Chapter 4: 1/2 Bathroom Renovation

As I mentioned in Chapter 2 of the ½ Bathroom Renovation, we saved the vanity and marble countertop since both were in pretty good shape. The vanity just needed a couple fresh coats of Glidden’s Dove White semi-gloss paint, some new hardware and she’d be good as new again! And the marble countertop was simply stunning in my opinion. I was so happy we could keep these original elements from the home intact…or so I thought.

First, we had the fun challenge of trying to find a new white sink to replace the yucky original beige/tank sink. Of course the hole in the marble for the under mount sink was abnormally small that even a Lowe’s or Home Depot didn’t carry its size. Fortunately, Keith was successful in locating a random shop in Bridgeville that carried the size sink we needed. Whew!

So after I finished my one assignment out of this whole project (painting the vanity), Keith and Andy were ready to move it into the bathroom and secure the marble and sink on top. I happened to be productively watching some TV in the other room as they were doing this when I heard a loud CRASH!!!

I knew nothing good had happened so I just stayed put on the sofa and waited to hear the bad news that eventually would arrive. Yes, my lovely marble countertop broke in half. Definitely, the biggest disaster to happen in This Happy House to date.

Moment of silence please.

And with that, Keith and I ended up going to Home Depot and picked out a granite countertop for our vanity. And while I realize that granite is a completely wonderful option, I couldn’t help but be a little sad when we made the purchase. (I missed my marble!)

To add to the "luck" we were having with this project, the sink we already purchased was too small to reuse with the new granite so we had to buy another one. Ugh, a sting to the wallet since we couldn’t return the first sink after it was damaged when the marble broke. Sigh!

So basically, this whole ½ bathroom renovation wasn’t really going entirely as planned. I guess I should be thankful that this was the last bump in the road we hit during this project.

When the granite finally arrived I was happy - it looked great with the slate floor. And we all know that when mama’s happy, everyone is happy!

Stay tuned, I’ll make the big ½ bathroom reveal next!

Chapter 3: 1/2 Bathroom Renovation

So while we’re waiting on the granite to arrive for the kitchen, let’s take a break and go back to our ½ bathroom renovation.

The reason for my delay in posting this specific renovation saga is because I actually had very little involvement in this project. Hence, I have no idea what the heck I’m talking about. But my sweet hubby keeps ignoring my requests for the gory details so I must simply move along without him and apologize for the poor and brief synopsis moving forward.

So basically I left off with a completely empty bathroom – all the tile removed from the floors and walls – and my vision for what I wanted the new bathroom to look like once completed. You can catch-up on this project by reading Chapters 1 and Chapters 2…posted oh so long ago!

Afterwards, Keith and his brother Andy purchasing some drywall to try and repair the areas where the wall tile use to be. Apparently this was a difficult process (but probably a good learning experience since we have two full baths to renovate next year) because we kept the top portion of the bathroom walls intact since they never contained tile.

In order to mesh the two walls evenly together, there was a lot of mudding and sanding, mudding and sanding…then more mudding and sanding involved. Quite frankly, it seemed like it took longer than it should have. In hindsight, I think Keith and Andy would agree it would have been easier to tear out all the walls completely and start fresh. Oh well. Live and learn.

Next, we needed to replace the floors. Keith and I found slate tile on clearance at Lowe’s that seemed to be a good fit with my vision and Keith’s budget. Win/win!

Slate doesn’t really create the clean lines and smooth texture of ceramic so looking back, it’s kind of an odd choice since I feel I’m generally more drawn to clean lines. But there was something about the raw and natural texture of the slate that appealed to my senses for the ½ bathroom.

It’s probably a good thing I got my slate tile installed because Keith and Andy swear they will never do it again. The slate was EXTREMELY messy to work with and the tiles kept breaking. I thought boys liked to get dirty so I didn’t see the big deal. :o)

In the end, I think they did a great job! Stay tuned to read about the biggest renovation disaster in This Happy House history to date!

Chapter 13: Kitchen Renovation

Week 2 with Joe, Jim and Jimmy. At this point they are starting to feel like family, although Walter still barks like crazy when they arrive each morning. So embarrassing!

