Final Chapter...of the stove at least.

So, the stove chapter is finally closed. The installers put it in on Friday! Yeah! I was unsure of how the entirely stainless would look. I think I still miss the black top of the other, because it brought out the black in the countertops. But hey, this one is complete, it levels, it works. I am doubly glad now that I chose the brushed nickle hardware for the cabinets. It brings things together so nicely.

So of course, I had to cook this weekend. Yesterday, a frittata for breakfast, sorry no pics...I ate it too quickly! I made flan for dessert at dinner! Then tonight, roasted whole chicken with stuffing and that skinny little new asparagas. Yum.
See how nice and brown that chicken is? Convection babeee! and, I used the thermometer probe that is connected to the stove. The chicken was perfectly done. It knew when it reached 180 degrees inside the bird and turned the oven off! way too smart! Delish.

The burners on top are great. One super hot, one super low for simmering and melting chocolate, and one has two rings. One little one for small jobs, but when you turn it up, the outer ring ignites for more power. Feels like NASA was involved in the engineering.

I have yet to do something with the warming drawer other than turn it on, but give me time.

Well, I am happy the aggravation is finally over. There is much rejoicing!

Ok, new stove is here, but not installed. Friday, the installers say. sheesh.
"It is always something" as Rosanna Rosannadana used to say.

New Stove is all stainless, even the top! it has a warming drawer! billions of BTU's on one burner and a teeny tiny burner that will slowly melt chocolat on its "melt" setting. Bells and whistles.

I troubled over the lack of black on the top which is why I picked the countertops that I did. (really!) but I think I will live. And I think that the best thing will be to have the Saga of the Stove completed and entered into the annals of HISTORY, not present tense. (Tense is right! )

stove update

Don't hold your breath. The stove is supposed to arrive on March 17. A newer version, better quality model. I am in "believe it when I see it" mode.

Long promised pics

Here are my drawer pulls. I had a hard time deciding on them because there are just millions of choices out there, but in the end, I really like this style. It has a historic feel, and a sleek sophistication. Plus, I just had it in my imagination to get the cup style pull.

Above, you can see that I am starting to really use the kitchen. (i.e. it is getting messy) but you can also see the drill bits on the table and the hammer handle behind it...signifying that I am not done yet!

Also, you can see the WINDOW, cleansed of its curse. Exorcised as it were! I think Dad and I were ready to spin our heads like Linda Blair before we finished it, but as it took shape and the decorative molding was finished and in place we felt like dancing. Again, home improvement is a microcosm of life itself. As you crest the hill of a difficulty, the more difficult it was, the more joy you feel.

We had a beautiful December day to fix it...It was in the 60's if memory serves. Lucky we did it that day, because it did get colder later in the week.

Light the corner

Hey there! Installed the corner cabinet light. It was fun, and I sure got my exercise going up and down the attic ladder! Learning why the pro's have tool belts. Good idea! hahaha.

So, I am getting better at electricity. No fire, no explosion. Granted Steve added the line, all I did was wire up the light But I did have to cut the hole in the cabinet, ceiling. Of course, even with guessing and measuring, I hit a joist. grr. So, got out the new cordless drill (outstanding Christmas present!) and drilled the chunk out of the joist that I needed.

Ingenuity! I am proud to take that off my list.

Undercabinet lights and caulking are next on the list. But will likely wait until after the Mozart I am conducting at the end of the month. Mozart Requiem! It will be a joy I am sure.

time to sleep! gotta rehearse tomorrow.

Molding Complete-to do list remains

Hey!
Molding is up! Dad finished it a few days ago! gosh, it is amazing to have it done. Thanks to him I am done with the actual construction. Will have pics as soon as I find my cable from the dig camera. Maybe it is under the couch?

I also have my antique 1966 wall phone up. Thanks to Dr. G for the idea of having a real phone ringing in the house. So sick of that infernal electronic beeping. Bells are so much nicer.

Here is my to do list for the final final bits:

• small molding on top of baseboards need 4 pieces to cut.
• finish caulking above/below molding (there are some spaces caused by wavy wall/ceiling)
• last look at spackle
• finish spot painting walls, and ceiling
• final paint coat on outside of window
• install small light in corner cabinet
• install under cabinet lighting
• make a decision on the placement of the can light above sink (electrician placed it too close to the valance)
• install replacement cabinet door (it is warped...company is sending another)
• take a close look at the floor to remove any errant spots of paint, etc.
• CELEBRATE!!!!

I have thought a lot about this project. I sometimes get sad, yes, sad, at the end of a project because at the beginning there is dreaming to do, there are possibilities. I am happy happy happy to have this kitchen however. And now will be quite spoiled and picky about any future kitchens in my life. But I have in the end decided to consider this as only part of the project which is my house and yard. Sometime I will tell you all about the patio project. That was great fun...

Oh heck. Here is a pic. (if you look carefully, you can see the back of my washer/dryer....I loved putting in that patio. Flagstone is great fun and creative like putting together a puzzle. Love the result and it makes me invite friends over to entertain. It makes me go outdoors for breakfast in the spring and summer. It is a joy. And a joy knowing I did it. The yard was one of the reasons to do the kitchen so I could clear that blasted window so people can eat gazing out on it.

