Cabinets and More Cabinets

After finishing the flooring in the middle of last week and having a couple nights off from renovation work we were ready to go back in with a fresh burst of energy. All the behind-the-scenes work (sill work, joists, studs and insulation) is necessary and needed for a good foundation but I am all about the things you can see and in a kitchen that is the cabinets. Saturday morning we got up bright and early and made a trip to the hardware store. We needed to be back to meet the delivery people who were bringing my new convection oven/stove.

It was suggested to us by our friend and pastor to use furniture joiny things to connect our cabinets to each other. We were not sure but decided to give it a go. The picture is a larger screw than we ended up using but I didn't think to take a picture of them until they were all installed. We needed screws that would join two 3/4 inch panels together. It pulled in the cabinets nice and tight to each other. This was a great suggestion and I would highly recommend it to diy-ers.

Leveling everything was bit tricky. We did do a lot of work on the kitchen but some things could not be fixed like the undulating outside walls or large post on the exterior wall by the kitchen sink. I am sure that a contractor would have talked us into doing something more expensive to avoid dealing with those issues. Since we were doing the work ourselves we decided that some of these things would just have to be what they are and we would chalk it up to being a charming quirk of our old house. We started by finding the high point in the kitchen and working out from there. Fortunately, it was where the corner cabinet sits so that made it a little easier. We used it and drew a level line around the area to match our cabinets to. A few adjustments and shims made it all come out right. The slow parts came when we had to cut out vent holes, drain holes, water lines, ect. It took us all day to get the bank of cabinets in under the sink and around to the refrigerator. Mr. FixIt is such a hard worker and so very attentive to details. At times I would just say, "It's good enough" but not him. He pushes through to get it right. As I stood back surveying the day's work I could breathe deep and smile.

The post on the right had to be worked around.

The room is looking big again.

Oh, how I have missed having a stove. This one
is not hooked up yet but the promise is there.

I went to sleep quite happy; tired, but happy.

Sunday we spent the day with our church family. The weather was beautiful. The weatherman on the news had told us all week that we would have rain but God had different plans. After the service we spent the afternoon at a nearby house grilling, talking, and enjoying the sunshine. A day of rest, worship and fellowship is always a good thing.

We were expecting to have the electrician in to finish his work on Monday or Tuesday but an email Sunday night informed us that his father had died, unexpectedly. Our little project can wait. It is just a reminder that our time here has an end date and none of us know when that is.

Monday night Mr. got home around 4:30PM. We had a quick dinner and were back in the kitchen by 5PM or so. The next bank of cabinets went much easier as there were no cutouts to be done. We pushed through and by 9PM our cabinets were in...... and.... exhale.

All the boxes that have been sitting in my living room and front room for the past month are now empty, their contents rightly placed and looking awesome! I can reclaim my living spaces and clean stuff. That is where we sit for now. Now we can have the countertop templates done. They cannot come in until June 3rd. I will have to find something to do with myself until then and you know I do have plans. I'll post pictures!