She Said

What can we say? Living in the Canadian Rockies was breathtakingly beautiful. We will never, ever regret having lived there. But, sometimes, stuff happens. And suddenly you’re whisked back to eastern Canada and loving that, too!

We’re now relatively settled in a lovely house in a great neighbourhood (save the gossipy neighbours) with a super yard for our three crazy four-legged “kids”.

But then, you know, you start looking around at the kitchen.

And there’s not all that much wrong with it, I guess…. When I had my rose-coloured glasses on, I thought, “Hey, not bad!”. But when we came back for our second viewing, I put on my dirt-coloured glasses. And there really aren’t all that many drawers. And if you can possibly imagine the contents of my kitchen drawers, well, I can’t live without drawers. There’s one bank of 9″ drawers and one bank of 11-1/2″ drawers. There’s also a desk where there could be more pantry. And the configuration is a U-shape which cuts off access to upper corner cabinets. And there are only 1 1/2 sinks. And the stove was electric…. You might see where this is going….

I say “was” because we decided from the outset that we wanted to get new appliances (so we excluded them from the deal — big mistake!! – read on!!), including a gas range. But then *a* gas range became, oh, perhaps, a 36″ 6-burner Viking… with a new hood fan. And that would only require moving the fridge… to another wall. This would mean having to remove the peninsula….

At first, we thought we could just go to a company called Canac (builder’s choice) to get some more of the original cabinetry; they were totally decent, except for the hardware. But, of course, the stain had been discontinued. Well, I could just paint them — I wasn’t completely in love with the stain, anyway. “Oh, *no*; you’d be completely devaluing your kitchen — that’s good wood”. The rep proceeded to try to sell me on redesigning and buying all new cabinetry. Well, guess what? If I’m going to redesign and buy all new, it won’t be with you, Canac! See ya!!

So now, we’re looking at new appliances *and* new cabinetry. Which, of course, requires new countertops. No problem — they’re not *the* nicest I’ve ever seen. What’s nicer? Oh, maybe Silestone? The only thing that keeps me from barfing over the price is the fact that it’s an ecofriendly option, since it recycles glass. It’s also antimicrobial, whereas granite is, supposedly, not. Corian, apparently, can scratch. So, we’re feeling okay, so far.

Oh, but did I mention the tacky ceramic tile on the floor? Slate would be *much* better (actually, that was He Said’s choice, and I’m okay with that!). But wait… we might as well have matching backsplash!!

So, our minor reno has turned into a full-on gutting of the kitchen. But, of course, it has yet to begin. The problem is, as mentioned, we had excluded the old appliances in the negotiation process. So meanwhile, we have bought a bar fridge (we already own a small cube freezer) and a kickass barbeque. Good thing it’s still summer; it’ll be *practically* like camping — except for the tent and the hard ground! And the bugs and the bears! And no running water or showers! So really, it’s all good!!

I met with a kitchen designer at least 5 times. Between removing the existing cabinetry and flooring, then installing everything from scratch, it looks like it’ll be about 8 weeks to get it all done. That is: start in like 7 weeks and it’ll be all done in 5 to 10 days, save the countertop (they’ll put in a temporary one, in the meantime). And the backsplash has to come last. Oh, wait: can’t put in the new hood fan until the backsplash is in.

So here we sit, unable to fully unpack the kitchen because there’s no point. With no stove, oven, microwave or full-sized fridge. Other than the barbeque, bar fridge and cube freezer, we do have a toaster oven and a steamer. Oh! And a cooler. And somewhere, in a box in the garage, we have a camp stove.

Our new mantra? You’ve already heard it: Good thing it’s still summer!! This is the beginning of our tale of the renovation that will henceforth be remembered as all-barbeque, all-the-time. And the rock-on barbeque itself! And the recipes that will develop as a result! And our kitchen reno and all the decisions that pertain to it. Read along as we document it all, and don’t be shy – ask questions and make comments along the way!!

Enjoy!

~One of Seven