Photo #1 - that gigantic fluorescent light should not be the focal point of the kitchen!!!
Photo #2 - new kitchen layout
Photo #2A - here is my staging area for the cabinets (aka living room).
Photo #3 - nice effect with the dust, eh?
Photo #4 - guess I'm committed now.
Photo #5 - note the kitchen table in the foreground. We've got additional seating for our next dinner party too.
Photo #6 - hopefully this lighting setup will work. Who knows?
Photo #7 - check out the beautiful ceiling - no mo' freakin' monster fluorescent light fixture! Kick a$$. Decided to tear off some sheetrock too.
Photo #8 - LET THERE BE LIGHT!!! Milestone!
Photo #9 - I think I'm pretty happy with Mike's Electrical Service after seeing this mistake. Makes me wonder about the rest of the house...
Photo #10 - A thing of beauty if you ask me. I hope the inspector agrees.
Photo #11 - Note the inset light switch and GFCI - pretty cool, eh? Thanks Jen for giving me the idea of doing a separate light switch for the island lights. It was more work but in the long run we'll be happier I'm sure.
Photo #12 - Just some miscellaneous shots I took.
Photo #13 - Here are the cabinets on the east wall (sink, dishwasher).
Photo #14 - Here is the view from the dining room entrance - I'll need to tweak the cooktop cabinet.
Photo #15 - Good help is hard to find - sitting down on the job again!
Photo #16 - Couldn't resist putting in the cooktop - plus had to see if it fit the cabinet I had to cut
Photo #17 - Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!!! Check out the upper cabs and the one with the crown molding.
Photo #18 - Hood in place - need to run the duct and roof jack and we're in bidness.
Photo #19 - Woohoo baby! Working oven and microwave. Now I can resume my baking...
Photo #20 - This pretty much concludes the electrical - one more light for inside the cabinet with the glass door and that's it! Note the island too - it's ready for granite.
Photo #21 - Photos don't do the granite justice. It looks mah-velous! Okay Mr. Chai, you were right.
Photo #22 - This is what will appear behind the cooktop. Note that the outside border will be set back to the wall so it won't appear to stick out as much.
Photo #23 - Dove right in and started the backsplash. Pretty excited by that - it's looking good.
Photo #24 - We have running water and a useable sink! Starting to feel like a kitchen again.
Photo #25 - Now this is big - no more hand washing dishes, quite possibly one of the least enjoyable chores under the roof. Ranks right up there with changing the cat box.
Photo #26 - We've got grout!
Photo #27 - I think I'm going to cry... wasn't sure if I'd ever see this day.
Before PhotoThis is what our kitchen looked like prior to me beginning this project (see Photo #1). Not in bad shape, but a bit dated with the circa late 80's tile (floor and countertop), slowly failing appliances, and painted (now chipping) cabinets.Some people think we're nuts for spending so much money on this project, but you know what? You only live a couple of times, so we figured we should enjoy this go round as much as possible. People also think I'm crazy for trying to tackle most of this on my own. Well, I gotta save some money somewhere. Plus, I'm reasonably handy. I'll have the pros come in however to do the countertop (Madura Gold granite slab), the new gas line, and some sheetrock taping/texturing. But otherwise this is all mine. I'm doing it legally too, as I've already obtained a permit for the job. I feel "clean" doing it that way. Basically, the entire kitchen area will be gutted. I'm keeping the dishwasher and the pantry stays where it is. Otherwise, everything will be new. For those interested in the products that I'm using, I'll provide a full list on this page.
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Kitchen Design |
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I've had the basic layout in my head for quite some time (see Photo #2). Our current kitchen violates the classic "work triangle" but that wasn't such a big deal to me. I just figured we could have much more usable space if the peninsula was eliminated and an island was added. More seating, better functionality, and an updated look. A nice trifecta, if you ask me. And it still violates the work triangle. Oh well. Life goes on. I'd much rather it violate the work triangle than have to pull out the cheesy card table/mish-mash of chairs for when our friends and family come over for dinner. I would like to raise the ceiling, however there is a walk-in closet above the breakfast nook area - so no dice. However, I think with the big fluorescent light removed, cans sprinkled throughout the ceiling, and maintaining light colors (especially a lighter ceiling color) will help with the 88" high ceiling. I got several cabinet quotes - they also helped me tweak the design some. I went with Home Depot for the cabinets (sorry all you orange apron haters, but I just couldn't pass up the price). The Kraftmaid cabinets seem of nice quality and as I mentioned, the price was right. Just slightly better than the first quote I got for cabinets - which was 90% of my budget, and that was for uninstalled cabinets! I know where we live we're subject to the "Danville Surcharge", however give me a freakin' break.
