Also, Chuck began installing our kitchen cabinets this week. He has been working with a design we provided him and, according to Brenda who took these photos, he has improved on our ideas. He chose to make the cabinet boxes from maple for its stability. He told us it does not warp and takes stain evenly. The front surfaces (drawers and doors) are made of quarter sawn red oak. I love how straight the wood grain is and that it occasionally has checking which adds character.
Also, the wainscoting will end at the kitchen entrance.
The gas cooktop will be in the middle of the next wall. The vent hood has lots of detail, including dissimilar wood pegs placed in square peg holes. When they are stained, they will add an interesting detail. Chuck also built an appliance closet (on the left, hanging under the upper cabinet) which will hide the bread machine or mixer. It is hinged so as to open to the left, revealing the appliance whenever it is needed.
On the side opposite of the cooktop wall is this cabinet for the oven and microwave. The appliances will be installed in the lower and middle openings with vertical separators in the upper section of the cabinet.
Here are some more photos of the cabinets as they were being installed.
There has been so much more trim work during the past three weeks. Jim and Chad did a marvelous job installing wood trim around all the windows and doors. They covered the lower half of many of the walls with tongue and groove boards which will have the knots covered with bond-o and painted white. Each edge has been finished with rounded molding to give it a finished look.
Here are two photographs of the installed stairs. The raisers will be painted white. The treads, hand rail, banister, and balusters will be stained to match the Kitchen cabinets.