cheeses, noodles, rice, fixings, etc.). 

Then it was time to dive in with the first batch: the 10 oven freezer meals.  I began by cooking my meat (browning the hamburger and boiling the chicken) and cooking the noodles.  Next, I assembled the three oven recipes and less than 2 hours later I had 10 meals to show for my work!

On day #2 I tackled all the crock pot meals that didn't require any pre-cooked items.  I used the food processor to chop all my onion (you need quite a few) and any extra onion I had left when I was done I froze for later use.  I chopped all the other veggies that were going to be needed (some diced and some needed to be larger chunks) and then tackled cutting the meat.  There really wasn't much  meat that need to be cut up first because most of the recipes called for placing whole chicken breasts in the bags.  If desired ,you could probably leave all the chicken breasts in tact and cut them up/shred them after cooking.

After the potato soup recipe I tackled all the chicken breast recipes and worked in batches down the recipe list depending on what kind of meat was needed.  I began each recipe by 1st placing the meat in the pre-labeled bags, any veggies the recipe called for, and then poured the remaining ingredients that I pre-mixed (things like broth, soups, seasonings) over the top.  Squeeze out the air and freeze the bag flat to save room.  Yet again, 2 hours later I had 15 more meals to add to the freezer!

All in all I spent right around 4 hours over 2 days and had 25 meals for us.  I plan on buying/making side dishes for them as needed.  We'll probably do a lot of steamed veggies and rice.

Other tips that will be helpful

• Make sure you have enough room in your freezer and it is organized
• Prep the meals in batches or groups with similar ingredients
• I will be the first to admit I am terrible about measuring stuff when I cook (baking is a different story and almost always a must that you measure) so I will say there was alot of eyeballing that went on when adding in seasonings, sauces, and other ingredients. It also goes much faster that way if you are comfortable cooking like that. 
• Don't be afraid to use a food processor if you have one like I mentioned for the chopping. I also opt to buy pre-minced garlic in a jar which saves time as well.
• If you realize during assembly that you forgot an ingredient during your shopping trip, write it on the freezer bag and add it later!

My cooking plan is to take each meal out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge about 24 hours prior to starting it.  I will update and adjust the cooking times if I find this doesn't work because I am sure many of the meals will still be partially frozen.  I will also update as we go as to whether or not our family enjoyed the meals and if I would cook them again.  

I am so anxious to try these but I am resisting the urge until we actually start tearing the kitchen apart.  I will absolutely be doing something similar again!  It was so easy and I am so excited about the prospect of not having to meal plan and grocery shop every 2 weeks like I do now.

Kitchen Renovation Part One: Planning

The Fisher’s Next Big Adventure: A Kitchen Renovation

Are we crazy to be doing so with 2 children 3 and under?  Maybe but we are beyond excited for the final product. 

We knew very early on moving into our home that our kitchen was not very functional.  Updated? Yes. Adequate?  Absolutely!  But not anywhere close to practical for a family of four.  First off, it’s very small for the size and layout of our home.  I am talking we have 4 accessible upper cabinets, 2 lower cabinets, 6 drawers, a small pantry, and very impractical storage above the washer and dryer.  What they were thinking when they designed and built the house in 2004?  I have no idea!  Another pet peeve?  The laundry is in the kitchen.

Well we have been talking about reno options for a long time and had planned on it being a project we took on in the next 10 years.  In fact, Matt and I agreed that we were going to add on to the garage (3.5 car garage) before we made a change to the kitchen.  We need the extra garage space for the boat, cars, and misc tools and stuff that accumulates.  The garage project was slated for this upcoming summer.  That all changed when Matt said to me about two months ago “You know, I’ve been thinking… We should really do the kitchen first.”  I, internally, was jumping up and down freaking out bubbling with excitement like a 5 year old.  My husband who was going to get his garage addition before our kitchen remodel (which I was absolutely ok with) was willingly giving up that idea so we could do the kitchen first!  It basically boiled down to the fact that as a family the kitchen made more sense to do so we could enjoy it and get use out of the added functionality.  
 

When looking for a contractor we stumbled upon Best Choice Cabinets of Kewaskum.  Our loyal and amazing photographer Jamie Gellings had recently begun doing work for them and mentioned it casually in conversation.  After meeting Mike and learning about the Amish hand crafted cabinets he uses, we stopped our search.  Hands down, they have been absolutely amazing and extremely helpful from the very first meeting.  He came in with Jamie and we came up with some preliminary design ideas including moving the sink to a differently location, adding a prep sink to keep the traditional kitchen triangle, blowing out the current pantry and moving it along with moving the laundry upstairs to our master closet (Yay!  I am soooo excited about the laundry!). 

Here are some before pictures  (please excuse the clutter and messy counters) and preliminary after pictures.  Sorry for the quality of the design pictures.  I took pictures of the pictures :)  

Laundry is currently behind the bi-fold doors and there is an eat-in area by the windows

Fridge will be centered between the pantry shown here and sink moved to window area

Existing pantry is getting removed and stove will be centered on this wall adding more cabinets and counter space

 

This area now includes a prep sink and seating area with storage under the bar of the seating area.

We’ve made some minor changes to these along the way but overall this is pretty close to how the finished product will look. 

The cabinets are going to be in the cream/ivory family with a glaze (the dark edging you can see in the lower picture).

 

Flooring is going to be a 12 x 24” vinyl tile (pictured below the counter sample but hard to see).
I am obsessed with the backsplash which is going to be this morroccan style grey lantern tile.

 

 

Countertops will be quartz Caeasarstone “Piatra Grey.”  This picture (and the one above) doesn’t even come close to capturing how pretty it is with the veins of light grey and cream. 

The sink is going to be a white farm house/apron front.  We aren't sure if we will leave the fluted or smooth edge facing out yet though.  It just arrived yesterday and we were so excited to unpack it!  Got it on ebay for half the price they normally retail for!

Stainless appliances are purchased along with a new washer and dryer.  The wall color and other small touches are still yet to be determined and the project isn’t slated to start until mid-March or April which at this point just can come fast enough!!! 

Any pointers out there from someone who has been through a kitchen reno?  It's going to be very hard living without a functional kitchen for 5+ weeks.  We are trying to plan and come up with contingencies on how we will eat and where we will store everything.  Yikes!!!