In the words of Carla from Top Chef: hootie hoo! Our counters are ordered (more on what we chose and why we chose it here). They came in at exactly $38 a square foot from Home Depot (no hidden/added charges, which was nice) which added up to around $1700 (ouch, good thing we’ve been saving for this kitchen a while). We also priced them out at Lowe’s and a couple of local retailers and none of the local retailers could do better than $55 a square foot (huge difference, huh?) and while Lowe’s and Home Depot both had the same $38/square foot price, Lowe’s charged more for the sink cutout and a few other add ons that HD didn’t. The deal was sealed when Home Depot agreed to match a 10% off Lowe’s project coupon that we got in the mail AND the 5% off that we’d get if we used our Lowe’s card (our local Lowe’s stacks those discounts although we’ve heard some others around the country might not). So we’re happy to have saved a good chunk of money shopping around and price matching coupons.
Another way that we’re saving money is by reusing our existing sink:
We really like our sink, and obviously wanted to save a couple hundred bucks or so by not buying a new one (as we mentioned here, we’ve heard many times that seamless Corian sinks can be a lot harder to care for than Corian counters – so most folks prefer stainless undermount). But we learned both from Lowe’s and HD that for the Corian fabricator to accurately plan for our sink… they’d need to take it with them when they came to template for the new counters (aka make precise measurements to design the countertop). And that meant removing the rest of our granite to free up the sink.
The process started by disconnecting the disposal and the plumbing underneath the sink. Don’t interpret only having one photo of this process to mean it was quick. It should’ve been (according to all of the how-to‘s I googled and watched beforehand) but the mounting ring on mine was jammed and it took me about 45 minutes to finally get it free and spin it off. On the bright side, I am now very familiar with my garbage disposal. Maybe that should have been on my Things To Accomplish Before I’m 30 goal sheet (get that reference here).
Next I wanted to remove our faucet, which we also plan to reuse (at least in the short term – later upgrading to another one-hole faucet won’t be a big deal). Fortunately this went faster, thanks to digging up the installation manual online and reversing the steps.
With all of the fixtures detached, it was granite removal time. Having already done this once in our kitchen (we removed the first half of the granite to make room for the stove), we knew the process wouldn’t be too hard. It’d just require some muscle. So we warmed up by prying off the backsplash with a crowbar.
No sweat.
Then we made a couple of slices along the glue that held the counter to the cabinets and got to prying. It lifted up remarkably easily.
Then came the muscle-y part. Which is why we recruited my parents to help again (mom to watch Clara and take pics, dad to lift). But it quickly became apparent that this slightly larger slab of granite was more than slightly beyond our lifting abilities – especially since we would’ve had to lift it up high enough to get the sink out without damaging it (if the granite slammed down on the sink while it was halfway over the cabinets it would have meant $200+ to buy a new one and potential cabinet damage as well).
We had been trying to get it out with the sink attached because the folks at both Lowe’s and Home Depot thought we’d be able to better cut the sink free without warping or tweaking it that way (therefore saving us the loot to buy a new one). But that method wasn’t going to work here. That long slab of granite was way too heavy. As in, we probably couldn’t have lifted it with two more burly men present. So we regrouped and came up with the idea to try to remove the sink first, by freeing it from the glue that held it to the granite.
We began by gently sliding a spackle knife into the space where the sink was undermount-glued to the counter. Once Sherry (she’s the boss of the group) broke the seal in one spot, we were able to tap it around the perimeter with the help of a hammer. I say “we” but my dad ended up doing most of this for some reason – although Sherry did the first edge of four. Not sure how I got out of it but… thanks Dad!
Eventually all of the glue was gone (this took about 45 minutes) and we were able to tilt and raise the granite up just enough to lift the sink out from under it (we kind of hinged the granite back like the top of a trunk or chest so we weren’t supporting all of the weight ourselves). The best part? The sink was unharmed… just a little dirty. So we get to save 200 beans and reuse it! Oh happy day. And you can see just how big our sink is in this shot with the wife around for scale. Note: Sherry wants me to clarify that’s not dandruff or debris on her shoulders, it’s gold beading that apparently reads more clearly in person. Gotta love a gal who rips apart her kitchen in fancy beaded clothing.
