Kitchen Remodel is Complete!

The kitchen remodel has drawn to a close and we survived. We re-opened on April 20, 2012 and guests are giving the new space 5 stars. After almost 4 months off we were rusty, but rapidly got back into the swing of things.

Working in a new space with everything but the sink, stove and fridge in a different part of the kitchen takes getting used to. What doesn’t take getting used to is the new light. When we first bought Tuck Inn, there was one long skinny window with an overgrown evergreen just outside obliterating all light. That’s it! In the remodel 20 years ago we replaced the skinny window by the kitchen table with a large three pane casement and added a new one over the sink. Now we have a new banquette with four windows, plus another 4 double hung window and then half the new door is window. In order to maximize the lighting, we opted for small valences above 4 of the new windows versus curtains or shades. We also added an upholstered cushion and decorative pillows in the banquette area for some warmth and added color. The light bathes the entire room, especially the center island marble countertop and marble backsplash around the sinks. When the light hits the marble it shows the depth of the stone and it sparkles. At night when the room is mostly dark, the nightlights make the island stone shimmer like stars.

The cabinets are perfect and the mix of cherry and off-white works great. We are happy with the cabinet styles, placement of drawers/cabinets and placement of appliances. A lot of thought went into the layout because there are often three people working in the kitchen at the same time, along with guests passing through. We all needed to keep out of each other’s way. Scott’s baking station with three corner windows gives him a bird’s eye view of our neighborhood and the admirers of his garden. The iris (pink, yellow, blue and purple) will soon be in bloom along with the 1,000 new bulbs Scott planted last fall. To see someone stop and get out the camera to capture a shot of the gardens is fun for the gardener.

Wendy works by the sink which has been moved slightly away from the baking station. She gets to enjoy the bigger and better view too. My jobs as fruit platter/rhubarb/applesauce maker for the past 20 years had happened on the center work table. Now I am supposed to be on the other side of the room using the new prep sink and counter area. Old habits take time to break and it took a while for me to get used to the new prep area, but it works quite well for me now.

With the help of a lighting designer we have the right type of lighting for each area of the kitchen. No more dark poorly lit kitchen work spaces. The new chandelier above the kitchen table catches the morning sun and leaves rainbows. The lit chandelier at night leaves circular shadows all around the room and especially the ceiling above it. It will remind you of a 60’s disco ball, but it works for this room.

Part of the project involved a new guest kitchen as well. Wait till you see the new countertop and backsplash – it is called Spectralight with a royal blue accent that catches the new energy efficient LED lighting below the cabinets. In the new space for guests you will find a microwave, toaster, dishwasher, electric kettle, fridge for leftovers from restaurant meals, along with plenty of ice in the freezer for drinks. There is a selection of teas, instant coffee and hot chocolate. You will also find countertops for picnic preparation (condiments in the fridge) wine glasses, champagne glasses and an assorted variety of drink glasses in various cabinets above the area.

The last area needing work was the herb garden below the new banquette. The carpenters trampled all the perennial herbs/rhubarb and with the early spring a new crop of herbs and a few vegetables were planted. We were ready for guests. We look forward to showing off and sharing our home with you. We hope you’ll come to visit to soothe your soul, feast on home-baked breads, relax by our pool or the ocean, stroll by the sea and meet new friends at The Tuck Inn B&B. We are ready as we move into our third decade of inn keeping, and we are looking forward to having you come visit and stay with us!

Week #11 of the Project at Tuck Inn

We are finishing up week #11 of the project at Tuck Inn. We feel like we have a new family in the carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tile experts and painters who have spent so much time with us this winter. They have all been great and the quality of their work is outstanding. They only wish the stove was hooked up so they could sample Scott's baked goods each morning. On that note, our big news this week is that the stove came back on Tuesday. (See pictures here) It looks like a brand new sparkling stove and should last another fifty years. Getting a 400 lb.+ appliance out the door (I overestimated the weight previously), onto a truck and back through newly plastered and painted hallways into its slot was no small task. It all went very smoothly on another one of those wondrous 50 degree March days we have been enjoying this winter. It seemed like a historical day here at the inn. We certainly won't foget it.

Also this week, the cabinets arrived on Monday and are now in place with trimwork and hardware going on. In the main kitchen the upper cabinets are cream colored maple and the lowers are stained cherry. A new island is cherry as well. The new Guest Kitchen has cherry uppers and lowers in a lighter shade of stain. Then appliances for both kitchens and the new laundry came in on Wednesday. In the Guest Kitchen we now have a full refrigerator and dishwasher, and there will be a microwave, electric kettle and space in the fridge for guests' snacks and leftovers.