One thing we had going for us was the fact that our cabinets were delivered to our house the Friday before. We simply stored the boxes in our living room. (It’s times like these that I’m thankful that all the rooms in our house are not completely furnished yet).

So Monday morning the guys started hammering away – no need to stand around waiting on any delivery truck.

I was amazing at how fast and efficient they were!

Jim, Jim and Jimmy literally installed more than half of our cabinets after the first day!

When they came back the next day, they worked on the installing the rest of the cabinets and island, putting the hardware on the doors and drawers along with placing the molding between the cabinet top and ceiling.

Also, our appliances arrived so the guys helped hook-up the frig, microwave and dishwasher. I was slightly stressing the refrigerator would not fit through our 29 inch doorway. The frig doors had to come off and even then there was literally no room to spare. But, it did eventually make it into the kitchen. Minor disaster averted. Whew!

Joe, Jim and Jimmy only had to come back for a couple of hours on the third day to complete their work such as adding brackets to the island, installing electric to the island and adding the remaining hardware to the doors and drawers.

We really cannot thank them enough for their work, professionalism and expertise. They truly did an outstanding job! Keith and I literally didn’t have to worry or stress about a thing…well, except for maybe one minor miscommunication regarding the two corner cabinets with the glass doors (which haven’t arrived yet, but will be ready once the granite gets installed).

I thought the inside of the cabinets would be stained to match the outside since we requested clear glass. Unfortunately that is not the case. :o(

I was slightly bummed and frustrated, but I think we found a solution. First, I did like the idea of painting the backs of these two glass cabinets to match the paint color I pick for the walls. So part of the problem was solved. Jim then suggested they use extra molding trim to at least cover the front edge of the shelves. And I have to admit that it definitely looks better, but with the cabinets being so tall, you can still see the bottoms of the shelves and how it’s not stained. So I’m not entirely happy. The good news is that we can purchase stained shelves – an extra expense that I don’t think Keith is too crazy about, but I’m just going to have to work on him until he gives in….it eventually will happen. :o)

So besides the tiny miscommunication, Keith and I really have no complaints whatsoever. We would definitley recommend the J’s and Columbus Brothers to anyone.

I've got my fabulous open shelf!

Extra lighting under the cabinets!

A HUGE pantry with pull-out shelves to store and organize our food!

This handy-dandy trash and recycle cabinet!

And my island...sigh of happiness! What more could a girl want?!?!

Stay tuned because we’re coming to the final chapters of our kitchen renovation! But while we wait on the granite to arrive, I'll be wrapping up our 1/2 bathroom renovation project that I didn't finish tell you all about. Oops!

Chapter 12: Kitchen Renovation

Installing the hardwood floor in the kitchen signified the end of the DIY portion of the kitchen renovation. Now it was time to bring in the professionals. Yippee!

Our Columbus Brother contractors – Joe, Jim and Jimmy – first arrived to get started on patching the walls and ceiling where we removed the bulkhead, adding more electrical outlets (I only had two before) and to move the overhead light so it could be centered above the island.

Keith and I both wanted to add more lighting to the kitchen and I loved the idea of canister lights in the ceiling, but Keith felt this was an extra expense that could wait awhile. Lucky for me, the contractors convinced him it would be easier to install the canister lighting now while the ceiling was open and they wouldn’t charge us that much extra. Jackpot! So now our new kitchen will have 5 canister lights, plus a light above the island, plus lighting underneath the cabinets.

I love it…and so does Keith!

I also think Joe, Jim and Jimmy did an unbelievable job of patching the walls and ceiling where Keith and Andy removed the bulkhead. If they do as good of a job at installing our cabinets then I’ll be one happy camper. :o)

After Joe, Jim and Jimmy completed their tasks (took them only about 2.5 days) then they called in the ceiling expert to give our ceiling a nice textured look. While all the rest of the ceilings in our house are smooth surfaces, it was going to be hard to mimic that look with all the patching that had to be done to repair the missing bulkhead. I don’t mind the difference though – it’s very subtle.

So week 1 with the contractors was extremely successful. We’ve heard many horror stories about kitchen renovations gone wrong, but so far, we feel really good about our decision to work with Columbus Brothers.

Week 2 is going to be a BIG week because our cabinets get installed!!!!! Stay tuned!

