The View from the Existing Kitchen Out
We’ve been in the construction process for 3 ½ weeks now, and aside from being without a stove top for two days, there has been very little disruption. I know this is God’s timing, as everything is. I don’t generally do well with chaos, but in the busyness of life over the last several months, I’ve had to let a few of my anal-retentive personality traits slide—such as a clean house.
So, God prepared me for the dust and clutter. And I do mean clutter! We’ve had to clear out three-fourths of our cabinets, so I have to rummage through drawers crammed into our already-small dining room to find cooking utensils and storage containers. My pots and pans, still in their drawers, are stacked in front of the entertainment unit in the living room. And my poor husband—he’s lost his home office to storage boxes of supplies that didn’t get transferred down to our shed.
Although I pictured the end result of this project, the process is still a little daunting. And at night, with all the openings boarded up, it’s just a little creepy! But every day, more and more is revealed. I knew the expected end-date wasn’t until the first week of August, but I really had no idea of how much work goes into a remodel. Every remodel has challenges because the contractor isn’t quite sure what he’s getting into until he starts. Our biggest challenge was the wall that had to come down. Because previous remodels had been done, what appeared to be a basic wall—two by fours and sheetrock—was actually a log wall covered in sheetrock. This wasn’t a surprise to Joe McCaffrey, our contractor, since he can see it’s a log house, but that didn’t make the removal any easier.
I think my saving grace right now is my writing. I have a deadline for my novel approaching at rocket speed (August 1st) and I just turned a proposal into my agent for a Christmas novella. Because Joe is here by 7:30 every morning, I’m ready to be at work in my office by then. Somehow, the need to get out of the house has boosted my productivity level immensely, which is just what I need right now. And what a blessing it is to have an office separate from the house. I’m not disturbed, and I don’t get in Joe’s way.
We have worked with contractors in the past—some have been good, some have been…challenging. But if you’re looking for a contractor who is passionate about his work, watches the nickels and dimes as if their his, and is a pleasure to work with, you need to get a hold of Joe. He’s here when he says he’ll be, leaves his work area spotless and is flexible when we want to make changes. You can’t ask for more than that!
