Tropical Paradise Kitchen Remodel

Remodeling your kitchen really isn’t a big deal, as long as you do it while lying on the beach. A beach on a warm tropical island, with a nice trade wind that keeps your margarita cool from the blazing rays of the sun. More… Surely you must think that I am joking, however I assure you that I am serious. We had our kitchen totally remodeled a few years ago, while our three young children were all under the age of eight. It’s not a simple remodel, I’m talking serious stuff here. Old drywall (and walls) fall off, new drywall rises. New hardwood floors (the kind that are sanded down with a lot of dust) and old torn linoleum. New windows, new kitchen doors, new plumbing, new appliances, new kitchen cabinets and matching kitchen counter tops. We even moved the sink and dishwasher with its plumbing and electrical from the west wall to the north wall of the kitchen. In total, the time elapsed for the remodeling lasted about 4 weeks. So how does he continue to feed his young family and continue to live in a house whose most important room is in ruins?

Kitchen Drywall Dust vs. Beach Sand

Well, I’ll tell you, it’s not easy, but the only real solution is to get out of town. That’s how it is. Time for a winter vacation. We decided that since we’re spending a ton of money on a brand new kitchen, we might as well spend a ton more on a well-deserved vacation to Aruba. So, for the first two weeks of the remodel, we were at the beach, in the pool, or swimming to a swim-up bar while contractors sanded drywall and hardwood (cough, cough). We figured that during the messy two weeks of kitchen remodeling, the best place to be would be somewhere else.

Rasta man in the kitchen

You’re probably thinking, if you’re on vacation, who’s watching the workers? The key to all of this is getting a group of contractors you can trust. Otherwise, you’ll be worrying yourself sick instead of drinking yourself sick with rum punch. We had a bit of luck and a bit of intelligence in choosing the team for the kitchen remodel. We didn’t go with the cheapest guys in town. We were also lucky enough to get a contractor who oversaw the job and who was top notch. He acted like he was remodeling his own kitchen. And he made sure that the guys he brought in acted the same way. The only real issue we had to deal with was a phone call from the flooring contractor. Apparently they had measured the floor incorrectly and it was really going to cost me another $800 on top of the original listing. Hey sure why not! Problems like this seem like no big deal, when you’re on the phone from your Caribbean suite as you watch the sunset, wondering which beachside restaurant has the best margarita this side of the island. No problem my.

palm tree kitchen

By the time we got back, there was still work to be done, but all the dirty, dirty stuff was finished. In addition, things are more or less on time. So, we converted the family room into a makeshift dining room for a week or so, and did so until the rest of the kitchen remodel was done. A couple of palm trees in the living room would have been perfect, but don’t worry. . . every little ting is going to be alright.