A few weeks ago, Rich finished the kitchen "ceiling" remodel. Originally, the kitchen had a large indentation in the ceiling for florescent fixtures. Plastic panels then fit over the indentation. I intensely dislike florescent lighting because it’s too bright and more importantly, the fixtures are ugly!

Soon after we moved into the house, Rich removed the fixtures and we depended on the light over the stove and a floor lamp to light the kitchen. It wasn’t ideal, but better than florescent.

In June, redid the wiring and installed small bucket lights throughout the kitchen that would illuminate the counters and sink. While he had a hole in the ceiling he installed a new light/fan in one of our bathrooms.

After weeks of planning, he was ready to cut a hole in the roof and install the skylights. By the time he started this part of the project, summer was in full force. With all of the sheet rock removed from the indentation in the ceiling and almost no insulation in the attic, the heat from the attic poured into the kitchen. 

Needless to say, I wasn’t pleased and I couldn’t figure out why it was taking Rich MONTHS to install a few bucket lights and two skylights. He talked about "covering beams," "cutting sheet rock to match the slant of the roof," and "the need to do it right so the roof doesn’t leak."

As the weeks passed, his vision became a reality. The resulting skylights not only make the kitchen so bright that sunglasses are advised, but it’s very dramatic with the supporting beams for the walls covered in sheet rock and textured to match the rest of the walls. Plus, there are two small spotlights on top of the beams that illuminate the skylights at night.

The kitchen looks much larger with the ceiling opened up and the natural light pouring in. And I’m thrilled with the small bucket lights, especially, the one over the sink.

The final step in our kitchen remodel is to add a small peninsula cabinet that will become a work surface for baking, pasta making, and storage for my appliances and dozens of jars of staples. The latter are presently on shelves in the coat closet. 

We ordered the peninsula several weeks ago so by the new year, the kitchen will be perfect!

In the meanwhile, Rich has demolished the center bathroom and started to order the materials he’ll need to turn the bathroom into a masterpiece. The only thing I’ll reveal is that the sink is green-tinged and has a matching faucet!