Installing Quartz Countertops for Orchard House Kitchen

Let’s get going with some kitchen updates! Yippee!! Last week I talked about our plans for the space, most of which we knew we wanted to do even before we moved in. The first thing that had to happen to move forward, then, was installing new countertops.

A huge thanks to Caesarstone for providing product for this post! My favorable opinion of gorgeous, high quality countertops is 100% my own. 🙂 For more information, see my disclosures here.

Here’s what our countertops looked like on the day that we moved into the house:

They were laminate. Actually, I think our builder called them “3D laminate” maybe? As I explained in our “kitchen plans” post, because we went with a community builder (we built a Palermo model with Ryan Homes) instead of a custom home, some of our options were limited.

Since we had quartz in our last house and loved it (Caesarstone Organic White), I was pretty committed to doing quartz in the new house as well.

our renovated kitchen in the townhouse

Caesarstone Organic White countertops

Sadly, our builder didn’t offer any quartz options at all, and with a community builder, we couldn’t just say “leave it out” and install our own later. We had to pick one of their choices and then replace it after we closed on the house. Kind of silly, but it was the only option we had!

So when we made our picks for the house, we just had them put in the basic counters that came with the house package, knowing that we would be replacing them soon after we moved in. (And hopefully getting the old ones to someone who could get some good use out of them!)

After looking at many, many quartz options, I ultimately came back to Caesarstone’s London Grey, which was actually one of the options I found when we were looking for quartz for the townhouse.

Caesarstone’s London Grey

Pretty, right?! I couldn’t wait to get it into our kitchen!

Because the holidays aren’t crazy enough on their own, we decided to throw a counter install into the midst of it (which is why you may be able to spot our Christmas decorations in some of the photos)! 😉

When we had the countertops installed at the townhouse it was a pretty cut and dry process, so I thought this one would be fairly easy as well. And it was… until the power went out. Apparently there was a planned power outage scheduled for the exact time we were having the counters put in, except no one from the electric company told us about it! Yikes!

The installers from Ultimate Granite were SUCH troopers! (If you’re in Pittsburgh, PA, I highly recommend them!) We were able to get a generator so they could use the tools they needed, and thankfully it was a sunny day so they could see without the lights. (And it didn’t get too cold in the house with no heat– eek!) They never missed a beat, and we ended up with the gorgeous quartz countertops we were hoping for!

With so much light coming in from the sunroom, it is hard to see the details of the design in the quartz in these photos that are further away, but it is much more evident from closer up.

I love that they have a marble-like look, but without the tedious upkeep. One of the reasons we keep going back to quartz is that it’s so easy to maintain. We never have to worry about sealing them, and I don’t feel like I constantly have to be watching over the boys when they’re in the kitchen– I know any spills will wipe right up!

Here’s an overhead shot of the new sink area (which I’ll be talking more about soon!). You can see how the gray really pops off the white, which I love!

I am so excited that the kitchen updates are underway and could not be more thrilled with the progress so far! It feels great to be able to start checking off of our to-do list:

• Replace the countertops
• Replace the faucet
• Replace the sink
• Add more substantial trim to the island
• Replace the island corbels
• Add pendant lights
• Install a backsplash
• Paint the walls
• Accessorize!

I’m excited to see all of the other pieces fall into place, and I’m sure I’ll be back with more updates soon! You can follow along with our kitchen progress in the posts below:

Kitchen Plans for Orchard House

Installing New Countertops for Orchard House Kitchen (You’re here!)

Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

A huge thanks to Caesarstone for providing product for this post! My favorable opinion of gorgeous, high quality countertops is 100% my own. 🙂 For more information, see my disclosures here.