Kitchen Woes

I just remembered what I've been busy with the past week and a half! Being forced to embark of home renovations just weeks before Christmas.

It isn't a pretty kitchen. It is barely even a functional kitchen. Now it is just a grouping of cheaply made (now ruined and rotten inside) cabinets whose days are quickly numbered. We came back from a weekend away to a leak. Inside down to the basement and outside the house, originating in the kitchen. Very scary. We always knew we were going to gut the kitchen and put a new one in but that was down the line, when we had more money to do it. Well, not only are the cabinets ruined but the flooring is toast too. Water soaked under two layers of crappy peel and stick tiling (oh, how I'll miss that *sniff, sniff*) and down to the plywood.

So now we must start on the most expensive phase of our home improvement schemes. At least this will be money well spent and add to our home's value. I have a plan. With such a simple galley kitchen and a few years of drafting under my belt, I came up with my dream kitchen. Well, my first home, townhouse - realistic about property values - dream kitchen. We're going with Ikea cabinetry that Rob and I will put in ourselves. And by that I mean we will likely have a lot of help from our very handy neighbours. We will do it in phases so we don't break the bank and have decided to redo the entire main floor flooring while we are at it. Sadly that part will include ripping up a large section of ceramic tile. With the realities of Rob working full time, me busy home schooling the kids and our overall lack of enthusiasm when it comes to all things involving manual labour, I give us a year for completion. We'll be thrilled if it is all done by next Christmas.

This was kind of a blessing in disguise for us. We probably would have done this a year before we sold and now, as Rob says, we'll get to enjoy it for a while instead of just fixing the place up for someone else.