I first started talking about wanting to remodel the kitchen a few months after moving into this house. The lack of counter space was getting increasingly frustrating. DH asked what did I want to do. I said, "I want to open up the whole space and move the cook top to the opposite wall." "Open up the whole space?" He was appalled. When the subject came up again months later he said, very authoritatively, I can get you a cut through so you can see into the dining room, but opening up the whole area is out of the question. Thinking it had to do with load bearing walls and what not, I didn't argue too much. I had visions of cooking for folks while being part of the conversation in the dining area, glass of wine on my beautiful concrete counter top. "Concrete?" he asks, appalled again. I show him pics online of the awesome things you can do with concrete. "I dunno, Babe. I think granite would look better. Besides, wouldn't it be too heavy? I don't know if I could make it look like those pictures." As the months went by, different ideas were discussed, but nothing ever officially planned. I wanted to go into the remodel with a design board a la HGTV. I said repeatedly that I wanted to go in with a plan, not flying by the seat of our pants. I wanted color schemes selected, cabinet style narrowed down, money put aside for the project, etc. All of a sudden towards the end of 2008, he starts talking about the remodel. He wants to take down walls. What? I thought they were load bearing. "I'm pretty sure they're not." Pretty sure? I insisted he hire a professional to confirm this detail. Our neighbor, a contractor, assured us the walls were removable. Wait, what happened to the little cut through I thought I was stuck with? During the Christmas Holidays, we talk about it again. He says he wants to do it when the weather's cool. "Ok," I say. "By fall, we'll have money saved up....." the next thing I know walls are coming down. I was not ready! We might as well get it over with he says. But we have no money saved up! The van's paid off, we'll use what used to be the car note... After the walls are down, I say, "I think a turn at the end of the peninsula would look nice." No, there wouldn't be enough room to open the pantry door." Days later I get a call at work. "It looks like there will be room for a turn." He found a great deal on cabintes and they were delivered from Tennessee last Friday. They're not exactly what I wanted, but the price was too good to turn down. Beautiful, and according to DH, well-constructed. Last Saturday we spent half the day looking at granite and other counter top materials. I settled on a travartine tile. I don't want to go too dark. Sunday he calls me at work, "I think concrete counter tops would look really cool...."
