installation

Last week, I shared that we had a bit of stress around here regarding some home repairs. As any homeowner knows, sometimes one thing leads to another when it comes to fixes.
In our case, a new hot water heater, in a kind of distant way led to the installation of a new kitchen faucet. The story kind of has a “Brushed Nickel Lining.”

After attempting with failure a few different options (new hoses, and a sprayer) on the old kitchen faucet, we decided it was time for a new one. We shopped around at Home Depot knowing that they carried Kohler fixtures, and we had a coupon and some gift cards.

While I would like to be upset (because of the time, money, and aggravation) this is now in my kitchen.

As Sarah Richardson always says, “fixtures are like the jewelry to any kitchen or bath.”

The reason we chose Kohler is because in our condo we had tried other brands of kitchen faucets. Also, the fact that we even had to replace a faucet after only living in a house for two years kind of made us feel like it was time for an upgrade. In addition, we read lots of online reviews and talked to people we trust about the brand. We knew this was kind of an expensive purchase, but to be honest, it is probably saving us money in the long run.

We decided on the Kohler Cruette. I liked the high curved neck for filling and washing big pots. Brian liked the built in spray hose that extends from the faucet as opposed to a separate one, and we both have an affinity for brushed nickel.

This decision was made as quickly as most of our major purchases due to A.) When you have 3 kids with you at any store there is a need for urgency B.) Brian and I have similar taste and C.) We typically go for price and practicality.

We brought home our new faucet, and then we sat on it for a day. We were operating without a kitchen sink ok, and Brian wanted to read up and watch a few tutorials on faucet installation and make sure we read through the instructions a few times. He also wanted to make sure we had everything we needed to do this job ourselves.

After living a few days without a kitchen faucet, we decided it was time. Brian was able to do this a few hours with the assistance of our littles ones.

Our kitchen sink went from this:

To this:

Brian and I are in no way plumbers, and I am sure that all faucets might have their own quirks and be installed their own way, so make sure you read the directions for your faucet carefully, watch a few tutorials of your own, or call a professional to install.

With that being said, we did learn a little bit. For example, the hole in our countertop was not large enough to accommodate the new faucet. It was literally millimeters off. So, we sanded the inside of the hole a bit and that allowed enough room for the new faucet while still being a snug fit.

We are so happy with our new faucet, partly because it is so gorgeous but mostly because it isn’t leaking into our sub basement anymore.

If you would like to read more about the home projects that happens here, or enjoy gardening, DIY, Cooking, Baking or all other things domestic you can check me out on Facebook or become a follower of Home Everyday here.

A few months ago, Brian and I made the decision that we needed a new front door. Even though, I had painted the door to “help” it cosmetically, it never seemed to work right. It would stick, the deadbolt never seemed to work exactly right, and few weeks ago, the frame of the door pretty much started falling apart.

When it comes to holding a door together like this, it is time to get a new door.

We shopped around at a few different places in our area for front doors. We had an idea of what we liked and about what we would like to spend. We ended up getting a craftsman style door by a brand sold at Home Depot called Feather River.

The biggest decision for us was color. While we liked the idea of a bright colored door, our house faces directly west. In the afternoon we get tons of sunlight, and we new a painted door would fade fast, where a wood stained door would need much less maintenance over time.

We also opted for a new storm door, which is much quieter and looks a lot better than our old one.

Since Brian and I are newbies to DIY, we figured that having the door installed by professionals was the way to go. It added to the final cost of the door, but our theory was that a door is only as good as is installation. We are glad we did.

Here are some before photos:

Bye bye, Old Door!

Why, hello there!

There is a slight flaw in the door, but the Home Depot installers noticed immediately and have will be bringing us a new door sans flaw as soon as possible. Since our old door situation was horrible, we are keeping the new door with the flaw until the new one arrives. This should only take a few weeks.

So far, we are loving the new door. It is adding a lot to the curb appeal of our home.

Anyone else out there working on their curb appeal?

Tag

Brushed Nickel Linings Playbook to Faucet Repair

Brand New Door