And on the second day

  With a flourish of a hammer and the relentless yammering of a sawzall, the first wall met its death on the second day of our ownership. The loss of the wall opened the space between the itsy-bitsy, teeny-weenie kitchen (83" x 80") and the rather minuscule dining room (90" x 156") to create a slightly larger L-shaped eat-in kitchen. Other kitchen items sacrificed to the renovation gods were the 1936 metal sink cabinet, the painted in place wall cabinets, the 18" dormitory stove and 6+ layers of old flooring removed down to the wood plank sub-floor. The only things left standing were the refrigerator (which was only a few years old) and the beautiful oak floors in what was once known as the dining room.

We'd already ordered our counter tops and cabinets, all that was left to order were the appliances. Ongoing work would consist of putting up drywall, installing overhead lighting and new electric outlets, as well as deciding whether to do hardwood floors in the balance of the kitchen or something else. Oy, the decisions that needed to be made - it was enough to make a girl's head swim.

Looking back, this was the start of a month-long "get a new kitchen" project - it was a lot of work but well worth it. Until the kitchen was completed we used a microwave in the living room to cook food (when we didn't order take out) and the utility sink in the basement for dish washing (when food required actual dishes.)