Before & After

Give Dean a few days, some tools, a basic plan and tada - I have a new kitchen!  Actually it took a bit more than a few days and there is one more step to do before we can say that everything is completely complete but for now it's a done deal as far as we're concerned - especially since we've both had some surgical procedures and a trip back to Iowa in the mix!

Here is the original room when we bought the house:

Now after we moved in: 

The top oven didn't work and one of the burners 

on the stovetop was a little iffy sometimes

 

I know how to clutter up a counter! 

I used the dishwasher about 1 to 2 times a week and it was pretty wasteful 

on water and electricity in my book.

I wanted a "real" stove and a bit more counter space which meant I would lose the cupboards above and below the wall oven.  The only thing to do was to remove the dishwasher - OK by me - not so much with Dean - he thought his dishwashing helper status was over when we moved in! 

To accommodate a regular sized stove he had to move a wall a few inches:

We had great help from a friend who does this kind of work all the time back home in Minnesota.  His only requirement?  I stay out of the way!!  I could work with that but I did forget a couple of times since I needed to get food and water!

Cupboards were repainted, white board was put as the surround for the stove (easy to keep clean) and tile was picked out to put up later on the walls.  We delayed taking out the dishwasher until absolutely necessary!  

In place of the stovetop I got a wonderful new area to use for hot dishes and more counter space: 

This authentic Mexican tile actually matches the paint!

Here we are - all done - no more dishwasher and lots more cupboard space!

 

 I can still manage to find enough stuff to put on the counters!

Our little freezer is the latest addition and really fits in the 

space nicely.  The picture above I did as a project in high school

for my mother as a Christmas present.  My father made the frame.

It's OLD!

We have only to put up a wallpaper border now to cover the original and we'll be done.  Dean wanted a bit of a rest before he tackled that project.  We have all the supplies, we're just waiting for the inspiration!  In the meantime, he installed a new stool in our bathroom today - just for something to do to keep him busy (and to keep our water bill down!)

In the meantime, we've had monsoon rains, high humidity, hot temperatures, trips to the doctor for check-ups and just plain down days to relax.  But then that's the way things are here.  He also did another project for me but that's for another day!  Have a great day in your part of the world - it's been a great day here in the valley!