Well, it’s been just about 3 weeks into the Kitchen and Laundry Room Remodel, and its been real. We’ve made a lot of progress, but we’re still not quite to the point of rebuilding yet, which is a bummer. If you missed out on the big plans, check out the Kitchen Remodel Plans & Budget Post. Today I’m going to show you the Kitchen Remodel Progress in the first 3 weeks.
Update: This project is complete! Be sure to check out these finished rooms in our Home Remodel Series. Or, read to the bottom of the post for the update links to follow along! Also, follow me on Instagram for the latest in our home remodel, Budget Friendly DIY Projects & Organization!
Laundry Room
The Laundry Room remodel progress is actually further along than the kitchen, and that’s because we took the time to hang most of the upper cabinets a few months ago. I’m so glad we did that now!
We did have our tile guy come in and raise the concrete by 1 inch so that our finished tile floor would be the same height as the wood floor in the hallway. They also tiled most of the floor, leaving space for the two base cabinets to be installed. We will install the cut pieces after everything is finished. At least we have our washer & dryer hooked back up! 2 weeks without laundry machines was rough.
We also had our new window installed! We used Window World because their quote for the whole house window replacement was insanely good. Plus, their windows have the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. We just got this one window now, but we will be using them for the replacement of all of the windows in the next couple of years.
I love these replacement windows & Can’t wait to have them in the rest of the house!
Kitchen Demolition
We’re moving slowly on the Kitchen Remodel Progress, but there has been some progress!
The demo of the cabinets was easy because I sold everything on Facebook Marketplace in one day! This sweet couple came and we helped them take down all of the cabinets. That took about 4 hours. We also sold all of the appliances that we weren’t keeping on Facebook Marketplace as well. I made $1100 that day!
After I posted the kitchen on Marketplace, I had non-stop messages from people wanting them! I must have had 25 inquiries.
Rebuilding the Kitchen
We had a contractor do the framing for the new pantry real quick. That saved us a ton of time.
Next up, the plumber moved the water lines & drain to their new locations. The electrician also ran all of the lines for switches and lights, plus he moved the oven lines.
Once the plumber & electrician were finished, the flooring guy came in and patched the wood floors. This is where we ran into a hiccup. As the flooring guys were removing boards around where the wall was so that they could lace new boards in, they discovered a problem. All of the wood on the other side of the pony wall, into the breakfast nook and the small hallway was laid backwards when the house was built. We’re not quite sure why, but to fix it involved removing all of that and replacing it. That took our $500 floor repair job to $2000.
So that’s all of the Kitchen Remodel Progress in the first 3 weeks.
Next Steps
Our contractor is installing the drywall right now, and then he will spray the stupid Texas Wall Texture. Once that is complete, we’ll be doing most of the work on the kitchen ourselves. First up is priming & painting walls and ceilings, finishing the lighting, and then we can start to install the cabinets. We’re hoping to be able to template the countertops by the middle of July. That way, we should hit our goal of having a useable kitchen before school starts.
The budget is looking okay as of now, but the floor replacement in the carpeted rooms on the 1st floor, along with the refinishing, is going to have to be pushed back a bit. A separate remodel-specific YNAB Budget is helping us see clearly what we have and what we need.
The restaurant and grocery budget are looking great! We’re not spending as much at Kroger as we normally do, and so far we’ve been able to be fairly frugal when we eat out or order in. Birthday Coupons for free or discounted meals have help tremendously! Click here to find out how to get your own Birthday Coupons & Freebies!
So far, I’ve kept the dust to a minimum, and the Weekly Cleaning Schedule is helping keep the rest of the house as normal as possible. However, I’ve taken a break from the Friday deep cleans for a few weeks.
Have you ever completely remodeled your kitchen? What was the worst part and how did you get through it? Tell me in the comments because I need some tips!
The remodel is done! Check out the rest of the posts to watch our vision come to life!
- It’s Kitchen Remodel Time! The Budget, The Plans & The Laundry Room
- 9 Weeks Into Kitchen Remodel
- 13 Weeks Into Kitchen Remodel
- IKEA Kitchen Remodel Reveal!
- DIY Walk In Farmhouse Pantry Progress & Reveal!
- Laundry Room Remodel Reveal!
Check out all of the Stacy’s Savings Total Home Makeover posts!
Tiffany says
Love your projects! How did you prep the sektion cabinets to be painted? Did you paint inside and outside?
Stacy says
Hi Tiffany!
IKEA Sektion cabinets themselves come in several different colors. We ordered ours in white. You can also order matching cover panels, doors, and filler pieces from IKEA in many different colors and styles. We chose to use custom doors, cover panels, and fillers, and we had to paint those. They were just bare wood.
I hope that answers your question!
~Stacy