Chapter 11: Kitchen Renovation

I’m not a fan of disorder and chaos in my home – or in life. And while I’ve had to slowly become accustomed to living with unfinished rooms since we moved into our home 9 month ago, I knew living without a kitchen for a few weeks was going to be the true test of my sanity.

You see, I view the kitchen as the heart of the home. I love the feeling of a full refrigerator, ice cream treats in the freezer and the week’s dinner menu taped to the frig (it’s the planner in me, what can I say). Keith can attest that when I don’t have these things, I tend to get cranky. And no one likes a cranky pregnant woman. :o)

But to get my new kitchen, I’d have to deal with this for awhile:

A refrigerator in our sunroom.

Pantry food, paper plates, plastic cups and utensils on a card table in our dining room.

Microwave on a TV tray in the dining room.

Dishes in the half bathroom closet.

Kitchen utensils in half bathroom vanity.

Pots, pans and bigger items stacked in the corner of our living room.

Trust me, this was no picnic. Although, speaking of picnic, I feel like we did eat a lot of picnic-type foods while our kitchen was out of commission, such as:

• Grilled hotdogs, hamburgers or grilled chicken
• Store-bought potato salad or chips
• Microwave veggies

Thank goodness we had the good sense to complete this kitchen renovation while we could still grill outside. And while it’s been nice not having to worry about cleaning pots and pans or loading/unloading the dishwasher, I have to admit this kind of life isn’t for me – or Keith. He certainly misses coming home after work to the smell of something good cookin’ in the kitchen. It will happen soon enough though. Patience truly is a virtue.

Stay tuned to find out what happens when our contractors make their first visit!

Chapter 10: Kitchen Renovation

The hunt for hardwood flooring was slightly a tedious process. We made a visit to Rusmer Flooring in Bridgeville one Saturday afternoon to have a look. They gave us a good deal a few months ago on an area rug for our master bedroom so we were hopeful we’d be lucky again with the hardwood.

I think I must have been feeling hormonal that day because I was more annoyed than usual by the fact that none of the sales associates approached us for help. Granted, I hate when I get approached in a department store for help, but for some reason I feel like a store like Rusmer should approach the customer no matter what. So because we didn’t get any help, I insisted we go home.

Feeling in a better spirits the following Monday, we headed back over to Rusmer to try again. And thankfully we had a totally different experience! Our sales associate was cute as a button and extremely knowledgeable about hardwood floors. We left the store with about 8 samples of different wood stains to see how they matched up to our current hardwood floor stain.

I wasn’t expecting a perfect match – I realize that is impossible. But I wanted to find a stain that was at least close enough where it would be a soft transition into the kitchen from the hallway and dining room. It’s amazing the stains we thought would be a good match in the store, but they turned out to not be even close when we got them home.

As a result, we headed back to Rusmer on Wednesday to turn in some of the samples and pick-up a few more. Afterwards, we also headed to Home Depot and Lowe’s to check out their hardwood options and pricing.

After 5 days of debate and moving the samples from one room to another at different times of day, we settled on Somerset's Natural stain. And true to fashion, Rusmer gave us a fair price.

The following weekend, Keith’s family kindly came to Pittsburgh for a visit to help install the floor. Having already installed hardwood flooring before, this project was easy peasy for the guys.

I have to say they did an EXCELLENT job.

I couldn’t be more pleased!

And just like I hoped, the stain we selected proved to be a soft transition between the rooms. Yes, it’s clearly not the exact same stain, but it’s not glaringly obvious that’s not. I think Walter even approves!

We’re getting closer to our new kitchen that I can almost taste it! And speaking of taste…stay tuned to find out what it’s like living without a kitchen for a few weeks.

Chapter 9: Kitchen Renovation

There is a war going on at this happy house and it’s between This Happy House vs. the garbage men. Let’s just say we never did get started on the right foot with our Wednesday garbage crew when we moved in. I feel like they disliked us from the start because the previous owners left mounds – and we mean MOUNDS – of trash on the curb for them to collect. We’re talking TV stands, furniture, etc.

So you may be wondering how the previous owner’s trash is our fault? Well, it really isn't. But we had already been living in our house for 2 weeks and the trash guys still hadn’t picked up any of the previous owners waste. We were definitely the neighborhood eye sore…and that’s a label you don't want when you’re a newbie to the street. We called countless times to check the status of the collection as did the previous owners. There was some dispute over whether or not they had to pay to have it removed.

