So we have to wait till those come in before we can really truly finish the pantry.
Once the floors are in we will move the freezer and refrigerator from the garage into the house. Our refrigerator has a tough time in the winter so we are hoping it will function better in a warmer environment.
We found out this weekend that the floor *should* be in this Thursday. We have to get them to the house somehow and then let them acclimate for however long that takes. Apparently they've been shipped from out of state so it might take like a month to acclimate. That will be a tough wait.
This project took way longer than we originally anticipated. And I know that everyone says things like this take longer than promised but it was truly painful at times just waiting or coming home from work to look and see what had been done only to find that nothing had changed.
We are do-it-yourselfers most of the time. But doing it yourself can take forever when you only have evenings and weekends (and you are tired in the evening). So for this project we decided to hire out. There were days when Frank just wanted to finish it himself because he was so tired of the waiting.
Now that it's done it's easy to say that it was worth it...it is done. But, man, there were some frustrating days. And I'm a perfectionist (as we all know) so leaving things in someone else's hands can be nerve wracking for someone like me.
Ever since the tile project in the hall bathroom, I have been noticing the work done in stores, restaurants and other people's homes...all by "professionals". None of it is perfect. I have to realize that perfection is not possible. We just all do the best we can.
Anyway, here is the before, during and after of the pantry project!
Living room before:
Notice the small dining area and area where wall juts out inside dining area-that is the current pantry
View from kitchen side:
Left door goes into dining room
Right side door is current pantry
First step was to wall in the room. It was kind of scary to imagine this room closed off and I worried I wouldn't like it. Once it was walled off, I realized that I would often stand at the kitchen island and look through the dining room and out the front window. That view is gone.
Breaking out the old pantry.
Walling up the old pantry door
Old pantry is gone
Here is the front room side of things with the wall in. I was kind of nervous that it would be obvious that we closed it off even after painting...
Doorway to the pantry is done.
Aaaand...it is off center. It was centered on the wall from the inside of the pantry but from the outside is was slightly off to the right. I told myself for about an hour that this would be fine. And then I got real and emailed the contractor. He fixed it the next day. He was hoping Frank would be on his side but when he mentioned that I wanted it changed, Frank was like "Listen, if it is bugging her now it will only bug her more as time goes on. And I don't want to live with her being annoyed by her new pantry. If she wants it fixed, lets fix it." Good man.
Whew!
Putting in can lights and mudding drywall.
What a mess my house was for so long!
I did all the painting so the second he said it was ready, I had that whole room painted! I emailed to say that it was done and ready for him to bring in the shelves. Ha! I think he was shocked.
Bottom shelving has arrived!
Top shelving
Doors put in and painted! We had a gaping hole for so long that this was a nice day.
Top shelving, countertop and shelves installed. Crown moulding. Looks so purty.
I knew that this (above picture) stage was the prettiest it would ever be. Once I load all my crap, it would look like your average messy (if big) pantry. I did decide to get some new baskets rather than the mismatched plastic bins I had in my old pantry. I also bought some cute labels for my flour, sugar etc. They were already in clear containers in my old pantry.
The Finished product:
The front room. I'm happy with the wall...I just need to add a picture or something.
I spend a fair amount of time in this room. This is where I decompress after work for a few minutes or where I read. Notice the new house plant in the corner! It's still alive after two whole weeks so I'm pretty impressed with myself.
Entry to pantry.
Looks great. The moulding around the doors is slightly different than the rest of our moulding...but I didn't notice until it was all installed and painted.
I will try to live with it.
We shall see.
I will definitely leave it until we change the floors in the kitchen which will not be for a long long time since it involves removing tile and also purchasing new flooring.
I gotta save up.
Loaded with stuff.
I have room for food and miscellaneous kitchen gadgets that were all over the house before.
I brought up home canned goods that I didn't have room for before...hoping we will do a better job of eating that stuff with it in plain sight instead of hiding in the basement.
I put the labels on my clear containers which I think are adorable.
I'm going to put them on the baskets too. Soon. Real soon.
This side is where the refrigerator and freezer will go.
Oops, I see a can of paint that I need to put away.
I'm extraordinarily excited about this! Somewhere to put my broom and mop!
yay!
Before, they were shoved in a small closet in the laundry room and every time you opened the door, they would fall out on you. It was not ideal.
I also have a full sized trash can for recyclables which I'm super excited about.
Before, I had a little bin and stuff would stack up and overflow onto the counter in the laundry room until I got frustrated or they were falling on the floor at which point I would take them outside to the recycling bin. Let's hope I'm a little more on the ball with this big trash can.
That's it!
Now...what's next?
Haaa!
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