Can you tell what is different? (hint- look at the title of this post)
I got a new dishwasher, microwave and faucet!
During boxing day sales my brother mentioned that the dishwasher he owns (a Bosch SHE3ARF5UC) and loves was on sale for $498 at Lowes, which was more than 50% off the regular price. So my mom and I went by Lowes and I bought the dishwasher! I am so indecisive about stuff like that so knowing someone with this exact dishwasher who had no complaints kind of sealed the deal for me. While I was at Lowes, I also saw an LG microwave on sale for $100 off and it had decent reviews so I decided to add it on as well. I figured if I need to pay for shipping, might as well load on the ol' order.
The dishwasher was on backorder so both appliances didn't come until Jan 11th, and then the following week my stepdad Lee and my mom came over to help with the installation. The dishwasher was pretty straightforward, though it took awhile to get everything hooked up. But it runs SO quietly! It is so nice to have a quiet dishwasher when your living space is all open concept.
The microwave was horrible to install and Lee ended up having to come back another day for it. You have to install a back plate into the wall and it attaches to that and to two holes through the cabinet above. Of course condos have concrete walls and even with my hammer drill it was no fun getting that plate hung. And then one of our two holes in the top ended up just ever-so-slightly off (they give you a paper template but it is tricksy to get it perfectly lined up). So we had to widen the hole, but then of course now the hole was too big for the bolt! However, we ended up finding a metal brace of some sort in my pile of repair stuff and we used that to brace the bolt. A metal washer would have worked perfectly, but alas I had no washers! But that is just an FYI tip if you ever drill too big of a hole...metal washers.
Anyway the microwave is in and working great!
Lastly, we installed my new Delta Trinsic faucet! Which I got for FREE. As you may recall, last fall at the BlogPodium Conference I won a kitchen or bathroom faucet of my choice from Delta. At the time I was gearing up to sell my old condo, but it already had a great faucet so I didn't see a need to replace it. Therefore I waited until I got my new place to pick one out!
I really wanted an arcing, pull down one and was all set to order one from Delta, when it dawned on me that my cabinets sit really low. I quickly grabbed my tape measure and found out that I did NOT have the clearance for that type of faucet! That would have been really sad if I had ordered one. However I talked to their rep about what I wanted and she recommended the Trinsic pull-out faucet, which was perfect! I really need the ability to move and have a built-in sprayer because I wash my wig in the sink :). It is also really handy for filling pots on the counter.
The installation was really simple. Only issue we ran into was that when we removed the plate at the bottom we discovered my sink actually had three drilled holes, and this faucet is designed for one and I hadn't thought to ask for a plate for it. So we reused my old plate, which isn't a 100% fit, but no one will ever notice (except I just told you...).
Anyway, I am loving the new faucet! It is really powerful and looks great.
Now I just can't wait to shop for a new oven and fridge! The original dishwasher and microwave weren't in great working condition and are relatively cheaper appliances, so I had no hesitations buying new ones, but the oven and fridge work fine so I am taking my time to figure out exactly what I want and then pouncing on sales. I have read that fridges go on massive sale in May so fingers crossed!
As for the white vs stainless debate, I had seen comparable units with my kitchen colours and I really preferred the look of stainless with the cabinets and countertops. Plus I am making these decisions with resale in mind, and I know people just love their stainless. I do need to get some of those cloths designed for fingerprints once I have more stainless to keep clean! Oh, and I REALLY need to buy some new handles because the fingerprints in these photos is driving me batty!
Fabulous! I love the faucet!
ReplyDeleteThose are such great buys, and really wise use of money. Those stuff are always a wise investment, especially if they are made to work real well for a good long time. Most especially the ones that deal with the plumbing such as the faucets and drains, which are often tricky. Thanks for sharing that! All the best!
ReplyDeleteMartha Ward @ Son-Rise Plumbing
Those new appliances are quite neat! It’s a good thing that you took the measurements for the sink first before ordering the faucet that you wanted, and surprisingly the faucet that you installed is very cool and fits perfectly with how your kitchen looks. Also, that kind of faucet is very powerful; it can be used well in cleaning fruits and vegetables. Congratulations on your new appliances, and thank you for sharing some pictures!
ReplyDeleteEvon Brow @ Athens Plumbing
Your kitchen looks great now with its new appliances which are very shinny. I hope you enjoy using them. I am also starting to make some home improvements and am starting with the kitchen. It's great that you got a lot of things from the boxing day sales, I like to look in charity shops for items for my house.
ReplyDeleteLisa @ Westing House Small Appliances
Hi! Your new kitchen looks nice. My fiancée loves your new faucet. I would think microwaves would be hard to install. I never had one installed before. I hope you can get new oven and fridge at a good price. My fiancée had been wanting to get a new faucet and fridge for a while now. Have a nice day!
ReplyDeleteBradford Mckenzie @ Heber Appliance