The painters have finished, but will come back in a few weeks to touch up where needed. They found the painting to be a real challenge, as we have a new magnetic chalkboard in the kitchen for our photographs, math problems or maybe even love letters. Despite twenty years of painting, this is the first such project thier crew has tackled. To give you a preview of the colors Laura chose - the Guest Kitchen is Acorn Yellow and Devon Cream; Main Kitchen is Alexandria Beige, Marble White and Hazlenut Cream; Laundry is Whipple Blue and Navaho White, and Scott's office is Corinthian White. Then there are 3 colors of stains, 2 of which are a mixture of several stains - versus right out of the can. Laura is particularly expert at color choices and each room in this house reflects her talent. Unfortunately the people who paint our rooms (many times her father) don't always appreciate that talent. Sometimes each surface and wall seems to be a different color. One guest room for instance has 6 different colors. The finished product is always worth the "tension" in the house though.

Scott's office now is basically completed and needs furniture, which may be second-hand at this point. The laundry is just awaiting hardware on the closet doors. The Honeymoon Suite's new bath has a new tile floor with a gorgeous mosaic rug design, a tub surround is going in today and the roof window is getting its trimwork. The plasterers came last Saturday to finish the walls in the bathroom and the painters will be next in line. Cora (our 9 year old grandchild) wants to be the first guest to stay in that room - maybe we can accomodate her (afterall grandmothers are for spoiling). Lastly the Vermont tile floor throughout the kitchens downstairs (originally installed in the sixties) was cleaned, buffed and received three coats of wax last Saturday.

While the project isn't quite completed (particularly the countertops), at least the goal post is now in sight! Due to time constraints, we've decided to put the renovation of the guest check-in section on hold temporarily.

What do you think? Have we been busy? We will have our families over Easter and they will try everything out like Goldilocks did. It will be the first Easter we have ever been closed and it will give us an opportunity to thank our wonderful families for all they do for us.

With our next (and final renovation blog), we intend to welcome guests back on April 20th and are looking forward to the start of our 21st season (and to begin paying for all of the above).

To all of our guests over the years and to those yet to discover us - we thank you all for your friendship and patronage, and we plan to be here for another 20 years to come.

Happy Easter Everyone.
Liz & Scott

The Renovation Continues....Part 3

On Tuesday, the 21st of February, the project enters its 8th week. We are totally rehabbing 4 rooms, an upstairs bath and the work has crept into another bedroom and bath now as well. I am bolting all the doors to the other rooms so we can stop any further expansion and see an end to this project. >>> See more pictures here

Stepping into the kitchen, bared down to its studs brought us back 20 years to what the space looked like when we bought the derelict Tuck Inn. It had been foreclosed and vacant when we found it. We gave the kitchen new life then and it is getting another rebirth now. We feel like caretakers of this historic property and now it will be ready for the 21st century.

The 4 rooms downstairs are now plastered and they await the paint crew this week. More new windows will go in, including a roof window above the new tub in the Cathedral/Honeymoon Suite so you can gaze at the stars as you laze in the tub. We finally found someone to give the GARLAND stove a go-over. It will go to Nashua, N.H. on Tuesday for a complete rehab. Getting the 500-600 lb. stove out the door and up onto a truck will be a challenge. We feel the stove is the soul of Tuck Inn's kitchen. You can't imagine how many repair shops and workmen told us to chuck it and get a new one. Can you imagine replacing this 50+ year old work horse. We want it to be around for the next 50 years baking delicious breakfast goodies as well.

The carpentry should all be completed this week including the remaining doors in the laundry, new kitchen banquette, trim and finish work. As we await the cabinets and the new appliances which are due around the second week of March now, we hope to conentrate on the new check-out area in the guest kitchen. We have yet to decide the layout for this area. This is the space beside the wall map with all the pins noting homes of guests. In that space will be our phone, reservation book, computer, printer, answering machine and all the things that need to be secured nightly as new laws require us to protect guest information.

This past week Laura and Scott chose countertop and backsplash materials. It will be appropriate for a kitchen in Rockport, Massachusetts. We can't wait for all our returning guests to see what we have been creating all winter. Stay tuned for more on the continuing saga....

