Life at Turtle Knoll

Hardware & Lighting

It's actually all coming together... no joke!! This week various people have been in and out working on all the finishing pieces. Changing doors out, hardware on new doors, hardware on cabinets, new lighting, grout, final coat of paint, microwave put in. This will be my final post before I do a full reveal! I know I've said it, it's freakin amazing! They joked that the photographer is scheduled for this afternoon to take pictures for print! My favorite was Monday morning when the cabinet maker and the guy that did the first part of the work, Chris, walked in and were dumbstruck! I overheard them say "Whoa, this place looks incredible." It's certainly been a journey. I started to come apart at the seams this week. Sheer exhaustion. Over the weekend we can live somewhat normally, cook a little, leave the coffee maker out, leave our dishes out. Come Monday morning it has to all be packed up and put away again. I just said to Mark "I think what I'm looking forward to most is leaving my coffee on the counter and having it be there every morning when I come out."

Here is a picture of what we've been living with in the dining room. Poor Rosie has learned the old adage "look, don't touch." She walks around saying "It's Mahks. Do not touch." I have really tried not to yell at her because it isn't her fault that all of the stuff is there. She is curious, she wants to know what it is. Of course it's dangerous, dirty and all that other good stuff!

We have gotten a little accustomed to using all the empty space; i.e. playing ball in the kitchen or letting her climb thru the empty cabinets. As this comes to an end, she's going to have to get used to some more changes. 'Mahk' won't be here every day, it will be quiet, and the cabinets will be filled and child proofed!

I mentioned the doors a while ago. We have not had hardware on them since they were installed about 2 months ago. That's been fun keeping Rosie out too. She is older, she can climb, she can see things on my craft desk and want to get to them. Which, of course, I do not want her to! This is something I have long been waiting for! None of the old door knobs worked. I can now close my craft room door!

Finally... a sneak at what the finishing touches look like! I am so in love with the hardware! We're working on the lighting a little still. Without the big globe light over the sink, there is a low light place by the DR. All the workspaces have plenty of light, it's the overall light is still too low for me.

Seeing the finishes

When I post that we're almost done, I think I might see a finish line. Yet I don't get my hopes up. Mark is ready to move on to another project. This is the part that he's good at, that he loves, the creative part. Putting up the tile, painting. And he's rocked it! Again, just going to want to live in my kitchen!  I've had to make color decisions this week, my least favorite part. Picking paint and grout colors. I have to go in with definitive colors in mind.

He started working on the sink side first. Got up on the counters and did over the sink. It really defines that side of the kitchen, makes a statement!

Here is a look at the tile behind the sink with a sample of the paint that I picked out. You may ask "how did you pick out the paint color?" Well, that's a funny story! I love the paint that I picked for Rosie's room and our back hall. I thought I was just going to do the hall paint in the kitchen because it had a great brown and grey tint that would bring out those colors in all the textures I've chosen. Having to choose again, go through all the samples, was just something I didn't want to do. I love color but that process stresses me out. I had Tina come help me. She got out all the paint samples and started combining them! From there we came up with a color that carries greys in certain areas and brown in others. Mark loved it, then shook his head at how we came up with it! I went to Sherwin Williams and had the paint mixed, and I LOVE IT! Even the contractor on the job commented that it was a nice complimentary color.

One of the elements of the kitchen that I have been waiting a very long time to see is how the tile looks behind the stove and in my corner! Oh man it did not disappoint! I cooked a little last night and I felt like I was in some cool Italian kitchen! It's so pretty!

Mark is working hard to finish the tile. He had lots of little areas that needed tile cutting. I picked a grey grout that he should get to early next week. The carpenter comes in Monday to put hardware on and set the cabinet doors properly. The lights are also going up on Monday. We really are in the 'finishing' stages of this! I think by next weekend I'll be bringing in boxes and saying "hi" to some old friends in the form of kitchen utensils, cooking ware, plates, platters and all that other stuff I have accumulated over 20+ years!!

