'Reno'.

A few weeks ago, while bivouacked at the Coast hotel in Wenatchee, we entertained ourselves by watching some HGTV. Cable is quite the treat as at home we get two channels. HGTV is so puerile it's hardly worth the effort, but still beats most everything else that's on (except for that reality show shot in maximum security prisons -- now that's good television). Anyway, turns out a lot of the HGTV shows are filmed in Canada. Usually you don't realize it until the message at the end saying the filming was funded in part by the government there, but occasionally you'll pick up on a bit of wording that gives the Canadians away -- like 'reno'. I'd never heard this word before, but a couple was buying a home and the agent told them to figure a complete 'reno' of the kitchen into the budget -- a full renovation.

(Kitchen? What kitchen?)

Well, we had our own reno here in Missoula, though unfortunately we did not have government liaisons to help us out. A kitchen renovation is a big deal. We ought to have done one back in Waynesville but lied ourselves into believing that what was there had 'character'. We repeated the same line in Missoula, only now 'character' meant a gaping expanse between the 18-inch dishwasher and the nearest cabinet, and some drawers that would not close, and some drawers that would not open. Then the idea was we could do the minimum and be happy, then that I could do it myself, then that some magical assistant could help me do it, and then that we ought to just call the professionals.

(Finished -- about two weeks start to finish, not including the six weeks or logistics beforehand)

We kept costs down by reusing the fridge, stove, and faucet, and keeping the floor tiles (which I don't like, however). We stacked the existing washer/dryer in the utility room and added a large custom cabinet, then had all new custom cabinets placed in the kitchen and topped it with LG Hausys Hi-Macs counters. We got a 14-inch deep stainless sink and a very nice stainless Bosch dishwasher. We moved the stove across the room and added a stainless hood, too. We also saved some money by doing the painting ourselves. Outside, while the electrician was here, we added three outlets (there were none) and relocated the dryer exhaust vent. We also cajoled the telephone, satellite, and cable companies to remove a few decades' worth of utility boxes that had been hanging off the back of the house (and now we really won't ever be getting HGTV at home, I guess); that work really cleaned up the look of the back of the house.

As kitchens in Missoula go this was fairly affordable, though I'm not ready to say it was worth trading the chance to go on five Austrian ski trips to do it. Custom cabinets, it turns out, were no more expensive than cabinets from some place like Lowe's (plus we did not have to deal with the sheer idiocy of those big box stores), and they are a nice fit and finish. I'm much less impressed, so far, with the LG counter, which seems to scratch easily. Will have to update on that in the future.