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Phase .I - Delay!!! - August 14, 2003 |
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Well, off to a great start. I'm sick, Alaina is sick, and Tracy has this huge project at work that goes "live" on September 1. So the project has been delayed two weeks. Makes good sense not to try to get this thing started but the waiting is killing me! Opened up all the cabinet boxes and all looks good (see photo #2A). One drawer front is missing but that is supposed to arrive separately and won't affect my plans. One nice surprise is that the drawers are full pullout style - I hadn't specified that but it is a nice feature. I'm sure I paid for it though.
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Phase I - Demolition!!! - August 29, 2003 |
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Day 1 of the demolition went very well - much farther along than planned, thanks to Mr. Spicoli. Also, special thanks to Carolyn and Jen for watching Alaina while we worked. I was content with limited demo and getting all the old appliances out (including moving the refrigerator to the garage). However, Spicoli had different ideas. He's not motivated for his own projects, but really hammered away (literally). Tiles were flying out all over the place, cabinets were removed, and plumbing fixtures taken out. Great progress and I hope to wrap up the demo tomorrow (Saturday). The photo (#3) doesn't do justice to the progress we made, but the next one hopefully will (entire place gutted!). Then I'll attack the subfloor (scope of project increased of course, more on that later). Anyhow, I'm pretty tired so I'm off to sleep. I know, you want more, you just can't take the waiting. But you have to - as Spicoli said, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Oh yeah, forgot to mention - I only got three cuts, two on the hands (I know, wear gloves next time) and a chunk taken out of my leg when a piece of tile went flying... better than I usually do - it would be frightening if I weren't a safety engineer. :)
Day 2 of the demolition started slowly (at about noon) and then for just about 4 more hours. Went solo today, so things went more slowly but I still made good progress. I added about 3 more hours after Alaina went to bed and started tearing up the underlayment on the subfloor. There is still one wall of wall cabinets to go, but those should come down in the first hour tomorrow. Then finish removing the underlayment and taking out all those nasty staples. If I'm up for it I may head under the floor to do some work. I'll see how I feel. Or maybe I'll hang the cabinets in the garage to help create our garage kitchen. Who knows? Anyhow, that's it for now, it's 12:20AM PST so I need to be off to bed. Injury update - nothing new today except a small blister on my thumb. I'm getting better... Day 3 and all cabinets and fixtures are down (except one light). Milestone! I then headed to the garage to do work there - to make it more "kitchen-like". Hung some cabinets (good practice) and leveled some base cabinets (more practice). The garage turned out nicely so now we have some storage for food products, etc. Even set up the old dining room table out there for some fine ambience. Later that night (from 9:00pm-12:30am) I started the fun job of pulling staples. Man, that was an ugly job. And I only finished 1/2 of the floor. My low back is dead. My right hand isn't much better. Calgon take me away... Day 4 was pretty much a rest day. Tracy had to work on the holiday, so Alaina and I spent the day together. We of course went to Home Depot to buy some electrical supplies (gonna get more power into the garage so we can put the microwave and single electrical burner out there). I felt pretty crappy most of the day - headache, back ache, hand ache. Things started to come around after Alaina's nap (when I took a nap too). I unloaded a few cabinets to the neighbor (and hung one more cabinet in their garage for some more practice). Then, back to the staple pulling after Alaina went to bed - but I finally figured out a great technique for removing them and cut my time in half. Still sucked as a job, but that is it (well, there is the pantry but that is a small floor area). Consider the demolition complete. See photo #4. Milestone! And no new injuries - things are starting to heal up. :)
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Phase II - Rough-in Electrical and Gas/Ceiling Work |
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One of my few contractors will be coming in Friday to fill in the old fluorescent light area and float the entire ceiling. He'll then come back to texture it. I have to frame out that light area. Should be no biggie. I hope to have my gas line guy there on Friday too to take care of his part. Then I'll start my electrical - I feel pretty confident about the electrical - I spent a ton of time on this forum: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/wiring/ and learned a bunch. I'm going to put in my own subpanel (in the dining room) and then all the wiring to the GFCI's, undercabinet lights, and overhead recessed lighting. I'm sure I'll spend the better part of the weekend and then some to do the electrical. Hopefully I'll get a little help from my friends to help fish the wire. Then I should have my first inspection - can't wait for that! During the days prior to the contractors coming in I hope to wire up the garage with the new circuits I mentioned above.
