Tuesday, October 11, 2011

FINALLY - my kitchen counter!

i have mentioned several times here on this blog and in comments that we have no kitchen counter space at the Framboise Manor - none! and the kitchen counter that we did have is a piece of crap!

here is what it looked like when we purchased the cottage:



don't be fooled by the pics - the pics look a lot better than in real life! the two drawers on the right barely open and our friend Jimmy fanagled the bottom drawer thing that didn't work at all by putting a hinge on the bottom. and here is another shot:



yes - those are curtains in the upper cupboards. and here is one more shot :



THAT is the entire counter space at Framboise Manor!!! and there is nowhere to put anything!

anyway, here is what my dear friend Barb did to try and make the cupboards prettier - she painted all of those cupboards and the inside too. at the time she painted it - she had hurt her shoulder but she is one determined woman and finished the job. we are so thankful to Barb for all of her hard work.

(oh and i mentioned this before but it needs to be re-mentioned - she painted our entire cottage from top to bottom and that was no easy feat! including 2 large rooms of stucco - STUCCO!!! but she did a brilliant job and we are forever grateful. and hoping that one day she reads this blog!!!) anyway here is a shot of her handiwork:



notice how little counterspace we have???

and we removed the "curtains" that used to live in the upper cupboards - and have since removed the doors - more pics of that will follow in another post.



here is a close-up of the sink that drove me nuts - almost big enough but not quite!



and check out the grout in this tiled disaster!!!



anyway, although we wanted to replace the counter and sink from the moment that we got here - other things kept getting in our way. like - melting snow so that we could flush the toilet. insulating this freezing little cottage. cleaning up the flooded basement. clearing all of the garbage that the previous owner left in the cottage and all over the land. plowing snow down a 130ft driveway (although another big shout out goes to Jimmy and our friend Barney who came several times to plow us out - thanks guys!).

so here is the ugly thing, with doors and drawers removed and getting ready to leave. it now lives out in the yard and does make a fantastic outdoor kitchen area.



and here is our tiny little wonder stove getting ready to be moved to the driveway for a good scrub.



yu-hikes. THAT was a nice mess to clean!



bahahahah - you thought i was kidding about the stove in the driveway - silly you!



i scrubbed that baby using my home-made scrub - and my home-made scrub is so cheap you wouldn't believe it! if anyone is interested in the recipe - let me know.

anyway - on to the mess that was left after removing the old counter:



we dusted and vacuumed and cleaned all of that area too! what a mess!

so here is the new counter - isn't it beautiful?



voila! new, custom-built counter that cost WAAAY too much. but we all live and learn! based on our experience AND the cost of that bottom counter, we have decided to leave the top cupboards as they are. but we plan to paint them a crimson red to match our new sink - oh wait - you haven't seen the new sink yet - teehee - wait until you see it - it is absolutely gorgeous!

here is us cutting the new countertop that matches the kitchen floor - i love it!



and here it is installed with big, heavy things to hold it down and make the glue set.



did you notice that the counter has 4 drawers and 3 cupboards? imagine - i am in hog heaven!

now get ready for it! are you sitting comfortably? before you look at the next pic, make sure that you have nothing in your mouth like coffee or tea or soda - otherwise there is a chance that you may spit all over your computer screen and keyboard. YES the sink IS that beautiful. please hold back on your envy and jealousy.



GAAAA! we installed a new cupboard, a countertop AND a sink - we are like DIY wonderkids! LOOK at that BEAUTIFUL DOUBLE SINK!!!!!



and here it is with the faucet and spray-nozzle attached. oh i love this sink!



and here is the plumbing! did you notice ALLLLLL of the room that i now have under my sink?



and here is the beautiful hardware/handles that we chose.



i finally have a sink, complete with drawers that work and cupboards AND a countertop! who knew how such a thing could change a person's life. but i am soooo happy with my sink - teehee - i think that you can all tell how happy i am!

27 comments:

  1. Nice, now all you need, is a mixer to match the sink.

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  2. That sink belongs in a Stephen King book!

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  3. There I was thinking how lucky you were to have such a beautiful mosaic counter top. Then you went and got rid of it. No.............
    A second thoughts it is probably a pig to clean right?

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  4. Storage space makes life wonderful. We have none at our place. We have to put up with it for another 8 months until we move back home.

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  5. Wow...that sink and counter top are awesome! Good Job! Sure makes a big difference. Ha, I wouldn't mind having that in my ROOM! :)

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  6. Matt - thanks buddy!

    Flier389 - i DO have a mixer that matches the sink! all of my appliances and dishes and stuff are all red because my kitchen was red at our last house. i can't wait to paint the upper cupboards crimson as i think that will be the finishing touch to the kitchen!

    thanks MDR - we appreciate it!

    Ed - bahahaha! you killed me with that one!

    Jason - thanks for stopping by - i will check out your blog too! the mosaic was awful - the pics don't do justice to just how awful! and ya it was a pig to clean!

    Rob - you said it! when you have nowhere to put anything you end up not being able to find anything - it sucks! hang on until you get home buddy!

    Tango - thanks dear friend. and your room is already pretty full no?

    thanks for stopping by everyone - we really appreciate it!

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  7. I will have to ban my wife from seeing your post, if she sees that red sink I will be replacing ours......not kidding baby.

