Choices, choices (long)

We think we've decided.

Cabinets have been ordered and are in production. They should get here within 4-6 weeks. Shipping was free because we had them shipped directly to Rick's work. We're going to rent a truck to bring them home; it's still cheaper than paying for shipping in the long run. We have friends lined up to help move them when we're ready. The kitchen is going to be full of cabinets for awhile!

I think I mentioned that there's a guy where Rick works who said he might be interested in our old cabinets to put into an old cabin he uses for hunting. He's going to come down and take a look at them. Rick said he could have them if he wanted to help him take them off the wall. They're old, but they're not in bad shape.

Bought the new sink and faucet from Home Depot. Sink is a black granite composite, which is what Rick wanted. I really, really wanted an undermount black cast iron sink, but they can scratch so easily. (I lived in a house with a white cast iron kitchen sink and I just loved that thing.) And I'm worried about the granite composite sink as the reviews that I read talk about cracking when pouring hot water (like from cooking pasta, for example) into the sink. He doesn't seem worried about it, though, so we'll see. The faucet is by Moen and is a high-arch faucet. Actually, it's identical to the one my sister has....I've used it at her house and I really like it.

HD is also having a sale on granite right now; we have until Sept 5 to order our countertop and pay for it. We choose a color that we both like (interestingly enough, we're calling it Mollipop granite....honestly, it has Molli's colors; the golds, browns, blacks, ivories and even a hint of green from those green eyes of hers!
I have to start packing up some of the kitchen dishes I don't use regularly, so I'm going back down to Lowes tonight for some storage tubs. We haven't a clue where we're going with half this stuff!  I also said to dear Richard that I want to make sure our freezer is extra full, that we have casseroles and such so that we're not eating out during the time we have no kitchen. Between the microwave, the grill and what we can use at the stove, we should be fine. I'll have enough dishes and such for the two of us and keep the cats' dishes in the kitchen, too. Other than that, though, we're packing.

Things are moving along well from the sounds of it! I've just Googled Ogee edge granite counters - that's going to be really nice. If Rick's co-worker doesn't take the old cabinets, could you put them in the cellar for storage? That's what we did when we redid our kitchen, and it didn't take long before they were full. Jamie has two double cabinets for all his stuff down there. :lol3: Maybe you should at least keep BooBoo's cabinet.

You're definitely going to be expected to take lots of pictures of everything!

Thanks, Tricia! I've started taking pictures as we go. And yes, the cabinets we don't get rid of will probably go downstairs for more storage. BooBoo's cabinet is already in the basement and is going up on the wall!

I'm so jealous! :lol3: I just googled ogee edge also and I really like the look. It will look great when it is finished.

I have to laugh about the cabinets in the basement. When we moved into this house all of the old kitchen cabinets were in the basement for extra storage. We eventually got rid of them because some were in really rough shape, but there was one that Abby loved to sleep on. It's still down there. We couldn't get rid of it.

jcat said:

You're definitely going to be expected to take lots of pictures of everything!

Click to expand...

YES - want to see pictures, Pam!! Sounds really, really nice and how exciting!! I will have to google Ogee Edge too. :bigthumb:

AbbysMom said:

I'm so jealous! :lol3: I just googled ogee edge also and I really like the look. It will look great when it is finished.

I have to laugh about the cabinets in the basement. When we moved into this house all of the old kitchen cabinets were in the basement for extra storage. We eventually got rid of them because some were in really rough shape, but there was one that Abby loved to sleep on. It's still down there. We couldn't get rid of it.

Click to expand...

We've got an old buffet and china closet that were in the cellar when we moved in. They look like they're from the 1940s. We keep saying we're going to get rid of them, but the buffet fits right under the window and is the perfect cat perch, and the china closet is just right for jumping to the top of the freezer. :lol3::lol3::lol3:

Rick's parents have a lot of old cabinets and such in their basement, too. There's a taller stand that I'd love to have, simply because I can see turning it into a kitty bed at one of our windows in our basement. When our basement gets to the point where I'd feel safe leaving the cats down there, at that time, we'll leave the basement door open and they can come and go as they please. (Right now, that's not an option.)

I have been taking pictures as we go. There's a lot of work to be done and it's difficult to find the time right now.

Oh, and we did change our minds. Already.  They say that happens a lot.

