Recovering Vegan: Kitchen Remodel - Week 2: The Timeline

Aren't the new cabinets pretty?

I didn't speak much about the actual timeline of a kitchen demolition last week. That's something that I really had no idea about. I watch the DIY network sometimes, and they do kitchens in a few days while sending homeowners on a nice spa vacation. I knew the reality was much different (and much longer), but I had no idea how much longer. Before I signed the contract, I asked my contractor, "How long is this going to take?" I was expecting 4-6 weeks. He said, "3-4 months." I gasped and said, "really?" Now that I'm in the middle of it, I can see why.

None of these different subcontractors do the same thing. For example, week 1 was demolition week. I took out the cabinets myself that weekend. Monday, they sent one guy in to remove the walls that were coming down, the bad drywall and the soffits. That took a few days. A different subcontractor removed the tiles and thinset. That took a few days too. Then yet another came in to break up the concrete slab so they could do plumbing. So, the first week was more or less demolition.

This week, they actually started to construct the new kitchen. Plumbers came in to lay down new water lines to go to the new island. They also set the new gas line. This took a few days. They had to wait for an inspection before any further work could be done. An electrician came in to place new lighting and set all of that in the wall where it needed to be. He also had to wait for an inspection. They poured the concrete for the slab and also hung and floated the drywall. That's a lot of work for a week (the drywall crew worked on Saturday).

The project has to be inspected multiple times before any work can go on. Half of a day was spent by the electrician waiting around for an appointment the inspector was a bit late too, but it had to be inspected and he had to be here. I knew things had to be inspected, but I never really thought about how much they had to wait around for the inspection.

The cabinets also came in. We ordered them in February. They're Brookhaven and custom built. That takes some time to get in. They may go in next week. Currently, they're in my garage waiting.

Meanwhile, this week was more adventurous in my makeshift kitchen. I put my roaster oven to the test for Easter. Someone invited me for Easter brunch (because I don't have a kitchen) and I asked, "What can I bring?" They said, "bread!" I normally make Challah for Easter. That's hard without an oven. But, not to despair. I decided to test out my recipe in a roaster oven!

Easter Challah Rolls

I made my traditional Challah dough, but instead of a big loaf like usual, I made little knotted rolls. I preheated my roaster oven to 325 degrees and place the rolls on a cookie sheet inside the roaster. They cooked for about 20 minutes, until they were brown on one side, and I turned them half a turn (I found the roaster oven browns more around the edges than in the middle) and cooked them 5-10 minutes more. They were actually quite delicious.

I experimented with the roaster during the week too. I made enchiladas and mac and cheese in it. For these, I just made normal recipe and put them in the roaster. The food takes about the same time in a roaster oven, but you can't open the top and check on it or it lets the heat escape.

Otherwise, the week was pretty boring menu wise. I had leftover pizza Monday and I ate out on Friday, because it was a busy day and I didn't feel like cooking. Otherwise, I had a grilled cheese and pressed potatoes on my panini press. For the potatoes, I microwaved them until they were soft and then split them and put them on a hot panini press until they were brown.