We are adding some bold color to the kitchen area by painting the side and back of the kitchen bar.  It is the same red oxide we are putting on the exposed steel arches and a nice contrast to the neutral wood tone of the counters.

Next project this weekend was to attach the sink and stove counters and hook up the plumbing. We are grateful to our friends Paul & Prudy, who gave us a great stainless steel sink and faucet.

We now have hot and cold running water in the kitchen.  HOORAY!  Jeff and I are really pleased with how the kitchen layout is coming together. It’s a wonderful open plan. We will have so much more counter area than we have ever had with lots of space for multiple chefs.

We take pride in the fact that Jeff and I are building this amazing house pretty much by ourselves.  But there are just some cases where you have to bring in a Pro.  I told Shawn from Radar Plumbing that he would be great at playing our favorite iPhone App called Flow, the way he was able to connect all the PEX line and drain pipes was nothing short of a work of art.  Not to mention that he had the right tools for the job.We did save money by doing  some prep work like having all the shut-off valves in place. The odd green and black objects in this picture are called “Pull Stop Boxes”  they are a slick combined shut-off valve and mounting base for all the fixtures. (In this case, the hot & cold kitchen sink and dishwasher valves.)  What makes them so cool is that once installed and finished, you end up with something like this…

Behind our bathroom vanity.  To turn off the valve, you simply push the button on the cover.  This will be especially nice for the toilet water supply.  No ugly valve!

But the Best thing about this day,…

We now have Hot & Cold running water!!!!