 

Doors & shelves

A quick post with the cabinet doors and shelves being installed. We're getting there! Electrical work was started too. You can see the under cabinet lighting that was added on the sink side. Other 'unseen' electrical work was done, prepping for dishwasher install and the microwave above the stove!

Here is a full view of the kitchen with nothing on the counters - which I secretly love and would keep if it was at all practical! My girlfriend, Fran, told me when this started that I was going to want to just exist with empty countertops. She was right! Makes the kitchen look so big.

A closer look at the corner with the stove and the pocket door stained. Unfortunately I think the pocket door will have to be replaced because there are 2 splits in the wood.

Finally... I sound like a broken record, THIS PIECE BLOWS MY MIND!!! Mark added the shelves and doors yesterday. It makes our DR look so big.

Exciting stuff happening this week! New lighting, finishing molding on the cabinets, painting might even start! And in the basement I've started to organize the laundry room.

Not done yet

Yah, in the last post I was hoping another week to week and a half. Which puts us about now. Not done yet! No sink for 2 weeks, barely any counter space to put a sandwich together, but we're surviving. We now have more of those amenities. Rosie and I finally came home on the 8th. Sadly not being able to watch our beloved Patriots win the best Superbowl of them all with Daddy. That was tough too. We stayed away so Mark could really focus on getting the new hutch all done and all the cabinet bases. He has set up a workspace offsite that has better heat and air flow to encourage better drying for the cabinet doors and drawers.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was this masterpiece! It looks like it's been a part of the room. I couldn't be more pleased.

The day before Valentine's we got the faucet back! Mark installed the cabinet doors and drawers on the sink side. The lineup of the faucet not with the window is something that will probably always bother me, but the faucet needed to be in the middle. I am happy that I changed my mind from having it over to the right. The counters, cabinets and stainless all look so beautiful together!

Finally a look at how the stove side is looking. I love the new cabinet! I'm working on the 'office space' details. I truly feel that I have so much more working space!

We have counters!

I am seeing an end... albeit still probably another week to week and a half, but it's there! Rosie and I spent another week away while Mark (the painter) did all the sanding and started to work on the staining. It is great when I've been away for several days and can get home to see changes. It's a slow process - the staining is a 3 step process that need to dry in between. The big  thing that is done is all the cabinetry work. All the drawers have their fronts, the doors were all up (before being taken down to be stained) and any last adjustments that needed to be made to the existing cabinets. This means that Mark can work his magic! The first thing that I saw on walking in was the first coat of stain on our new doors - they are so beautiful, I'm so in love!! You can see that below with the existing tall cabinet sanded down.

Before leaving again to let Mark finish the magic, I got to see the counters being installed! My sidenote here is that I loved our old sink. But there was no way to keep it. Thankfully it's going to a new home where I know it will be well loved and appreciated! These guys were awesome, very professional and fast. First is the view on the stove side with the new cabinet. The lines are so clean, I love it!

Here is a look at the other side. I am going to do some work on the refrigerator so it doesn't look so worn down. That will happen when I can finally stay put and work in the house! It's a lot of counter space! I spent the whole night that they went in having a 'lovefest' with them! When the painting and tile is done, I think I'm going to spend a day or two just looking at it all with nothing to clutter! We're adding under cabinet lighting on this side.

One fun feature that was uncovered when the old counter was removed, was this really nice edge that can be seen with the new counters. Instead of a plain, plywood edge, it's got detail. I was so excited! Mark is sanding it down and making it look nice.

Once again my lil lady and I took off for Byfield. At least on this trip Grandma & Grandpa are back from California so I'm not running solo; and most important, I get a day with my friends tomorrow! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worn down from all of it. Watching Skip at the same time was hard. Rosie just loves him, he's an easy target for her! He doesn't growl or bite, loves all the treats she gives him and tolerates her.

