This Year's Big Project

Last year, Brett spent a huge amount of time remodeling the rental home we purchased. When it was finally done Brett was exhausted and ready for a break.

However, when my three-week trip to Germany started to become a reality Brett said, "You know, that's probably a good time to redo the kitchen." And so, it began. "It" being a huge undertaking that consumes all of Brett's spare time.

We have talked about remodeling the kitchen for years--really, since we first moved in. Who doesn't start talking about improvements you would make to a home when you first get in there? We have made a number of improvements to our home already, but I felt like the kitchen would always be "a few years down the road."

Brett is going to be doing all the work himself, including building the cabinets. He has had to start work now so that the cabinets are ready to be installed when I leave in September. That is when he will rip out all of the old cabinets, walls, and tiles, and replace everything.

Before he began the actual labor, Brett spent a great deal of time researching materials, drawing designs, ordering supplies, etc. We started with some drawings my sister Jen gave us. She gave us the vision, then we started tweaking things here and there. I mapped out where I wanted everything to be in the kitchen (I can tell you where everything is going from the saran wrap to the flashlights to the punchbowl to the small drinking glasses to...you name it.) and Brett made the designs for every shelf. You might not think of Brett as being highly organized or meticulous or mathematical (he is the biologist, after all, and I'm the math major), but his natural talent for doing woodworking and making the plans to go with it amazes me.

He also used a computer program which helps you plan out your cuts on each piece of plywood. That has proven to be a huge help for him. He was able to print out labels to keep track of the thirty or so pieces of plywood he was using for the cabinet boxes.

The wood was delivered last week and I am proud to announce that the cabinet boxes are completed--and being stored in my dining room!

This afternoon he started on the face frames. He started with (and finished) the smallest cabinet. [The small drinking glasses will be on the second shelf from the bottom, in case you were wondering.]

I am so proud of Brett for all that he has done so far. But, there is still much (oh, so much) left to do. And the interior of my house and amount of sawdust on the floors will only get worse as the project continues. But, Boy! Will it be worth it!