Work Has Begun!

I’ve reached that point that most do in their renovation where I’m wondering if I’m spending too much money. I’ve ordered my cabinets, my appliances and my flooring. I’ve purchased and installed the tile in my laundry room and fireplace surround. And it’s been painful to write all those checks! But, I know it’s going to be such an amazing transformation and worth every penny.

I put together a comprehensive to-do list and recorded all the benchmarks on my Google Calendar so I stay two steps ahead of each trade. The list is long, but I’ve already completed the first two.

• Install Tile in Laundry and Fireplace Surround {DONE}

• Electrical Work - Install New Lighting & Move Outlets {DONE}

• Install New Fireplace Mantle and Built-In Cabinet

• Demo Bar Top and Wall in Kitchen

• Cabinet and Flooring Demo

• Install Wood Flooring

• Appliances and Plumbing Fixtures Delivered

• Cabinets Install and Counters Measured

• Painting

• Counters, Appliances and Faucet Installed

• Backsplash Installed

Let’s talk LAUNDRY! I had not planned to do too much to my laundry room, but once I saw the new tile floor in I knew I had to paint. Then, once I painted I realized I didn’t want to put that stupid wire shelf back up. So we are going to re-use a section of my kitchen cabinets above my washer and dryer. Having that closed storage will be a huge change. I’m also going to install some fun art and wall hooks. Simple, functional and pretty! Here is what it looks like today with more changes coming soon.

These photos aren’t pretty, but they are progress and that’s what a renovation is all about. Each week (or day) you want to see some progress. I love my fireplace tile and the new mantle will be installed next week. We were also able to simplify all the outlets in my kitchen. They were so many back there, including a cable and telephone, so this change will keep the new tile backsplash as clean as possible.

The change that made me the happiest is the new chandelier over my breakfast room table. Let there be light! Beautiful light with gold and acrylic. I’m going to raise it up just a little bit. It’s the same height as my old one, but because it’s bigger - it should be a little higher. I also had the electrician change out all my recessed cans into LED ones and remove the ceiling fan in my kitchen.

I can’t end an update without talking budget. My tile installation ended up being a little more ($50) because of adjustments made to my laundry sink. We had some tile left over, so when I returned that, it ended up being a wash. I’m waiting on the invoice from the electrician, but I’m sure my estimated costs will be in line with the final bill. I’ll share more detailed numbers in my next post, but my you can check out my last update to see what I’ve spent so far. It’s a lot!

Thanks for Reading!

Jennifer