Counter Culture

The soapstone counters arrived last week. At the moment they look pale green/gray, sort of like something that has been in the refrigerator so long you have forgotten what it once has.

Once the kitchen tile is installed (hopefully next week), then we can rub the counters with mineral oil. The mineral oil will give the counters a richer charcoal greenish luster with a few veins running here and there.

Partaking in the Painstaking Painting Process Particulars

As part of the value engineering phase of the project, our photographer became the painter.  Here you can see his taping and painting handiwork.

For those of you who don't believe in the Great Pumpkin, think again.  Our bathroom was "visited" on Halloween and will never look the same again.  The exact color is Jack O'Lantern.

Stained to Great Effect

As you can see, we aren't going for the blond Scandinavian look.  We wanted the woodwork and the cabinetry to match the warm tones of the woodwork in the rest of the first floor.  And now they do!

Mike carries in newly stained doors

Bryan attaches the newly stained doors

Steve adds a door to the dishwasher

Stain Be Gone! Uh, Strike That.

Here are some shots of the cabinets last week both before and after the staining.  It was shocking to see them stained at first because it made the room so much darker.  But, once you get used to it, you realize that they look just like the color of the woodwork in the rest of the first floor.  Yes, we are missing a few doors -- for now.

Bryan

Bryan in action! (yes it's posed)

How Much Wood Could A Woodcutter Cut If A Woodcutter Could Cut Wood?

Yes, more cabinets came in this week! As you can see in the general room shots Steve and Adam worked hard at the beginning of this week to try and finish before the wood gets stained next week. The breakfast room bench is in, along with most of the molding.

The Cabinets Are Coming! The Cabinets Are Coming!

More cabinets moved in early last week and the week before. What will they all look like put together? Stay tuned...

Porch Profile

A few posts back we showed you the beginnings of the new porch that Adam was building for us. He created a cool herringbone pattern on the top boards instead of mitering the corners. Here's the finished product after the photographer gave it a good staining last Saturday morning. That may have been the last warm day for outside work. You might notice the trim is painted on the door and partially around the windows. These windows will be replaced with ones that use safety glass.