Toiling, er, Tiling

I've been working pretty much nonstop this last week, finishing the large tile wall in my kitchen. Cutting the tiles to fit around my two windows went slower than expected. I had to cut some very tiny pieces of tile for small gaps that needed to be filled.

Just one of many small pieces of tile I had to cut.

The tile all set and ready for grout.

Wednesday evening, I added the grout. I chose a color called quartz that is a pretty close match to my countertops.

Grouting.

What I didn't expect though was how long it has taken me to clean the excess grout off of the tiles. After two solid days of work and help from my friend Bill, my nephew Sam and my daughter Una and her boyfriend Jordan, the tile is looking good but my hands are a mess.

Una and Jordan cleaning tiles.

After nonstop tile work, my friend Bill lifted my spirits today by helping me move my oven into place and hook up the water line to my refrigerator.  I'm feeling much better now that I have two appliances in place and cold water and ice at my beck and call.

The dishwasher is next.

Plugging Away

There is still much work to be done before my kitchen remodel is finished.

Some of the tasks are small (touch up painting on the windows and sealing grout) and some are large (installing the hood over the range and building a soffit to hide the venting).

Nevertheless, I'm keeping very busy plugging away and scratching items off my to do list.

Prepare for undermount sink installation - check.

Assemble and install wall cabinets - check. (Note: The blue is just the color of the protective plastic over the cream finish.)

Assemble and install pantry cabinet - check.

Today I'm putting the cover panels on my cabinets and deep cleaning the hood for my range so that it is ready for install. One of the ways I'm keeping the cost of my remodel down is by reusing my appliances and the hood is one of them. It just needs a thorough cleaning.

Next Monday I'm scheduled to have a template made for my quartz countertops. The installers are running behind schedule so unless there's a cancellation, they won't be installed until July 30. After that I will just need to install the cabinet doors, drawers and hardware and add my pretty blue mosaic tiles to the back wall.

Doing the work myself definitely adds time and effort to the project but it saves a lot of money and is satisfying.

According to a recent Washington Post article, the National Kitchen & Bath Association says the average cost of a 2013 kitchen remodel is $47,308. And according to Remodeling Magazine (2010-11 report), the average cost in the Pacific Northwest is $65,686.

The end is of my kitchen remodel is near and I'm still well under $14,000. When everything is done, I'll share the breakdown of my budget.