It Only Looks Like We're Not Making Progress

We found a leak that had gone on for far too long under out kitchen sink last month.  Husband pulled out anything that was wet and biodegradable from that area and threw it out.  We put up a big plastic tarp on this side of the kitchen and walled it off from the rest of the house.  We have the dehumidifiers going in here constantly, but for the last week, no water has been in the reservoir. I'm taking that as a good sign.

All the wet wood is gone, gone, gone.

While this part of the kitchen has been drying out, we've pulled out all of our scouting skills, and have been cooking out on the grill and propane camp stove a lot.  It's been a challenge, and not in the way you might think.  Do you like bugs in your spaghetti?  The bugs like spaghetti.  They fly over the pot, get zapped by the hot steamy water and fall into the pot.  We've put a lid on the pot, lifting only to stir the spaghetti, but those little guys are wicked fast!  I keep telling myself it's extra protein....

We are very fortunate that the water damage didn't extend to the sub floor, into the basement, or under the hard tile floor.  (Although I really wouldn't mind getting rid of that tile.... but I am not ready to put out money for that expense at this time!)

We were out looking at cabinets this weekend.  Our biggest concern was that we were going to have to rip out all of the old cabinets and replace them.  I had hopes of pulling out just the damaged cabinet and re-using the existing cabinet doors and faces.

On our scouting expedition to Home Depot and Lowe's, we found an exact match for the cabinet size.  We might end up switching out the doors so that they match the existing cabinets, but the wood on the face is an exact match.  (Thank you to the previous owners (OK, my in-laws) for using stock cabinetry when they remodeled the kitchen!)

Hey look!  It's a new base cabinet!

We are going to replace the sink and faucet when we replace the bottom cabinet.  I have hopes of getting a garbage disposal installed, too.  And a plumber to make sure it's done correctly.   This part of the job will not be a "do it yourself" fix.

The bigger question includes the existing counter top.  We're going to  have to pull it up and out in order to replace that cabinet.  The counter tops themselves are in good shape.  I really don't want to replace them if we don't have to, because we've got a significant amount of counter top space - it's a long "L" shaped piece of counter right there, and then there's a very short "L" shaped piece of counter top on the opposite corner of the kitchen that I don't want to replace - because nothing is wrong with it - but if we replace that counter top on one side, we'll have to replace it on the other side, too.  The counters themselves are 12 years old.  I know they aren't the "hip" thing, but they work.  I guess we're going to have to wait and see if we can successfully remove the existing counter top without damaging it when we go to replace the base cabinet.

Middle child is back at work this week, but he'll be home for a couple of days next week.  He and husband are plotting to fix this on Monday and Tuesday of next week while he's home.  Another week without a kitchen.  Another week of "interesting" meals.  I see more salads in our future.

You know, I don't think the Property Brothers move this slowly.  I watch their shows all the time, and it's less than an hour from start to finish.  Obviously, we're doing something wrong!  I can mention this here, because I'm afraid that if I mention this, even jokingly to husband's face again, he's going to file for divorce....

Here's my Property Brothers moment:
Can the homeowners come in under their $1500 max renovation budget?

Total spent so far:
Lowe's, 6/12/13 $198
New Base Cabinet for under sink.

Home Depot, 5/29/16  $198

doorknob, 2 mold approved face masks, 1 large (10'  x 25') tarp, reusable latex gloves with extra long cuffs, bleach, tarp tape, small sheet of plywood, propane tank for the grill.

Total Spent to Date:  $396


Other Posts in this Series:
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Jonathan and Drew - if you're reading this - 2 not so starry eyed, not so young people looking to fix the house that's been in the same family for 46 years could use some help!