The Winter I Ordered A Whole New Kitchen Built in Oregon and then Went to Mexico

Our remodeled kitchen with beautiful new cabinets — Photo by J. Sharland Day

One of our friends called us, “Two traveling fools...wandering about while their kitchen is being created.”

“Yeah?” I scoffed and said to my husband, “That may be in his and possibly other’s opinions, but I prefer to think that we were the smart ones ‘cause we didn’t have to deal with the mess!”

It seemed to make a lot more sense to be having a good time in Mexico over the winter while the contractor created the perfect kitchen. He had a lot of work to do making custom cabinets, installing a new floor, new appliances, and creating a totally different layout after the room was gutted. He also had to install a new large bay window in the breakfast nook area and a smaller bay above the sink. Lots of work that I didn’t want to watch being done.

At our meetings, before we left, to give our feedback about what we wanted and what we expected, the contractor took notes of all my requests. That list included a coffee bar, a long narrow moveable island, and pull-out shelves in all the cabinets, especially the pantry cabinet.

We also picked out and paid for new appliances and gave the contractor the information he needed for specs and to have the appliances delivered. We picked out a buttery yellow countertop and backsplash tiles that would add a spark of color. Perfect. I was excited about getting back home from Mexico when it was all finished eight months later.

Having faith in one’s fellow man and having high expectations from a professional whose work I had seen, admired, and was relying on, was enough for me to relax in Mexico and not worry about how things were going back home. After all, he was just a phone call away.

That first phone call was not comforting. The contractor’s assistant, Tricia, who was also the designer, had just received word that the backsplash tiles were no longer available and a second choice was needed. Not a simple thing to do 3,000 miles away.

My only recourse was to check online to get ideas, make some choices and send photos via text for the assistant to look at to find comparisons. I could have gotten some beautiful tiles in Mexico, I reminded myself frequently, but getting them to the States in a timely fashion would not have been easy or inexpensive. I had no choice but to rely on the designer to use her feminine and professional opinions in picking out something I would like.

She did - much to my amazement and satisfaction in the end – but in the meantime, I worried.

Unfortunately, that was not the only problem. The flooring we had picked out was also unavailable. What the fuck?!!! I was not expecting those problems. We were told when we picked the items out that there was plenty of product. But maybe that was then, and this was a few months later. Why had the contractor not lined up the number of floor tiles earlier? I kept wondering.

And yet, finding other tiles was an easier task for Tricia, after all, because she found a couple of samples that were similar in color and size that would be good choices. I made my choice and breathed easier. Everything else should have fallen into place. At least I dared not think of any other problems that might come up, as thinking is like wishing: one has to be careful of one’s thoughts.

The remainder of our time in Mexico - which included our travels back to Oregon via our stored RV and pick-up truck in Texas - gave the builders extra time to get finished. Or so we thought. There were delays in getting the countertop cut.

Our newly remodeled kitchen — Photo by J. Sharland Day

By the time we arrived back home, the kitchen was far from being finished. That turned out to be a good thing though, since the contractor had purchased the wrong door to replace our current, dark front door that didn’t let in enough light. The window was at the top of the door, tiny, and too tall to see through and I wanted a door with side panels of light to brighten the dark corner of the foyer, and the new door was of the same configuration as the old. We caught the mistake before the door was installed or I would have been quite upset if that had to be redone. At least they could take the newly purchased door back and replace it with a better one.

The contractor was still over two weeks out from finishing, which was not a huge problem since we had our RV to live in during that time frame. We stayed at Casey’s RV Park near the Willamette River, and in such a beautiful setting, time went by quickly, or so it seemed when we finally received the call telling us we could come back home.

When we eagerly walked into the newly rebuild space I gasped, “The kitchen is stunning!” I was so pleased with the contractor’s work. I admired his thoughts when creating a variety of drawers and cabinet sizes to make the space look less ordinary and more unique. “I love it!” I exclaimed happily, eager to start unpacking and moving back in.

Emptying the stack of boxes that had stored every single item we’d had in our kitchen was something I looked forward to, but it soon became a daunting task. Where to put everything? And much too late. I realized there was no coffee bar, there were very few pull-out shelves, and the only cabinet suitable for drinking glasses was way too small. Also, the portable island was small and square instead of long and narrow.

Good, God! My creative dynamic duo had dropped the ball. Or maybe they lost their notes. Or simply forgot those things I’d requested. My disappointment was huge.

I knew I couldn’t be mad though, because I wasn’t there to make sure those things were done. But I could cry.

The contractor was able to put in more sliding shelves in the pantry area and I was able to get rid of some of the glassware that I’d had crammed in my old, much larger cabinet. The coffee bar could be anywhere, or so I thought but wasn’t so easy after all - I’d just have to put my thinking cap on and make do. Also, instead of the long narrow island, the small square one was still functional and useful.

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To be fair, I truly love the looks of the kitchen. The color scheme, which is the pale, buttery yellow countertops and walls with rust paint on the back wall that complements the reddish-brown stain on the cabinets and earthy flooring and brick backsplash that tapers up the rust-colored wall behind the stove. Yes, we did a nice job of making the project workable, and we are enjoying very much cooking in the new space.

And, because of the disappointments from my original positive attitude, I now have a list of dos and don’ts for those who might want to say: “I think I’ll have my kitchen redone while we’re off on vacation.”