Kitchen Renovation Checklist Update

As mentioned in my last post we’re about 95% done with our big kitchen and family room renovation project we started back in March.  Unfortunately, the 5% that is left is mostly small, detail kind of stuff which tends to take some time.  So I thought I’d give you an update on the good ole’ renovation checklist.  Here’s a breakdown of what we’ve done (with links to those posts) and the couple of things we still have left to do (marked in orange).

1. Finalize kitchen layout
2. Interview & hire general contractor (we ended up not going with a contractor after our guy bailed on us at the last minute… so far that decision seems to be working out okay, but only time will tell if we made the right choice deciding to do the majority of the work ourselves)
3. Interview & hire electrician
4. Interview & hire drywaller
5. Purchase & install cabinets (read more here and here)
6. Purchase & install appliances (fridge, cooktop, dishwasher, microwave/wall oven combo)
7. Purchase & install countertops (read more here and here)
8. Purchase & install floors (read more here, here, here, and here)
9. Demolition
   1. Knock down wall separating kitchen & family room
   2. Remove built-in book cases in family room
   3. Remove old cabinets
   4. Remove old countertops
   5. Remove paneling in kitchen & family room
   6. Remove old carpet & parquet flooring (we attempted to remove the old parquet, but quickly decided not to go that route… it was way too difficult to do… so, we just installed our new floors on top of the existing parquet)
   7. Remove old appliances
10. Build knee wall for peninsula
11. Install vent for cooktop in knee wall
12. Level floors
13. Plumbing
    1. Disconnect & reconnect sink
    2. Move water line for fridge
    3. Install new fixtures
14. Electrical
    1. Replace existing wiring in family room
    2. Rework all wiring in kitchen
    3. Upgrade electrical panel to 200 amp service
    4. Install new lighting (read more here and here)
15. Reinsulate walls if needed
16. Drywall entire kitchen & family room (read more here and here)
17. Repair ceilings
18. Paint
19. Replace built-in bookcases & install recessed desk area in family room
20. Replace interior doors
21. Install crown molding
22. Install baseboard & shoe molding (this task is about 75% complete)
23. Finish trim around newly widened doorway
24. Install cabinet hardware
25. Unexpected stuff (read about some of those fun little surprises here, here, here, and here)

Definitely a lot of progress has been made since our last checklist update back in March. 

Call me crazy… but I think we might actually get everything else crossed off of our list in the next couple of months!  Wouldn’t that be nice?  I know I’d sure like it to have an oven in time for the holidays!  And I think it might just happen!