After 330 days of living in near-darkness, we can finally see daylight in our kitchen — and it feels amazing.
This change took our licensed contractor Steve and his right-hand woman Tara nearly seven hours of focused work. While they handled the heavy lifting, John, Clara, and Burger stayed at his sister’s house to avoid the chaos, and I stayed home to answer questions, hand out snacks and drinks, and watch the progress. They did an incredible job and we couldn’t be happier with the result: it’s still raw and unfinished, but the difference is huge.
Here’s a straightforward account of how it went. This is a simplified overview and not a do-it-yourself guide — we left the structural work to the professionals. First, Steve and Tara used a power saw to cut the full doorway opening into the kitchen paneling. First surprise: there was no drywall or plaster behind the paneling — just studs. It was fortunate that we had painted the paneling instead of tearing it down earlier, since removing it would have been unnecessary.
Opening the wall also revealed the path of an electrical cable, so we had our electrician on call to address it while the wall was open.
On the other side, they removed two layers of drywall, and light poured in. I basically lost my mind in the best possible way.
We had previously consulted an HVAC professional about the vents that were affected by this change to ensure the system wouldn’t be compromised. With the HVAC pro’s approval, John went into the crawl space to disconnect and cap the vents, so the vent openings you see are no longer connected to the system. We did the same thing in our previous kitchen remodel.
Next, Steve and Tara framed two temporary walls for support while they worked on installing a reinforced header for the new opening, including structural work from above and through the crawl space.
Peering through the exposed studs to see grass, leaves, and sunlight felt almost surreal. For so long the kitchen had been a dark, cavernous space. Suddenly it has light, air, and a view.
You can see the large wooden header and the area of drywall that will need patching above the doorway. The crew chose to do header work from the drywall side because drywall is much easier to patch seamlessly than hacked-up wood paneling. Smart move. They also built the half-wall that will support our peninsula before wrapping up for the day. As they left, the view made all the effort worth it.
Behold: my favorite view. The magnolia out front forms a natural canopy, letting light stream into the kitchen. It feels almost tropical — a tree-umbrella filling the room with soft, dappled sunlight. I’m euphoric because light has reclaimed a space that felt closed off for months.
Notice the electrical outlet reinstalled near the right side of the half-wall. It will be handy for laptops at the peninsula: most of the half-wall will be hidden by the peninsula, but a 12″ countertop overhang will leave about a foot of wall space exposed, which makes this outlet a practical addition.
When John returned we laughed because it felt like the fireplace was soaking up sunlight for the first time ever. The area still looks rough around the edges, but Steve and Tara’s structural work is complete (we paid them as they left). Now the remaining tasks fall to us:
- drywall, mud, and sand the half-wall and the area above the doorway on the dining side where the header work was done
- add a door jamb, install a wooden ledge over the half-wall, and finish with trim
- prime and paint the walls, jamb, baseboard, and trim
Most importantly, we can finally visualize the finished kitchen. With some imagination we see two or three pendants over the peninsula, a large chandelier above the dining table, painted cabinets and stainless appliances, mocha cork flooring, and a cozy armchair or chaise in front of the fireplace. It’s all starting to come together.
The half-wall still looks odd without the peninsula in place, so we’re eager to finish that next. We’re already working on drywall patches and hope to share another update soon. As a reminder, our plan is to complete the kitchen overhaul over the coming months. Tasks ahead include removing and selling the old countertops, having new counters installed, matching or building new cabinet doors for the peninsula, priming and painting cabinets, installing a full-wall backsplash, building and installing a range hood, adding open shelving, and installing cork flooring ourselves. There’s plenty to keep us busy, but we love the challenge — and most of all, we love the light. Happy day.