Holy WOW...!!

Kitchen renovations are fully under way. It's actually becoming a reality! Months of planning, angst over packing up all our crap, picking out all kinds of fun items... it's a reality! They showed up the morning we were leaving with some of the pieces that they had been working on, and with one of the 2 guys that is doing all the 'hard' labor!

First it was a total whirlwind getting the last of our stuff out of the kitchen. I had held on to the basics - fry pans, plates, utensils, Rosie stuff and snacks. We were able to cook all of last week. Tuesday I spent getting it all out and preparing the spaces that we are going to use throughtout the house. It's so hard because little fingers want to touch everything, and she doesn't miss a trick! Her high chair is in the LR, with a shelf of basics. My goal is to get through it without her getting injured! I escaped with her to my parents house for the remainder of the week. I wish we could be here next week too, but they are going to California and we have appts. It's going to be so stressful.

Before we left I had a glimpse into some of the new pieces... oh my goodness. MIND BLOWN. I have been so excited to get the new pantry piece. I have lots of platters and other pottery that I would love to display. Just to have a place where I can decorate. Change things up through the seasons and holidays. For years I've been wanting to put shelves in the DR above the side board I inherited from my parents. I never  dreamed that I would get the whole thing - display shelves AND 'pantry' space....having a place to put the odd shaped items - i.e. cereal boxes. I had no idea that it would be ready so quickly. I seriously had tears in my eyes when I saw it all together...

The top part has adjustable shelves, then there is a beautiful butcher block counter - at one point we had talking about granite there too, so glad I said no - 2 drawers and then more adjustable shelves behind the doors. I was going to do sliding baskets instead of one door, but decided that I could adjust the shelves and get baskets that I wanted. It will be stained to look like it's always been there.

As I have also talked about, very excited to lose the washing machine in the kitchen and get a new base cabinet, that will also house our trash which has been out in the open. They brought that in too!

 

Again, speechless!! This will be set up as a 'mommy' office. They'll close up the hook-ups and make it all seamless. At the end we are going to paint chalkboard so Rosie can draw.

The final piece they brought in is a small, or skinny cabinet, where I will be able to put baking sheets and other skinny items. It's going on the very end next to the wall, the dishwasher will be to the right.

Since we've been gone, a lot has happened. They have started to adjust some of the upper cabinets, install doors. It's still going to be 2 weeks. I will find some way to survive with my 2 yr old and my parents 16 yr old dog!!

 

Kitchen Reno: Coutertops & Backsplash Tile

We're getting there! I've been having fun pulling together the design pieces. I was very overwhelmed by  this part of the process... it's pretty permanent! What if I don't like what I pick?! I'm not one that spends a lot of time thinking about 'what if's' in the sense that I didn't spend much time dreaming about a kitchen. To me it's wasted energy over something that may never happen. Then I get sad! Lol. But... I did have an idea of what I would want if I ever got the chance. My friend, Tina, found a tile site where you could order samples cheap. I had an idea that I wanted to incorporate our brick accent wall, carry that into the kitchen. I picked out 6 or 7 samples that arrived very quickly! Right away 3 were out! Previously I had visited a kitchen show room where I got granite counter samples. I thought I was going to want a lighter counter with browns. Just as I was walking out I grabbed one more sample, which of course is the one I chose! It has the browns but also has grey which will highlight the stainless steel appliances. Here are the options I narrowed it down to:

This is a back splash that I've been seeing around. The glass makes a room almost shine. It's offered in a variety of colors. I wanted to see what I thought, it's a little too 'modern' for me so I discarded it.

This is one of two that I ultimately narrowed it down to. I loved the character in this option. That really cool metallic piece w the beautiful vine really enticed me. The middle row has a glitter glass look that I know will make a room open up.