At this point I guess we could’ve left the granite in place, but we knew the installers either preferred no counters or all counters when doing their measurements (not half and half, since it could throw them off) – and we also wanted to use my dad. Wait, that sounds bad. But we could definitely use the extra strength, and he was standing right there in our kitchen, so…
With the sink safely set aside in the other room, we just lifted the granite up slightly on one end and this quickly showed up:
Never did I think I’d be so happy to see a crack in my granite. See, we knew that if it cracked in half around the sink (which is pretty hard to avoid anyway) we could lift each side of the slab separately. Which we definitely could handle because it was the same size as the granite piece that we removed when we added the stove a few weeks ago.
But we were less happy to find this beneath the crack – some sort of metal rod that must’ve been installed to keep the granite strong across the sink hole. Boo for unforeseen metal rod-like obstacles.
But after we slid half of the granite off onto the floor, the rod was bent enough that we could use a screwdriver to pry it loose and completely separate the now two halves of granite… which were each light enough to be carried out by just two of us.
Here’s sort of what the aftermath looked like before we got the other half out. Note the construction-grade beach towel that we used to protect the new stove. I’m kidding about the construction grade thing, just in case my sarcasm wasn’t clear. Don’t want you guys to waste too much time googling “construction grade beach towel.”
Now that all of the granite is removed and residing safely (and somewhat junk-ily) in the carport to be craigslisted, our kitchen is looking something like this. Yup, it’s safe to say we’re 100% sinkless.
According to the counter fabricator, we’ll be sinkless for about three weeks (maybe four, considering Thanksgiving is thrown in the mix). But I did reconnect the drain on the dishwasher so at least we can still use that (and therefore maintain a smidge of civilized living around here). I try to remember that while I rinse non-dishwasher-safe pots in the bathroom sink. But we definitely have it better than we did in our first kitchen (which was a full gut job – so we didn’t have a stove, fridge, microwave, and dishwasher to use at all for months).
Has anyone else foolishly believed they could lift an eight and a half foot hunk o’ granite with two other people? Have you ever seen rods around the sink while removing or installing granite? Have you kept/reused an existing sink? Did it take you a second to disconnect your garbage disposal like it’s supposed to? If so, consider me a jealous man.
Debbie says
it took a little italian (very little english) speaking man six hours to template for the granite in our AZ house. & since it was 1-1/2 plus inches thick it took many, many men to carry just the one piece for our island (which is roughly the size of a queen sized bed). we ended up w/ close to 150 sq feet of granite in that kitchen & there was only one seam (yea to the little italian man for his expert templating). we did marble for the kitchen in our chicago home & for that it took a crew of 13 men lugging & heaving it into place.
Kate says
You guys are making me so jealous! I’d love to do Corian (to replace the laminate we have) and replacing the kitchen floor would be great (especially the part by the doorwall that was somehow left burned and peeling by the previous owners), but I’m scared to pull the trigger and spend the money even if I’ve saved for that. Did you guys feel like that before your first kitchen demo (or this one)?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! We felt that the first time around. Then we learned how much we appreciated our new kitchen and loved having it so it helped us see the value in updating this kitchen with less fear- especially since we’re planning to save more money buy doing more ourselves this time around! There really is a lot to be said for saving your pennies and slowly upgrading your house- you everyday environment at home really can make you sooooo happy if you slowly show it some love!
xo,
s
Jess @ Little House. Big Heart. says
I’m demoing vicariously through you (which is awesome, by the way. No dust and all the fun), but I can’t wait to see how everything looks put back together. I’m really excited about the penny tiles!
Kaytie @ GardenKitchenHome says
Nice work, muscles (and by “muscles” I mean all three of you)!
A couple of years ago I decided to upgrade my faucet and found a FANTASTIC one-hole faucet at a ReStore. It was apparently from a show room (still in the display casing). I have no doubt you’ll find something amazing. Great job, guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I’d love to find something like that someday!
xo,
s
heather says
This made me think of you. My sister in law is redoing their kitchen now too, and she posted about the new sink they found at the “junque shop”. I’m pretty sure they paid near nothing for it too.
http://53masonstreet.blogspot.com/2011/11/im-proud-to-report-that-we-are-now.html
YoungHouseLove says
So cool! I love it!
xo,
s
Nessa@{CasaBraaflat} says
sherry you fancy girl with the sparkly top. guess you never know when someone is going to stop over for tea! haha.
Amanda K. says
Sherry, in addition to NOT having dandruff, I think you should point out that you’re NOT wearing black!
