We’re back with a short kitchen update, since we promised to share every step of this renovation—just like we did more than four years ago with our first kitchen makeover (that one took 113 days from start to finish). The latest: the electricians showed up last week. We’re comfortable doing many DIY tasks—painting, demolition, drywall, building furniture and even a little plumbing—but when it comes to risky electrical work in an older house, we call in professionals. The home could have had hidden issues, and we didn’t want to risk anything serious like a fire. We hired a two-person electrician team recommended by friends to handle a few changes so the kitchen layout would function the way we planned. Here’s what they accomplished:
- Investigated the mystery wire above the pantry and discovered it was a dedicated line/outlet for the fridge that inexplicably exited and re-entered the wall.
- Rerouted that wire back into the wall to serve as the plug for the built-in microwave that will hang next to the pantry.
- Converted the hardwired connection behind the cooktop into a standard plug for the new stove (more about that here).
- Terminated the hardwired connection for the old wall oven so there aren’t loose wires to worry about (details here).
- Installed a dedicated line and outlet for the fridge in its new location across the room—until now we’d been running it on an extension cord.
The main lesson: rooms often get messier before they get better. Below is how the space looked before the electricians arrived, after we shuffled the fridge and pantry around while testing the new layout (more on that here):
At that stage we already had the new counter-depth fridge and the new stove where the old cooktop and cabinet had been, and there were missing granite counters. We don’t have a wide shot from that exact moment, so here are the photos we do have of the appliances in place (more on placing appliances here):
And here’s how it looked while the electricians were working:
Crazy, right? Once they repaired the wiring and closed up the wall they pushed everything back into place, removed the protective towels from the appliances, and we had a functioning stove and oven, a microwave outlet ready for the built-in install, no more dangling wire above the pantry, no exposed wires from the old wall oven, and a fridge that runs without an extension cord. Hooray!
We paid roughly $80 per hour for two electricians working a few hours (the first hour was $87 and the subsequent hours were $70). For anyone local who asked, they’re S.J. Ryan Electric—we were happy with their professionalism and fair pricing. They don’t know we’re bloggers, so this is an unpaid shout-out for good work.
The kitchen still looks chaotic, but once the fridge gets built in with white wood panels (replacing the bulky black sides), the exposed paneling and beam edge are painted, and the lighting, cabinetry, floors, counters, backsplash and peninsula are installed, it will start to feel cohesive again.
We were fortunate that much of the kitchen’s electrical had been updated by the previous owners—GFCI outlets and similar safety features were already in place. Living in a single-story ranch helped too, because the electricians could access the attic to pull and reroute wiring without causing a lot of drywall damage. That said, the mystery wire above the old fridge was difficult to reach because it ran into a tight, steeply pitched section of the attic created by the original roof before an addition. That’s why they had to open and repair the wall above the pantry.
Next on our ongoing kitchen to-do list (order changes as we go):
- Build in the fridge so it looks integrated
- Build in the microwave next to the pantry
- Demo the old backsplash
- Install the new dishwasher and sell the old one
- Install the new stove flush with the cabinets
- Create the peninsula with either built or purchased cabinetry
- Remove the remaining old counters and install new ones
- Add an 8′ opening between the kitchen and dining room (with a contractor’s help)
- Buy and install a vent hood above the stove
- Remove upper cabinets along the accent/stove wall and run counter-to-ceiling backsplash
- Install floating shelves on the accent wall for a cleaner look after tiling
- Source or build matching doors so new cabinetry blends with the existing units
- Replace hinges and cabinet hardware
- Redo kitchen lighting—remove fluorescent fixtures and ceiling fan, add recessed lights in the work area and pendants over the peninsula
- Install cork floors
- Add crown molding to the tops of cabinets
- Prime and paint the cabinets
- Create a cozy fireplace corner with seating, a rug and built-in shelving
We break a big renovation into smaller, manageable tasks—that’s how we stay sane. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed (just reading the list can do that), but focusing on one small project at a time lets us make steady progress and adjust plans as needed. Eventually those incremental changes add up to a finished room we hope to love for a long time.
What did you tackle this weekend? Any electrical work on your list? Anyone else tearing a room apart just before the holidays? For some reason we always start big projects around this time of year—at the end of 2007 we gutted our first home’s kitchen, at the end of 2008 we refinished over half of our hardwoods, at the end of 2009 we renovated a bathroom, and at the end of 2010 we packed up and moved. Maybe renovation dust feels a bit like winter snow—appropriate for the season.
P.S. We were invited to speak at Haven, a large DIY and blogging conference in Atlanta this coming June. We’re excited and nervous—here’s hoping we don’t completely flub it on stage and that we get to meet some of you there.