How we built a new kitchen in 2004

October 27th - laying the foundation

Digging began on October 18th. I didn’t think it would be cool to take photos of the six-feet deep diggings. So I started shooting the various stages in the construction of our new kitchen when the structure was already partially up.

Approximately sixteen square meters in size, the new wing is being built on a portion of our backyard. Attached to the existing kitchen, the old kitchen door was sealed off and the kitchen window was opened to serve as a doorway. Estimated time of completion is 25 working days. We’re hoping that everything will be finished by mid-November.

October 31st - installing the roof insulation

I am not a believer in using range hoods. The new kitchen was designed for maximum natural ventilation. The cooking range will be near the windows. Roofing insulation was installed to minimize heat during the day time which can be quite oppressive during the summer months.

It is the 12th day of construction and the interiors are getting a final coating of cement.

November 5th - the kitchen counters

Towards the end of the third week of construction, this is how the new kitchen looks, so far. Below (left), the vertical structures are the base for the L-shaped kitchen counter. The sinks will be on the left side, the cooking hob will be between the two windows. The oven will be right below it. There will be cabinets above the sink and some drawers to the right of the oven.

I already specified that I didn’t want sharp corners. Both ends of the counter will have round-edged shelves made of wood.

The photo above (right) shows the connecting doorway between the old and new kitchens. Yeah, that’s part of the old kitchen that is now in total disarray. A glorious mess, if there ever was one.

Painting the kitchen walls

The painting has begun. Some of the walls are now coated with white primer.

November 9th - the kitchen counter tops

Kitchen news: Two days ago, concrete was poured on the countertops. The walls have also been partially coated with paint primer. Have I mentioned that I decided the walls of the new kitchen would be a pale yellow?

I wish I could take photos now and show you what’s going on but I can’t even go in there. They’re cutting and polishing the marble countertops and there’s a white haze all over the place. The noise that the grinding machine hurts my head but… small price to pay for what it will be like after the new kitchen is finished.

While the marble is being cut and polished, the rest of the workers are busy finishing the additional bedroom. Oh, I didn’t mention that yet. We added a new bedroom. So, the work in the house isn’t really limited to one section. Some things are going on in the backyard as well. New plantboxes and a concrete-based barbeque grill.

See, we’re just wasting money buying those portable grills that rust after a few months. My husband said we should just build a concrete-based one that will never rust. We’ll just need to replace the metal racks from time to time.

The plantboxes are for the herbs. I used to have fresh herbs and vegetables in the backyard but they died after my husband decided to throw a handful of guava seeds into the soil. A dozen guava trees grew and killed the herbs and vegetables. Now those guava trees–and a langka tree–had to be uprooted to give way to the new kitchen.

November 11th - white marble kitchen counter tops

The fine white dust that went with the cutting of the marble was just terrible. But the result is really wonderful. White Romblon marble with blue-gray veins. We chose it over granite for the simple reason that someone offered to give us the marble slabs for free.

Too good to be true? I’m glad I didn’t insist on Italian granite which was really my first choice. The white marble is definitely elegant and more Pinoy.

The countertops will need more polishing and waxing to achieve the desired luster and smoothness. I am glad, though, that the filthy part is over. No more cutting tomorrow.

November 17th - kitchen cabinets

I had a choice between standard-sized kitchen cabinets and custom-sized ones. Had I chosen standard sizes, we could have bought ready-made kitchen cabinet doors which would have cut the time of work by so many days.

BUT, I wanted to maximize the space. So, I chose to have all the kitchen cabinets custom made on three walls of the kitchen. Above, the partially painted shelves of the still doorless cabinets above the sink. Below, the cabinets on two other walls of the kitchen.

The cabinets below the counter (photo below) are all equipped with pullout powder coated wire baskets. The stainless steel baskets cost almost twice as much.

Since we have been using the powder coated kind for the past three-and-a-half years, and they are still ok (even looks good, actually), we decided there was no need to spend more on stainless steel baskets. The interior of the cabinets will still need to be painted; the doors will need finishing.

Kitchen lights and floor tiles

The color of the ceiling is cream. “Coffeemate”, according to the painter. I said no flat whites–they simply look dead. Everything that was installed onto the ceiling followed its color.

My husband chose this combination of ceiling fan and light. Well, with my approval, naturally. It’s really funny how we went about shopping for some of the stuff for the new kitchen. Since I have to stay home to supervise the work, there were lots of times when hubby had to buy the fixtures by himself. Knowing how particular I am about the minutest details, he would take photos with his cell phone of whatever it was that had to be bought, send the photos to me via MMS then wait for my response. That was how we decided on this ceiling fan.

I only have one strict rule about ceiling lights–I don’t like fixtures that protrude.

The ceiling looks neater with lights like the ones above. My husband chose them by himself. I only asked that they complement the overall color of the kitchen. Four of these have been installed–two above the cooking stove and counter, two on the opposite side of the room. For the sinks, another kind of fixture will be installed underneath the kitchen cabinets.

It took us two weekends to find the tiles that met with my approval. What we finally bought wasn’t really my first choice. The ones with the better designs and colors were the ones imported from China. Cheaper, really, but we have been told that the colors don’t last too long. We decided to go for the locally-made Mariwasa tiles. Called Binondo Red, they have a rustic brick finish and good for any room with heavy traffic. That’s pretty and durable enough for me.

Above, the tiles as installed. What is still lacking is the grout.

November 20th - the kitchen cabinets are complete

These are the kitchen cabinets above the sink. No door handles yet. We’re waiting for the paint to dry. Then, we’re moving our stuff in them. That brown part which is called kornisa in Filipino–so I guess the English word is cornices?–will still have to be painted.

A new fridge!

We ditched our old 12-cubic feet fridge and bought a smaller one (above, left). We chose a G.E. model in gray to go with the stainless steel cooking hob and oven. Above, Speedy unpacking the new fridge.

Above, left, Sam inspects the new fridge. Above, right, the new fridge is in place.

November 25th - my new kitchen!

The new kitchen is now operational. Two things still need to be done. The first is the final polishing/waxing of the marble countertop. The second is to move the kitchen stuff in. Most of them had been stored in boxes since we moved into this house.

Above, left, you can see the main part of the house through the doorway. The blue door beyond leads to a washroom. At the foreground is part of the kitchen table. On the left are the fridge and the “beverage cart”. Above, right, taken from the same side of the room, the windows, stove and oven are visible.

The first things I had to organize are the stuff that are most often used. They all went into the cabinets above the kitchen sink (above, left). The built-in Ariston cooking hob has three gas burners and an electric hotplate (above, right). In case we run out of LPG and no one’s available to go out and buy a tank, we have the electric plate.

Above is the built in Ariston convection oven. It was installed yesterday and the protective wrappings inside have not yet been removed.

The “beverage cart” (well, that’s how we use it) contains the coffee, sugar, creamer, tea, juices and the kids’ malt drink. Inside the small drawer are the sandwich bags. The dinnerware will go into the cabinets on this side of the room. Some have already been arranged (above, left) but most are still in boxes. The cabinet just above the fridge contains the pitchers and everything else that is used for drinks.

The kitchen table (above, right) and chairs are made from Malaysian rubberwood. I have a weakness for light-colored wood. You won’t find any dark wood in our house. The “beverage cart” is made with the same material. So… that’s my new kitchen where I cooked lechon con tokwa last night. I’ll post the recipe in a bit. It’s lunchtime.
~ November 25, 2004, edited on June 8, 2007

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