9/6/03 UPDATE - my gas line guy came and did a great job. If you're in the need for a plumber in the Bay Area, this guy was great, his price was reasonable, and clearly he knows his stuff. His name is Bill Kollias of Absolute Plumbing in Castro Valley - (510) 889-1194. Now on the other hand, my sheetrock guy never showed and never called. Typical. He left a message today and said he has a couple of hours available on Monday for my project. No apologies, no nuttin'!!! Make something up for crying out loud. Your dog ate you calendar... A project went overtime... SOMETHING! Anyhow, since I work with contractors, I know that they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed (some really are though). So instead of getting new bids and waiting even longer (and still not getting any guarantees), I've decided to give this guy one more shot on Monday. If that doesn't happen, I'll mention his name here and write nasty stuff about him. Special thanks to Spicoli again for coming over and helping me frame up the fluorescent light opening late Thursday night. Guess it wasn't such a hurry after all. The garage is looking great - got all my cabinets hung, as well as my base cabinets in. I've even got all the electrical done and have UNDER FREAKIN' CABINET LIGHTS! In the garage. Can you believe it? Pretty much overkill but what the hell - we're prepping our meals out there so might as well be nice. All that is left now is the countertop for the cabinets - I just can't decide between granite to match our kitchen, Corian, or stainless steel. I'll try to figure that one out shortly. Okay now, GET UP!!! I may be crazy but I'm not a total idiot. Plywood is the choice of countertops here baby. Perhaps some day I'll put down some sheet metal. See photo #5. Note the new gas line to the far left of the photo. Electrical pushed back to next weekend - 9/13-14. I'll try to do some during the week too, but I'm super busy with work also. 9/9/03 UPDATE - passed my first inspection (the gas line) - woohoo! Of course I didn't do the work but at least the guy I hired did his job. Also, the ceiling is complete as well. Turns out the contractor called me late that Friday night saying he was sorry and that he forgot. Better late than never. Nonetheless, he and his crew did a nice job. I spent last night agonizing over the lighting layout, but I think I came up with a good solution. See photo #6. 9/13/03 UPDATE - I actually have reworked the lighting since I last posted it here - too many on the first try - I eliminated two lights and still have what I believe will be good coverage. 9/15/03 UPDATE - Well, the evil forces are conspiring against me. First, a sprinkler valve outside died, and it wouldn't shut off completely. So water kept flowing. Can't leave it that way so I had to fix that on Saturday. Then came the pedicure/manicure incident which I won't get into here. Then, Tracy had to fly to Anaheim for a conference kickoff, so all day Sunday was shot as well. But not totally, as my upstairs air conditioner decided to spring a leak. I started to troubleshoot it around oh, 9pm and thought I took care of it, but low and behold I have a leak in a couple of places. I think I can fix it, but do I really need more work? Damn, where is my karma for doing all this? Well, actually got some karma today, but I won't elaborate on that here. Oh, did I mention that Tracy has come down with the flu as well? I did start to tear off the sheetrock where the cabinets/backsplash will be - figured I needed to repair where the previous backsplash was so I decided to tear it all off (see photo #7) - probably less work in the long run and the only downside is more debris. I've decided that the family needs to put a calendar together so we can block off time for everything - work, home, family, play. Once Tracy feels better though. 9/21/03 UPDATE - Not a totally lost weekend, but still not at the production levels I'd like to see. Fixed the air conditioner and then started back to the kitchen. Cut up the plywood which will act as the underlayment for the cabinets. Kinda cool to see where things will be going. Of course, I believe I found a small flaw in the design by the HD guy. I'll have to consult with him and may have to order a new cabinet. Won't change the island size so the wait for the cabinet won't affect my granite guy. I also primed the ceiling and located my recessed lights. Had to tweak the design of the lighting one more freakin' time. And it probably still won't work. We'll see... I also put my plywood countertops on the garage cabinets so now that part is done. All this sandwiched around a friend's son's birthday party and a block party on our street. Did I mention that Tracy is still not feeling 100%? She has promised me next weekend will be a big work weekend. I've gotta get at least the base cabinets in so my granite guy can make his template (3 week turnaround time for him). I hope that I can get the rough-in electrical done and then at least start the base cabinets... most likely wishful thinking but I really need to start pushing hard to make my Spicoli deadline. 9/28/03 UPDATE - Well, got a fair amount of the electrical done, but not all. Good progress was made, thanks to Mr. Chai for helping on Saturday - we got the subpanel in (after 2 hours of bickering over the location of it and then going with my original location), and ran a couple of dedicated circuits. I got all the GFCIs wired as well as got the trash compactor and island GFCI wired. I laid out the island and nearly moved in a few cabinets to see what it would look like - I decided it would be a waste of energy though as I'd have to move them out for the painting. Nice segue - we've picked out the colors for the ceiling/wall (and even the family room to be painted later) and also the backsplash. More on that later. I have decided not to go full height on the backsplash. Tweaked the lighting layout for the last time and have it just how I want it now. And took care of the island design problem and spent another $400 in cabinets to fix it. Oh well, it's only money, right? 