You’ll never guess what we started on today? That’s why I didn’t get any comments answered today! (Although I did read them all… Thank you so much!) WE WERE B-U-S-Y! The guys especially! They worked like dogs today!
We started off at my mom’s house… painting her ceiling to get things ready to sell. It was kind of bittersweet… and she wasn’t real happy with us… at times. But we did catch her wanting to help out! Look at this shot… Awww…
If you click on any picture it will enlarge. If you look at this post on a desktop or laptop computer when you click on the pictures it almost fills up the whole screen and you can see everything really well!!!!
Cindy and I managed to get her living room and hallway ceiling painted a nice and bright white! It looks wonderful now…all finished.
After we did momma’s ceiling, Tom and Cindy and momma came over to our house. George had already started taking down some of the cabinets and getting some of the electrical things taken care of. We’re going to put in a new ceiling…and I can’t wait to show you how!
This is what it looked like around the top of my kitchen… before we started the “soffit” demolition! You’ll have to excuse the mess… (I wasn’t expecting company!) When you come in my front door, my kitchen is straight ahead, just past my dining room, and it looks like this at the upper part…
On the left side is the frig wall…and it looks like this…In my most sarcastic voice… “it’s a lovely homemade and hodgepodge shelf that has a corner on it and I’ve hated it since the day we moved in!”
On the right is my stove wall… and it looks like this! Yes, my oven has been sitting on our countertops for 13 years! We were going to put it in an oven cabinet… WHEN WE GOT CABINETS… uh, honey, it’s been 13 and 1/2 years… it’s time for a regular stove!
If you stand at my sink and turn around to go out my front door, it looks like this…
Well, this is what it looked like during some of the demolition today…
As the guys started tearing out the unbelievable amount of plywood soffits…(my hubby said there was enough to build a small barn!)…Cindy noticed the planks on the walls were going sideways and said, “Hey, look, you have shiplap!” If you don’t know what shiplap is…it’s only the hottest trend in home decorating… horizontal boards usually about 4 or 5 inches wide spaced a little bit apart and generally painted white! We discovered the planks went all the around the top of the walls, except on the wall next to my refrigerator. We can easily buy a few planks to fill that in…and there is one spot up in one corner. I was thrilled and so was Cindy. I was going to put up beadboard or brickboard up above my cabinets, but now I have “shiplap!” That’s one less decision I had to make!
It feels HUGE in my kitchen now with the soffits gone! My 9′ high ceilings seem like they go on forever! It’s going to be a lot of work, but we got a lot accomplished today and I’m loving it already!
You should see the stack of plywood we have outside on our back porch… the nice thing is, my hubby has lots of wood to pick from if he needs to fill in something!
Well, I’m super excited and there was no dolly business today and there probably won’t be tomorrow! I can’t believe it’s finally happening…I’m getting a new kitchen!!!
I hope you’ll come back tomorrow to see what else we get accomplished!
Sincerely, Chip and Joanna and the crew of This Old House! (Just kidding!)
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow! When you entertain, you entertain. Who needs HGTV and DYI crews when you have this crew. I can hardly wait to see what you get done today. Take care, everyone, and have a wonderful, productive day.
Wow, indeed! Your “new” kitchen looks twice the size it started out as, and I envy you with those 9′ ceilings! With no soffits and light colored cabinets, your kitchen will look so bright and cheery and it will certainly be a great welcome look to anyone who visits, not to say that it will be more efficient and easy to work in. That shiplap sure came in handy and just at the right time. I think I have already gotten my HGTV viewing out of the way at 5:30 a.m.! Your “crew” is wonderfully talented and I am looking forward to the next episode of “Jeanne, George, and Company”!
Wow! It really makes a difference when you took the soffits out. It makes the room so much bigger and brighter. I can’t wait to see it finished. 😀
SO happy for you and hubby that YOUR kitchen is finally happening! We removed thr soffits in my husband’s patents house when we boughtcit.. we couldn’t believe how much more room we had! Our upper cabinets now go to the ceiling !
Love the demo photos.. keep them coming.. they mean you new kitchen is finally happening! Congratulations on the shiplap:)!
What a great way to end the day! Once Spring arrives, you’re going to feel like a rejuvenated person, Jeanne. So much is going to have been accomplished in your house in a relatively short period of time. You’ll probably be so enlivened that we’ll have a hard time keeping up with your creativity after all of this kitchen work is finished. Enjoy the process…and what a blessing to have Cindy there at this time too!
Blessings.
Oh yay!!! So excited for you. It’s like expanding the cave without the soffits. Looks so wonderful. I was worried that you may have had plumbing running behind them. Glad not. Your mom is such a trooper. I’ll bet she had fun helping out.
So looking forward to seeing the kitchen progress. You and family are an inspiration. I am picturing pies all laid out on the new counters. Beautiful.
Heater is still misbehaving here. Hoping for a little sun today to warm things up. 🙂
Come back tomorrow? You betcha! I am so excited for you!! I know what it is like to wait for years for a new kitchen.
I love your shiplap! And the removal of the soffits does open up the kitchen tremendously! I know it is going to be a lot of work but it will be so wonderful for you once the kitchen is done.
Hope you have a good day!
Take care —
Good morning Jeanne
Your momma is so cute, still wanting to help out. I love the picture of her.
I also said “wow” out loud when I saw your demo pics.
What a difference already , I’m sure you are sooo excited to see it’s finally happening.
Enjoy your family time.
Hugs
Ingrid
How exciting…I am so so happy for you…your new kitchen….yay !!!!!
I am wishing all of you to have a wonderful exciting day of renovation. And keep us posted. The shiplap will be perfect.
It’s nice to see pictures of your mama and the crew!
It’s so exciting to see this happening. It’s wonderful that Cindy and her husband are there to help. I can’t believe anyone would cover up the windows on the wall where the refrigerator is. That is what I’m seeing? They let in so much light. Good for Mama helping out with the painting. You have a wonderful family. Can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow. All that baking was done with the countertop oven? Good for you, Jeanne.
Dear Jeanne, your ceiling does look higher! And wow, shiplap!
I bet that tomorrow we are going to see one of your dollies in jeans and a work shirt supervising the renovation. Reminder her to wear protective glasses (smile).
“Demo day” at last, HURRAH! Wow, if demo produces this much change and excitement, I can’t imagine what the reveal will be like, Jeanne! And what a blessing to discover the shiplap! It is perfect for your “new farmhouse” aesthetic, and a cost saver, to boot! So smart to protect the new floor with cardboard, also. You’ve got the best work crew, EVER, working on two projects at once, and how sweet is your momma for trying to pitch in and help? Bless her heart! Bet you and Cindy stay up late talking about all the ideas you have for your new kitchen, too. It looks so light, airy and spacious already. Amazing! Can’t wait to see more, so OF COURSE I’ll be back to see tomorrow’s episode of “Fixer Upper,” and every day after that, right on through to the grand finale! You really know how to leave us with a cliff hanger, Jeanne! Keep the pictures comin’! Hope you and all the “crew” sleep well tonight!
Thanks everyone,
It’s almost 1:00 a.m. and I really need to be in bed, but I just wanted to say thank you to each of you for taking time to comment on my new kitchen endeavors! I won’t write every day about it, but I do have to get some things done so it will be functional. I can’t drag my feet too much on it, but do want to add some sewing in the mix when I can!
Thanks again everyone!
Blessings, Jeanne
I don’t Think anyone else has commented on this, but….are those WINDOWS above your refrigerator now?!! And they were hidden all those years!! Wow!! That plus the shiplap–great finds and wonderful surprises!