Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask Part 32!

 Saturday morning at 8:00, we were all at the condo awaiting 

our new kitchen with baited breath.

 We had printed the layouts in multiple elevations from the 3D Planner

on the IKEA site.

 All of these were taped to the kitchen wall,

and the plotting began.

We determined the Center Line on each wall first.

 All of the cabinets in the designs are numbered...

...so we numbered the spaces on the wall as we sketched out corresponding

squares to represent the cabinets.

The lines were then leveled.

We were ready.

 And then we got the call that the delivery truck had broken down

and would be 3 hours late.

Sometimes, during

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask!

"smooth" is not a word that describes our operation.

Not one to waste time, I grabbed a contractor bag and did 

the only logical thing I could do.

 I sat down and did an hour's worth of yoga.

Hey, when you're 52, see if you can get your forehead

 on a newly leveled floor from the lotus position.

 Eventually though, the boxes started arriving.

 IKEA is known for being environmentally responsible and creating as little waste as possible.

All of their products use the smallest amount of packaging

they can design, and the kitchen came completely flat-packed.

 We started organizing the parts and numbering the cabinet boxes

to match up with the design and sketches on the wall.

At which point we ran into glitch number two.

 Out of 84 boxes on the manifest, we had 73.

Amongst the missing items were minor parts like legs and the hanging system.

"Smooth."

Oh, and 4 of the white cabinets arrived in Birch.

Birch.

No.

I'll be driving to IKEA this morning.

I promise to remain calm.

 None of this stopped us however, and we got busy with construction.

 IKEA products go together easily, and once the first box was done,

the rest were a snap.

 We added a good quality wood glue to the seams for extra support 

and strength while we were at it to make sure these were

going to last a long, long time.

 The Minions worked together like a well-oiled machine.

 All of our lower cabinets are drawer systems so the disabled homeowner 

won't have to dig in the back of a standard cabinet.

 The uppers will have decorative glass doors for showing off her 

crystal, china, and teapots.

 We have tons of hinges, dividers, and organization components.

 The construction went quickly.

We got as much done as possible.

But of course, the 11 missing cases left us with a lot of stuff sitting on the floor.

If you hear any screaming after 10:00 AM, EST,

it's just me at the return desk.

"Smooth."