Friday, October 23, 2009

Renovations are Essentially Finished

(Please scroll down for the Saturday Wordzzle Challenge.)

Well, as most of you know, what began as request for help putting in a ramp for my front entrance turned into a multiple miracle - new entrance with ramp, new bathroom with walk-in shower and new floor and fixtures and a glorious new kitchen. Side miracles along the way included a newer and larger refrigerator courtesy of my friends. All that's left to do is move the washing machine into the kitchen and maybe a thingy to add a small lip to the shower. The hook-ups are all ready for the washing machine and I guess it just has to be moved and hooked in. I'm not too thrilled with the back steps but they are apparently cemented in, so I guess I'll live with them as they are. All in all, this is a pretty huge and glorious gift and a miracle of grand proportions. I've posted some views of the kitchen. It's SOOO wonderful to have so much storage space. As you can see it's already looking messy, but I've put a fair amount of stuff away. New sink is all shiny and pretty and easier to reach. It's so magical to be able to reach my upper cabinets and put dishes and things in them. How cool is that? Anyway, here are a bunch of photos and at the end, I made a bunch of before and after photos of the various phases. Couldn't get a good photo of the back steps - which were relocated to the side with a hand rail - and lost enthusiasm for looking for a before photo.

Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures.

The cabinets are beautiful and the drawers slide like silk

where the washing machine and imaginary dryer will go

This is across from the sink and refrig and will hold my
microwave. The shelves underneath
pull out. I LOVE
them! And the counter tops are exquisite too....
you'd never know they're laminate.

It's just so beautiful!
And I'm so happy with my linoleum both
here and in the bathroom. Makes
me
smile every time I look at it.