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  8. OMG I love it the colors. My sink is black but I would die to have the Red one, and then there are all the coordinating things you can get, like a coffee pot, toaster, mixer etc... Enjoy it...

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  9. Looks great,Kymber! The red sink is fun, I love it! I am anxious to start our kitchen redo :)

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  10. Duke - bahahahaha! yep - put a ban on this post! i have always wanted a red sink and when i found this one AND on sale, i was thrilled!

    JUGM - ya it's to die for! and i already have coordinating accessories in red so the only thing missing was the red sink! now i got it!

    Donna - thanks so much! i am looking forward to seeing what you will do with your redo!

    Warlock - thanks a lot - i love it too!

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  11. I love your sink! I have a double and couldn't live without it, especially since I don't like the dishwasher to run each day. The sink in my basement is a double as well (but it's concrete).

    Good job on the project, it's looks really nice!

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  12. You and Jambaloney have sure built a beautiful place up there. When you are finished, it will suit you to a T. I was horrified when I read what food costs there, but I guess the trade off is worth it. The more I see of your beautiful home and land, the more envious of you two I become. To think, you have your own private beach, a nice home, solitude. I don't have a beach! :-(

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  13. Next time don't fool around and buy a real RED sink. Nice job you guys.

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  14. looks great..inpirational!! hehe

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  15. thanks everyone for stopping by and being as sweet and supportive!!

    i have to say, even as a dude, i love the red sink too!

    the whole project was less of a hassle than it seemed... the stove in the driveway sucked, mind you ;-)

    anyway, if you wanna have a red sink - it's doable and ALMOST fun!

    thanks again friends!!

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  16. Max - i had a double at our old house and trying to keep this tiny kitchen clean with NO counterspace was a nightmare!!! i am pretty fastidious about keeping the dishes done and as we have no dishwasher - there is nowhere to hide the dirty dishes! so two cups and two plates on the counter waiting to be washed drives me nuts! oh and having that double sink to be able to wash AND rinse....ugh. it's like heaven!

    Arsenius - that's it! i am digging up some of the beach and sending it to you! you can dig up a piece of your mountain and send it to us in return! thank you for your kind words - we are really trying to make this place better-suited to our needs. we love this place. it just needs work is all!

    Stephen - teehee. okay - challenge accepted. next time i will buy a real RED sink!

    eagergridlessbeaver - thanks for stopping by. and thank you for the compliment - hope to see you around here some more!

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  17. Looks nice!!! Don't you actually have less counter top space now though? Also that is the cutest stove I have ever seen OMG and a beautiful red sink to boot. Mrs. PP LOVES red appliances. Nice work guys!!!

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  18. Wow your new kitchen looks very cool! I have never seen a red sink before!

    Kymber, thank you for the wonderful comments you always leave on my blog. I really appreciate them all. They are always so thoughtful and kind. :)

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  19. Joey - YOUR kitchen is to die for - i love what you have done with it - and those green stools - wow!

    we had a pretty gorgeous open-concept bungalow back in the city. it was previously-owned by an architect and she re-did the place for over 20 years - it was gorgeous! and i had the most gorgeous kitchen known to man - and HUGE!!! so this has taken some adjustment to getting used to but having the land, being home, the beautiful air, river and privacy - well then - i'll make due with a kitchen the size of a closet!

    as for comments that i leave on your blog - i mean them and am glad that you appreciate them. i love your outlook on life, your bling, your artistic nature and i love the way you write!

    and i appreciate the fact that you continue to stop by here and leave wonderful comments, too.

    your friend,
    kymber

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  20. PioneerP - sorry about missing your comment!

    and yes - we actually have less physical counterspace but having the double sink makes up for that. even with the single sink there was no real room to chop or make toast or boil a kettle and have room for 2 cups. that's why we got out our big kitchen table - it is our actual countertop now. and like i say - having the double sink just makes dishes so much easier!

    ya that stove is pretty cute! it's super-tiny but we call it the wonderstove as i can do a 12lb turkey in there, a huge roaster full of cabbage rolls, etc.

    thanks for stopping by!
    your friend,
    kymber

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  21. Hey guys, the kitchen is coming along great. Love the red sink, can't wait to see the upper cabinets in red.

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  22. Mike - thanks so much! i love that red sink too! oh and just wait for when the upper cabinets are painted - i chose "crimson red" and it seems to match the sink perfectly. here's hoping anyway!

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  23. Really nice!! I love red!
    The Anonymous Homesteader

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  24. Your kitchen's plumbing system looks great. It seems sturdy and durable. Another thing is that you built it on a firm spot. I also find your new counter to be simpler. In my opinion, kitchens should not be too engaging to the eyes because you need to focus on your meals and not on the surroundings. You achieved that effect without sacrificing the area's design. Kudos to you!

    Darryl Iorio

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  25. I don't know, but your previous kitchen counter and cabinets remind me of resorts in The Bahamas. I started imagining coconut trees, white sand, and gorgeous beaches after seeing the countertop. Haha! Well, the design was kinda outdated if you compare it with others. So replacing it with a modern one was indeed a great idea. I like the red sink, which was definitely an awesome choice!

    Robbie Marinero @ TNT Tile & Marble Inc

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