In the end, the garbage men handled all the curbside trash. But let’s just say they were less than thrilled the following three weeks when we left our mounds of bundled carpet for them to remove. I think that’s when we officially became blacklisted.

Anything out of the ordinary that we wanted hauled away the trash guys would simply not collect from us. When we heard they still picked-up countless of random items from our neighbors we became suspicious – and slightly honked off!

Needless to say, after our kitchen demolition, we realized we needed to find another alternative to get rid of all the trash we now had lingering throughout the sun room, back yard, garage and basement…and yes, don't think we didn't realize what a trashy couple we had become.

For cabinet removal we decided to post on Craig’s List. Anyone wanting these 1965 gems could have ‘em for FREE! I believe it only took 5 minutes after the post went live before Keith’s phone started ringing off the hook. First caller wasn’t sure if she wanted them and couldn’t pick up the cabinets until the next day. We found a winner with the second caller who said, “Don’t sell them, I’ll be there today.” We were pretty darn pumped! Although we did feel bad having to gently let down the 30 additional callers we received that day.

So our buyer and his father pulled up in their beat-up truck later that afternoon. (I think the father was there only to supervise the situation and take a smoke break)

Keith and Andy both helped the buyer load the cabinets into the back of the truck seeing how his elderly father wasn’t really able to provide any assistance.

And miraculously, they fit all of our kitchen cabinets on the back of the truck and drove off into the sunset. We a good chuckle about the situation, but felt good knowing the cabinets were going to be re-used in a basement apartment the buyer was creating for his nephew.

As for the remaining “crap” we had lying around the house (tile, bulkhead, debris, etc.) we found a solution with Waste Management’s Bagster. As advertised, Bagster is essentially a dumpster in a bag. You can purchase the bag for $30 at Home Depot.

Then you simply dump all the trash that a normal collector wouldn’t accept and schedule a time for the Waste Management truck to come by and pick-up. It’s $100 for the pick-up, but the second bag is discounted at only $80. Genius!

Up next, installing the hardwood floor. Stay tuned!

Chapter 8: Kitchen Renovation

The decision to tackle the cabinet and bulkhead removal on our own was partially due to the fact that we wanted to save a few extra bucks and because Keith and his brother Andy wanted to flex their muscles! lol

I think the moment Andy heard we were ready for cabinet removal he was in his car, speeding to Pittsburgh. What is it about men and destruction? They all love the idea of grabbing a hammer and tearing something apart. I stayed clear of the testosterone except when I needed to snap a few photos of the boys in action!

Before Andy arrived though, Keith got some much needed help removing the ceramic tile from my brother-in-law Chad the weekend before. As mentioned in earlier chapters, we decided to replace the somewhat grimy tile with hardwood. Fortunately, the tile was already coming loose from the floor and it made the removal a bit easier…although since I wasn’t physically doing any of the removal I’m sure Keith and Chad would disagree.

Andy arrived on a Friday night to help Keith for the weekend and they immediately got to work. Seriously – they were excited like 10-year-old boys.

Much to all of our surprise, the cabinet and bulkhead removal was fairly painless and no roadblocks or catastrophes occurred. Whew!

Keith and Andy even found some hidden treasures from behind the cabinets!

And the June 1965 date stamped on the cabinets further proved how desperate this happy house was in need of a new kitchen upgrade. I mean, WOW! 1965 baby!

By the time Andy was ready to head back to Columbus on Sunday, our kitchen was officially empty. So sad! Keith and I both made the comment that there was no turning back now. Andy pointed out that we already paid for half of the cabinets already, but for some reason seeing our happy house without a kitchen made this big renovation commitment even more final – and real.

Stay tuned because there is so much left to do – removing waste, installing floor, cabinets and granite!

Chapter 7: Kitchen Renovation

So when Keith told me we needed to go kitchen appliance shopping one Saturday morning, I was actually a little less than thrilled. I’ve been excited about this entire kitchen renovation process, but finding appliances just didn’t seem like fun. Turns out, I was very, very wrong!

