We installed IKEA cabinets in all three of our beach house kitchens, which naturally led us to ask: why didn’t we use them in our Richmond kitchen? In this post we explain what made us hesitate back then, how IKEA might have changed the end result, and which cabinets we’d choose today if starting from scratch. We also share how a small outdoor project turned into a major plumbing problem at the duplex (yes, the water curse is still a thing) and why we ended up calling an electrician in the evening for good measure.

What’s New

• I texted Sherry when I discovered one of the water shutoff valves had been buried at the duplex. You can see the exposed valve in the foreground; the other valve should have been roughly four feet ahead of it, but after digging around I couldn’t find it.
• We always knew the hidden valve sat a bit deeper than the other one, but the photo below shows how deeply it ended up after the pathway was installed. The valve box was about four inches below the finished ground level, and plastic edging near the path made it hard to remove the cover.

• I didn’t take pictures while I was digging because I didn’t expect anything dramatic to happen—then the water line ruptured. The next image shows part of the aftermath: the valve box (the “margarine tub”) removed from the hole with the lid set off to the side.

• Here’s a close-up of the break. It’s small, but it released a surprising amount of water very quickly. The pipe wasn’t visible until the water drained, which left a sizable muddy mess.

• Everything is repaired now. When the plumber reconnected the line, he raised the valve box so it sits level with the ground and moved it farther from the path. That should prevent it from being buried again and make the cover easier to access.

• If you missed our previous water fiascos in Cape Charles, we’ve covered them in past posts and episodes, including a big scare when we were told adding a water line could cost thousands, frozen pipes that created a waterfall, a broken water meter while the house was gutted, and an undetected bathroom leak uncovered during demolition.

That’s Embarrassing

• We’re making steady progress in the beach house backyard and will share a full post with photos soon. For now, here’s a peek at the shed lights that caused so much trouble. We ended up using smaller fixtures on the shed sides and larger ones near the peak for proportion.

• We picked dusk-to-dawn fixtures with integrated sensors; the sensor is subtle and sits on the top-rear of the shade so you won’t notice it from the front in photos.

IKEA Kitchens

• We’ve written extensively about our Richmond kitchen renovation here on the blog. That coverage includes before-and-after photos, the full renovation process, how we devised a new layout, and five mistakes we made along the way. Those posts detail the reasons we chose a local cabinet maker for that project and exactly what we learned in the process.

• We have used IKEA cabinetry in several other spaces, and our experience evolved with each project. Here’s a quick summary in order of completion:
• Our Richmond laundry room was our first foray into IKEA cabinet doors. We used filler pieces to create a built-in look and to conceal under-cabinet lighting. This small project taught us a lot about fitting stock components to an existing room.
• Next, we installed built-ins in the Richmond bonus room using the same cabinet fronts. That project came together faster than the kitchen did and gave us confidence in using IKEA parts creatively.

• Our beach house kitchen in Cape Charles was the first full kitchen we completed with IKEA cabinetry. We planned and installed that kitchen ourselves, and the experience proved that stock cabinet systems can be both attractive and budget-friendly when carefully planned.

• Recently, over the winter, we installed IKEA kitchens in both duplex units in Cape Charles. We mixed different door styles and colors to suit each space, and through those projects we’ve refined our approach and gathered tips and tools that make DIY installation smoother.

• One customized feature worth mentioning is our “appliance garage.” It was assembled from stock doors and fillers to look like a single cabinet without a back. We use this space for breakfast foods and frequently used appliances—open while in use, closed to hide them the rest of the time.

We’re Digging

• For our unofficial Creepy Murder Book Club, I read two thrillers over spring break: “Watch Me Disappear” by Janelle Brown and “The Woman in Cabin 10” by Ruth Ware. Both are gripping, tightly plotted reads if you enjoy suspense.

• Sherry is deep into Sarah J. Maas’ series following her recommendation of the Court of Thorns and Roses books, and she’s been making her way through the Throne of Glass series starting with book one. If you like fantasy with strong characters and big arcs, these are entertaining reads.

If you’re trying to find something we discussed on a past episode, we keep a master list of everything we’ve been digging in our archive. We also maintain a Book Club page with all titles we’ve recommended.

Thanks to Annie Selke for sponsoring this episode. They recently collaborated with artist Laura Park on a new collection. We appreciate their support.

Thanks for reading!

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