Renov8or: Renovation Diary: The Exhausting Mid-Point

Today begins Week 3. In my experience, the rough-ins period is the toughest for the homeowner in any kitchen renovation. With parts of walls and ceilings down everywhere we turn, the rough-ins for plumbing, gas, and electrical have been underway since last week, and we’ve been living with holes and plaster dust everywhere. This is the phase when the excitement of finally getting your project underway has worn off, and you just can’t escape the fact that you’re living in a construction zone.

While the temporary kitchen has been a lifesaver and we’ve been able to cook meals in the instant pot or on the hot plate, the temporary cooking zone is in fact the location of the future dining room, so construction is happening here too, above our heads.

While we were at work, the electrician punched holes in the ceiling to pull lines for the dining table pendant and the light over the dining sideboard and there’s a film of plaster dust on all our plates, cups, and bowls as well as our small appliances that sit on the countertop.

Sasha, our cat, is holed up in the second bedroom, where we piled all the furniture from the rest of the house. She comes out only at the end of the day when I walk through the door, to be petted and fed, then she goes right back into her bunker. Worse, she's been "going" outside her litter box. We realized that it’s located too close to all the construction commotion (and strangers) to suit her, so we bought some disposable litter boxes for her bunker. Poor kitty. The bedrooms are really the only sanctuary for any of us at this point—and I’m missing my deep-soaking tub, which has become the temporary dish-washing station. Bah-humbug.

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