Credit for a Job Well Done (Kitchen Updates)
Men. That could be an entire article in itself, right? They’re notorious for driving us nuts, so it’s a good thing they’re just so darn cute. Especially today.
Your house is probably like ours. You have the established roles for who does what – one of you cooks, one cleans up. One does the taxes, one eats all the food. Construction projects are no different for us. I have my roles, and Martin has his. It’s our best kept secret for working together. I don’t get in his way, and he doesn’t lean over my shoulder.
So when I pulled out the camera after *I* finished the next step of our kitchen remodel, I had to laugh.

Do you see what Martin has in his hands? The compound *I* used is in his right. The metal scraper *I* used to spread it is in his left. How, oh how did my tools manage to slip into his fingers just as I was snapping the picture, that’s what I’d like to know!
The thing that you’d probably like to know: what exactly were those tools for, Katie?
The short version? Leveling.
The slightly longer short version: When we tore down the solid plaster walls with the sawsall, the cuts couldn’t be totally level, and the ceiling had little holes where the walls had linked into it like Legos. Here’s what that dusty project looked like:

We filled the holes in the floor a couple months ago. (One of us has a tendency to fall in things like that, and unfortunately, it isn’t the person grinning at you above.) Now we’re preparing to install the countertops, and this is one of the final steps before the counter delivery man drops off our order. We can’t get too excited, though. Unlike prefabricated cabinets, we still have to sand and varnish. I have a feeling those countertops are going to be covered with newspapers for a long, long time. (sigh)
Scope out our finished kitchen – yeah! – right here.








January 13th, 2009 at 7:11 am
I was wondering if this is normal when you rent an apartment? Do the owners let you just tear down a wall and remodel? I don’t think that would be permitted here in the States. I probably wouldn’t know if it was a load bearing wall or not and the whole building would begin to sink on my apartment. ha
~a
January 13th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Hi Katie…looking good…Martin, I mean…LOL…♥ Bo
January 13th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Hurry up!! Kidding. I can’t wait to see the counters. What material did you get again?
January 13th, 2009 at 9:07 am
boys are so funny like that :) I can’t wait to see the finished product…the countertops are going to change the entire look of the place!
January 13th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Cannot wait to see it all done :o)
January 13th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Man, that was a TINY kitchen, wasn’t it! Looks like “fun” lol
January 13th, 2009 at 11:35 am
It’s coming along so nicely! Isn’t it fulfilling to make progress on such a big goal? :o)
January 13th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I can’t wait to see the finished product and I can’t believe he is attempting to take credit for the things you do! :) Nice job though!!
January 13th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
I can’t wait to see what the finished kitchen will look like. I am sure it will be lovely. It is fun to see how you are coming along with it as you go. Makes for fun posts.
January 13th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
What kitchen? Where? Just noticed the smile and the hotness of Martin. :D Lucky you.
January 13th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
wow, can’t wait to see the finsihed result.
and i agree about having your own jobs. but i generally give mine some so he gets out of my way since my dog is handier than him, lol
January 13th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
That Martin guy is sure a cutie……but remember from reading about the Boss….
January 17th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Annie,
German apartment owners seem to be much more willing to allow remodeling… if it’s for the benefit of the property. We were talking to this guy once who was tearing down wallpaper. He said he expected his tenants to put up their own! You’d never see that in the US. Landlords don’t even trust their tenants to change light bulbs half the time. (All walls in Germany have a textured wallpaper that looks like textured drywall in the US.) I’m just glad we didn’t have to wallpaper–what a mess!
We tried to be pretty careful about determining if the wall was load bearing. Since our apartment is not very wide, we realized that the walls seperating each apartment were the load-bearing ones. Plus they had rebar every 5 centimeters and were made of concrete, not drywall. Not so easy to figure out in the US!
Thanks for your question. Let me know if I ever stump you. German living becomes second nature to me after a while, and I forget how weird things were when I first saw them here.
Katie
February 19th, 2009 at 1:50 am
Well, I am certainly very impressed with your talent.
February 19th, 2009 at 8:38 am
you just might have a future as a contractor. You certainly impress me! Good luck!
February 19th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
It’s funny that he grabbed those at the last moment. The absence of the wall makes a huge difference, even if the rest isn’t done. Too bad our landlord wouldn’t let us do such things.
February 19th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I love watching your remodeling process! It’s just so amazing to me that your kitchen is only 36 square feet!
February 19th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Wow. That’s a lot of work! But very rewarding I’m sure. Thanks for sharing your project!
February 19th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
You are doing a wonderful job on the kitchen. I have fond memories of the goodies my grandmother made in a kitchen that was similar in size. I live in what is considered a small house. I have never understood the need for huge spaces. The idea of owning a lot of stuff seems stupid to me.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I think our husbands must be related. I don’t let mine get a screwdriver out without quizzing him about his intentions.