The kitchen is coming together

It's hard to believe we'll celebrate two years of living in our house later this month. It's been a work in progress and will continue to be for a while longer. However, it's become a labor of love.

I've shared some pictures of the kitchen along the way, from installing new windows to picking out cabinets and their hardware. We've done several projects in phases.

May 2011 -we gutted the kitchen completely (pulled up 4 layers of flooring, removed all cabinets and sink)

June 2011 -Brandon installed IKEA cabinets and a temporary laminant counter, along with new sink

August 2011 -we installed new vinyl windows

November / December 2011 -Brandon put in the subway tile backsplash and painted the walls

June 2012 -Brandon sanded and painted the hardwood floor

December 2012 -Brandon installed a butcher block style counter using poplar plywood (3/4) and a 3/4 slab under it with 1x1 poplar trim for the edge. It's sealed with Zinsser amber shellac, which is food safe.

March 2013 -Brandon installed the rest of the cabinets.

We still need to paint the trim around the windows, the floorboards, and chair rail. Eventually, we'll tile the kitchen floor, but the painted floor works for the time being.

All in all, we're very happy with the results. We've obviously taken our time in this renovation, partly due to doing it ourselves and also due to a limited budget. One reason we went with IKEA cabinets was because we could buy a few at a time, rather than as a set. We have been very happy with the quality of the cabinets and have also rearranged the kitchen layout more than once.

Have you worked on any DIY home projects lately?