Cabin Kitchen Update — With Video!

Cabin Kitchen Update — With Video!

Hey friends! The other day we gave you a little behind-the-scenes of our recent family/work vacation to our cabin in Northern Michigan and briefly mentioned some of the projects we were able to get done. Actually, we were able to do more than I expected considering we had the kids with us. They aren’t usually known for their patience when we have things to do!

We’re still plugging away at the kitchen and it’s getting closer and closer to finished, yay! Ok, I won’t get too excited because there are still some BIG jobs left to do. I try not to think about alllll that tile, eesh. (But honestly, the backsplash will probably have to be pushed back until next spring because we hired someone to replace/fix the window at the far end, and we can’t do any tiling until that’s done.)

Here’s a quick video that gives an update on everything we finished this time! (Special guest star: Ruby Doodle!!)

Since our kitchen is so small and it’s not a full-time residence, we decided to use an appliance that acts as both an oven AND a microwave, instead of needing two separate appliances. Technically it’s called a “5 in 1 oven by Master Chef” — it does convection, microwave, high-speed combination, grill, and toast. It’s not going to cook a giant turkey dinner, but it’s really the best solution for a kitchen that’s super tight on space. I imagine that 90% of guests will just need to heat up leftovers, maybe microwave popcorn, or heat up some frozen tater tots for lunch. I mean, this area is known for its amazing restaurants so we think people should eat out! (But goodness gracious this thing took MONTHS and MANY phone calls before it finally shipped. We ordered it in the beginning of May with a “4 to 6 week” delivery estimate, and it finally showed up in September.)

(this is a bad phone photo of our first time reheating leftovers in our new oven/microwave!)

We also now have a functioning dishwasher! This is actually the only job we’ve had to hire out because we needed a plumber to update a few things. The original kitchen didn’t have a dishwasher but we thought it was a must, and a mini 18″ dishwasher is the perfect size for this small kitchen. We gave the new dishwasher a good testing by washing all of our new dishes and silverware. It’s a small unit but it fits more than I expected.

Since the only layout that was possible was to put the dishwasher next to the refrigerator, we decided to add a panel of insulation in between them. The heat from the dishwasher’s hot water can cause the fridge to have to work extra hard to stay cool — and vice versa — so some insulation should mitigate this issue.

Andy framed out a gap a few inches wide and filled it with insulation. To complete it, he covered the front and side with Semihandmade panels to match the cabinet fronts. It’s practically invisible!

We’re making big progress in the kitchen… finally! For a while it really felt like this project might just never be finished — and it’s certainly not done yet. This is our third kitchen renovation but it’s the first we’ve done ourselves and the first time we’ve attempted a project even close to this magnitude. I have to give so much credit to Andy. He’s done everything from design to execution, figuring it all out as he goes, and he’s done an awesome job. I’m mostly just moral support!

The goal for our next trip is getting hardware and toekicks installed, and the cabinets to the right of the fridge still need to be mounted to the wall/floor. We’re planning on going back this weekend so be sure to follow us on Instagram at @burritosbubbly to check on the progress as we go!