Finally, my place is coming into a livable space.  I recently received my new sofa and new chair.  I need to put in some artwork and personal items to make it comfortable and inviting and slowly I will add these things.  It has been such a long journey and I am glad to see it coming to a close.

My kitchen is still in reno phase but getting there.  I now have the appliances in but the cabinets have not been installed yet.  I do have them.  i do not have my sink or countertops yet and it was interesting to find out  yesterday that  according to Lowe's home improvement center, I cannot order a solid surface countertop as I do not have enough square footage required.  You have to have 25 Sq. Ft of countertop in order to get it.  I do not.  I stand at approximately 20 sq. ft.  Somehow that doesn't seem fair to me so I will check out some on line sources and see if I can do it from another place.  I have not checked Home Depot yet but think for some reason that it will be the same.  Maybe not if I can convince them it would outdo their competer and be beneficial in terms of me promoting their service.

As soon as I get a little further along I will post some pictures of the kitchen and then, when all the rooms are together I will do a before picture of flood damage to the present.  What a difference.

While I'm here, there are some more hints about when you renovate.  Here is a picture of what most of my electrical switches looked like.  The holes were too big for the switch plates to cover so I had to go back and fill in the space and then paint over.  Such a nuisance as it takes so much extra time and also when the boxes are installed they need to allow for the depth of the sheetrock.  The boxes were so deep set that I had to loosen the screws in order to "pull" the switches out to lie flush with the switch plates.  Most of the holes were cut too wide and not vertically long enough so the parts of the switch that are supposed to be on the outside of the wall were inside and in order to bring them out I had to trim the sheetrock at the bottom or top.  Again, I'm not sure I explained this well, but if you are having someone do this for you, you need to make sure they allow for the depth of the sheetrock and install the boxes closer to the surface.  Pics here.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck in any home improvement projects you may be involved in.  Don't hesitate to write me a note if you have a question I might be able to answer.  Glad to help if I can.....

So I made a mistake.  I did not look at the tube of caulking I was using to make sure it was the right kind.  I thought all I had bought was the paintable kind.  Not the case.  As you can see by the photo, the paint refuses to adhere to the caulking.  After 3 attempts, I realize I  now have to cover it up with something to make the paint stick, but if water won't stick and paint won't stick, what will?  A friend on facebook told me to use primer.  My daughter (who once did this too) says primer did not work either, at least for her.  She ended up putting the right kind of caulking over the top of it and said it then worked.  Oh, the thought of recaulking all my baseboards and some door frames does not really excite me.  

Today I am going to finish putting the second coat of paint on the walls and will go back when done and see what will work here.  

This is where my washer/dryer will be placed.  Have yet to purchase.  Thursday will be the day for that.  All set to go.

This is the wall where my stove will be.  Centered with a cabinet on each side.  

This is as far as I am at the moment.  

I am devoting the rest of this week to working and finishing up as my appliances arrive this coming Monday and I am actually feeling excited about that.  Once in place I will go get my cabinets and order the countertops.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I like it.

If you are renovating, don't forget to check your caulk.  This will be a nuisance refix for me.  Don't let it happen to you.

Thanks for stopping.