Rolling Along

The upstairs landing painting is finished and it is exquisite!! I'll post photos next week when we get back from Marina's GRADUATION from Prescott College (while celebrating Ethan's 21ST BIRTHDAY).

Today's news was multitudinous and exciting: Countertops will be installed Friday, then early next week will be the ductwork and prep for installing the furnace. The heater closet will get finished, as well as the gas and electric.

Then (trying not to count our chickens), if all goes well we might have the drywall and patching done by the end of the week, as well as finishing the electric in the kitchen, which would have everything ready for the last round of painting around the 12th. Flooring could start before the end of that week.

If and if and if ... it all could be done before Strawberry on the 22nd.

We're Doing Our Part for America

The Wells Fargo Wagon comes down our street on a daily basis lately.

Under the Rug

I was always curious about what we would find when the carpets were pulled up.

Ethan's floor, original 1920's I believe, with a nice big plywood patch from a more recent era:

Marina's room, a more recent add-on was modern plywood:

Heater Closet Day 3

Not much new on the closet, but the platform went in, and stuff progresses. I'm a little worried about what the door on the family room side will look like. Cam asked if we wanted it to match the doors, and we asked, which one? We counted about 6 different door styles in that area! We asked to have it be simple and unobtrusive.

Heater Closet Goes Up - 2nd Day

Just a couple 2 by 4s and we have an actual closet. Of course it's 80 degrees out, and suddenly the idea of forced air heat doesn't feel like the driving force it was last January when this whole thing started.

As a person of very limited hands-on skills, I am quite amazed at every little piece of building that happens around here. I remember talking to a neighbor who had bought an old camper that had a crushed in back corner. He was complete re-creating the back end of the camper with sheet metal and I don't know whatall. When I expressed my amazement he said, "It's just made stuff. So I can make it too," and had no inkling that this was a bit of magic from my perspective.

I've always wanted to learn how to frame something. But I hate using tools.

View from inside Ethan's room:

View from the family room:

Heat Wave

We cheerfully said goodbye to our awful gas wall heater in the family room, and now the closet in Ethan's room has been divided into two. One will be a smaller closet and the other a small heater closet. Here are the closet demo photos.

The walls came down:

Looking up into the attic:

This used to be an outside wall (before Marina's room was built on) and we discovered the window frame that was there once:

Here's the hole that was left by removing the heater:

Rich, our carpenter, called it "air conditioning for white trash..."

I'm In Love

Yes, the cabinets are as pretty as my fantasy. I just love that warm honey color.

We decided not to go with cabinets up to the ceiling because 1) the kitchen is small, and I think that would make it feel smaller, and 2) that slanted ceiling and beam made it difficult, if not impossible. What you're seeing above is the space for the range with microwave above. The cabinet pulls shipped today, so we'll be seeing those installed soon perhaps.

I am excited about having a pantry with doors. The space above it will be for cookie sheets and trays and such. Not sure what can go above the fridge. It's small, but it should be pretty accessible because the refrigerator will be set back, allowing easier access.

Don't the sage walls look good with the cabinets?

I had a request for another post from my fan, so here you are Beth - thanks for your faithful reading! It's going to slow down I think in the next few weeks as the more boring things get done - carpet & heater removal, new heater closet framing, baseboard installation. But I'll record every minute, don't you worry!

Out of the Wild

Day 4 cabinet installation and almost done. The uppers are up, the refrigerator/pantry unit is up and even though I just watched Into the Wild which made me wonder if we shouldn't give all our money to Oxfam and run out to the Alaskan wilds, it is thrilling in very different and un-wild way. Perhaps we are going Into the Mild....

However, I really am thrilled, and today the countertop guys will come to template.

You can see the outlet holes above both sides of the cabinets where speakers will go - that was Alan's creative bit!

Above wire: I just love how EXACT everyone was: either the electrician put the hole for the undercabinet lighting exactly where the cabinet bottom would be, or the cabinet guys got the cabinet exactly over the hole, or our contractor's measurements made sure they both did it right.

Over The Top

Day 3 of cabinetry gave us all the lower cabinets installed with adjustments made for the kitchen being 106" at the window end and 108" at the pass through end, as well as adjustments for the floor dropping a couple inches from one side to another.

They also installed the sub-top so that countertops can be templated on Wednesday, including the bar - which now gives more form to the space, and I am starting to get the idea of what it will look like.

I commented on how great it looked and they pointed out how they go way over what's necessary to make sure everything is well secured and screwed down. Cam said he could even stand on the counter - he is a big man and I hope he won't have to, but I did feel well assured. Especially after reading (on Gardenweb again) others' experiences with their contractors and shoddy work. One person's contractor disappeared for a bit and she called him daily to no avail. Turned out he was in JAIL!

Today the upper cabinets get installed. Here are photos from yesterday's work with sub-top and everything screwed down.

Yep, it's level.

