Kitchen, tile counters and backsplash wall

Here's how the kitchen tile turned out on the counter tops.  We went with an epoxy grout and while this looks really nice I don't think I'll have tile counter tops again.  You can also see our way cool cork flooring!  I wondered how this was going to hold up in a potentially wet area but so far it's been great going on a year and half.

I built the backsplash and assembled and installed all the cabinets.  Steve helped with some of the assembly but when it came time to hang them on the wall it was all on me.  Did I mention old houses aren't level or plumb?

The white backsplash is a set of shelves where we store books, maps, games, and other things we like to have handy at the dining table.  This photo doesn't show the shelves but they're there in later posts.

kitchen countertops

Kitchen countertops were a huge discussion/decision.

Formica or similar would be cheap & relatively simple, but easy to tear up and if we every decide to rent out could be a constant maintenance item.

Didn't consider Corian or granite, but Silestone was tops on my list. Good looking & very durable, in fact, practically indestructible...but also expensive.

Last option considered was tile, durable & moderate in cost.

Weighing in on all these options, besides cost & maintenance, was the problem of getting the countertop installed.

The standard solution to use Home Depot/Lowes for installs (formica & Silestone) wasn't simple. Although both chains are just some 20-30 miles away, that distance is over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) which is a 17-mile span over the bay & a cost of $12.00 one way. And at the time we were lining up a countertop install neither chain would cross the bridge. In fact, both chains directed us to Salisbury, MD...well over 90 miles away.

In the end, we decided to go with tile & have ClayWerks do the install. Virtually painless, and since they did such a stellar job on the upstairs shower, it was a given they we'd have them do the tile work in the kitchen.

Getting work done on the Eastern Shore has been a challenge.

gearing up for another working weekend

making lists & setting up for, maybe, the last big working weekend. mostly finishing projects from here on out. paint touch-ups, cabinet knobs, hanging light fixtures. Clay Werks installed the countertops (tile) this week, looking forward to seeing how it looks. appliances still have to go in and the rest of the cork floor installed on the main floor, then baseboard...but it's really close.

the end in sight

J---:
Starting last year I have been working on our own little project on the Chesapeake Bay.

Things are beginning to take final shape and we can see the end of the major work in sight within the next month or so. We only have first level flooring, kitchen countertops, and trim molding on the first level to complete our project. We'll be converting our construction loan to a mortgage and will then be able to throttle back on the pace of our efforts. We'll be taking care of some remaining details in a more leisurely pace.

After all, ours is a very simple house built for what was at the time a lower class citizen. The finishes were simple without a lot of detail (1x trim, for instance, instead of beaded moldings) and that's helped us keep ahead of this race with the one year construction loan. I'm building furniture to put in our house but it's not the same scale project as a renovation/restoration. At least it'll help keep my head in the game.

With the end in sight it's almost bittersweet. I've really enjoyed watching how our efforts transformed an empty shell to a real home. It's been a good first outing. I've wanted to do a project like this for 25 years.

The day will soon come when my sawhorses will be folded until the next batch of trim needs to be painted, the ladder will once again hide in the garage. Paint brushes will get the final cleaning, etc. So it will be a sad thing and a happy thing when I pack up my chop saw and air nailer for the last time and bring them back to my home in Northern Virginia. I'm not quite sure I'm looking forward to the end.