The Camp Kitchen...

Simple, neat, tidy, and a bit drab...positively functional and stunningly not too masculine.  And so it began...

Cupboards and counter tops, were relocated to the workshop and the former horse run in, now the garden shed.  The airport landing strip fluorescent lighting fixtures were removed and some relocating of electric supply for outlets and fixtures was done, AND the appliances were all replaced. This has left the kitchen in something of a continual state of dysfuntionality.

But kudos to Carol who continues to champion the work, work amidst the challenges, and meet the challenges of the project. She managed to organize the kitchen in such a way that little to no momentum was lost in the preparation of meals, entertaining of family, and general functioning of the household.

I had picked up some nicely dried rough cut 2x6's (again from Jake West at West Branch Lumber) and ripped them into 1 3/4" square posts and cross members, gluing and screwing them to make the shelving support structure, when all of the work was suddenly interrupted by one of those memorable "Oh yeah!" moments. It occurred to me that before setting those shelving/cabinet units, I would have to finish the floor since that was to be a full 1" rough cut pine, all my measurement would be off.

So to work on the floor I went and hence am just getting back to the kitchen project which I had intended to have finished by the end of September. (Note it is now the end of November...)

Upon finishing the floor we were at least able to move back into place the shelving and pantry cupboard that had taken up so much space in the "Bible Study" (as my grandson calls the den).  I really love the way my wife makes simple things look great.  The open shelving and the cupboard were both brought back from Ghana and remind us that even this is not our "home".  It's simply a place that reflects who we are and where we've been. Our home is still ahead of us...Maranatha!

I also have to applaud my wife yet again, for her strange love of things I consider to be rough, basic, and almost classless. Such as OSB (Oriented Strand Board).  It was her idea to keep the OSB ceilings, paint them and add some 1x3 firing strips for a gridwork look.  And when she decided to opt out of closed cupboards and for open shelving in the kitchen, she again suggested the use of OSB (which is always a treat for the checkbook when compared to other options)!  

And so back to work on the 1 3/4" square framing, glued and screwed (to maintain the "camp" type rough look. We're still waiting on the countertops which were estimated to take 5-6 weeks. (We are currently at the 4 week mark and are sincerely hoping they will arrive before Christmas.

I have added a platform for the recyclable bin to sit on (under the sink) and will likely balance that with the same on the other side where the dog food is kept. Carol will then finish the sink treatment with a curtain to cover the front, camp style, to hide that stuff!

I had a couple of scrap drawer slides in the shop which I used for a floor level shelf so that the trash and compost bucket were more easily accessible.

And now most of the structural work is complete. Just waiting on those countertops.  We opted for a laminate type for ease of cleaning and "no worries" maintenance.  The particular pattern is a Wilson Art HD Laminate called "Golden Romano."

The countertops will be right and left of the stove and sink, and replace the butcher block on the center islands. It goes remarkably well with the "Peppery" colored accent wall.

So, all in all, hopefully by God's grace, and before Christmas the kitchen will be completed and after the first of the year I'll start into the homestretch which is insulating, hanging, and oiling the pine tongue and groove in the living room/dining room, painting the lr/dr ceiling, and adding the battens.

By spring the house should be completed (only 6 months behind the original estimated time frame), a maintenance plan in place, and I will once again be bored...hmmm wonder what the good Lord may have in store???

**Update Countertops due Dec 6, delayed until Dec 19th, now delayed until at least Jan 19th...