To tile or not to tile

We are in kitchen hiatus - floor is down, new a/c ducts operable, dry walls complete, and first paint coat is down.  But now we are waiting on the cabinets.

A week with no workmen here.

Not to be too relaxed, Ron and Steve (Ron's brother) began the process of creating the perfect mix for tiling the back-splash.  We had settled on two different colors - burnt orange and sea green.  They now needed to be merged into a random pattern acceptable to 'the design committee'.  A quick search and Steve found a tile manufacturer's program for randomizing 1+ color combinations.  And thus brotherly bonding ensued.   Together they set to developing a process for peeling tiles, intermixing per one of five rotating random designs, and re-gluing. Oye, get the Ben Gay and motrin.

 

Now with patterns tested, one of seven boxes merged, Steve back to his life, the very next day Ron went OCD and began peeling tiles off solid sheets, merging and gluing.  By day's end, Ron's TV series backlist was caught up and the remaining tile boxes were drained and repacked with fresh waxed paper separators.

Next on to the faux window pane.

Floors, walls and No soffits - Oh my!

Progress ... step by step.  Floors are in now.  Walls are up and painted Soffits are down in the kitchen meaning ceiling to floor cabinets.

Oh speaking of cabinets  - where, oh where are they?

And did I mention we snuck away for a night with no construction around us.  We enjoyed an invigorating late afternoon swim and walk on the Hollywood Broadwalk, then a relaxing evening at the Riptide Hotel. And of course sunrise.

All part of getting the kitchen installed.

Honey, the kitchen arrived!

It's beginning to look a lot like springtime

I mean it is beginning to look like walls -

We've been a bit busy - picking out stuff - like grout for the tile - oyster (which will match the oyster shells from South Carolina in our recycled glass counter top), the edge for the counters(double pencil) and knobs for the cabinets.

 

And - remembering the two pair of decorative handles we had picked up during our trip to South Africa several years ago, we decided it would only be fitting to afix these to four of the new cabinet doors.  

Also out of the closet are coming two six inch tiles we'd squirreled away after our last sprint-through- annual-sale-day at Motawi Tile Works (www.motawi.com) in Ann Arbor, MI.   These two tiles will be centered on two backsplash panels (glass tiles in burnt orange and sea green described in an earlier episode).  The overall backsplash tile design is nearly formulated, a random pattern of burnt orange in a background of sea green (random placements to be completed by Ron prior to turnover to the tile guy when that step approaches).  

Not to mention the Biscayne Bay sunset view over Miami  photo (www.mattstock.com) that will be placed inside a faux window frame wall inset behind the farmers sink.

Did I mention the rest of our green purchases - bamboo flooring for the kitchen and hallways. Oh how we eagerly await the day we're ready to see this flooring laid down.

So, for today small progress, drywall mud works are in progress.  Hopefully two more days and the dirty works are completed.  Daily dusting and vacuuming should abate by that point.

As week three comes to a close, light begins to appear in the proverbial tunnel.

We've been quiet .... but not the construction

Days have passed since we have posted, but that doesn't mean work has stopped.

I did have an epiphany that I posted in Facebook - Home Renovation is a lot like sausage.  It's probably better not to watch it being made.  

Yet - I still feel the need to document the process, and share it with all of you.

Ron, who missed almost all of the deconstruction, came home and quickly joined in the fun.  He eagerly joins in on any conversation, to be sure to help guide the workman to the correct decision.  I realized that during the day with all the work going on, the house is over filled with testosterone.  It's like being in a middle of a football huddle or a rugby scrum.  There is a dearth of females in trades.

A few updated pictures for your view.  By the way, we are in the constructing phase now.

Apartment Hallway to our Bedroom

Kitchen Constructing .... Looking different?

 And here we are doing the dishes in the guest bathroom next to the coffee pot.

And when my sanity can't take it anymore - I run off to play with my favorite little people:

Baylee and Briella