1500 Days to Freedom

Think different and escape the rat race.

Kitchen Remodel: 5/5

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Starting on Friday, 4/18, I’m going to attempt to remodel my kitchen in 5 days. With some luck, beer and a lot of hard work, I’ll complete it by 4/22, end of day. Each evening, I’ll document my progress. Here is my final update, #5 (4/22/2014).

I gave myself 5 days to complete my project. I got close, but didn’t quite finish. The big hangup was scraping all of the old tile mastic off. This took much longer than expected. A good base is critical to a good tile job. I’ll have to finish the tile over the weekend.

photo (27)Being able to lay tile is a great skill to acquire because all of the money is tied up in the labor. Even our beautiful, 18″ travertine tiles were only 2$/foot. There is nothing like taking an old vinyl floor and putting  beautiful tile in. Huge improvement, cheap and not difficult.

Now, I must admit that I allowed myself a 6th day. So, I could finish the work tomorrow. To hell with it though; I’m going snowboarding instead! Bye bye house, hello Breckenridge.

I’ll post pictures of the kitchen when completely done. The counter-tops show up on May 8th, so look for an update sometime after that.

Day 1, prior to starting
Day 1, prior to starting

photo 4 (1)

photo 5 (1)

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    • I never understood why people don’t use them? A big bag of them is 5$! It also drives me nuts when people embed them in the grout.

    • Thanks DbF. Snowboarding was a great time. The snow was great and since it was a weekday, no crowds!

      • Hi,
        I really struggle. It sounds like giving yourself five days was a bit of a stretch, but it helped you get through a lot of the work. I imagine considering just how much you’ve saved by working for yourself is certainly motivating.
        Vicky recently posted…Transcend 32 GB Flash Memory CardMy Profile

  5. This remodel has been so impressive – I read each post! I’m really impressed. Would be interesting to know how much the whole remodel cost since you saved a boat load with DIY labor! I want to redo my kitchen but it’s just not worth the money in my area and I don’t plan to live in my house too much longer so I’ll save it for my next one!

    • Hi Bex! It cost about $7500. About $5000 of that was cabinets and counters. The rest was appliances, tile (both floor and wall), various plumbing fixtures and lighting.

    • I learned by watching someone else for a day. I’d hit up YouTube. It really isn’t hard. I’m also going to have a post on it soon…

  7. It looks like your hardwork is really paying off! I always want to do these sorts of remodels on my own, but then when it comes to finding the time, I really struggle. It sounds like giving yourself five days was a bit of a stretch, but it helped you get through a lot of the work. I imagine considering just how much you’ve saved by working for yourself is certainly motivating.
    The Wallet Doctor recently posted…How to reduce your food costsMy Profile

    • The work isn’t hard. Just get some books and watch some YouTube videos. Time is always the issue. I with I didn’t have to sleep!

  8. What a difference a few days can make, huh? And I love tiling. It goes down fairly easy, and it provides a substantial visual difference almost immediately. Oh-so-satisfying. And I echo your comment that the foundation in a tile job is critical. It’s always worth the extra time to get the base right. I’ve even had to pour a self-leveling underlayment in the past, especially for older homes. A pain, yes, but worth it. Looking forward to your ‘after’ photos!
    Laura aka Mrs Nickels recently posted…The Top 10 Reasons Why I Pay Less to Travel Than You – Part TWOMy Profile

    • Self leveling compound is AWESOME and I’ve used it many times for crazy houses with unlevel surfaces. It is $$$, but works spectacularly!

  11. Anybody else worried where Mr. 1500 wandered off too or did he just tile himself into a corner? I already miss the Thursday rant so hopefully he makes it back for tomorrow!
    Mr. Grump recently posted…48 Hours in ParisMy Profile

    • Mr. Grump, thank you for your concern, I really appreciate it. Soon, life will back to semi-normal (I’ll never be normal) schedule and I’ll have time again. Soon…

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