Cabinets, electrical, and paint

A lot of work has gotten done since my last post. One of the first things I did was tear out the old countertop, it was sagging and rotted but we also wanted to change the layout. The original counter was L shaped and stuck out into the walkway. The gas cooktop was in the part of the L that stuck out. We're going to be getting a stove so we wont be needing the cooktop.

I dont have a before picture of the countertop but I found a picture online of one that looks a lot like ours did:
First I removed the L section of the counter:

Then built new framing using 1x2's. I kept the original cabinet front from the L:

I then used Luann plywood for the cabinet sides:

The new countertop is butcherblock and made of Beech wood:

We will be keeping the original sink and faucet, the sink will be centered below the window. I scrubbed both of them with CLR to remove the rust and stains:

Next I began work on the cabinet across from the sink. It used to hold a wall oven above the counter but someone removed the oven and replaced it with another cabinet. This is where we will eventually put the stove but for now we decided to make a countertop out of the area.

I cut the top cabinet out at the correct level to match the counter across from it:

I added a shelf above it for the microwave and a piece of Luann plywood to the side to divide the counter from the fridge, I built a platform for the fridge to sit on so it's at the height of a standard fridge. This area is just roughed in for right now:


I've also been working on the electrical, there are many problems to fix. I took the ceiling panel down and removed all the old, rotting insulation to access all the wiring:

I found this when I was going over the wiring, that's a 120v line, it's completely burned through leaving bare wires exposed:


I painted the ceiling panel with aluminum paint, I still need to give it a second coat:

These spotlights are from Airstream, they come on new models. I picked some up and will be placing them in the ceiling panel:

We've also been painting the interior. We're going with a two-tone look. An antique white above and a sandy color below. I dont have any really good shots of it yet but this one will do:


At the front we're taking the sandy color all the way up. If you look really close at the window on the right you'll notice the set of blinds, I'll talk about them in my next post along with all the other progress.