The Kitchen

Although all rooms of the house were in similar shape when I took over the project, the living room seemed the most finished because the windows and floors were installed.  The kitchen and bath were pretty depressing in comparison.  The floors were still dirt - actually a very fine dust that magically moved and coated everything with the barest glance.  The window frames had plywood nailed up and the rooms were very dark.  The walls were bare adobe and seemed to be more eroded than those in the living room, an illusion created by the overall dingy atmosphere. The plumbing was roughed in, but that's it, no water to the house.

The kitchen before construction.

For the past 20 years or so, when staying at the house, most time was spent in the living room (with floors, a fireplace, and light!).  However, most of our gear always ended up being stored in the kitchen "out of the way".  The big downside was the ultra-fine dirt from the floor ended up everywhere. Another negative was the constant cold draft (in the colder months) from the unsealed windows and backdoor.  I would hang a tarp in the archway, but still, it was a hassle.  On top of all that, many of the local rodents thought the house was perfect for a winter (and sometimes summer) hideaway.  My sister and I are convinced we are immune to hanta virus because of our years of exposure.

Last fall, my contractor Kenny, started work for finishing the kitchen and bath. Originally, the plan was to have a brick floor, but after researching options, I fell in love with stained concrete.   Kenny said he'd never seen someone so happy about a concrete slab, but I pointed out to him that he probably hadn't worked with anyone who'd been waiting 20 years for that slab.  The new floor made a huge difference staying and working in the house; the dust factor was reduced 95%.  I stained and sealed the floor myself and am very happy with the results.  The pictures don't do it justice.

My beautiful concrete floor

Right after the slab went in, the wall with the window and plumbing was framed out and drywalled to cover the plumbing.  The window to the sunroom was also installed. Immediately, the room took on a whole new look - so pretty!

Before drywall

After drywall and plaster

The plaster was completed on the north and east walls earlier this spring (compare this photo to the first).  My father did the work  himself using a traditional lime plaster.  It's hard to see from photos how wonderful the walls look.  The color is grey/white and the two walls have a real glow to them - like pearls.  The finish is not quite smooth; during a certain part of the day, you can see all the facets on the wall giving a lot of depth to the finish. The lower portion of the east wall (shown above) and the entire west wall are burnt adobe; the bricks will be cleaned and left as is.

The cabinets are being installed so all the stuff that migrated from the kitchen into the living room, will now migrate back, but have new homes.  No more boxes!