A Rough Week

Happy Labor Day!  I hope everyone has a great, relaxing day planned.

I haven't posted in over a week!  That is mostly because I haven't had much to post about.  It was a slow week....and not because I am slow.  Nothing was easy last week.  NOTHING!

Last weekend we installed the countertops.  The sink had to be installed at the same time due to its large size and my cabinet doors being so small.  For the most part, things went smoothly on this project but it was time consuming.  I will post more info about the countertops in a few days but here is a little peek at the sink install.

All the cabinet bases are painted and the countertops were installed, it was time to start hooking up appliances.  I wasn't overly worried about this since our cabinets were built for standard appliances so I knew all our appliances would fit the spaces well.  The problem was hooking them up.  None of the fittings attached directly to the appliances.  I had to find new fittings and hoses so the new appliances would fit the old hook ups in the house.  FRUSTRATING!

On Monday, I started working under the sink.  The garbage disposal and sink plumbing had to be put back in as well as hook up the dishwasher.

I knew the plumbing from the garbage disposal to the existing p trap was not going to line up correctly because our new sink is a lot deeper than the old.  The garbage disposal was easy to install but I really wasn't confident in what I was doing with the plumbing.  After several trips to Lowes, I finally got all the plumbing to line up and connected.  I also got the dishwasher put hooked up and pushed back.  That came with its own set of issues.  It took several more trips to Lowes to find the correct connections to get the dishwasher hooked up to the waterline.  I finally got that done, got the wiring done, and pushed it back into the opening so all I needed was to hook up the drain hose to the garbage disposal to be done. The hose wouldn't reach!  AHHHH!  Back to Lowes, to find a connector and extension.

All this took several days.  I got very discouraged and frustrated and had the energy sucked out of me.  It was horrible.  I worked so hard everyday and barely made any progress.  To recoup and take care of my mental health, I took a personal day on Friday.  It was necessary.  I was so tired and unmotivated. Nothing was going well and it became apparent to me that nothing about these appliances was going to be easy.

Saturday,  we put in some new valves under the sink to eliminate some of the hoses and to reduce leaking.  Brian turned off the water to the house.  I unscrewed the old valves and put on the new ones.  First try, we had a leak.  Made some adjustments and still had a leak.   Every time there was a leak, I had to unhook the sink lines, and take off the new valves, make the adjustments then reinstall everything.  Very time consuming.  So by the third time I was ready to hurt something or someone.  I made some more adjustments and had less of a leak.  Finally, on the fourth go, when Brian turned the water back on I couldn't tell.  No leaks.  WOOHOO.

So after all this, it was finally time to open all the valves and try out the sink, check the plumbing, and garbage disposal.  We also turned on the valves to the dishwasher and refrigerator.  That is the kind of moment I say that classic line, "Hang on to your butts".  I had wrenches and towels in hand as well as one hand still on the valves in case they needed to be turned back off.  First the sink.  It worked great!  I have running water in my kitchen!!!!!!!

After a few minutes I noticed a leak in the p trap.  I tighten some things and it was gone.  Then I opened the valve to the dishwasher and heard water dripping.  PLEASE PUNCH ME IN THE FACE! To get to the leak, I had to totally unhook the dishwasher and pull it out.  After tightening some stuff and making more adjustments, I got it back in.  No leaks.  Then we turned it on to make sure the drain hose didn't have leaks.  No leaks.  Thank goodness.  Finally making some progress.

 Lastly, I opened the water valve to the refrigerator hoping for no leaks.  Worked great!  We have ice!!!  And cold, filtered water from the fridge!!  I almost forgot what it was like to have a functioning kitchen.


Yesterday, we moved on to the over the range microwave oven.  There was a vent hood there previously so the duct work was already there for venting and all we had to do was install the microwave on the wall and to the upper cabinets.

I am not sure why, but I looked up the pipe with a flashlight.  All I saw was insulation!!!!!  It went into the attic but was plugged up with insulation so it really went no where!!  Really?!?!?!  SOMEONE SHOOT ME! So, we went to Lowes, probably the 20th time in 5 days, not an exaggeration and we had to get the materials to bring the venting duct work through the attic and to an exterior wall.  Thankfully Brian climbed the crazy tall ladder (remember our kitchen is on the second floor so our attic is at third floor level) to cut a hole in the side of the house and install the outdoor vent.  Although it went well, it was still frustrating.  One more thing that was not as fast or as cheap as we were hoping.  After installation it does work and looks great!

All that is left now is the stove.  We decided to push it back in the cabinets to make sure everything was lining up and fitting.  It fit into the cabinet and in between the countertops but wouldn't push back all the way.  There isn't much behind  it, an outlet and the gas hook up but thats it.  After several tries we figured out our gas valve is too high on the wall and is not low enough to let the stove push back all the way.  STAB ME IN THE EYE NOW!  I have to call a gas guy tomorrow to get it changed.

Overall we did get stuff done but it doesn't reflect how much time and effort was put in this week.  I am reminding myself to stay positive, at least we got something accomplished, and to remember that it is almost done.  I am not going to lie....there were moments I wanted to throw myself on the floor and start yelling and crying but I refrained.  I have to remember we are in the homestretch.   I am about to have an amazing and beautiful kitchen that my husband and I DIYed so I also saved a lot of money and put sweat equity into my home.  Its almost done and life will go back to normal.

Today, I am prepping the spare room that will be the office/fly-tying/craft room for paint and unloading/washing dishes and putting them in their new home.  If you look in the reflection of the microwave you can see my plates and glasses are already washed and in the cabinets!

Staying hopeful things will be easier this week.

Click here to see the finished kitchen.