Are we there yet?

 I can confidently say that we have finished the majority of our renovation project. The only things that remain unfinished include; painting the trim and some of the doors in the house. The kitchen and dining area are now done. We have been cooking up a storm for a few months. The Schonbek chandelier is my favorite part of the entire renovation.

Ryan and I made the frame around the flat screen TV out of decorative crown molding that we purhcased from Home Depot.

Once a Tree

Today we had a large cedar tree removed from our backyard. The tree was healthy and would have made a great addition to a park or large property. In our yard the tree took up so much valuable space. Now that the tree has been removed we can focus on how we would like to landscape our back yard. We will be adding more plants and trees to the yard. They will be appropriate sizes for our city lot.

Finishing details

Our contractor has started installing the back splash tile that we selected. The tile is a taupe color and they are being installed in a subway pattern. We were considering installing a smaller similar tile which had some color variation but we found it to be to busy. This tile has basic color, style and pattern which allows the other elements of the kitchen design to stand out.

Overall we are pleased with our selections. We purchased our tile from Tile & Stone Factory Outlet in Burnaby, BC. The faucet we purchased from Home Depot. We purchased the Hansgrohe Metro High-Arc Pull-Out Kitchen Faucet, Chrome. It looks stunning against the KOHLER Vault 18-gauge single-basin dual mount Stainless steel kitchen sink which we purchased from Lowe's. The counter tops are Caesar stone quartz in Nuggat (6600) which is part of the Classico collection.

Home on the "Range"

Bad jokes aside, we have recently installed our Blue Star range (RCS - Residential Culinary Series). We have not yet hooked up our plumbing so our kitchen is not yet fully operational. Our sink, dishwasher, fridge water line and ice maker have not yet been hooked up. Besides some trim work and back splash tile, those are the only items needed to complete the kitchen renovation. We are counting down the days until this project is done and we can use our kitchen (and the rest of the house)

www.bluestarcooking.com

KitchenAid® Pro Line™ Series refrigerator

Yesterday we received delivery of our KitchenAid® Pro Line™ Series refrigerator Base Model: KFCP22EXMP and KitchenAid® Pro Line™ Series dishwasher Base Model: KUDE40FXSP. Both items have been installed but still have the plastic protective layer in place.
(see photo below)

Our contractor has installed new floor tile, crown molding and paint in the half bathroom. Ryan and I installed the vanity, sink and tall cabinet that we purchased from Ikea. (LILLÅNGEN SERIES ) We also installed the faucet in the half bathroom (Pfister Vega faucet in chrome)
(see photos below)

Progress is a good thing

In the past few weeks we have seen some progress on our home renovation project. The kitchen cabinets have been installed, our new Caesar stone counter tops have been installed. The whole thing is starting to take shape. At this point the floors have been uncovered. They were installed months ago but we had them covered to prevent them from being damaged.

Wall paint: Benjamin Moore™ Revere Pewter.

Slow progression

Our renovations are moving along slowly. When I say slowly, I mean really really slow. We are getting more and more frustrated as each day goes by. It seems like a constant struggle between us and our contractor. At this stage we have some cabinets installed in our kitchen. We have been measured for counter tops. Our appliances have been ordered and are ready for delivery (as soon as our kitchen is ready for them). I will say that the quality of the work is good. I just really wish we could have a kitchen to cook in. Is that too much to ask?