Right before our trip in June, my husband brought home a 5 burner stove he had received in lieu of payment for working on the house he is remodeling in town. We had a stove and it’s been a good stove for the most part. However, the two back burners no longer worked well. So I was in lust at this new (used) stove.
Our current stove was considerably smaller than the one we wanted to replace it with. But leave it to my husband to fix it all up. He made a platform for the new stove and extended the countertop to the stove. Where the stove had been, he turned it into a cupboard underneath for the pans.
The tile isn’t an exact match to what we had before but it has the same design as the floor only in a lighter color, so it really brightens up the area. There is so much more space for food preparation!
And the stove is a dream! A full meal takes half the time. The gas burners are electric-start so no more running to the store for matches right before dinner. I haven’t yet used the oven, but it’s on my list. Cookies I think!
Look at all the burners I can use at once!
Then about a month after this remodel, we were driving in Yuriria looking for some shelves and stopped at a carpintería (carpenter workshop). I fell in love with their work. We bought a shelf and left our name and address so the master carpenter could measure our kitchen walls for some cabinets.
The master carpenter and his assistant, the guy we spoke with at the shop, came the very next morning. They took stock of what we had, showed us some pictures and took measurements. I could literally see the wheels turning as they designed a set of cabinets to fit the space. With no money down, they said they’d be back in two weeks for the installation.
The cupboards they brought back were amazing! The pebbled amber glass matched the panes in the ceiling lamp (which was another item from a job my husband did).
However, the corner cupboard wouldn’t fit through the door between the garage and the kitchen. So they tried to take it through the animal compound, but it wouldn’t fit through that door either. Up and over the wall it went. It did fit fine through the back door.
Our power inverter wasn’t powerful enough for the carpenter’s big saw, so my husband changed out the inverter for the one designed for power tools. I decided to stay out of the way until they were done.
Originally the corner cupboard had that fencing thing in front which made it difficult to reach things there. It was removed for easier access.
When I went downstairs to get a gander, I was dismayed to see that I couldn’t reach any of the shelves. When we had discussed the measurements and placement two weeks previously, this wasn’t an issue. The marks on the wall seemed accessible to me. I’m going to have to get a kitchen stool to even reach the bottom shelf.
The door for the pantry and the lower cupboard door that went where the stove had been turned out beautifully. They even revarnished the other bottom cupboard doors to match and changed out the handles.
Then, unbeknownst to me, my husband requested an addition to the cupboards. He had a design and worked it out with the guys and set up a date for them to come back and install it. I was fine with the cupboards we had, but I guess I didn’t have a say in the matter.
The carpenters came back on a Friday even though I would have to work in the next room teaching classes. The installation was held up because the cupboard wouldn’t fit in the area it was supposed to go. My husband had to cut part of the fireplace in order to make space for it.
My son isn’t really impressed with the cupboards though. He rates them a mere 7 out 10 on the awesome scale. I have to agree because I can’t reach them. I’m looking for a kitchen stool though. I will not be denied access because of my height!
I have some mixed emotions about my new kitchen space. I feel a little “presumida” (boastful) in sharing pictures this time around, which is not my intention. I spent way more money than I had planned on this kitchen remodel. I’ve had to forgo other necessary purchases (like a moto) to do it. And I know that most kitchens in my area do not have shelving let alone cupboards like these. So, in addition, I feel guilty complaining about their inaccessible height.
Some kitchens we’ve had renting and others we’ve been in.
However, my conflicted feelings didn’t stop me from ordering a corner shelf for the bathroom.
Surviving Mexico 