As I hinted last week, the kitchen’s finally done! We had a couple false celebratory days, as there always seem to be. The counters were finally installed a week and a half ago, and the contractors were to come the next day to install the faucet and garbage disposal, and hook up the dishwasher. They realized after unpacking the disposal that a valve was missing. Luckily, they were happy to pick one up the next morning, a Saturday, and come by to finish the job.

Since I chose a pretty big sink for my kitchen (and I LOVE it), I could only fit the faucet in the corner, which isn’t uncommon. But when I went to use it that evening for the first time, I noticed that it was installed as if it were in the center—that is, it swiveled far over the counter and not far enough over the sink. I immediately began checking around and making mental notes for the guys, but that was the only mistake I could find. Not too shabby!

I loaded my sexy new dishwasher, relishing the thought of never picking up a sponge again. After I ran a load, surprised at how darned quiet the thing was, I went to put the dishes away. And they were filthy. But hot! Really hot, so clearly something was amiss.  Apparently, the dishwasher was so darn quiet because the water wasn’t running.  

When I emailed my contractors about it, they realized they’d forgotten to flip a switch, or something. Since they had to fix the faucet, they came by one more time to set everything straight. So only a couple of days off schedule, the kitchen was done for real.

To think that when I moved in, that room had gross pink tile floors, not a single appliance, and “new” cabinets that opened the wrong way. For over a month I lived without a refrigerator. For longer than that I had no counters. I inducted the new everything the only way one can, by buying stacks of groceries and spending the evening chopping, boiling, mixing, and eating a delicious homemade meal.  

As you can see from the photos, I still have to repair the drywall and paint (and clean some contractor’s fingerprints off my door!), but at this point, the kitchen is totally functional, and I’m in renovator’s heaven.

Heather writes about her home renovations adventures every Tuesday. To read Heather's home adventures from the beginning, click here.