Hard-Won Victory

At last . . . our major home remodeling projects have come to an end! I'm amazed by the magic Luke has worked. (If radiology falls through, he's got a future in home improvement! Oh, wait . . . I forgot about all those medical school loans.) Anyway . . . drum roll, please . . .

Kitchen Before:

Kitchen After:

It looks awesome, doesn't it? First, Luke tore out the linoleum floor and tiled it. Next, he and his brother, Lance, built these concrete countertops. Luke cut our sink to convert it to an undermount sink and installed it with the new countertops. The last touches were the black tile backsplash and the replacement of all the cabinet handles. (A final detail to come will be a black moulding around the floor.)

Bathroom Before:

Bathroom After:





Quite a transformation, isn't it?! This one was a d-o-o-z-y. It involved demolishing the peach-colored tile and the plaster behind it, rebuilding the walls and tiling them with the floor, reworking the plumbing (several times), and building the concrete countertop for the vanity. I think it's absolutely beautiful! We're sure grateful for all the friends who pitched in with this. (Oh, and I did paint the walls--other than that, my contribution to the remodel was to keep the little ones out of the way and keep the rest of the household running smoothly!)

The moment of the remodel I'm sorriest to have missed? Luke walking into the Rockin' Gators Bar down the street and asking for 3 empty brown beer bottles (to crush into the countertop above). According to Lance, you could hear the bartenders' laughter from out in the parking lot.

The moments of the remodel I wish I could have missed? Uh . . . better not go there. It's done, and we survived. (Barely!)