RED!

The newest thing is now the floor. Thursday, Barrera came to sand, stain, and seal it. So, I chose a color and went off to work, with kitties in tow. They spent the day at the office with me and I was so curious as to what my color choice was going to do to the project.





Well, here it is. At first, I thought Oh No! I really blew it with this color. Way too red. But, I am already liking it, the warmth of it is very inviting. It casts a nice glow in the room, and is just as nice in the morning as it is at night. Yesterday, coat #2. Then we let it dry all weekend and they finish it on Monday.

I am staying with a friend. The fumes are too much! But I am really anxious to move forward and finish. With every step, I am more encouraged. Oh, and the extra cabinets are in from Home Depot. Did I tell you all that I sent a couple back because I wanted different sizes? Well, as long as I am doing it, it might as well be done the way I want it. It is too big a project not to do all the way.

Till next time!

A few more random pics

Here are a few to view....
When I look at the last one, I realize how much work was done...that pic was taken before we started installation. Whew! It is just so exciting.

I am going to order the countertops in the next couple of days. It is such a huge decision as to how the whole thing will come off. I feel like I want to wait to see the floor color however, before I try to make the final decision on color. I am getting used to doing dishes in the bathroom sink. Luckily I have two...one is the "kitchen sink designee" the other is still used as a bathroom sink.

My little cats have been real troopers in the deal. They have even lost their fear of powertool sounds. I think they still fear the vaccuum cleaner, however. Some fears are just too deeply seated to go away! Nina seemed to prefer the ladder, while Jeffrey liked to hide in the upper cabinets. That behavior is going to stop soon. It is time to get the "training bottle" out and remind them of proper cat etiquette in a kitchen.

Again, my gratitude to all who have helped me. The wisdom and experience, and PATIENCE of my father, Larry's support and height and encouragement, Robert for his humor and cleverness and amazing gift of time and cognac, Jack R for coming to my rescue, Steve and Tom and Barrerra Hardwood for the contracting services they performed. I am not even done, but I am thrilled with what I see.

Alone

So, with a heavy heart, yet celebrating our accomplishments, I waved to my Dad as he drove back to Chicago. It was just so great to have him with me for the past 3 weeks. It is so hard to be away from family. Everytime I see any one of them I am reminded of how wonderful they are, and how much I am cheated by not being nearby. This was much more to me than a kitchen remodel, this much is certain.

We got so much done, I am left with very handle-able things. Ordering countertops, getting the floor sealed and finished (well, that is just a matter of getting out of the way!), finishing drywall underneath THE WINDOW, and the usual painting, attaching of drawer pulls. Mom and Dad are coming in October to help with the molding. I do not have a mitre saw nor any experience with it, and they are always welcome. As soon as I have the countertops, I will have my sink back, the dishwasher hooked up and I can function in that kitchen! I am really looking forward to that! Drywall this weekend is job #1.

The stove should finally be fixed on Wed. Nothing like getting a stove that does not work. That is another saga. But, for another day.

Tomorrow, the flooring folk come in to sand and put down a coat of stain and sealant! Get ready for some fun pics.

THE WINDOW

Let me tell you a little tale of woe about THE WINDOW. Not the cracked rear view window, or the secret window, this tale may be called "the old window's curse".

The window sat for years, waiting until its time to spring into action. As soon as Lisa and Jack took down the protective plywood wall, it awoke from its many decades of sleep to attack them, sapping their time and subtly adding frustration to their lives. It was insidious in its desire to thwart them.

Ok, so SOMEBODY before me decided to use plywood instead of wallboard. duh. Dad and I just could not let that stand, so we did the expected thing, and ripped the plywood off of the wall underneath the window. Underneath, DISASTER! old termite damage, and its corrolary, water damage was displayed for all to see.

We dutifully cut out the old wall studs, replacing them with new strong pine 2X4's and noticed that the window sill was waterlogged. We thought, ok, we can fix that. So we began to rip that out too. Well, of course, that is quite a job, so we think, heck! let's just hire this done. Ok, so after about 4 bids, we figure 700.00 is a kings ransom for a stupid window. The prefab ones at Home Depot/Lowes are not in this size and would have to be ordered. We renew our strength, and after all of the cabinets are placed, we tackle the window once again.

Funny, that window still had plans for us. We salvage the panes and the actual window parts, and set ourselves to creating a new sill and casement, with its several layers of molding. Great! Dad creates a beautiful sill (twice, because the 1X6 was actually smaller (oh yeah, they always dress the wood down, so 1X6 is actually around .75 X 5.5 or so...we forgot that point that we both know really well. ) so now we are creating the frame and get that thing so beautifully square, solving about 15 problems along the way. It is gorgeous! We get the thing in and boom, it fits just perfectly!