I’ve never gone shopping for a new frig, oven, microwave or dishwasher. I always just happily used what was provided in my apartments and in our first home without a thought to what I might be missing. Now I know I was missing a lot! All the cool features and functions of kitchen appliances these days are so new and amazing to me. And I pinch myself because I can’t believe that we are getting all four of these appliances – brand spankin’ new!

First, Keith and I decided to have a game plan before we went shopping. No surprise here – right? We decided that since there are so many different brands to select from that we should just pick two to look at and go from there. We selected Whirlpool and Maytag (later we realized Maytag is owned by Whirlpool – ha ha!). GE, Kenmore, LG, etc. are all great brands, but we knew they were most likely going to be slightly over our budget. Plus, we’ve had good experiences with Whirlpool and Maytag in the past so we decided not to fix something that wasn’t broken.

Being new to Pittsburgh, there is one consistent recommendation we’ve always kept hearing about – Bridgeville Appliances. Everything we heard about this local mom & pop shop that has been around for more than 60 years was extremely positive. And everyone said you can’t beat their prices or service. Luckily, we found all of this to be true!

Here’s what we picked: (all stainless steel of course!)

• Whirlpool Microwave. I think the microwave has me tickled pink the most because it functions as a true convection oven too! Now I’m especially glad that we didn’t decide to go with the double ovens in our kitchen design.


• Whirlpool Dishwasher. A close second in my happiness factor would have to be the dishwasher. Anything is a step up compared to what I’ve been using the past 9 months. This lil’ guy even has a pots and pans cycle.


• Whirlpool Range. So I originally wanted to go with a gas oven (I think oven hoods are so fab), but it would have been costly to get the gas line hooked-up for our kitchen. However, I know I’m going to love this flat top surface and SteamClean option for easy cleaning.


• Whirlpool Frig. I didn’t realize the refrigerator would be the appliance we’d have the most debate over. And it wasn’t necessarily a debate about the style of the frig because we both liked the trendy French Door style, but we were also completely fine with the standard Side-By-Side Door style as well. The debate was over the size. We basically learned there are two refrigerator sizes on the market – counter depth and full size. While counter depth (30 1/8 inches) is smaller, it costs an extra $1,000 more than a full size frig (35 ¾ inches). I know. This seems completely absurd to me too. But fashion is expensive and that’s basically what we’d be paying extra for. The look of the counter depth is more appealing than a frig that sticks out about 5 inches further from the edge of the counter. I wasn’t nuts about making a fashion faux pas, but Keith didn’t think $1,000 was worth it. Solution? We actually found a refrigerator almost in the middle of two sizes – with a depth of 33 ¾ inches to be exact. It only came in the Side-By-Door option so that pretty much solved our debate. I think I can live with the extra 3 inches….and I doubt anyone, but me ever notices.

So basically, I really enjoy my Saturday morning trip to Bridgeville Appliances. But now the hardwork was about to begin on our part...removing the cabinets and floor then installing the hardwood floor. All this would need to be done before Columbus Brother's could start on the installation. Sigh! Seems like the work never ends - right? Stay tuned!

Chapter 6: Kitchen Renovation

Whew – it’s finally decision time! Just to recap, we officially met and obtained quotes from three kitchen contractors – Home Depot, Columbus Brothers and Cabinet World. Home Depot was pretty much factored out of the equation immediately due to a lack of customer service. The decision then came down to Columbus Brothers and Cabinet World. Both had very similar pricing, but the comfort level and relationship we had built with the folks at Columbus Brothers far exceeded Cabinet World. We probably spent an additional 5 hours just talking with Columbus Brothers compared to Cabinet World. To us, the decision became pretty clear and apparent...Columbus Brothers won the job!

So off we went to yet another meeting with Columbus Brothers, but this time it was to finalize and place our order. Yay!

Here is what we finally settled on:

• Merillat Classic cabinets: Maple with Sedona stain, portrait style
• Amerock door hardware: Pull for the drawers and round knob for the doors
• Apex granite: Malubay style
• Island with brackets to support the granite – and enough space for 3-4 bar stools
• Stainless steel appliances (more on that soon!)
• One bowl, stainless steel sink with faucet
• The two corner cabinets will be glass
• The one shelf next to the frig will be open
• Hardwood floors (more on that soon!)

