Creeping forward ....

The kitchen project continues to creep forward.

Lately I have been making decisions on little things.

I wanted a farmhouse sink.  OK -- I demanded a farmhouse sink!  So that was a given.  Until I started searching and I discovered that 99% of the farmhouse sinks are undermounts units.

Undermount sinks are great.  You just push the water on the countertops right into the sink with no lip for the water to catch on.

Except.

You have to have a stone, quartz or solid-surface countertop.  Like this one.

LOVE the faucet ... ain't happenin' but I LOVE it!

Can you say Cha-Ching???

There is this beauty ............

And I might be a little short to use this sink.  See how the lip is almost 2" higher than the countertop!

 But the backsplash of the sink won't fit under the window.  And its almost $1000 for the sink.  :(

Cha-ching!   Again.


So here is the reality check at Miss Eff's........

1) I personally don't care for stone or granite.   I know!!!  What's wrong with me???  Many patterns of stone seem "busy" to me.  And trust me, my house is busy enough without competition from stone.

2) I love solid surface and I have it now on the island.  I will replace the existing island top ... sometime.  But being able to chop on the countertop all around the kitchen is unnecessary for me.

3) We live in a 1800 square foot, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 120 year old farmhouse on a hill in the country.  Without air conditioning.  It is a simple house and to be honest with you ........... let's keep it that way.  No pretense.  No fancy.

It is the "look" I am trying to achieve ... A gourmet kitchen is not necessary.  Nor am I going to spend our retirement funds for a remodel.

I am using .......... let me say it ..............(gasp!)  laminate. Yep .... Formica or something like it.

The great countertop discussion will come later .... for now, we will talk about sinks, faucets etc.

Ikea sink

This is the sink I chose.  My final answer.  Ikea sink for roughly $300.  It gives me the look that I want.  And I can still afford to heat the house!

The sink as you can see has a great drainboard in back with a single hole for a faucet.  So that started the search for an affordable faucet with a single hole and  "vintage" style look.  I really wanted faucet with an antique brass finish.

But I wasn't going to sacrifice eating for the next year.

Although .... I probably would survive.  ;(

So I stepped back .... and looked .... and decided that ordering $30 worth of parts ..... I could make this Kohler faucet that I already have ... look and work like new!

Fairfax faucet by Kohler

 My faucet is 17 or 18 years old and has a little brass trim on it.  Clean it up.  Replace some o-rings and put in a cartridge for good measure ............. I will be set for another 17 or 18 years.

Next .... in the plumbing catagory is ........... a pot filler.

I really really really want a pot filler.   If you have not seen them ... a pot filler is a faucet that is mounted in the wall behind the cooktop or stove.

So why do I want a pot filler??  It is simple. 

Canning season.  The water baths and the pressure canners use a lot of water.  A gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds.  A canner holds 7 gallons of water or so.

8 lbs times 7 gallons lifted by a 61 year-old woman.  And getting older every year.  Yea .... pot filler would be very nice.

I really like this one.

But I am not sure yet ..... I need to investigate a little more and decide the size of the spout and I think I want the spout to swivel out of  the way.

Next decisions ........... hardware and countertops.  And floors!!!  Why do floor decisions have to be so hard????

All these decisions and choices will turn my hair gray!!

Oh .... wait.

:)