Florida Kitchen Demo

Our kitchen demo is underway, and we couldn’t be happier to see it all hauled away. Out with the old, in with the new!

If you haven’t read the kitchen remodel plan, check it out here!

I’ve been looking forward to this day for a full two years!

From the moment I laid eyes on this kitchen, it was loathe at first sight. My poor peepers have never forgiven me for subjecting them to the vomitous assault from green kitchen and family room walls.

My eyes thought they’d merely be taking in the humdrum sights of yet another potential house on the endless parade of potential homes.

They had another think coming, because this house was…different.

Green walls aside, there was the split-level island decked out with what appeared to be a slab of liver-spotted plastic. It was billed as an “island,” but the cantankerous bend in its middle made it feel more like a culinary comma, an epicurean diphthong designed not to delight but to damn the unfortunate souls unfortunate enough to stand before it, knives at the ready, thinking they might prepare something delicious for their hungry families.

That island was evil, cleaved in two and wrapped in laminated nightmares.

It gives me tremendous joy to inform you that I (with the help of two others younger and stronger than I) tore that infernal excuse for a kitchen island down to its roots and then ripped the roots from the earth with glee.

The Devil Island of Northwest Florida has been sent to the afterlife, and no one will mourn its passing.

But I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, because so much other beautiful, spiritual, nurturing, educational and downright wholesome destruction happened on this Demolition Day, that I’d be remiss just focusing on the island (may it rot in kitchen Hell). Let’s rewind a couple of hours.

We hired our regular interior General Contractor Franklin to handle the demo, the tilework, moving the gas line and rerouting the plumbing embedded in the concrete foundation. His demo crew has helped us with our staircase reroute, kitchen reconfiguration part 1, and fireplace wall demo.

This kitchen demo really started last fall when we removed the cabinets and wing walls circled in red below. The guys also removed the door on the left, framed a new wall, removed the door on the right, and widened that pass-through.

Here’s a shot of the new wall and opening taken a few nights before demo – hence the mess and clutter!

While we’re at it, let’s have one last peek at the Old Nag before we put her out of her misery.

Buh-bye half-working oven. See you in the garage, noisy Kitchenaid.

Sayonara glass range and dark, silent microwave.

It’s been real, golden-green kitchen. Laters!

With goodbyes said and very few tears shed, it was time to dismantle and remove!

When you boil it down, this was a pretty quick and simple demolition.

We’ve never let a good cabinet go to waste. We used several of our original Georgia kitchen cabinets in our Georgia basement and then carried them to Florida where I use them in the garage. I’m full-up with cabinets, but fortunately my neighbor Kim was on the hunt for some for his garage. Instead of busting them up for the trash heap, our demo crew carried them next door and dropped them off in Kim’s driveway!

This ugly backsplash would have been a real pain to remove if we tried to pry the tiles off. Instead, we just cut out the whole section, drywall and all. It makes perfect sense, since I need to re-route some electricity back there and we need to have plumbing and gas lines brought in.

I also removed the old hood cover. It’s not centered in its space, so I’ll be building a bigger and better one that is centered and beautiful.

As we turned our attention to the island (may it rest in pieces), my eye caught something piled up in the chase. This is the empty space inside the island where plumbing and electrical is usually run. Our chase had an additional feature.

Cat food.

Well, we don’t have a cat, so there’s no telling how long this stash had been hidden back there. I’m guessing for several presidents at the least. And here’s the real head-scratcher: how the hell did it get there? The space is supposed to be entirely inaccessible! My best guess is a miserly mouse or a fleet of well-trained and highly-organized cockroaches.

Fortunately, the beast or beasts responsible for this horde have likely long since turned to dust themselves.

Next came the part I’d been anxiously awaiting for two long years!

Island demolition!

It took only a few minutes to reduce the hideous thing to a beautiful heap of rubble. I think this is a vast improvement.

Once the crud was cleared, Handan and I hung plastic sheeting across all the doorways and openings. On the longer stretches, we installed magnetic door flaps onto the plastic sheeting. These sealed barriers will keep tile and concrete dust from setting all over the house as happened when they tore out the first half of the tile floor. Not only that, but it was a cold day so the HVAC was running, and all the dust got sucked into the returns and blown out over every square inch of the house.

This time, we’re ready!

For the regular doors, the flap served as the full barrier.

And for the kitchen, we used a long run of plastic supported by four third-hand support rods.

Rerouting plumbing and electric in a concrete foundation wasn’t something I thought we’d ever need to do, but here we are. Fortunately, we have a great crew, and in no time, one of the guys had the concrete chipped away and a new path forged for new plumbing and conduit.

We’ve been sealed out of the kitchen for a few days now while the tiling crew does their thing, but it’s worth it for a clean house. Here’s how things are looking as I write these last paragraphs.

Seeing this floor now reminds me that I need to whip myself into higher gear, because I haven’t shown you what’s behind me yet! I mean, besides the new floor! We’ve got so much going on at once, it’s hard to keep up with it all!

And in case you were wondering how I’m going to cope without a kitchen for two months, allow me to introduce my temporary kitchen.

Not gonna lie, I think it looks better than the one we just demolished!

Yep, that’s our new Samsung fridge with a massive internet screen. We can watch YouTube, TV, movies or listen to audiobooks while I chop, dice, and mince on my makeshift island.

Get ready for another pantry makeover as soon as the grout sets on these kitchen tiles!

Yes, pantry makeover. Yes, I already did a pantry makeover here less than two years ago.

But this one is more of a remodel than a makeover, and it’s going to take this pantry from a lowly food hole to an exalted epicurean cave of unparalleled delights.

Such an exalted space deserves a special entry, and we just bought an 1800s antique arched door from Egypt that is going blow your…well, doors…off.

Stay tuned for some pantry fun!

Check out the kitchen remodel plan and gorgeous 3D renders!