So if we reference back to my vision wish list back in chapter 1 of our kitchen renovation post, you’ll see that there are only three items that I’m not getting: white cabinets, pedestal legs for the island and a farm sink. And I’m probably only bummed about the farm sink, but I do have a practical side and realize this was a frivolous desire. I feel 100% certain that the dark maple cabinets are the right decision for our kitchen.

Now that we have that all settled, it's time to relax - right? HA! There is still a lot to do on our end as Keith opted to remove the cabinets, counter, appliances, bulkhead and floor on his own. Plus, we’ll be installing the hardwood floors ourselves (a.k.a. my hubby and his dad, grandpa and brother Andy…I’ll just supervise!) Stay tuned!

Chapter 5: Kitchen Renovation

So we’d been to Home Depot. Keith’s co-worker referred us to Columbus Brothers. Now it was my turn to get a recommendation for a third kitchen contractor. That’s how we found Cabinet World. My co-worker used Cabinet World for his kitchen remodel and was fairly pleased with the outcome.

So I called and they first scheduled a designer to come out and take measurements. I have no idea why, but I was under this illusion that everyone would be able to use our first Home Depot measurements. Not the case!

I really liked the fact that they sent the actual designer to the house for the measurements. I think it gave her a better idea of our space and what would work out best in the design. During that time she asked and listened to our wants and needs. Both Columbus Brothers and Cabinet World were leaps and bounds better than the service we experienced at Home Depot (now a distant memory).

When we met with the designer at Cabinet World a week later, she was great about showing us various cabinet options and explaining the various features. She really took my ideas into consideration and came up with three different designs options for us to review. Her quote came back at a similar pricing point as Columbus Brother’s original quote.

At this point we both felt we were kind of comparing apples to apples. The final dollar figure was important to us, but so was our comfort level with the kitchen contractor we selected. Stay turned – we’ll reveal our final decision next!

Chapter 4: Kitchen Renovation

Photo from Cooking Light magazine

Back to the drawing board. Rethinking my vision wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I knew I had to be realistic about this whole process. Compromises would have to be made in order to get the Columbus Brother’s quote down a few thousand dollars.


Things I had to consider in terms of what was more important to me:

1. Having real wood cabinets? Or having white cabinets?
2. Having pedestal legs on the island? Or having enough space for bar stools?
3. Having a farm sink? Or having a regular stainless steel sink?

So I flipped through more magazines, researched a bunch of websites and did a little bit of soul searching. Don’t laugh – soul searching is something needed during the home remodeling process. :o)

Having wood cabinets was important to both Keith and I. Having white cabinets was only important to me. So I started thinking a dark wood stain wouldn’t be so bad. Of course this sounds like it may veer off my vision of keeping the house light and refreshing, but that doesn’t have to be true. I could still go with a light granite countertop and bring brightness to the room with a light paint color along with colorful rugs and artwork. Dark stained cabinets actually feel more elegant to me. And everyone claims they always look clean whereas white cabinets tend to show dirt and grime more easily.

Then who knew pedestal legs on an island were so gosh darn expensive? Good grief! And the added luxury can reduce the amount of room for bar stools. I know I’m going to love my kitchen once it’s complete. Being able to spend as much time in there with family and friends is important to me so we gotta have seating.

Again, a farm sink was something that was important me – not necessarily Keith. And the price tag on one of those cast iron suckers just didn’t make it seem worth it to me. A nice, one bowl stainless steel sink would be just as lovely. So after talking about all of this with Keith and we came to a decision. Keith called Paul with our changes and he came back with a more reasonable quote. Stay tuned!

Chapter 3: Kitchen Renovation

Photo of Columbus Brothers building

One of Keith’s co-workers recommended we visit Columbus Brothers to discuss our kitchen renovation. The co-worker actually was best man in the owner’s wedding so we figured that was a good connection. Being new to the Pittsburgh area, we are thankful for any type of recommendation.

Ready to repeat the process with a second kitchen contractor, we scheduled a meeting with the owner, Paul Columbus. I once again was armed with all my magazines and ideas, but hesitant to get too excited after our experience at Home Depot (explained in chapter 2 of our kitchen renovation post).

