FULL DISCLOSURE: Kitchen Update

I struggle with, what I call, being a finisher.  I am the perpetual project/idea starter, but actually pushing through and finishing said project is always so daunting for me.  In an effort to teach my children to be finishers (and to actually get some things done), I have made it my goal to focus on finishing.  This is all seriously a very long-winded post for another day (and it’s already written, btw), so I’ll just get to my point.

I’M GOING TO FINISH MY KITCHEN!

There.  I’ve said it.  There really isn’t too much else to be done in the kitchen plans but I just wound up getting stuck.  Uninspired.  Bored.  And just plain stuck with absolutely zero interest in finishing.  We had gotten the space to a livable, functional place and I was okay with that for quite a long while.  We repainted the cabinets, installed new granite countertops, fixed the huge hole and leak in the walls, etc.  Now, it’s time to kick it into high gear and just get on with finishing.  I’m sure I’ll be so much happier to cook a healthy, nutritious meal after a long day of work (yeah…right) once my kitchen is the pretty, bright, awesome room I know it can be.

Here’s what’s left to be done:

Frame out the refrigerator – we bought a new-to-us cabinet from the Habitat ReStore that’s been in place for months.  I just need to add the side panel (which has been in my basement even longer) and retro fit the doors onto the front of the cabinet.

Install floating shelves – just some simple floating shelves.  Because of the unusual lengths I’ll need, this will be a DIY project.  I’m sure I’ll come out cheaper and happier since I can customize them.

Install Lighting – not sure what I’m waiting on here.  I probably should have actually purchased the lighting by now, especially considering I’ve probably missed 127 sales on it.  But that’s just how I roll.

Install Flooring – I may want to just do this myself, with my husband, of course.  The labor estimate we got  just seemed really high.  And, get this, before we received the estimate, my contractor said the job is simple enough for us to complete ourselves.  So why wouldn’t I save that $1,500 and just knock it out?

Install Cabinet Molding – this is pretty self-explanatory.  Adding some crown molding to the top and trim to the bottom edges of the upper cabinets will give them a more custom look and it’s simple to do.

Install Under Cabinet Lighting – may need to hire out for this one since the prior owners hooked up some crazy DIY electrical for the lighting that was previously installed.

Also, there are a couple of things I’ve recently added to the list:

Repaint the walls – though I love, BM Revere Pewter, I think I want the walls white in here.  It’s just paint, afterall.

Build a storage bench – the kitchen isn’t huge but can accommodate a table and chairs.  Adding a storage bench along the wall will allow for more seating space and more storage area, which is a win-win for any small space.

Okay, so once it’s all written out, it does seem like an awful lot to do.  No wonder why I got sidetracked a year ago…But we’ll get it done!  Who wants to come over to help?