Budget

I was getting a few requests for better pictures of the cabinets in the kitchen and to show the molding work above the oven as well as the exposed brick chimney. Enjoy!!

Project Hillside is in search of a granite supplier in north eastern PA. We are putting the finishing touches on the kitchen and it is time for granite. E-mail any suggestions to jason@jamz.net.

We ended 2009 on a very productive stride. The sun-room and living room are complete. The kitchen had a complete reno that is nearly complete. Lots of other miscellaneous things were done and it's hard to believe we didn't start until the first of September! With a full year ahead, we are putting all our attention on finishing the kitchen in Q1 of 2010. We had high hopes of completing it in 2009, however, we had to be mindful of our budget and pushed some of the work (trim work and counter tops) into 2010. Also, we needed some additional filler pieces for the cabinets to finish the molding over the sink and in Kraftmaids typical manner, it takes a month to get them! January is going to be a slow month, no real work taking place. Things should start again in February and really pickup speed going into Spring and Summer. Keep an eye on the site for updates and reviews and as always, thanks for your support.

I can't say it enough, I know, but the demo in the kitchen still has me physically drained! After 4 days of non-stop work I had my little trash can filled up, well, all 10 yards of it! We had this monster dropped off. I have a vivid memory of thinking to myself, "If I had my Silverado I would just go to the dump myself." After I wasn't able to find any dumps AKA landfills (PA doesn't seem to like them, or I suppose Virginia just loves them and has them everywhere?) Amber made a call to get a dumpster delivered. When it arrived I chuckled thinking how funny it is going to be when it is picked up with hardly anything in it.

HAH! I nearly ran out of room! Total weight, 2.4 tons. That's right, after the weigh in at the landfill the receipt showed a total weight of 2.4 tons. I move all that weight myself .. hey, I'm pretty impressed. The plaster was so thick and heavy it makes since. The metal grates in the wall were also a monster.

Note to any DIY folks that are going to embark on this .. if you are doing more than 1 area of the home get the biggest bin you can!

We haven't updated in a few weeks but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy. With all the internal guys and insulation complete the time came to hang the drywall. Once done, it was sanded, creating another giant mess. Finally I was able to get in the kitchen and clean things up. The drywall looks wonderful. I also put a temporary utility sink in so we have a sink back in the kitchen.