“What happened? Is it done?!” I’ve heard the question countless times in the past couple of months, and I kept promising–first an update on the project, then a wrap-up. But the winter was suddenly over, and we had our hands full with new listings and new buyers, spring break, holidays, prom, high school graduation prep…

We made it to about Day 60 of The Kitchen Timer with a few more wrinkles before things came to a halt. Completion of the project has been stuck at 99%, however, with one crucial piece of a cabinet left to install. I’m not complaining: We do have a kitchen now.

Today I learned from a friend that our contractor–whom we really liked–had gone out of business.  It’s a shame, but frankly, I’m also glad he didn’t drop the ball at, say,  50%.

We love our kitchen. It’s beautiful, solid and incredibly functional. There are many clever details that I adore every day. (For what it’s worth, Marcie thinks the pictures here don’t nearly do it justice.) And as so many of my friends predicted, all the little nightmares along the way–from the Counter Intelligence Disaster to the Cut Corners Discovery and the Week Of Clogged Pipes (don’t ask)–are completely forgotten. Well, almost forgotten.

Even the “bad” parts of the experience turned out to be a good thing: I can relate to those living through the process, and I’ve learned a lot. The next time a client muses about what it would “take” to improve that kitchen/bath/[fill in the blank], I have more wisdom to share.

So, it’s a win/win on all fronts. Although I’m not entirely sure about Kelly, the contractor. I seriously hope he’ll get to see the result.

(For a slideshow with pictures from beginning to end, click here.)