Cabinet Installation Day 2

The guys are moving fast - everything is level, they've added what's needed for the countertop sub-top, and I can almost smell dinner cooking (now that the paint smell is fading!)...

Hold On I Have to Rethink Everything

Someone on Gardenweb just posted a photo of Diane Keaton's kitchen.

Cabinet Install Begins!

Cam and Richard began cabinet installation yesterday and I found them mulling over the problem of the room being not quite square. "Not a problem," said Cam, as usual. So glad they see the challenge and are working out ways to solve, rather than ignore, it. They also used a glue gun to add extra reinforcement to all the side and back panels (adding to what the factory already did).

They said they'll be done Tuesday, which gets us almost back on the original schedule (delayed because of various small repair jobs and slow drying drywall/mud during our foggy stretch). Dare I hope it will be done in early May??

Merrilat - Classic - Maple - Portrait

2 corner lazy susans above on either side of the window/sink

The range will go in the middle

Very wide deep drawers on the peninula/bar!

Richard spent much of the day with a chisel and hammer removing the decades-old tile (2 different versions) that had been glued to the subfloor. Nasty work.

How Green is My House!

Green in color, not in the sense of remodeling in a green low-impact-on-the-earth way; we've been feeling head achy from all the nasty paint fumes that made me wish we'd splurged on low VOC paints. So, I am thrilled that we are leaving the paint phase behind and entering cabinet phase!

The rooms feel so beautiful with all the nice color. Today John is packing up his paint stuff and Cam and Richard are unpacking the cabinets. This is week 4 and I love seeing the daily progress.

Here is Ethan's room, Saybrook Sage walls and Morning Dew trim:

The kitchen is Saybrook Sage walls with Greenmount Silk trim and ceiling (and the family room will be Silk walls and Sage trim). The silk looks greenish or yellowish, depending on what direction you look, and the level of light in the room.

The wall above shows Alan's wiring for stereo speakers and volume controls!

The pony wall above and the wall behind it show the Silk color which will extend into the family room.

Refrigerator inset so it will be counter depth

This Little Light of Mine redux

Our lights are here! Here are photos, though they won't get installed until almost the end.
Ethan's bedroom: Marina's bedroom sconces (one on either side of the door, and we'll also get a couple standing lamps later): Family/Dining area:
Porch light (one on each side of the door):

The Popular Vote is Tied Up

So it looks like it is up to the super-delegates!* The votes were statistically even, which tells me my friends and family are truly a diverse bunch. But thanks for voting! [Cousin Larry, a big-picture kind of guy, says he couldn't vote without knowing the color of the master bedroom bedspread, but we know that's just a cop out....]

Karen R pointed out that a pull that extends past the installation screws is hell on clothes, tearing and pulling when you brush up too close (which is why I was going for pulls rather than knobs). Therefore, I am taking #2, the Horton Brass (which has been my favorite all along except for the price), out of the running and including a new choice that I just discovered. When you're buying 33 pulls, it makes more sense to spend less, especially since no one will ever really notice them!

I won't take a poll, but feel free to make comments on any of the choices at the bottom. Click on the pic to see it larger, or go to the link below.

Builder Resources cabinetknob 7401 DACM Dark Antique Copper Machined. Click to see online.

*(Thanks Leonard.)

A Poll on Pulls

There's a poll on the right so you can vote on your favorite cabinet pull. The last decisions are always the hardest it seems. I'm wanting something elegant yet simple, and smooth to the touch. The same pulls will be on both drawers and cabinets

Here are the photos in order of the poll list. I won't tell you which way I'm leaning. The prices vary quite a bit, and we need 33 of them. But, in the larger picture, it's not a big percentage of the cost of the remodel. Builder Resources 155-96DBAC Dark Brushed Antique Copper click to see online $3.94 each

Horton-Brasses AD-4010 dark antique (top middle) click to see online $8.30 each
Top Knobs M-973 Edwardian Collection ORB Oil Rubbed Bronze click to see online $5.25 each

Once again, here are the countertop and cabinet samples, though it's hard to see the real color on the screen.

The New Arrival!

Yes! After waiting for it all day, the UPS guy finally came tonight with the SINK and the faucet. I can't believe I'm so excited about a sink, but I am. It's GORgeous!! We put the little 4" countertop piece next to it and looks great! The photo just doesn't do it justice, as it has a little granit-y kind of sparkle to it, but here is a photo:

Blanco 511-642 Silgranite, 1-1/2 bowls, anthracite (black)
it will be undermounted

And the faucet:Grohe Alira 32999 SD0 stainless
pullout spray

Also today's other blessed events:
The bedrooms are almost done being painted (the Saybrook Sage looks fantastic in Ethan's room, with Morning Dew trim-both Benjamin Moore).
The walls in the kitchen were textured today, so the kitchen painting can start on Monday or Tuesday.

I just love all this forward motion!