Almost Finished...

Pantry when we purchased the farmhouse in 2016

This is the pantry that caught my eye when we first came to see the farmhouse when it was listed for sale. I fell in love with all the storage space and the tip-out bins on the left side. Those cabinets were only 24" tall. My uncle came to paint the interior of the entire farmhouse before we ever moved in, so I ask him to paint all this woodwork white while he was at it.

Pantry sink cabinet in 2016

Self-explanatory. This is the cabinet that Shelly and her brothers crafted to hold the sink and cleaning supplies. This cabinet was 33" high.

Pantry in 2023

Over the seven years we've been here, our pantry evolved into this. The lower cabinets served to hold our coffeemaker, mixer, and more recently our (really) compact dishwasher.

Pantry in 2023 - Sink cabinet

While the sink was certainly functional, we were used to having larger sinks and taller cabinets in our previous homes, and there were days that doing the dishes at this sink was a backache waiting to happen (for either one of us). I drew a photo for Handsome with my vision for a "half remodel", because I still love all the storage space we have on the rest of the pantry. 

We contacted Jeff, shared my drawing and he soon came back with his more professional rendering and a price we could live with. We scheduled this job to commence after the holidays, and in spite of the recent weather, we're on track to finish up the job this week.

Pantry in January 2024

Even though it's not complete, I had to share updated photos with you. We still have to go and get the drawer and cabinet hardware, fashion a new window sill that's more suitable against the counter, and install the outlets, switches, and lighting fixtures. That's happening today.

Pantry sink cabinet in 2024

Our new sink is a full 7" wider than the original one, which means that even my biggest pots will fit flat in this one. Heck, it's large enough to bathe a Corgi (although I won't here)!

Our new counter is a beautiful white quartz with the lightest of beige and pale gray veining. The faucet is also new, and we now have a cold water line that is fed directly from the well, bypassing the water softener. The hot water line remains softened water. Now, cold water from the faucet will taste sweet and delicious, rather than having a "conditioned" taste, which I have always been able to taste. (I know. Princess and the Pea vibes.)

This gives you a glimpse of the new, next to the original. At some point we'll switch out the original cabinet doors for the kind that sit on top of the framework - like the new - rather than inset. No matter how we sand or adjust, as soon as the weather gets humid, the doors stick. Mounting new ones outside the framework will eliminate that. They're fine as is for now, though.

I cleaned and reset all the spice bottles (which I'd boxed up during construction). The mug rack also stayed on the wall, but the mugs had been removed to keep them from being broken, too. My baking and cooking aprons hang on hooks right now, but I'll probably move them elsewhere to keep a clean look in here.

I'm also going to get a quote for luxury vinyl plank floors throughout the kitchen, main entry, pantry. a back hall areas. Those will be next on the list to bring the floors up to par with this remodel. I'm hoping we can have that done by the end of the year. 

If you followed my blog when we lived in Florida, I actually laid a plank floor myself in a spare bedroom. My knees still twinge whenever I think about that job. I'll let someone else do it next time!

Oh, and the compact dishwasher will go down on the very end of the counter - to the right of the sink - as soon as the electrician leaves today. I wanted to keep it out of the way until after he did his work. 

Thanks to Jeff Voelker, our master carpenter (St. Cloud, WI) who worked his magic from my primitive drawings. Jeff was the lead carpenter when we built our home in Campbellsport, WI, which was our home for seventeen years before we moved to Florida. Thanks also to Paul Schneider, our plumber from Silica Plumbing and Heating, Silica, WI; Jim Reimer who owns All R Electric from Plymouth, WI; and Tim Twohig and his counter installers from Quest Interiors of Fond du Lac, WI.

So, what do you think? Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll do my best to answer them. I just keep walking into the pantry now, leaning on the counter in front of the sink and counting my blessings. I'm one truly lucky girl.