This Time For Sure

Well, after a couple weeks of mulling over the decision to go with Green Hammer Remodeling, I have been stressing about whether we made a mistake. While I'm sure they're capable of doing a nice remodel for us, I really want something special. I want to put in a kitchen that looks like it could have been original to this 1912 Craftsman house.

So, this morning, Jeff and I went back and talked to the Craftsman Design and Renovation folks. I'm pretty sure we're going to switch to them.

I love the majority of the work in their portfolio, especially the cabinetry and lighting in this kitchen, though we'll certainly go with different tile! After today's visit, I am confident they'll be able to help us make the tough choices we'll need to in order to stay on budget.

We've also had more time to think about how much of the work we want to try and take on in this project. I'm getting more and more convinced that our participation will be minimal. We'll certainly help with manual labor, like hauling demolition debris out of the house. I think we may try to stain and varnish some of the woodwork. We also want to try and make stained glass panels for cabinet and built-in doors. Otherwise, we're probably just not qualified to do much of the work ourselves without more training.

It was difficult, but I think I wrote a diplomatic "Dear John" letter to Green Hammer letting them go. I hope this process isn't too painful, because I'm already stressed about this decision.