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Kitchen Remodel: 5/5

April 22, 2014 by Mr. 1500 Days 26 Comments

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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Filed Under: Uglyhouse Tagged With: kitchen remodel, tile

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dave @ The New York Budget says

    April 22, 2014 at 10:40 pm

    Looking good! Go hit the slopes and come back to it over the weekend! You’ve earned a good break!
    Dave @ The New York Budget recently posted…Bitcoin: Back to the BasicsMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      April 24, 2014 at 4:44 pm

      Thanks! The snow was awesome and I didn’t break anything. Woo!

      Reply
  2. InMotion says

    April 23, 2014 at 4:27 am

    I am becoming jealous after seeing your kitchen. 😉

    This is more spacious than my kitchen and looking very good from here.
    InMotion recently posted…InMotion Hosting Review 2014: Why This Is the Best HostingMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      April 24, 2014 at 4:47 pm

      Wait until you see the end product!

      Reply
  3. Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies says

    April 23, 2014 at 5:59 am

    Ahh, spacers. How I wish the folks that laid the tile in our house had used those. =)

    Enjoy your skiiing, you’ve certainly earned it!
    Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted…Trip To Australia: The Money StuffMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      April 24, 2014 at 4:48 pm

      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.

      Reply
  4. Done by Forty says

    April 23, 2014 at 11:30 am

    Looking good, Mr. 1500! I think some snowboarding is well deserved. The kitchen’s not going anywhere, and 6 days is still pretty awesome.
    Done by Forty recently posted…Wait Till I Get My Money Right…My Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      April 24, 2014 at 4:49 pm

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

      Reply
      • Vicky says

        December 29, 2014 at 12:26 am

        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

        Reply
  5. Bex says

    April 23, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      April 24, 2014 at 4:46 pm

      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.

      Reply
  6. Quinn @ Wealth Out West says

    April 23, 2014 at 11:28 am

    How did you learn to lay tile? I am very interested. Any specific learning resources you would recommend?
    Quinn @ Wealth Out West recently posted…Joining the Yakezie ChallengeMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      April 24, 2014 at 4:49 pm

      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…

      Reply
  7. The Wallet Doctor says

    April 23, 2014 at 11:59 am

    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

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      April 24, 2014 at 4:47 pm

      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!

      Reply
  8. Laura aka Mrs Nickels says

    April 23, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    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

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      April 24, 2014 at 4:43 pm

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

      Reply
  9. No Nonsense Landlord says

    April 24, 2014 at 10:09 pm

    Awesome job! It’s fun when projects go as planned, even if they are a mess along the way.
    No Nonsense Landlord recently posted…My Twelfth Investment Property, Property Flipping the Right WayMy Profile

    Reply
  10. anna says

    April 27, 2014 at 1:38 pm

    I love the floors, Mr. 1500! I hope you have a blast snowboarding, I’ll keep an eye out on the finished product!
    anna recently posted…My Biggest Money A-ha MomentMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Mr. Grump says

    April 30, 2014 at 7:30 am

    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

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      April 30, 2014 at 7:55 pm

      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…

      Reply
  12. Chetan says

    January 18, 2015 at 3:22 am

    Hi 1500,
    Awesome kitchen remodeling. Your kitchen is very spacious. I am planning to modify my kitchen. I’ll get some inspiration from here.
    Chetan recently posted…UC Browser for PC Free Download (Windows 7/8/XP)My Profile

    Reply
  13. Kamlesh Nishad says

    October 10, 2015 at 6:03 am

    Eager to see the complete picture of your remodeling kitchen.. Waiting for more photos out here.
    Kamlesh Nishad recently posted…Top 5 Gadgets That Will Make Your Work Easy In KitchenMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      October 10, 2015 at 3:28 pm

      I’m eager to see it too! We still have couple things to finish up…

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. New Rental Property on the Horizon? | Retire Before DadRetire Before Dad says:
    April 30, 2014 at 7:10 am

    […] haven’t previously blogged about any DIY projects, but you can check out this epic five day series by Mr. 1500 on his kitchen remodel. If I move forward on this new property, perhaps it will be […]

    Reply
  2. Building a Pantry | Adam Chudy.com says:
    July 1, 2015 at 1:02 am

    […] still not working on the level of Mr. 1500 or MMM, (or likely even the Frugalwoods) but I am proud of the projects we’ve managed to put […]

    Reply

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