Things have been kind of slow in the kitchen but, as of yesterday, both soffits are gone. It was a messy job and a bit harder to do than we thought it would be because of the extra thick sheet rock, they were built to last for the long haul, but they are gone forever.
The first one we did was the one with the 60-year-old light fixture and the clock electrical outlet.
We added new insulation and sheet rock and now we are working on the spackle.
This weekend we worked on the opposite wall, where the stove and refrigerator live. This picture is a really good representation of the color of the cabinets which are reddish-brown and very dark in my small, cramped kitchen. They were installed by the bank before we moved in so they are in great shape but they aren’t top quality (no idea who makes them because I can’t find a name anywhere). BTW, the cabinets will stay but they will be painted and reconfigured just a bit.
I just wanted to show you where the soffit ends and where the cabinets end on this wall. Drives. Me. Crazy. That 60-year-old fan is a greasy eyesore too.
Let the fun begin! 😉
2nd soffit gone (as well as that fan!) and ready for sheet rock, which we finished last night.
Spackling is next and then we will move on to the ceiling, which will have recessed lights and a ceiling treatment…maybe?…most likely? Things change every day so we’ll see what happens.
Oh, and I finally set up my painting area and started the cabinets. There’s no turning back now.
I feel like I should have more to show you but, since we are doing everything ourselves and the husband works another job, we do it when we can. It’s not easy to cook though when most of the kitchen cabinets are in other rooms.
I hope to have a post up later in the week about paint colors for kitchen cabinets and walls, I’m still debating on my wall color. I’m curious to hear what you think.
Even though we aren’t removing walls and replacing cabinets, this is probably the biggest renovation we’ve ever done and I have to say that I’m loving the process. Have you ever done a big reno? How did you feel about it?
Hope you have a great week! 🙂
Kristi
I don’t blame you for hating the soffits. It was a big job but we are so glad that they’re gone. When you have a small kitchen, they really close in the space. If you ever take that sledge hammer out, I would love to hear about it.
chris aka monkey
to say i hate our soffits is putting it mildly, we have a small kitchen a walk through galley, and the soffits eat up a ton of storage space our problem is we have a cabinet hanging over the penisular that would have to be removed also kinda scares me but maybe one day the sledge hammer will find its’ way into my hands ha ha xx
Kristi
Thanks so much to all of you for hosting such a fabulous party. I look forward to it every week.
K.
allthatsjas
Doing projects on your own are hard work but it pays off in the end when you can enjoy your handiwork. Thanks for linking up at Thursday Favorite Things, please visit us again next week!
Kristi
It is messy but glad the soffits are gone. I would remove a wall here in a second if it would help to open up the kitchen but, as you know, that won’t work. I’m hoping that by doing all of this it gives us more space to cook. Ugh, I will be in big trouble with you know who if it doesn’t. 😉
Hope you are doing well.
K.
Kristi
Oh my, I can see why you won’t paint kitchen cabinets. Stripping them to be painted must have been a huge job. I don’t blame you for paying someone the last time you did them. I would have loved to hire someone to do my cabinets but it just wasn’t in the budget. If I had more room to work, and maybe a paint sprayer, I wouldn’t mind doing it myself. No room, no sprayer and no money for a painter though so it’s my job to do. 😉
I’m glad the soffits are gone but we are both worried about getting the walls smooth again. It’ll take lots of spackle and sandpaper. Hopefully we’re not sorry.
K.
Kristi
I know you have done your fair share of remodels MJ, and you’ve done way more than we are doing in this kitchen.
I’m just glad I don’t have kids at home. To go through all this while trying to take care of your kids is, I’m sure, very challenging.
K.
Kristi
It’s so funny because everyone who’s visited did notice the too short soffit right off the bat.
Yes, I did get to help with that ugly sucker. 🙂 I’m so glad that they are both gone. They were just too much for my small kitchen.
K.
Kristi
Thanks Barbara. The cabinet painting has not been as bad as I thought it would be…but I’m not done yet either. 😉
K.
Tara Riley
Hang in there this is the messy part. The first kitchen that I redid we did all the demolition including removing cabinets, soffits, flooring and a wall. Then I had a contractor install the drywall, cabinets. Of all the details in finishing I think that I enjoyed doing tile work on the back splashes the most.
Deborah Halcomb
I have done one big redo, a kitchen. I hated painting the cabinets. They were varnished and I decided to strip the varnish first. What a mess! I swore I would never redo cabinets again, and I haven’t. The last place that needed cabinets painted, they were golden yellow and blue, I paid a man to do them. I have never removed soffits or ceiling so I give you kudos for your ambition. It will be beautiful when done though so worth the effort.
MaryJean
Have we ever done a redo, you ask? Our whole house is a continuous redo! Ha, ha! Our biggest was putting in new windows and bumping out our kitchen wall 2 feet including an angle window area. I don’t envy you. I know the mess. If it wasn’t for the mess and the inconvenience, remodeling wouldn’t be that bad, but then it wouldn’t be remodeling would it? LOL
Before you know it will be all done and you will be so happy!
Havok
Please say you got to help demolish the soffit on the stove side of the kitchen! It would have been so frustrating to see that the cabinets and the soffit didn’t match in length…so getting to tear it down in frustration with the mis-matched-ness would have been awesome! 😀
Even though the walls aren’t done, and nothing is back up yet, it already looks bigger in there!!
Barbara (WA)
Whoa, a big project indeed!! It sure opens up the kitchen with the soffits removed. Hope your cabinet painting goes great (I hate to paint, heh).