kitchen renovation

With the demolition underway, so begins the mess and surprises. While an expected part of the adventure, one unanticipated find. . . pine cones.

Not just one or two, but hundreds. Squirreled (pun intended) beneath the 1950’s built in place cabinetry. While the Contractor assures us the furry friends have long since vacated, the evidence suggests otherwise.

The good news- walls are now sealed and debris removed, but I can’t help but wonder if the squatters will return.

Notable finds:

For the record, had we ever encountered the animals assembling this stash, I would have fled.

An original coal stove replace by an added fireplace in the 1950’s. Work to be done to bring this to code.

Hand scored plaster uncovered. Common in homes of this time period.

Original floors replaced with refinished oak in the 1990’s. Original still remained under cabinets.

Evidence of original window placement and clues as to the timeline of renovations.

Plaster under sheetrock, under more sheetrock. All now removed for a blank slate (and a little more headroom).

Next: More progress.

When the house was built, there was a basement “summer” kitchen, complete with 48 inch soapstone sink and dumbwaiter to the first floor. With stone walls and iron windows, this space is still pleasantly cool in the summer.

The current kitchen (located on the main floor), features knotty pine cabinets most likely added in the 1950’s. When the house changed hands in 1990, a refresh of the kitchen included pre-finished oak floors, state of the art appliances (for the time) and an island with white ceramic tile and grout.

In the five years since we moved in we have completed numerous projects, some pretty (floors & interior painting, Butler’s Pantry restoration, mudroom/laundry room and exterior painting) and others not so pretty (window restoration, heating and air conditioning systems, roof, etc).

Today, after much planning and preparation we begin the kitchen!

Next: The plan and progress.

Pictures taken moments before demo (green tape to approximate location of new cabinets):