Since I am a first-time homebuyer, and I closed before the first deadline, I qualified for the tax credit. So "later" was short for "after I get my taxes back and have some money".
Well, some other expenses came up (they always do), and my tax money is almost spent or otherwise earmarked (hello, expensive daycare). And I haven't done The Projects.
So it's time to get to work.
The MLS sheet said the appliances came with the house. And they did. If you consider them to be "appliances". The thermostat on the stove works in every other month that doesn't end in R or Y, so I burned a Thanksgiving turkey and could heat the entire neighborhood on a frigid night by baking cupcakes. The fridge leaks water onto the floor, but inside freezes the water that leaks onto the shelves. So I'm constantly mopping up water, then breaking sheets of ice from around the milk to get it out.
It's not good to spend every minute in your kitchen yelling words you don't want your daughter to repeat.
The dishwasher is supposed to be able to roll up to the faucet to run, but I have nightmares of volumes of water spraying everywhere, so I just hand wash. Other than addtional counter space, it is serving no functional purpose and is taking up (much needed) space.
So I have to replace the appliances. And if you're doing that, you might as well replace the floor while the appliances are out. At least that's what my mother has convinced me. Luckily, it's a small kitchen. 6 foot by 8 foot at the widest spot. (No, I'm not kidding.) One of the major home improvement stores will install ceramic stone tile for $4.49 a square foot.
Finally, one of the advantages of a tiny postage stamp of a kitchen - hardly any floor space, so a cheap installation price for new flooring!
I'm hoping to get it done as soon as I can. I loathe the kitchen so much I can't stand the idea of grocery shopping (and putting food in the freezing-fridge-of-doom). So I've been eating out WAAAY too much. I want to get in a good groove of eating well before I send the wee one back to daycare. And once I'm back to work I'd love to be able to freeze meals for dinner.
I'm so excited about my "new" kitchen!
4 comments:
I have the ancient, original appliances my house was built with. I'm the only one on the block who hasn't redone the kitchen completely. Neighbors come to my house to show people the "before" then go back to their place and show the "after". LOL!
Your kitchen is going to be great--and yes, you'll feel like spending more time there!
As a kitchen reno survivor, I will admit it is SOO not fun during but the end result is absolutely worth every penny, frustration, and "I can't live like this anymore!" moments.
I hunted down sales on appliances and ended up getting a package deal on sale WITH rebates.
Good Luck!!
Please post some pics when it's done! (Love the white cabinets, btw)
It is already so much cuter! So sunny and bright. Put in some stainless appliances (reflect light, thus making your space seem larger) and some tile floors...maybe some little herbs in pots...and voilà! A kitchen you love. Also, freezing meals is soooo satisfying. I spent 40 minutes in the kitchen this morning and made 10 mini-meatloaves. That's 4 minutes of prep/cleanup time per entree. Glorious.
Hooray for new kitchens! Our house came with new appliances, but they are the cheapest pieces of crap ever made. So the dishwasher has already broken, and yesterday the ice dispenser on the fridge/freezer went. Of course, since they are "new" we can't even think of replacing them. Grr..
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