Here is the other option I narrowed it down to. I love the brick feel, which will bring our two rooms together. This also has the glitter glass-like tiles that cause light to bounce and shine. This option also had the browns and grey to tie in the stainless steel and wood cabinets.

I spent days deliberating and had everyone chiming in with their thoughts. Both of these options had real positives. Ultimately I chose the last one. The other one was light and I felt like it was very similar to the coloring we have now. I just love the rustic feel with the various colors. I didn't waste any time ordering the tiles, which arrived very quickly! I love it so much! I can't wait to spend a weekend with Tina, who has graciously offered to help me tile! I think we're going to do stainless steal behind the stove.

 

The road to making this a big girl house!

My dear friend, Jenner, and I joke often that someday we'll have 'big girl' homes! She and I have been friends for 7-8 years now and our paths have been eerily similar! This is the first post about renovations that are about to start in order to make this house look like it's no longer a fraternity! I've already spent years cleaning crap out, painting 2 of the bedrooms and giving myself a nice craft room! Not to mention a lot of infrastructure stuff that has been done and countless hours on the yard and gardens. Now for the decorating part. First big project: kitchen and dining room renovations!

You read correct, I'm getting a new kitchen!!! I have waited 8 years to say that about this house, but probably a good 25 years waiting until I could design my own kitchen! I love to cook. I love to make gifts in my kitchen to give others. I CAN NOT wait until I can do these things and much more.

Our house - the house that Keith bought in 1999 when he was 24 years old - was hand built by the original owner. It's a sturdy house. One floor - which suits me just fine, 3 BR, 1.5 BA, a decent sized LR w fireplace, a Kitchen and Dining Room area. There is also a full, unfinished, basement.  Most of the house is done in paneling. Not 70's/80's paneling, very nice wood paneling. I think that the original builder came up with the design on the paneling and planed it all himself.

With that said, and the property that our house is on, I decided that I wanted a rustic farmhouse kitchen. The DR is all paneling, incl the ceiling, so I wanted to keep that feel and make the 2 rooms feel more unified. I also like the lay-out of my kitchen. I have big cabinets and drawers where all of my pots & pans plus all the other kitchen stuff I have fit. I didn't want to get some cookie cutter cabinets that would ultimately result in me losing space. We called our contractor, Jeff, who has done most of the projects on our house. Right now he's working on the plan and I'm picking out all the fun stuff!!

Oh... and along with the kitchen, I'm getting a laundry room in the basement! As soon as you see the pictures, you'll see why! Our washing machine is in the kitchen... he's moving that downstairs and framing out a space for me where I hope to do laundry, keep ironing stuff and store off season clothes.

Here are pictures of the current kitchen. I didn't bother to neaten up because I wanted to get the full feel of the craziness that currently exists!! If this hadn't happened, I had an organization plan. My goal is create a small mudroom when you come in the back door for shoes and coats. Then have a mini 'office' space for mail, Rosie school stuff, bulletin board, chalk board, etc. in one part of the kitchen. Only time will tell if I pull it off!! Lol!

This is from the DR looking to the back door, which is on the left and the basement stairs are on the right.

Close up of the washing machine/ trash situation... also 'mouse way' as they come up from the basement where the washing machine attachment is... really looking forward to that getting closed! There will be a new cabinet put in here that includes trash/ recycling pull out. I'm kind-of thinking this is going to be the 'office' corner. I just requested that we take that upper cabinet down and have open shelves. You can also see that this is the doorway that leads to the rest of the house.

Here are pictures of the DR and an overall to get an idea of the full space. The DR has always been where crap gets dumped. Hoping we can end that. I would like new chairs for the table that fit better with the look I'm trying to achieve. The white shelf and that table are to go in our BR. I currently don't have pantry space so we've been using those. They are building a new pantry piece for me to have along the full wall and the side board will be moved under the windows.

I am hoping to post regularly so I have a record! Next up will be the counters and back splash. I am starting to feel like this is actually going to happen!!!