10 years ago I'd have been there helping you! Now?? I'll fix you a nice supper for when you take a break.

You are woman, hear you roar move cabinets! Way to GO. (But yoga or not, do watch your lower back, please please please.) For my remodel I used recycled cabs from Habitat and it was actually pretty fun piecing them together in my own space; like a giant life-sized jigsaw puzzle, no?

Pictures, we demand pictures! But we offer plenty of digital empathy in return.

You're hardcore like that!

Give us a D - D! , Give us an I - I!, Give us a Y - Y!. What does that spell - DIY, DIY, DIY!
I'm so impressed and I'm cheering you on! You go!

circuspeanut, it's all upper body. Using the knees takes it out of the back. Thank goodness. And I lied on the W4230. I stacked it on a computer and an electric pencil sharpener.

Here are some before pictures. This was my kitchen, without plumbing, from 2005 until August of 2008. My fridge & microwave ran off extension cords hardwired to the fuse box. I hung them with hooks from the ceiling.

Left view: (I found the credenza on the side of the road)

Middle view:

Right view: (the stove doesn't work & is just a mouse house)

In 2008 I started collecting cabinets. I have been so lucky. Once my husband was out of the picture, people came out of the woodwork to help me with vinyl siding, a bathroom vanity, a new bathtub & surround (got bathroom plumbing in 2009), a friend made me a kitchen counter, and I have many, many friends who work for beer. I've become quite a barter-er. Electrical work for bow hunting permissions. Yoga lessons for the plumber's wife.

I have many stories. Most are good things coming out of total crap, so I'm always grateful to have that. Mostly right now? I'm focusing on the kitchen. If I can get things out of plastic bins and into cabinets, I will be able to paint and get back to a semblence of normal life. These people who whine about their bathroom/kitchen/whatever being out of commission for a couple of weeks or months? Let 'em come live with me. Amateurs.

Too much coffee.
I'll post more when I have these at least primed so they look a little better.

Pinch_me? You name the time & I'll be there. :)

Christine

OK. One more.
Here is the middle of the 13' row of cabinets from the kitchen into the dining room. I have to take these down and cut them back because the ceiling and walls are wonky.

Now I'm going back and working on my W4230.
BLFenton? I appreciate the cheers. I'm all by myself and sometimes I wonder why I bother.

Nighty-night!
C.

All by yourself??? You rock! Watch those knees though.

All by myself & barefoot.

[lol]

You go girl!! But I'm still gonna whine when I have to sand drywall compound!! ;)

Girl power inspiration! Keep posting pictures please. We want to see EVERYTHING!

You go, girl!

hi! you rock! i wish i had your strength, inner and outer! :)

i've only heard about this, so maybe someone else can comment: a cabinet jack.

they are expensive, but i believe you can rent them, too. maybe home depot? or maybe someone you know can loan it to you?

there's also something called a t-jack, which is $70.

i've included a link i googled with some woodworkers discussing tools for installing cabinets alone.

so... now you are not alone! keep us posted, please! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet Jack: Thread from woodworkingtalk.com

I bow to your inner strength, patience, and creativity. How on earth did you live without plumbing?? Please keep us posted on your progress.

Namaste.

you're amazing! I can't wait to see what magical space this becomes! Way to go!!!

You aren't the only woman out there that kept moving cabinets around.

In my case, we moved the kitchen to a new room, and I put up the old cabinets to see what layout I'd like. I don't know how many times I re-arranged cabinets over the four years we had the temporary setup - finally some ended up in the laundry room, some in the sewing room, a few in the shop, a few more in the summer kitchen and one in the rabbit shed.

YOU ROCK! Way to go- I'm also doing the same thing- step by step - by myself. I don't think it's crazy for a woman to do this. The right tools make things easier, of course, but as long as you don't listen to people telling you that you can't do it, you'll find yourself quite able. My husband has been out of the picture for over 10 years now, and I can't imaging it any other way- seems odd, but I can get so much more done now that's he doesn't live with me!
I have a couple of my discounted, well made cabinets over my fridge right now for the extra storage, but they will be moved once the new fridge gets here. I hope to not have to reinstall many others, but I'm not opposed to it if need be. As far as the painting goes, if you have a friend with a paint sprayer go for that route. I bought one off e-bay and it's a dream! So much easier and quicker than by hand. You just have to mask EVERYTHING off first. In fact, I could use a yoga class or two, if only you were close to my area!

I can't wait to see the final results- keep up the great work, and as far as the exhaustion at the end of the day......I find that it helps me get a great nights sleep. That, and those gallon sized bottles of whiskey I see on your fridge!

