Dexter Kitchen: Framing and Final Demo

THE DEXTER HOUSE We've made some progress on the Dexter kitchen since we last left off. This is what the kitchen looked like after demo:

We've since framed the wall in-between the kitchen and future master bathroom and closed up the opening to the hallway. Framing new walls in old houses can be tricky. Walls are never straight or level and old framing is usually different dimensions than the 2x4's we use today. But we've gotten pretty used to dealing with it over the past 7 years and we framed in these two openings in a couple of hours.

The Grit and Polish - Dexter Kitchen Framing

The Grit and Polish - Kitchen Framing Opening

The Grit and Polish - Kitchen Wall Install

The Grit and Polish - Kitchen Framing Done

Here's a look at the kitchen from the dining room with demo all done:

The Grit and Polish - Kitchen Wall Framing

And here's a look at the south wall of the kitchen after the lower cabinets were removed.

The Grit and Polish - Kitchen progress cabinets

Of course even when you think you're done with demo, you're often not. At least that's how it usually works on our projects. We ended up having to remove two of the original upper cabinets to make room for a fridge. Garrett then cut out two wholes in the ceiling for skylights. We also decided to tear out all the plaster on the north wall to make rough-in electrical a bit easier.

The Grit and Polish - Kitchen progress north wall

The Grit and Polish - Kitchen progress Garrett and Papa

Sadly, the original hardwoods also had to go. After meeting with a flooring refinisher we decided tearing them out was a whole lot easier than trying to remove all the gunk and refinish them. Luckily Papa was on hand to help with the final demo and here's what our kitchen looks like as of Sunday:

Those two! I have to take a quick, sappy moment and say that watching Garrett and his dad work together is really special - there's so much love, respect, and kindness between them. Garrett is the best Dada because he's had the best example!

Okay, so I think we're all glad demo is over. Now it's time to get on to the fun part...putting this house back together! We've got a great plan for this little kitchen and I'll share all the details on Thursday. In the meantime...a belated happy Father's Day to all you awesome Dada's out there. Keep up the good work!

xoxo

-Cathy

p.s. Adaptive reuse is so cool! Who wouldn't want to live in a former train station...as long as trains did whiz by every 10 minutes?!

p.p.s. With summer finally here, I find us hosting a lot of meals on the Ravenna House's patio. These tips for better host and hostessing are coming in handy!

p.p.p.s. A very happy 7th birthday to Bubba! You are way too energetic for your own good, but we love you anyway!