Finishing Touches

I don't want to mislead you so don't think that we are actually finished the kitchen.

But we have gotten some things far enough that we have put on some finishing touches. First off are some outlet covers, which always make a wall look finished. I have been able to put up three of them since I got the painting done last night.

I thought finishing the painting meant that we could move the fridge in (Troy hooked up power this past week in case I hadn't written that yet) but Troy wants to finish the edge of the counter there first. Makes sense. I know he is itching to do the last of the Formica so I'm sure it will be getting done soon.

One thing that may hold it up is that I would really like Troy to drill all the holes for my pulls and handles. I have prepped the kitchen with marks on all the drawers and doors:

Yes, this is something I could probably do and would do if there were no Troy. But I am scared of marring these brand new cupboards. I trust Troy to do a better job.

Another thing I did to prep was unwrap all the handles we will need:

I still love them and can't wait to see them on the cabinets! And once they're on, I'll be getting serious about moving stuff into the kitchen from the dining room, upstairs storage and the appliance room. How great will that be.

Troy put the grate over the range fan:

I'll be tiling around it so that it will be flush with the tiles, not mounted above them. You can see the mechanics through the grill--if it really bothers us, Troy said he could paint it black inside. Meanwhile we'll try it like this. I think it's not very noticeable from further back:

and we still have the valance to install which will block some of the view as well.

What's up next? Let's look at the punch list from November:

• one more coat of mud on drywall that will be painted
• seal joint between walls and ceiling
• close upper insulation holes
• prime drywall
• finish electric hookups
• buy plywood for shims and counters
• shims below cabinets
• install base cabinets
• install oven including converting it to propane and connecting the propane
• install dishwasher
• install plywood for countertop
• tile back splash
• apply laminate to countertop [1/3 done]
• install sink
• inventory insulation and purchase more as necessary
• install ceiling joists and insulation on west half
• build partial wall for cabinet above fridge
• install upper cabinets
• install oil stove

Wow, looking at that list, we should be just about done! But in addition to the couple of things left from that list, we also have:

• trim counters
• install ceiling lights
• install under cabinet lights
• install range light (& buy range light)
• covers on outlets/switches
• install handles
• install fillers in cabinet gaps
• install valance and corbels
• curtains
• make dividers for large cutlery drawer

That should get us pretty close to the point where we will be taking a break from the kitchen. Or Troy will be. I have a feeling I'm going to be unpacking kitchen stuff, cleaning and organizing for a long while. (Not that I'm complaining.)

Time to go...might be taking some time to put up some Christmas decorations today (finally).