Building a Better Bungalow
The Frenchman came back on Friday and Monday to do the kitchen backsplash. As always, Frenchie was his delightful self; the man should have his own on HGTV or TLC or DSC or whatever channels cropping up this week with home renovation shows. Check out the pictures below and vive la différence!
Barring the backsplash tile and a little paint, the kitchen is done.
The countertops – a synthetic made of recyclable “green” materials known as RichLite – looks amazing on top of the cabinets. The above is our workstation (complete with Indiana photo on the computer monitor) where the network hub will sit. The keyboard is tucked away under the counter, and the computer is sitting in the far left cabinet.
Above shots show more of the finished RichLite countertops. They’re snugly fit between wall and cabinet, with a silicone solution sealing the spaces in between.
The dishwasher is finally installed, and will get a good workout this weekend when we wash all the dishes that have been accumulating for lack of a place to wash them. It’s just nice, however, to have a working sink in the kitchen. Hard to believe it’s been months!
The final piece went in this morning – the Bosch cooktop. It looks great and works even better; turning on each burner was easy and effortless. We couldn’t be happier. Pancakes for breakfast? You betcha!
We’re getting there. This past week, the construction crew came by and put the rest of the siding up. Now the house and the garage are completely covered. The French doors have also finally come in and have been installed; it’s a nice feeling to wake up and not see plywood!
All that remains to be done is to build some stairs and install the lights. No problem!
Meanwhile, the kitchen is as close as it can get until the countertops arrive. Since we’re home on the weekend, I thought we’d get some pictures of what the room looks like in the daylight. The Marmoleum is really beautiful and accents the wood cabinetry perfectly. It’s also easy to sweep for when a dog with dusty paws comes in from an hour of plumping in the sun!
There are a few accents I wanted to point out as well. The construction crew built some cool wood frames around the vents which complement the bungalow nicely. (You can also see one of our outdoor electrical plugs in this picture.)
Lastly, I did some clean-up in the backyard. The clover had really started to grow in, but 5 minutes with the lawn mower and 20 minutes raking leaves and Santa Ana wind detritus brought the backyard back into manageable shape.
The ovens have been installed! It’s such a teaser…we don’t have a working kitchen sink so it’s still hard to really cook…but these babies are awesome!
Oh yeah…and the kitchen floors have been installed! We used a product call Marmoleum. What? yes- Marmoleum! It’s basically what linoleum was in the early 1900’s- just like what would have been in the house! The color is called “Van Gogh.” The pics don’t do it justice…come over and visit!
Kitchen lights…
The french doors are finally in our bedroom! Handle installation pending- this is WAY better than the plywood that has been covering the doorway since we moved into the room!