But back to the topic at hand...I will always treasure doing this kitchen. It was such a great learning experience, but even more than that, it was so great to have time with my Dad and my Mom in putting it together. That is the best part of this project.

Oldy Moldy

Happy New Year Everybody!

Crown molding is a major aggravation. I know why all the websites say it is hard to do. Well, because it is!

We solved a major problem last night. Stay with me, it all goes back to placing that first cabinet. The walls are twisted, and so is the ceiling. Nothing is square with old houses.

I remember that the kitchen designer kept trying to convince me that I wanted shorter cabinets so I could put nick knacks on the top. I insisted that I would rather have cabinets to the ceiling for two reasons: no dusting on top!( I am BAD at that) and more storage space (in a small kitchen, this is important, even if you cannot reach it without a stool, it is still storage, and in a 1950 home that is way important.

I think I was delirious. While I still hate dusting, and want the storage, and I love the line of having cabinets to the top. It looks longer, sleeker, and tighter. Fits the 1950's look of the kitchen. (like my cup pulls? They are officially done! more later) BUT! fitting crown molding to cabinets that are twisted onto twisted walls and a twisted ceiling and maintaining their compound angles is the definition of frustration. I know, if there were a Hell, Satan will put me in a wavy room with some cove crown molding and a mitre saw and say "go forth and install. "

So, we have all of the really wierd cuts done. Now just to fight with regular corners. But inside corners present particular problems.

Of course, I chose molding (cove molding which has a lovely sweep inward and makes life harder...I swear I did not know that! be forwarned O kitchen rehabbers!) from the cabinet company. Number one...there is NO NEED to do that. Get molding from your local lumberyard. Especially if you have painted/glazed cabinets. Any paint store can match the paint and it will look just fine. There is no need to have solid maple crown molding in this situation. If you want something unusual, go to a private lumberyard and save yourself lots of money. 20.00 per 8ft stick is sure better than 50! Learn from my errors...I am!

With inside corners, the conventional wisdom is to butt one end of the molding into the corner, and then cut the other side as you normally would in a 45 deg. backcut. Then you use a coping saw and wood file and cut away the back of the molding to reveal only the front profile. It looks mitred, but is stronger. Well, that just sounds peachy doesn't it? In a wavy settling house, gosh a strong corner sounds so attractive. Well, we have abandoned that time tested technique. We are going to mitre the corners and use painter's caulk. This cove molding is a nightmare to "cope".

So we are not coping at all. But, we mitre just finish the job today.

Ok, punning aside. The twist of the cabinets and ceiling has created the need to twist the molding to keep it looking level and to avoid it getting in the way of the cabinet doors. but once you get to the wall, that twist makes mitring a headache of monumental size. So, we have to correct this twist. So at the end of the cabinets, we are putting a decorative block to butt into and start the line over, untwisted. We thought through every scenario over and over, and this is the only possibility. We thought it was original (dad is a genius!) but we went to the big box store and found that there are tons of such molding appliances! so we bought some. Had to doctor it up, but I am pleased! I have matching paint, I don't think anyone will realize it is not the same stuff.

For fun, go into your kitchen, or someone elses and look up at the molding. I bet you will see things you did not notice before. I see stuff in kitchens now that I NEVER did. Maybe knowledge is power, or maybe ignorance is bliss!

Pictures to come.

**^*#$(#*$ STOVE

Ok,

now I am mad. the stove will not be here till Feb. 28. Can we say runaround? I don't have time for this.

Curse Lifted

The Curse of the Window has lifted. Master Carpenter and Master Glass Atisan (aka mom and dad) came for a visit. In fact, Dad is still here. More on that later. We did the appropriate exorcism and the window came out, went back in with brand new tracks (Blaine Window Hardware....Thank you!) fit beautifully, and thanks also to Capital Lumber we finally found a match to the outside molding. We went to every hardware used building supply and lumberyard in the town. Dad even looked into having some milled. It can be done, but wow, very expensive.

Everytime we found the right width, it was not the right pattern, right pattern, wrong width. In the end, we found the right width, right pattern, and wrong thickness. So, we shimmed the inside of the molding and put a lattice strip under the outside of the molding. With some creative caulking, it looks better than it ever did. I have it primed and ready for the final paint job. Got the outside caulked, insulated, glazed the loose panes and wood puttied for a clean look, also ready for a paint job. I think it will be warm enough to do the outside paint job today! But am waiting until I finish another molding job around the top of the baseboards to do the inside job.

My baseboards are a two part construction of a 1x6 topped with a decorative 1 inch molding similar to a shoe molding but prettier. I am finishing fitting that today since dad is here with the mitre saw. Only 4 pieces to place.

We were jubilant to have the window finished. High fives all around.

Things I have learned about reconstructing windows.

• The order of the moldings is essential.
• Getting new tracks really helps an old window
• The positioning of the new window in the space is very important.
• Don't give up when looking for matching molding. It just might be out there.
• We all need to support our private lumberyards and hardware stores. They carry stuff that is essential to us rehabbers that the big box stores cannot carry because it is not economically feasible for them.
• Like all jobs, the more often you do a task the easier. This pull out of the window was simple and easy. The first time is always the hardest. I think Dad and I are going into the business now (hahaha) Father/Daughter Handcrafted Windows