{renovate} stove fan and the to-do list

Apparently we're in a very unglamorous stage of our kitchen remodel. Because much like finishing trim, today's update is about the nitty-gritty details. But, this detail is exciting! 

Our kitchen has never had a fan. It's kind of gross when you think about it, and I can't even count the number of times we've practically smoked ourselves out of the house. Before we'd even decided whether to do a full or partial remodel, we knew we needed two things to make our house more attractive to potential buyers (you know, down the line): a dishwasher and a fan. The dishwasher has been in for awhile and as of this week of have a functioning fan! :)

When we picked our stove top, we chose to have a downdraft fan, instead of an overhead fan.

But to make this bad boy work, many holes were cut and quite a bit of piping was laid. The perk of having an unfinished basement, as you'll see in the next photos, is that this was quite a bit easier to accomplish than it would've been if we actually had a ceiling downstairs. So, where exactly does that pipe go?

All the steam from our stove is now routed out the side of our house. How great is that?? I'm pretty sure cutting a hole through the house AND the siding was not one of my lovely husband's favorite activities to date, but we're both so glad it's done.

So where does that leave us? I keep hinting that we're close. And, we are. This weekend we sat down and made a VERY detailed list of everything we have left to complete. I haven't been sharing many lists with you here during the remodel because, quite frankly, lists were overwhelming me so I stopped making them. But now that we're finishing up, we want to make sure we don't miss any of the little details. Here's where we're at: 

Cabinets:

- Install two remaining fronts

- Fix alignment

- Install hardware in the hallway

- Cover hole under range

- Install end cap next to fridge

Trim:

- Caulk

- Fill holes

- Paint

- Windowsill extension

- Attached dishwasher trim

Tile:

- Grout 

- Seal

Counter:

- Install counter extension leg

- Paint under counter extension

Other:

- Fill three holes in wood floor

- Fix metal trim under oven

My goal this weekend is to make a major dent in that trim category. Chris' goal is to make a major dent in the cabinet category. Go team!

I hope you all have a super fantastic weekend! :)

{renovate} kitchen cabinets, hardware and appliances

Um, it looks like I owe you a HUGE kitchen update! We looked at the pantry and the nook during December, but I completely forgot that the last time you saw the actual kitchen we still didn't have cabinet doors or a stove top. I was all set to tell you about our trim and all the work I've been doing caulking, but let's take a look at more than that, mmmkay?

Let me assure you, the kitchen has been functional since the beginning of December. Yah! All appliances are hooked up and all the boxes are unpacked and moved in. It's absolutely wonderful. So let's take a look at progress and then I'll tell you what's left. Hint: not a lot!

Stove top.

The game changer. This was the last appliance we installed and also happens to be one on I use the most. So, it was an exciting day :). We do need to hook up the fan, which pops up from the middle there, and that's why there's no doors on that cabinet. But fan or no fan - I can cook again!

Cabinets.

All the cabinets are installed! With the exception of those two doors, above. You can see we even have a door to conceal the dishwasher (to the left of the sink), which is just fabulous.

I've mentioned before, but the cabinets are IKEA's Adele. We just love them and are super happy with our choice.

Hardware.

We agonized over this decision, but am so in love with what we chose. I REALLY wanted a bin pull, but wanted to mix it up a little. I really like that the shape of these bins is just a bit more modern. All the hardware on the bottom cabinets are Restoration Hardware's Duluth pulls.

The upper doors - all four of them - are sporting RH's Ephram knob.

Trim.

We're so close to finishing up the trim. As you saw in the first photo of the post, we need to trim out the window. Other than that? A tiny bit of quarter round in the nook!

It makes SUCH a huge difference to have trim - even when it isn't painted. The whole space just looks so much more polished. I'm working on caulking and then we'll paint it up!

Chairs

Last update. A lot of you know that I've also been agonizing about our stools. We bought the ones we loved, only to learn that the were actually bar height - and we needed counter height. We thought about returning them, but then my incredible talented husband cut/welded about four inches off the bottom and now they're perfect! Seriously, you can't even tell they used to be taller and I'm so happy I didn't have to find something else!

What's left.

- TILE. Yep, that's a biggie.

- Stove fan installation.

- Trim: window, caulking and painting.

- Install last two cabinets.

See? See how close? It's nice to have the end in sight. And luckily, we're both really sick of working on this so we'll be busting out these last tasks over the next few weeks.