So within days of deciding to redo our kitchen we were doing demo.  This included getting rid of the stupid wall in the middle of our kitchen.  We also got rid of all of the old cabinets, popcorn ceiling, flooring and lighting.

Here is what my “temporary kitchen” looked like.  We had great intentions of eating simple, easy meals and trying to save money by eating in during our reno.  Who were we kidding?  By the time dinner time came I didn’t have the time or energy (or kitchen) to make a meal.  Fast food ruled our diet for months.

 The cabinets that used to be against the wall were moved to the other side by the window or down to the living room.

Nothing beats cute kids demo-ing a wall, right?  They loved writing on the wall and then taking the hammer to it.  So, so messy.  Feel like I am STILL cleaning up drywall dust. *Note: Many of these pictures were taken from my iPhone so the quality might be lacking.  They were usually taken in the wee hours of the night when I needed to prove that I actually accomplished something that day.

A few before and after demo pictures for you.  

 The worst part of the process.  The ceiling.  So messy.  So much time and effort.  So many arm and neck cramps.  After we scraped all of the popcorn off (using water to soak it and then scraping- ours didn’t contain asbestos thank goodness) we decided we would get a bid to see how much it would cost to have it textured.  It was $1700.  To which we thought was severely overpriced and decided it would be worth it to do it ourselves.  Now I can say with confidence……those drywallers and texturers (it’s a word) earn every penny they make.  I still don’t want to pay $1700 but I now understand why they charge so much.  It SUCKS!  Chris and I spent a 12 hour day, with both of us skim coating the ceiling.  Just the skim coat.  We probably should have done another skim coat but we just didn’t have it in us.  Then the texturing took another 12 hour day where both of us worked together.

Then it was time to prime (2 coats) and paint (2 coats).  Needless to say that the ceiling and I are no longer on good terms.  I am a bit resentful.

Our poor children were ignored, watched a lot of television and/or spent a lot of time with their grandparents.  Don’t judge. 

Also, everything was covered in plastic for several days which made it hard to get to: water, bathrooms, stove, sink, fridge….and every other place in our house.  Doesn’t this post make you want to start a remodeling project?

The most important part of the renovation….the part that made the biggest impact……LIGHTING.  We only had 3 lightbulbs (plus a lamp and a 1970’s light in the entryway) in the whole area.  Now we have 17.  Might be a bit of an overkill, but I LOVE it.  I love that even at night, it is so bright and cheery in my house.  Something that was hugely lacking in my old kitchen area.  I will do another blog post on the sled that we turned into a light fixture in another post.

We even had to cut a new access to the attic so we could run all of the new electrical.  The kids loved being up there and they even got to help wire a few new boxes and switches.  So cool to see them learning these skills.  *No children were harmed in the making of this kitchen.  Maybe a slight shock, but not seriously harmed.

Once we were done with lighting, we took the rest of the wall down.  We used it as a scaffolding when we were doing lighting and scraping the ceiling.  It came in pretty handy!  But look how amazing it looks without the wall.

Next came removing the cabinets and preparing for flooring.

Life was mixed up and chaotic.  Everything was everywhere and everything was FILTHY!  Now can you see why I couldn’t cook?  Even looking back at these pictures it is giving me a little anxiety.  I am a control freak and having everything so chaotic did not sit well with me.

Sorry for such a long post.  But I had to show you all of the work in progress.  Next time I promise to show you the finished product!