So much storage! And reachable! I need an extension
chord to plug the
coffee pot and blender in, but that's ok
.
Angel is not happy that she can't get onto the counter
tops and that she was not
allowed to assist with the work.


~~~~~~~BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS~~~~~~~


This was taken before the bench was built in.
The
bench is a wonderful gift too and the UPS and
garbage guy are both grateful for the little gate.
The constructioncrews were pretty happy too.









I think this is my favorite change. The old sink was so high and
so ugly and the counter tops were too high for me to reach.
And it was really ugly and the drawers were rusted so it was
an ordeal to open them. Now it's beautiful, reachable
and.... well, just awesomely fine.

I am so grateful for all of this. Grateful to Delaware Opportunities - especially Jeff Powell and Wayne Jones for responding to a relatively small request (which I felt hesitant to make) and providing me with these life-changing wonders.

I'm grateful to the people at the Powell Company, who were kind and worked hard and did a beautiful job. I'm grateful for Sean at VEP Kitchens (I wish he had a website) who designed the kitchen and helped me pick out the knobs and the wood and the counter tops and paint, for Tom who did the plumbing and electric work. The guys from the Powell Company were kind enough to do a couple of little thing like fix the front light that weren't really in their job description. That was very kind of them... I can't say enough good things about that company and highly recommend them to anyone in this area who is looking for someone to do home improvements for them.

I'm grateful to my friends and my therapist who gave me moral support and assured me that it was ok for me to be this lucky.... and I'm grateful to all of you blog friends who have also supported me and have taken as much joy in this journey as I have.

I'm grateful to Dennis Puffett, who gave me the gift of a blessing/healing on my house, not long before all of this manifested for me. I can't help but think he helped my little house draw all this goodness to herself. Anyone looking for healing, check out Dennis' website. He is kind, incredibly gifted and he works for the love of doing it.

I'm grateful that my niece Diana, who helped me get my house and who will inherit it when I kick the bucket, slip off this mortal coil, ascend to the realms... whatever... is going to get to see her in a few weeks in all her new glory. Most especially I'm grateful that I'm going to see her, but I'm really glad she gets to see the new improved house as well as the old, not-so-improved aunt.

And of course I'm grateful to All that Is/God/The Universe for life and for the gift of making this life easier.... and for giving my sweet, sturdy little house all these lovely improvements.

In sum, I'm exhausted, happy, grateful and all I have left to say is...

YIPPEEEEE!!!!!

20 comments:

quilly said...

This is absolutely awesome Raven. The change is a miracle and a gift. I am pleased that God chose you for this blessing. It has been a joy sharing it with you.

Cindy said...

It looks so amazing. I am glad it is finally done!

Akelamalu said...

WOW your kitchen is fabulous! It looks huge - I love big kitchens.

I'm so pleased for you, I know what it's like to finally have the kitchen of your dreams! It's great that you have a new bathroom and the deck/ramp now too. :)

Reston Friends! said...

Raven, showing the befores and afters is great! Of course, you live with it so you KNOW the befores, but it helps us with perspective.

Congratulations on being brave enough to ask for a 'small' change and then being brave enough to accept a BIG job! See, you DO deserve nice things!

I'd better stop so Melli will have plenty of room to rave and squeal. Ha ha...

Maude Lynn said...

Those cabinets are gorgeous!

Melli said...

God is good - all the time! And you are ever so BLESSED to have received His gifts in abundance! The house is looking soooooo beautiful! Enjoy!!! And no -- don't let Angel on the counters! LOL! We made that mistake with ours -- that's where they eat! (to keep THEIR food away from the dog...) But boy are they a nuisance!

Janie B said...

This is just wonderful, Raven! I'm so happy for you. Now, if we can just get you out of there sometime. My hope and wishes are for your complete wellness. Enjoy the new environment (Kitties, too).

SouthLakesMom said...

Raven, I'm not sure where you are, but did you look to see if there's a local freecycle group? Our group frequently has people offering up dryers as they replace them with something newer/fancier, etc. Or they offer up the ones that came with the house preferring to use the one they already have.

The only dicey thing is pick-up, but you seem to have such nice young men helping you, perhaps you could work something out? To see if there's a local group go to www.freecycle.org

Finding Pam said...

Your home is just lovely, Raven. I am so thankful that you made it through the remodel.

Your kitchen is beautiful. I love the flooring. It makes all the difference in the world for you.

I am sure your neice will be so happy for you.

DawnTreader said...

Raven, so glad to see it all worked out so well in the end! The kitchen looks marvellous.

I'm late again with the wordzzle because the end of my week again got out of the ordinary routines. I'll see what I can do about it later today.

Argent said...

You new home looks just great! And you do deserve these good things, your warmth and generoisty of spirit - not to mention your patience in the face of adversity - should be rewarded. Hope you enjoy your new home.

Diana said...

The house looks amazing! Love the before and after shots. Wow, what a gift!

Looking forward very much to our visit. I have only known you to improve over time. :)

Unknown said...

Fabulous! Can't wait to see it in person! And you...and Diana...and Dan and Nate...and the girls...can't wait to see EVERYONE!!!

WH said...

Congrats! Lovely renovation. Sorry I haven't been by much. The recession has left me working 7 days a week, but I thought I would drop in and say hi! Your blog is as interesting as ever. ~Billy

Unknown said...

Raven: I remember you talking about this project. We did this for my Dad years ago and it was so much easier for him. It took a lot of stress away and that made life more pleasant. I am very happy for you! :)

Carletta said...

Wow! It's beautiful!
I really think the changes did make it look bigger.
You are deserving and I'm so glad it all happened.
Now that's it's done the worrying wasn't necessary at all - it all worked perfectly - even the kitties were ok. :)
Many more blessings Raven!!

gabrielle said...

It’s beautiful! I have enjoyed every thrilling moment you have shared.
So wonderful that you had imput into the aesthetics and the engineers took care of the ergonomics. Beauty and functionality! Drawers that slide easily, pull outs for easy access, ample storage.
And the bench is the greatest kindness and the cat’s meow. BTW, I think you may have coined a new phrase: remodeled out.
Blessings to you and your home.

shelly said...

Raven, it's beautiful! I loved this post, your joy and gratitude jump right off the screen.
I haven't been around much (working on a few projects around the farm) and I'm so glad to see all of the changes in your world.

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