Behind The Scenes Of Project Mid-Century Harvest Blue: Step 2 - Construction

Jun 27

The construction process is always a whirlwind experience. You start with a game plan, but unexpected issues inevitably arise, whether they could have been predicted (like an angle of the wall being off, but by how much?) or not predicted at all. One thing is certain: you must be able to problem-solve on the fly and do so effectively.

We began our project with the demolition, which went as smoothly as we predicted (woohoo!), thanks to the awesome hospitality from our clients. On the first day, we received a note from them saying "Happy Demo Day" along with snacks. Um, yes please! They also bought me, Kari, champagne to celebrate my plunge into quitting my corporate job, working one job, and following my dreams. Looking back, I wonder how I managed it before.

As a boutique remodeler, we like to make demo day fun and this was the first kitchen of the year as a full-time employee. So, I stopped at the local coffee shop and brought donuts and coffee for our employees and our work-from-home client—anything to make the process easier. After all, they have practically strangers in their house for hours a day, weeks on end, along with the craziness of demolishing anything in the living quarters.

The overall process was fairly solid, with only a few hiccups. Most of the issues stemmed from the lack of plumb walls and floors, which can make cabinet installation challenging. The wall was out by almost 1" over 42", which is significant. This meant the wall cabinets had to be shimmed quite a bit, more than usual, to make them plumb. The floor was also out by 1" over 10 feet, adding further complications to our installation process. It's crucial that the cabinets are plumb and level, which our countertop installers, Primo, definitely appreciate.

Valerie, our electrician, came in and worked her magic, dealing with a few hiccups in getting the wire to the ceiling, but nothing too crazy! All wins.

Valerie, our electrician, and David figure out a game plan for the range hood.

Our clients got a kick out of our laser level that we used for tiling the backsplash. David encountered some unusual situations that didn't affect our installation, like a microwave that almost caught on fire (check out our Instagram for the full story).