Did you know Micheal Kors wears a black t-shirt allll the time, too? He said he started doing it when he got successful and didn’t have time to put together fly outfits all the time. See, black is so chic!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! See, I’m accidentally chic when I’m not wearing teal gilded tops.
xo,
s
Sarah says
Wow – it’s so hard to tell how big that sink is in pics and I know you did a post about it in the past but, it really puts it into perspective when Sherry’s holding it.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! It’s a hugie!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
When we removed our old garbage disposal for a new one, it took my husband at least a half hour to get it off, so don’t feel bad. We just bought the same sink you have for our Kitchen Renovations. Just an F.Y.I to people, they don’t have to take your sink if you have a template (which comes with a new sink) that can be used for the cut-out instead.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, if you have a paper template which comes with new sinks they don’t need to take it! Being an older sink we needed to give it to them though (they didn’t have the template).
xo,
s
Wendy says
We were all about reusing everything we could when we did our “quick kitchen makeover” about eight years ago. This even included refinishing our ugly hunter green laminate counters with a stone textured spray paint. (Sounds crazy, but you really need to check out the pictures to believe it for yourself: http://www.oldtownhome.com/2011/11/3/Quick-Kitchen-Counter-Update—With-Textured-Spray-Paint/index.aspx) It was the best $50 we spent in order to create a better looking kitchen until we do the “real” renovation. Whenever that may be. :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Woah- what a difference!
xo,
s
raeann says
can i just say, i read that as skinless? we’re officially skinless! whoa! i need coffee!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahhahahahaha. Yikes!
xo,
s
Sara says
Me too! I was reading the comments to see if anyone else read it the same way LOL!
Alyson says
Well, who needs a sink? Now you can cut out all that pesky drinking, washing, cooking (etc.) that is merely a distraction from this project, and focus on renovation. ;)
Ginny P says
Yay for progress!
I did have one question for you guys – if you know your new counter won’t be ready for a month, why did you pull the old one out now? Could you have kept it in (with a sink) for a few more weeks?
YoungHouseLove says
They needed to take the sink with them when they came for templating (so in order to get new counters we needed to remove the sink – and we figure we can lay down a piece of wood for counter-space in the meantime, so we’d rather remove the granite so we can ready the rest of the room (demo out backsplash, etc) before the new counters come.
xo,
s
Rachel says
Love that $herdog wanted to explain the beading on her shirt. Hilarious! :)
Shannon @ Bungalow960 says
Sherry, your Jersey is showing. But I do like how you class it up with the beading while doing demo. I will have to remember that during our next project. My other thought was, so that’s what the top of a dishwasher looks like!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw yeah, klassy with a K.
xo,
s
Tanya from Dans le Townhouse says
Eegads, being sinkless must be less than fun. Dishes in the bathroom again? Lol. Cannot wait for this kitchen to be put together – am so excited for pics!
P.S. I wanted to let you both know today is my “blogiversary” and, inspired by you, I decided to host my first giveaway. Your giveaways are such an awesome way to thank blog friends.
http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/11/blogiversary-giveaway.html
YoungHouseLove says
Aw happy blogiversary Tanya!
xoxo,
s
Maureen @ This (Kinda) Old House says
So exciting to see things moving along! And, I love the red color under the paneling. LOL Blech!
YoungHouseLove says
Crazy, right!?
xo,
s
Alissa says
What is that red? Paint? Did your kitchen used to be red? As a red-lover I would probably love it, though it is far from Petersik-esque! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! It’s the paint from behind the tile and some parts of the paneling! It was once a dark wood paneled and cabinet-ed room with red walls! Crazy!
xo,
s
fd says
Wow, that looked like hard work. Well done. I can’t wait to see this delorian when she’s finished.
Katy says
Ohhh, so excited to see what happens next! Also, it’s amazing all the things you can do in a microwave which is great when your other appliances are out too! But I don’t think a microwave can replace a sink, oh well.
~Katy
Melanie @ MailboxJourney.Com says
Wow, that sink is a lot bigger than it looks when it’s placed in the countertop!
Donna says
When I first read the title of this post, I thought it said ‘We’re Now Officially Skinless’ instead of ‘Sinkless’. Glad to hear you’re still in your own skin. Thanks for the unintended giggle.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny how many people have been reading it that way!
xo
s
Kate says
I thought the same thing!