Renovation Project Continues at Tuck Inn

The project is now entering it's fourth week, and we are moving away from the wanton destruction with wanton abandon phase and into the (HOW MUCH?) reconstruction phase. Ka-Ching, Ka-Ching!

See more pictures here

Mike D'Annolfo and his erstwhile crew are making the most of this cooperative weather and are outside working on the last window today while buttoning up and siding all of the outside work as well (he thinks that is, as he doesn't know yet that we're replacing the back door too). The plumber and the electricians are all roughed in waiting for the end game (of course excepting the daily changes we seem to be making much to their exasperation although adding to their coffers as well). Within another few weeks Mike expects all the carpentry (excepting the trim) will be done and he can sheet-rock/plaster everything that needs it, (and believe me folks that is pretty much everything).

The project (with one major exception) all seems to be falling into place. We expect to finalize the cabinets this week with the counter tops following soon thereafter. And talk about sticker shock, on these we keep shaking our heads and asking each other: (HOW MUCH)?

The one sticking point that we've run into is our stove. This Garland stove was installed in the 50's by the Tucks, and like the energizer bunny - it just keeps on tickin! However, it does need some TLC, some welding and some parts replacement. If you haven't seen the stove, it is a commercial range and it is a monster, with 6 burners, 2 ovens, a griddle and a broiler and it has always been the focal point of out kitchen and we want to make it more so. From the numerous calls we made, we had only two responses and they both told us to junk the stove and buy a refurbished one second hand on the web - which we've adamantly refused to do. We did get one quote however and if ever we needed a wake up call, this was it - Ka-Ching Ka-Ching once again. But as Liz always tells me, it will all fall into place. Meanwhile, my nails are bitten down to the quick (both uppers and lowers) - but rest assured it will all be taken care of before the project is done.

If you didn't know it, our project has somehow become a bit bloated too and I'm praying it won't expand beyond its' current 4 rooms! OUCH!!

Beyond the costs though, with Laura's expertise, when you return for a visit or come for your first time, you're going to discover a kitchen that is not only highly functional (YUM!) but aesthecally beautiful and it is a designer's dream.This project is our daughter 's pride and joy (second only to her kids & our grandkids that is). Laura has such a sharp eye and has added so many decorative details that you'll be amazed. While you can get a feeling for the changes and some of the new features by looking at the attached photos, the only way you can really appreciate our remodel though is up close and personal. Towards that end, we will be having an open house to show it off - so keep your eyes peeled here for more info. Of course, if you can 't make the Open House you can always take this opportunity to book your reservation with us here now instead ...........

Thank you - Hope to see you soon,
Liz and Scott

New Year Brings New Kitchen Project at Tuck Inn

The New Year is upon us and we've taken on the ambitious project of re-doing our kitchen. Over the many years our kitchen has served us well, but after much consideration it was time for an update. We look forward to serving many more of our valued guests, friends and family once it is completed providing Scott and his daughter Laura (the designer of the whole project) can keep things moving!. As you will see in the pictures, we are in the initial stages of the project and will post more photo's as things progress. Happy New Year from all of us at The Tuck Inn Rockport MA.

See our pictures here!

Come View Tuck Inn's New Web-Site!!

Following months of development, we are thrilled to unveil our new web site today. Although we had done preliminary work on the site in 2010, we had an intense winter of editing while redesigning and proofing the entire site over the last few months. The new site is comprised of roughly 200 pages of useful information for visitors & vacationers alike to The Tuck Inn B&B, or to Rockport MA, or throughout Cape Ann.

Some of the new features include the use of a "flash" presentation on several of the main pages in the site. We have updated our Cape Ann Visitors Directory Pages to include approximately 1,000 visitor related listings along with links. We have vastly expanded our Guest Comments Page, including approximately 300 out of an estimated 6,000 of our guest reviews. Then we've completely changed and updated our Recipes Page, and offer all of our favorite recipes for you to try (about 75 of them), along with an expanded Staff and a new Innkeepers "Bio" page. These and more have all been included in the new site!

Then with urgings from John Richards (our new website mastermind), our children and others, we will be making regular additions to our Blog. We now have a Facebook Page as well and incorporated computerized availability and reservation forms within the site.

Lastly, the photography has all been re-vamped and re-sized to give Clark Linehan's extraordinary artistry it's just due - wait until you see the new pictures!

So please, do yourself a favor and jump right into the site to spend some time reviewing it - because you're going to love what you'll find here!!

Thank You,
Liz & Scott Wood (owner/innkeepers)
John Richards (web-designer)