All packed up and just about ready to start this thing.

We are SOOOO close to getting our remodel started!! The house is feeling like we're about to move out of it, which is a little horrifying to think of, but then exciting again when I remember we're not moving but rather drastically improving our current living conditions and property value. Demo is *supposed* to start next Monday but may get pushed to Tuesday, thanks to the contractor's other project running a tad long. Cue annoyed-Liv-face. 

This weekend is all about kitchen cabinet box building though and final clear out of the two+ rooms so the guys can come in and tear it all up. Jeff did the lion's share of the packing and hauling these past two weeks while I was at work, it was so nice coming home every day to progress that I didn't have to do! We'll be even though after this week. Actually, we're already even. I've done a ton of work on this whole thing already. Hmph!

It makes me a little sad to think about not seeing our vintage tile and scallop trim on the cabinets anymore, but at least we get to keep our original milk delivery door!

It was a totally cute vintage kitchen and I loved it from the very beginning, but it's time for an update, and a more useable kitchen with WAY better flooring. 

I just noticed in this picture that I need to take down Jeff's pull-up bar. I really don't want that thing back in my new kitchen so maybe I'll hide it. Then again, strong man arms have proven to be quite useful lately, so maybe it can stay. I'll just spray paint it gold to match.

We used Rent-A-Green-Box again to help box everything up (we used them when we moved into this house- they are awesome and it is SUCH a great idea. I will never move crap ever again in cardboard boxes. These rule.) and they called us up a week early and asked if we would mind getting the boxes that day, for an extra week at no charge. Uh, YEAH! They also gave us a dolly to use and free labels that you can peel off and plant when you're done with them because they have snapdragon seeds in them. WHAT!? Amazing. I love them. That extra free week though was really great so we could do a little at a time. Elsa helped:

Just kidding. No she did not. She would take stuff out as I put stuff in. Baby doesn't understand rules of packing. At least she looked cool in her Robin Thicke pants and galoshes.

Oh beautiful dining room! How we have abused you. The table got pushed to the window wall and is covered in our glasses and dishes (easier than wrapping and boxing them, but fingers crossed for no earthquake or exploring Siamese!) and the boxes of flooring and other new items for the spaces are stacked in here.



I'm working at the kitchen island for now, but Mandy and Seth will be picking that sucker up tomorrow for their kitchen so I'll bring my circle table in here to work from next week. Not at all a distracting office. Sigh.

The back room is all prepped for tomorrow's cabinet building sleepover party that I tricked Jodi and Lynne into coming to. This is where you see my true Senior Coordinator qualities coming out. Taped on the wall is the cabinet overview detailing the pieces involved with each of the 12 cabinets. I went through the overview matching the Ikea product numbers from the sheet to the giant stack of boxes they delivered and labeled each box with the cabinet number it belongs to. Doors and cabinet fittings come after the cabinet boxes are installed so those are labeled and stacked in their respective piles out in Jeff's studio. I'll be assembling those next week as the construction progresses. Tomorrow we'll just be doing the cabinet boxes so hopefully it will be a snap. We have three sets of two matching cabinets, so I stacked those together so we can assemble them at the same time. Boom Boom!



Aaaaaaaaaanal! I know. But work like this is SO much more pleasant to do when you have all the proper tools you may need within reach. While being organized on a grid mat. I just got that handy cordless Black&Decker drill and love it. I also got a bunch of attachments for it that will replace the stupid little Ikea hex tools that give you massive hand cramps after like 3 screws. POWER! *grunt grunt*

You can see I already got one cabinet started. It's the bathroom sink cabinet! It's the Lillangen sink and cabinet combo from Ikea and the scale was just right for our mini half-bath that we're adding. It looks like this finished:

If Plan A works out, the leftover toe kick from the kitchen will be used to wrap these legs on this cabinet to make it look more built in. Plan A will not work though if the black/brown from the Ramsjo cabinets do not match the black/brown from the Lillangen cabinet. I have a feeling they won't, because the Ramsjo cabinets are really black, and this one is looking warmer. We'll see how funny it looks, and if the idea gets scrapped, Plan B comes into effect. Gold legs! So sexy.



I also sprayed the cabinet door pull gold to match, naturally. I love how they look so I won't be upset with Plan B at all, but Plan A would make cleaning the bathroom floor easier for Jeff.

More pics later of our cabinet building shenanigans! Unless Jodi was serious about bringing over wine, in which case we may just build one cabinet and I'll make Jan do the rest when he comes over on Sunday.