Kala M. says
You two are always mentioning how large and deep that sink is but I never could really tell in the pictures until I saw the one in this post of $herdog holding it. Really great for those large pots and pans. Can’t wait to see more progress.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s huge, right? I could practically take a bath in it! Haha.
xo,
s
Mary says
Being an old lady and not a DIY-er, I had my kitchen re-done last year and re-used the disposal. Not a good idea in the long run: it lasted only 1 more year. The plumber who replaced it said they can’t sit around and dry out; not good for the innards. In hindsight, I should have just replaced it at the time.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Mary! Since ours still works we’ll use it as long as it lasts and then just replace it- but it’s good to know that we might want to save some money and expect to replace it sooner if it dies on us!
xo,
s
Stephanie says
Wow! That’s a lot of work and mess. We are procrastinating with our kitchen redo, for numerous reasons, mostly money, mess, and inconvenience. I assume the matching granite windowsill is also on it’s way out? Keep up the good work and great design, and happy 30th.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yes – we’ll replace that with a white sill like the rest of the windows in our house!
xo,
s
Jessica @ The Desert Abode says
Making progress! Can’t wait to see how it all comes together. :)
Over the weekend, my husband removed our broken garbage disposal and installed a new one. It really wasn’t too difficult! (He plans to blog about it this week.)A few months before that, he also removed our old corroded kitchen faucet and installed a new one. Next week, he’s putting in a new over-the-range microwave. Plenty of honey do’s. :)
Becky O. says
So the question I have is with work order. After shuffling the cabinets, the wall was first to go but what about floors?
I always assumed that I would need to do my kitchen floors first (pull out old lino) before cabinets got replaced. Are you putting the cork over the existing floor and if so what about the floor height change from room to room?
Please excuse the question if you posted your kitchen reno/redo list already.
YoungHouseLove says
If you’re gutting all cabinets out it makes sense to redo the floors when the room is empty. But if you’re working with your existing cabinets and building a new peninsula you want everything to be on the same level (ie: floor around everything since you won’t rip out the existing cabs to go under them with it). So flooring is usually one of the last things done (so it doesn’t get all banged up during countertop installations, etc).
xo,
s
heather says
Haha. The first thing I thought when I saw the beading was “you can take the girl out of Jersey but…”
I, for one, am almost always happy to see granite go. It’s definitely not my thing (though I can appreciate that other people like it).
Oh, and I picked up some of those seeded glass shades from Lowes to use in my new office. Once I got home I seemed to remember something about you trying them and looked it up. You guys are right – the look of a CFL through it is harsh haha. I like it, but I might end up frosting them. Then again, it’s a dark room on it’s own so we’ll see how it turns out first! The brighter the better.
Reenie says
Hootie-Hoo!! Love Carla :)
Progress…..yea!!
Kathi says
I’m LOVING following along all of your adventures with the kitchen reno…
Question – we’re going to be painting our cabinets and getting new counters soon. Should we wait to have the cabinets painted until after new counters are installed? WE have laminate now but are planning on replacing with granite or quartz. I was worried about damaging the paint if we do that first,but wasn’t sure if it was a valid concern or not…
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I always opt to paint the cabinets after the install (since they can get scratched/dinged) but I’ve seen it done both ways!
xo,
s
Katherine says
I’m so jealous of your kitchen upgrades! Just thought I’d share something funny with you guys as you wash dishes in the bathroom. A few years ago I lived overseas in a very small flat. I had a living room, bedroom and bathroom. In the living room was an electric eye to cook on and a mini-fridge. So I had to wash my dishes and get all my water from the bathroom sink. So I started to refer to the bathroom as the “bitchen.” :) (Hopefully this isn’t too offensive for the readers!)
Skye @ Neathering Our Fest says
Almost completely unrelated to the post… Where did you get your work gloves? When I wear them I have to wear my husbands huge-contruction-worker-yellow ones and they are uncomfortable and not that functional. Those look like they fit better! :)
The thought of not having a sink for four weeks make me want to pull my hair out but we don’t have a dishwasher. At least you have that! :)
YoungHouseLove says
They’re by a company called Wells LaMont. Don’t remember where we got them (maybe Home Depot or Lowe’s) but they’re great!
xo,
s
Relevant Notes says
Wooo! Big changes – can’t wait to watch how everything goes!
Sue says
So sorry you heard that Corian sinks are hard to maintain. I love mine and have it it for about six years. The seamlessness makes it a breeze to clean and any stains quickly come out with Soft Scrub.
Can’t wait to see the on-going reno of your kitchem.
Your blog is my favorite and a great way to start the day!
Sue
YoungHouseLove says
So good to hear!
xo,
s
Erin says
You guys are kicking butt on this kitchen. When you talked about it at first, I really thought it would be a while before you started any of the kitchen projects- maybe because it’s taken me over 2 years to make ANY progress or make decisions in my own kitchen. But you guys are a lot more driven and fearless when it comes to remodeling and designing a new space. I totally need some of that. It is awesome to check in and see what project you’ve tackled- this kitchen seems to be coming along quickly! Great job!