We passed on the granite sale from Home Depot. There is a granite fabricator about 25 miles or so north of us and they have some absolutely gorgeous granite. We were up on Saturday to look at the outside slabs and we had our appointment with them last night. They will do the Ogee edge, if that's what we really want, but the guy said that it's a very fragile edge overall. The first time I drop something on the edge, there will be a chip. He suggests a demi-bullnose, I think that's what it's called, because it's a sturdier edge.  (Both Rick and I really like that Ogee edge; it's different and we like the way it looks. But I'm wary of it now.) I'm looking at a granite called Golden Crystal that I really like. I think it's from Brazil; the Italian granite is difficult to come by right now; their supplier owns 90-some Italian quarries and, supposedly, the Italian government has them shut down right now; I don't know why. He doesn't know when they'll get Italian granite again. Could be in a couple of months, could be next year. They simply don't know.

There were three slabs that I liked: Golden Crystal, Crema Bordeaux (spelling?), and Patagonia. So they gave me samples from all three pieces and I brought them home. On the lot, I loved the Patagonia the most, but when we got the Golden Crystal home, it looked like it belonged there. It's a little more expensive, though, so we'll see. You can see in the different slabs that Patagonia is steadily getting lighter, while Golden Crystal is steadily getting darker. The Crema Bordeaux is pretty much staying the same from slab to slab. (You can Google images of all three granites, if you'd like.) I also took pictures of each slab and can post those when I have some extra time. We're going back to the fabricator on Saturday with a cabinet door from the design center; the door is a sample of the color of our new cabinets. The fabricator suggested we do that....we can put the door next to the slabs and see which one we like the most. I'll take pictures of that, too.

Rick wanted darker; I wanted lighter. We're trying to compromise. He would have been happy with a Verde Peacock or a Black Pearl. It's simply too dark for me. Remember my kitchen is very dark now and that's turned me off of darker colors.

Oh! Before I forget, remember I said that Home Depot had told us we'd have a three-week wait from template to installed countertop? We'd have to go three weeks without a countertop in the kitchen? No. The fabricator said it's a one-week wait. And they are very careful about that, making sure it's only one week between template and installation. And once it's templated, we go back up and we can position the template over the part of the slab we want to use. Obviously, we can't just use the middle of the slab; that's just not right, but we can go from side to side, top or bottom to figure out which end we want. That's pretty cool, too. They will determine the granite "flow" depending on how are countertops are designed.

Once we pay, we get to choose our slabs and our name will be on the slabs. Then we tell them when the cabinets are to be installed. They come down and do the template. And it goes from there.

Cancelled the sink order from Home Depot. I know, I know. But Rick wants to go with a Blanco Silgranite II 33-inch anthracite sink; we saw them last night at the fabricator. He wanted a double sink, but I think I'd like to have a larger single sink (there are so many times that I'm stuck trying to wash a large pan, whether it's a huge crock pot or a roaster pan and I have no room in a smaller sink). We have a dishwasher, so I don't normally wash dishes by hand. (Actually I pretty much despise washing dishes by hand!) After talking with the design guru at the granite place last night, he is willing to go for an undermount sink, which is what I've wanted. Rick was leery about undermount, because if anything happened to the sink, he was afraid we'd have to pull the counterop out to get to the sink (and that is true with a cast iron sink). But not with the Blanco. The guy stood there and showed Rick exactly how it worked. And he's happy now. So undermount it is. We still have the Moen faucet on order....we both really like that faucet. They'll install the sink at the same time they install the countertop, but they don't do plumbing. Which is OK, as my nephew has already said that he'll do it....he's a master plumber by trade and can handle the task.

They also guarantee both the sink and the countertop for as long as we're in our home (which will be....forever). If the countertop gets a stain (it shouldn't as long as I care for it, but if it does), they'll come down and take care of it. If I chip it (and that could happen), they'll come down and take care of it). Same with the sink. If anything happens, they'll come down and take care of it.

Meanwhile, in between going to my mother in the nursing home and taking care of her kitty, I'm also trying to clean out the kitchen. We have four storage tubs full of stuff right now and I've taken some boxes home from work to fill as well. I'm trying to keep only what we and the cats need for cooking on a daily basis with no picnics or large family dinners scheduled at my house for the next few months (much to my sister's dismay) LOL. We're going for groceries, but it's only milk and eggs and cat supplies; it's a good time to clean out the freezer, I guess. Soups, stews, casseroles, and the like. Rick said he's fine with that, but there needs to be more cookies in the freezer  since I won't have a decent baking space to do a lot of baking for awhile.

Stay tuned! I know you guys already know about granite and kitchens and stuff, but I thought it was interesting and wanted to share.

You're wise to go with a single sink, since you have a dishwasher. We originally had a double sink in our kitchen, and it was a real pain because the few things I wash by hand - usually large pots and pans - simply didn't fit. I'm much happier with a single one. I'll have to Google the marble, and what they said about the Ogee edge makes sense.

Things are slowly but surely coming together for you!