You know how some home projects start out simple, but then the universe has other plans? Yeah, well that happened to me right here in Antioch, California, and I’ll be honest - I did NOT see it coming!
So my family and I showed up at my sister’s house, ready to tackle a simple kitchen cabinet painting job. Easy, right?
We were just in the process of taking off the hardware and clearing out cabinets when we came across…BLACK. MOLD. Yep. A homeowner’s worst nightmare.
It was tucked behind the cleaning products under the sink, so goodness knows how long it’s been there. Not to mention my sister is pregnant, my brother-in-law’s asthma has been flaring up (starting to make sense now…) AND they have two young kids. Not exactly the environment you want people to be breathing in mold!
Naturally, we had to call in the pros to remove it (don’t try this at home, folks), and they told us we’d end up losing all the countertops on that side of the kitchen, all the lower cabinets, plus a lot of the drywall on the back wall. So basically, this would be a full kitchen renovation. Not exactly a weekend project, huh?
To really nail it in, this is what we came back to the next day…
Half of the kitchen was gone.
Here’s where things get a little extra complicated: my sister is expecting baby number 3 in less than a month. So, a full kitchen renovation was definitely not on our bingo card, but at this point, there’s no turning back. She needs her kitchen - asap!
The Power of Family (and a Whole Lot of Work)
So, we did what family does best and rallied! We demoed the rest of the kitchen (a first for me) in just about a day. I really wanted to repurpose some of the old cabinets, so we did our best to save them, but unfortunately, they were super old, overly painted particle board and in such poor condition that everything had to go. I highly recommend repurposing if you can though as it can keep project costs way down!
And then came the junk pile. It was massive. I’m talking, really massive. This was when I knew exactly who to call for junk removal in Antioch, CA, knowing they handle all sorts of renovation debris. You can even check their list of what they take online!
Enter: 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Our go-to for kitchen reno debris in the East Bay
When I was renovating our Texas house, I used 1-800-GOT-JUNK? several times to help clear out the clutter, so I knew they’d be my go-to for this job too. I hopped onto their website, booked a pickup, and bam - the 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Walnut Creek metro franchise team they were at my sister’s house the very next day. Talk about a lifesaver for a home renovation project!
They price based on volume, and the best part? They donate and recycle everything they can. As someone who’s all about repurposing and sustainability, this is exactly the kind of company I want to support.
The team is always so friendly and efficient, and I didn’t even have to do anything! I just pointed at the pile of junk, and within 13 minutes, everything was gone. Yep. You read that right. Thirteen minutes. They even swept up afterwards themselves! It was truly the easiest part of our entire kitchen renovation in Antioch.
Getting Down to the Renovation
With the junk gone and a clean slate to work with, it was time to dive into the renovations. We did a lot of drywalling, taping, mudding, more mudding, and even some framing (we took down the awkward breakfast bar to have a level countertop). Once that was done, we textured the walls with texture sponges and finally got to priming and painting.
There’s a lot to do in just a few weeks, especially with a baby on the way, and the summer heat making construction work more challenging, but we’re determined to get it done. I’ve never built a kitchen before, so this is going to be an adventure!