What a relief that Paul turned out to be a really nice guy to work with. He actually asked and listened to what we wanted then showed us various cabinet and countertop option. I was surprised when he said not many people ask for white cabinets anymore. How is that possible? White cabinets are featured numerous times in every single magazine I pick-up? That aside, it was a great meeting and I had a good feeling. Paul didn’t mock-up a design as he wanted to get his own guys into our kitchen for measurements instead of taking the information we had from Home Depot. I can’t say I blame him.

So once again we had to schedule an appointment for kitchen measurements. But the moment I met the installers – Joe and Jim – I immediately wasn’t bothered by this fact anymore. Joe and Jim are two older gentleman who very much reminded me of Keith’s grandpa Milo. Milo is probably the most handy guy we know so I instantly felt in safe hands with Joe and Jim. It was kind of love at first sight! Lol I knew if they completed our kitchen it would be done right and I wouldn’t have to worry.

After the measurements, we went back again to Columbus Brothers for another meeting with Paul. This time we’d sketch design plans and get a quote. I liked how Paul was very patient in accommodating my many ideas. And Keith liked how Paul had a gentle way of bringing me back down to reality at times. (which I realize can be a hard thing to do)

After another two hour meeting, Keith and I had a lot of things to discuss and consider. We both agreed that we felt comfortable and confident in working with Columbus Brothers, but our kitchen was going to cost us a bit more than we (a.k.a. Keith) originally thought.

As I mentioned in chapter 1 of our kitchen renovation post, sacrifices were going to have to be made to get this thing done. I guess I didn’t realize white kitchen cabinets cost so much more than stained wood cabinets. We both weren’t willing to go the thermofoil route – real wood was a must. But apparently the labor cost to paint real wood white adds a few extra $$$ to the cost. Stay tuned to find out what we decide!

Chapter 2: Kitchen Renovation

I was on cloud nine after a meeting with our financial advisor. He officially gave us his blessing on a kitchen renovation. Not that we had to ask his permission, but we’re both financially responsible and this was going to be a large hit to the ole’ savings account. Like I said in chapter 1 of our kitchen renovation post, it’s good to have a vision before planning, but it’s also good to know you have the financial resources to back-up those ideas.

So with my vision and our finances in order, we headed to Home Depot to get started on the process. We agreed we needed to meet with at least three kitchen contractors and obtain quotes before making a decision. Home Depot seemed like a good place to start…or so we thought.

We sat down with of the Home Depot designer at the back of the store to not only schedule a time for someone to come out to the house and take measurements, but also to place a granite order for our half bathroom counter (more on that later). He took the order, told us someone would be calling in a few days to schedule the measurements and gave us two invoices. So off we went to run other errands around town.

More than a week went by and still no call from Home Depot. So we stop by customer service and found out we were suppose to take our invoices to the check-out area for processing. I guess this was a “duh” on our part, but we were both slightly irritated that the designer did not mention this to us during our meeting.

A few days go by and I finally get a call to schedule the measurements. That thankfully happened without a hitch and I was one step closer to the fun part...or so we thought.

After the invoice confusion, we thought it best to just meet with a different kitchen designer at Home Depot. New designer, fresh start. I scheduled our official design appointment and I was beyond nervous and excited. I could not wait to discuss my vision and ideas with a design expert so we could collaborate and design the most fabulous kitchen ever. That’s the best part – right?

Armed with my kitchen magazines and carefully marked pages of things I liked, we sat down with the designer to get started. Imagine my surprise when she didn’t ask me any questions and just jumped right into her computer design program and started to mock-up the exact lay-out of our current kitchen.

I think maybe three total questions were asked:

1. What cabinets did we want? (no discussion on which line would work best for our needs)
2. What style cabinets did we want? (no discussion on the various options and cost differences)
3. Did we want an island? (no discussion on the different design options)

So we left the store with a quote and a mock-up of our current kitchen design with an island added. We both sat in the car and looked at each other with an expression like “what the heck just happened here?” Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed – that wasn’t fun at all! There was definitely a severe lack of customer service especially when we’re talking about dropping a boat load of money on a new kitchen.

But at least we had a quote and it was a starting point. We still had two other kitchen contractors to visit and I was hopeful we’d get better service. There is only one way go – right? Stay tuned!