Good for you! It looks like you're doing a fantastic job and will have an amazing space for very little money spent. In the end, you will have so much satisfaction knowing you did the work yourself.

Oldhousegal, I understand what you mean about getting more done!

My DH was a GC & carpenter by trade. He was exhausted & often worked 18 hours a day, 7 a week. He had lots of house dreams, but everything was "good enough for now." I amost made a sign and put it over the door that said, "Welcome to the House of Good Enough For Now." I couldn't hire anyone because of $$, and of course, because he could always do it better, right-er, safer, cheaper. So NOTHING got done.

But me being patient and understanding got me a kick in the bummy.
I lived for 3 years with no plumbing. I still dream of finishing the tile in the MBR and putting in a shower in the front/guest bath.

Just this last summer I've been paying someone by the hour & beer to put electricity in. I have only 2 rooms to go and it's done, but with everything I've done, I've had to re-do a major part of what was done. The electrician had to check EVERY wire DH ran (that he never hooked into the fuse box) because they were loose, not grounded, or in 2 cases, hooked in, unmarked & scorched up the wall behind my storage boxes.

I've had to have the plumbing redone in the crawl space and all the sinks he did put in (but didn't plumb into the system) leaked so I have mold and floor warping issues.

The electrician killed the ants nests in the attic, removed the snake skins, & chased out the racoons. (I miss the snakes, but they still come up thru the holes in the floor.)

The siding man, bless him, screened the vents in the attic so the birds don't come in and thru the pot light holes in the ceiling. Cats go nuts. The roof had no drip edge, so when he enclosed the soffits 2 years ago, the water tension ran rain under and into the front house walls. He had to remove 4 courses of shingles, put the drip edging on and replace the shingles.

If you name something in this house done, and to date, there isn't a single thing that is COMepletely done, I will tell you what had to be REdone due to "good enough for now." Even my floors, which are beautiful, need 3 boards in the closet and aren't nailed in place in 2 rooms.

I think it was a completion phobia. Not only in his own home, but with every client I remember in 18 years.

So I am doing it alone & often feel I'm fighting the tide. DH has cost me so much heartache, but he's cost me $1000s in re-do-dollars. If he'd have done NOTHING, it would have cost me less.

I'm sorry. I really seem to be letting off steam this last day.

Sprayer: I don't, but I don't mind the painting. It gives me the opportunity to patch holes or damages I didn't see. I am in love with this STIX primer and Cabinet Coat.

The whiskey bottles I laughed at. Those were DH's. I sent those with him when he bailed. Don't miss them or him. I'm a single wino, myself. :)

I wish you all were closer just for advice & encouragement. No one even needs to help!! Just talk to me while I'm working. I'll trade yoga for someone making me laugh. Sound like a deal?

Every DIY'r on this forum is an inspiration to me, but I think that you take the cake. To approach all of this with the humor and grace I see coming through your posts is great. Wishing I could be there (wherever) to help is an understatement, although I probably would only be as much "help" as your former DH.

Keep us posted!!

Leela4, the odds are 10 to 1 you wouldn't start something and not finish it.

Like I said. :) I'd love the company sometimes just to remind myself that if this crap is the worst that happens to me in my life, I continue to be blessed.

After I get these cabs up, I have to ... sand the ceilings and paint. It's the sanding I really hate. I'm short. I hate sanding and painting ceilings and anything requiring a ladder. Grrrr...

I was sanding the living room. I didn't have a hat. Picture me with a pair of flowered boxer shorts on my head that keep slipping down over the safety glasses I have over my reading glasses. Black Willie Nelson t-shirt all covered in dust.

Yes, there is humor to be found. Wish I had a picture!

Thanks for the kind words. [LOL]

I'm LOL! I think you must be my long lost sister!

Here's something that makes me smile when all the projects I'm working on start to get on my nerves. It's a sign I bought at a local garden art show- I think it sums up what I need to hear when the remodeling frustrations start to get to me....

Keep the humor and the 'complaints' coming- this is a great group of people who will support you during your toughest moments of the remodeling process.

I should put THAT on the outside!
I just roll my eyes when (men) people tell me I need to find myself a man to take care of all these things.

A heck of a lot of good having even a talented one got me. [LOL] Cost me $643,680 let alone the mess I have of a house.

I remind myself this house has great bones after we did move the walls after the fire. Thank goodness that was done.

I like that sign.
Wanna hear my favorite one on a bathroom door in a crab restaurant? "I don't like to repeat gossip, so listen carefully."

Ahahahahahahha

Picture me with a pair of flowered boxer shorts on my head that keep slipping down over the safety glasses I have over my reading glasses.

Well you gotta have a sense of humor! ;)