Claire says
Ever considered making an outdoor kitchen with the leftover granite?
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that could be fun! Not sure if it’s something we could tackle within the next few years though so it might pay to sell it instead of having slabs in the carport forever. Haha.
xo,
s
Mollie says
That’s called Jersey dandruff Sherry!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha. Awesome.
xo,
s
Shirley says
Hi John and sherry, congrats on your progress! Man you guys move fast! I’m just wondering how you are dealing with the limited use of your kitchen. We have painters spray painting cabinets so our kitchen is limited at the moment and will be this way until next week. I’ve managed by preparing food before and just reheating, but for a longer project such as yours do you have any tips to share regarding this? Not sure if you posted on this already, I just found your blog last year and haven’t caught up with all the details of kitchen Reno número UNO. And do you have to clear things out constantly? I have to say that is amazing. It took us a full day to clear out the kitchen, and try to relocate and organize it neatly. So not fun.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re so lucky this time because we still have use of our fridge, stove, cabinets, dishwasher, microwave, etc. Basically everything but the sink. So we still do everything as normal (cutting things on that cutting board you see in the counter-less pic, etc) and it’s not so bad. But in our first kitchen we relied a lot on gross packaged food that we got super sick of (like pop-tarts for breakfast, microwaved soup for lunch, and take out or microwave meals for dinner- so gross).
xo,
s
D. says
Glad to see you guys making progress.
At least you’ll have a functioning kitchen for Christmas!
Can’t wait to see it all come together!
Lauren Nicole says
I bet John’s Dad is SO excited that he lives close by now.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, lucky him!
xo,
s
Sue says
Come on, John … we’ve read you long enough to get your sarcasm. None of us were going to google “construction-grade beach towel.”
Caitlin @ Hardly Housewives says
Glad to know I’m not the only one saying “hootie hoo” about … everything. And nice work with the sink! My mother in law had some extra granite from her (new) counters cut into a cutting board. She uses it for cheese and crackers and it looks so pretty!
Cherri T. says
We just finished our kitchen remodel and fortunately were only sinkless for about a week. I had to set up a dishwashing station in our basement utility sink. The guy who did our custom cabinets also installed the countertop and undermount sink all in the same day! Woohoo!
Traci E says
You guys are well on your way! I can’t believe how much of the kitchen you’ve gotten done already. Can’t wait to see the finished product.
katherine says
I remember one of my friends laughing about the weight of granite after her kitchen counters were replaced- the two burly delivery guys hauled the island slab in, cut out the sink hole on site, and then placed the slab, all while making pleasant conversation and checking out the birdfeeder outside. My friend and her mom got quite a shock when it was a struggle to move just the sink cutout down to the basement.
toni from says
I am really praying for you guys that you are not cooking the turkey this year. It wouldn’t be so bad if you had to bring a few things, but I cannot imagine cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner without a kitchen sink. Oh the horror-you might have to use paper plates. I very rarely use those as well.
Wishing you guys a quick kitchen remodel and a turkey-less kitchen.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re just doing a dessert thing, so we can handle it! Whew!
xo,
s
stephanie says
This is totally random, but I recognize your dad’s sweatshirt… I ran in that race too!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, too funny!
xo,
s
Teri says
Looks great!! I so want to replace my 2 basin sink for a 1 basin like yours. I am just worried about ruining my granite. I think I will leave mine to a professional, but you all inspire me!!!
Can’t wait to see the end result!
[email protected] says
so i take it you’re saving the cupboard painting for last so it doesn’t get all beaten up and scratched in the process eh? :) i totally did it backwards. took all the doors off. now we’re thinking of putting them back on because we realized, hey, there is NO POINT in even attempting to do anything else prior to painting without making huge scratches in our paint!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we’re nervous we’ll scratch them putting in new counters and shelves and backsplash!
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
OMG I never even noticed the granite ledge under the window! I have never experienced a kitchen reno myself (except when I was living with my parents in high school – we were left without a kitchen the whole summer), but I have waited on furniture. When my BF and I first moved into our first place we had nothing, and the couch we ordered took 6 weeks to deliver. Mind you, this place was only 550 sq/ft, so you can just imagine there was a lot of sitting on the floor with pillows infront of the TV before that couch arrived!
Leanne says
everytime i see this post i think it says “skinless” gross!
danielle says
oh so you are saying you aren’t hosting thanksgiving ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we’re doing a dessert thing but it’s no pressure, thank goodness!
xo,
s