As fun as it is to load up my Pinterest board with ideas for a dream kitchen or dream outdoor kitchen, I realized (after watching my husband do all the dirty work,) that nothing is more important than taking care of the basics: electrical and plumbing.
Last Sunday he started ripping out parts of our kitchen floor to replace some old pipes and wiring that ran from the basement to the kitchen. He installed a new line and electrical for our washer and dryer that’s now located outside on the porch:
You can see the box he installed behind the washer. All new pipes & electric.
It was pretty difficult because he couldn’t access the pipes from under the kitchen floor; there is the stone foundation directly underneath so he had to rerun the lines the same way as the old ones by going horizontal about 10-12 feet amidst the laid-up foundation and wooden beams supporting the kitchen. It wasn’t a straight shot and the space was pretty snug, but thanks to fish tape and an assistant with smallish hands, he was able to get the new pipes and electrical through.
Then the next difficult part was soldering elbow pieces to fit the small spaces, then to solder them together in tight spots, like under the sink and within the wall. After he made sure the water lines were leakproof, he moved out the washer and we now have an empty corner in the kitchen for our future bathroom!
Not sure how we’ll do it, but we’ll get a bathroom down here.
With all the stuff going on inside, the garden outside is growing. Despite my parents raising tomatoes and roses commercially, I didn’t inherit their green thumb. This is my first time having a garden and I love seeing new growth every day:
cucumber tendril
I planted chamomile where I could see the flowers from the kitchen.
Sammy by the squash. He is the most camera shy out of the three cats.
A gray and rainy morning giving our plants a good soak.
Salamander enjoying the much needed rain.
I hope your Friday morning is off to a good start. I’ll be back tomorrow with a light lunch recipe for this month’s Recipe Redux!
T h e F o o d e r y 
July 20, 2012 at 08:37
Great post! You are so right about getting the electrical and plumbing just the way you want them. Love the garden pics – it will be a year or so before I can turn my attention outside. Your photos have given me some garden inspiration.
July 20, 2012 at 08:43
Thanks! My husband did all the work, and when he installed 3-way switches in the kitchen and living room, it almost seemed like a luxury to turn off the lights from BOTH sides of the room! As far as the gardening, I had the most fun arranging the rocks! :D
July 20, 2012 at 11:16
WOW! Nice washer and dryer, girl.:) Our laundry rooms look very similar–I’m pretty sure there is a yard rake in mine, too. Forge on and keep dreaming. Gorgeous outdoor pics!
July 20, 2012 at 11:31
Thanks, Leilani! Both w/d and pedestals were marked down and found at Lowe’s and Sears outlets. Hubs did all the research to get them (Samsung brand.)