I am ecstatic! but over confident. I take the can of spray insulation (gosh, that stuff is cool and fun to use! you just spray it, and this great yellow foam comes out and fills in all of the holes....no stuffing itchy pink stuff into small spaces. Great invention. Did i mention it is fun?) and did I ever seal that window into the house....it is not budging. no airleaks. super!

We get to putting the inside molding back on and "hey, wait a minute...this thing is flush with the wall, and the other windows have a place for the molding to go...." oh no. We put one set of outside moldings on the inside of the frame when it should have gone on the outside. But of course, since I have now sealed the ding dong window into the house, there is a significant problem getting the ding dong thing out and fixing it. grrr.

So, I am calling lowes/or home depot and getting a new window ordered. The Curse of the old Window has bested us. Dad and I acquiesce and bow our heads to its power. Besides, the new prefab one will be a double pane argon filled window. oh well. Even us "master carpenters" are bested on occasion.

Slow but steady wins the race. We have set and reset cabinets, to be sure they are level 3 dimensionally, and that eliminates that exponential gapping that happens if you start with wedge shaped angles.

This job has been great for my math, for my geometry, for my engineering side of my brain. It has stimulated so much thought in me.

Dad and I have been working like 2 huskies at the Ididerod! My super helpful and very funny cousin Robert drove down from Baltimore to help. What a swell guy he is to come and help out a cousin! Larry brings us food occasionally, and we have had a wonderful time talking, laughing and joking, especially when our morale is low when we have to rip out another cabinet and re-hang it due to twisting or ill alignment.

Tonight we cut the new vent hole, had to move a vent...way too long a story.
Tomorrow we put it in and work on the side wall of base cabinets. There are only 4 left to place. Then it is time for molding and toekicks, more drywall and satisfying a window that had rotten casements

Better get off to bed so that I can get at it tomorrow. tomorrow we should have a little fun, and go to see the Ava Gardner Museum. Fun!

Dad is a master at figuring this stuff out...I have learned so much already!

Lots of change

Oh my. Lots of things to report.
I am thinking that Home Improvement is an allegory for everything else in life. There is expectation, planning, imagining, then action. As you implement the plan there are always little surprises, some big surprises, some good, some BAD. These surprises, especially the bad ones make you realistic about your dreams, your imagining. It is a reality check, and jerks you into problem solving mode. This is where philosophy comes into play. You have to decide where you can compromise, and where you cannot. The Zen of Home Improvement is about ethics versus budget. Then, when things start to really happen you see your work and your plan in a different way. The sense of accomplishment grows, and you start to examine and rejoice in your handywork. You remember the plan and the hours of imagination and pitt that up against your real work.

The floor is in! On Saturday the flooring was installed, I was beyond relieved! and impressed. The pic does not do justice. It is beautiful. Even and beyond solid. The room feels so strong now with that floor. There are 2" staples going through the wood to the subfloor and even into the joists to anchor it to the structure of the house. When it is finished, I think it will be just perfect.

Then came the "surprises". As it turns out, the wall underneath the window (the one where the table will sit) was done with plywood! Plywood! Great. Dad and I just could not let that stand. So we ripped it out, having to move the window sill (technically the sill snub) to get at it and found "surprise again" more doggone termite damage. Old damage, but the wood just crumbled in our hands. So, we could not let that stand, (or fall, as it were). So, we replaced 2 studs and 2 cross studs under the window. The actual sill of the window was water damaged to the point that I am now going to purchase a new window. It is not something I want to do myself. It will take me hours, (like 5-6) to fix it ourselves...so contractors have been contacted for bids.

Skip to Wed. Appliances arrived! W/D, Microhood, and dishwasher. No stacking kit, somehow it did not get ordered...so tonight, another trip to Lowes. Another surprise...

Final surprise of the day...the crown molding was not with my order! The kitchen designer did not end up putting it in the order, so it never arrived. ARG! As you might imagine, you have to know the molding to decide how far away from the ceiling to hang the cabinets. So, off to the store again. Got it figured though, I will order the molding in the morning. Dad made a template of the molding, and we think it will work.

Here is a fun surprise...a whisp of old wallpaper. Isn't that fun? I love to try to imagine what past iterations of the room may Then after lunch, we hung 3 cabinets. The first one was the doozie! It had to be right, or all of the others will be out of whack. It is pretty exciting to have 3 of them up. It is the place where you imagination comes to reality.

Nina seems to approve of our efforts! She has offered to help with the installation, but without opposable thumbs...and all of that fur, the screwdriver just keeps falling out of her paws. She has decided to be the foreperson instead.

We are on our way!