10/04/03 UPDATE - Sorry for the delay in posting (for the two of you who read this info :) ) - was in San Diego for a few days interviewing candidates for an opening I have down there. I got back and took Friday off and really went to town on the electrical. Got the recessed lights in (see Photo #8, note the lights actually ON!!!). I'm really, really close to getting the electrical done. Should finish on Sunday and then will have an inspection early in the week. I have to thank Tracy a bunch for giving me big blocks of time this weekend. That was really helpful (happy Kathy?). :) Anyhow, I did discover a potential hazard up in the attic (see Photo #9). Who says an electrician will do the best job? No qualified electrician would have done what I discovered - the damaged electrical wiring ran right against a metal joist hanger and cut away the outer sheath and even exposed a large section of copper conductor. So I replaced this and now feel very good about things. In all I've used almost 450' of Romex (non-metallic sheathed cable) and will probably buy another 100' roll. Cabinets aren't far off! I need to paint the ceiling, and repair the sheetrock and then watch out - cabinets here we come!!! 10/06/03 UPDATE - Well, ran into the 3-way switch from hell and didn't finish the electrical on Sunday. So I took Monday off and after "cooling down", I decided to give the 3-way switches another shot. Amazing how much easier it is when you're calm and can think clearly. I need to remember to EAT!!! I did finish up the subpanel (see Photo #10) on Sunday. On Monday I finished all the remaining electrical (didn't wire the undercab lights but the switches and power are there). I'm ready for inspection (I think). I'll try to arrange one this week so I can proceed to the cabinets!!! I actually got a head start with the island since I needed to run electrical to it (see Photo #11). Pretty exciting stuff! 10/10/03 UPDATE - Well, I can finally end the updates in this section as my electrical freakin' passed inspection today!!! Woohoo! Big ol' milestone. Can't thank the folks on the electrical forum noted previously enough - they saved my bootay. I had no idea about the anti-oxidant for aluminum connections. But that was something the inspector specifically looked for. Now some fun stuff can start - cabinets very soon! I picked up some sheetrock and plywood and even installed a couple of sheets of sheetrock tonight. A few more patches and I am ready for cabs!!! One new monkey wrench in the project - we're considering going with hardwood now instead of tile. More on that later. Gotta get to bed (1:22am PST update). I'll be attending an event put on by my bike club - a much deserved break from the kitchen if you ask me. Sheetrock will be finished when I return later Saturday...
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Phase II.5- Beefing Up The Floor Structure |
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In my research, I determined the structure supporting my floor was borderline okay. So instead of dealing with cracks in the future, I decided to beef up the structure. Basically I'm running 4"x6"s perpendicular to my floor joists. Then putting in some concrete footings and 4"x4"s to tie the concrete footings and 4"x6"s together. Not rocket science, but just more physical labor. I was under the house for about 4 hours and have about another 1.5 hours left to finish it up. Fortunately my crawl space is tall enough for me to squat - still cramped working quarters but it could be much worse. If you're thinking about doing large format tiles (i.e. 16"x16" or larger), you should check out this website (as a matter of fact, if you're thinking of doing any tile work, see this site): http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php. Check out the deflecto calculator to see if your floor is worthy of the tile you're going to install. As I found on their site, if you use those big tiles, then your floor needs to be designed for natural stone (L/720 if you're in the know).
9/12/03 UPDATE - Finished beefing up the floor structure!!! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Now I can start the underlayment! Just one quick check of the subfloor to make sure there aren't any major high spots (get out the belt sander). Exciting stuff. Although I probably will start the electrical this weekend. The underlayment can be done in the evenings.
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Phase III - Underlayment |
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I purchased the underlayment tonight (9/10). Thanks again to Spicoli for his truck and help at HD. I'm going with Hardibacker, seems to be the "new" stuff. Pretty dang hard. So hard you can't recess the screws into it without either special screws or using a bit to create a recess. The screws were super expensive (I figured I needed 1200 screws - $7/box of 200 - $42 for screws?!). I bought some galvanized screws for $17. Of course, now I will have one extra step to recess the screws, but it's just work. Mindless at that. Plus I've heard those special screws really aren't great, so there. I was going to cheat and not use thinset under the Hardibacker but the manufacturer specifies that should be done, so I'm gonna do it. Do it right the first time, right?
9/24/03 UPDATE - Well, the engineer on one of the forums I utilize said my subfloor was inadequate (the floor structure was great). So I made a late night run for some additional plywood. Went to HD but they had crap, so instead jetted over to Lowe's and got some nice plywood for a nice price. Started screwing down the plywood after dropping off Spicoli's truck. Thanks Spicoli for letting me use your truck. Next time maybe there will be some gas in it. :) Should be able to finish up putting in the additional plywood tomorrow. I've decided to use a european product instead of Hardibacker. It is called Ditra - it is a lightweight membrane that goes between the plywood and the tile. Many of the tile pros swear by it, so that's good enough for me. Plus, I need something that doesn't add too much height to the overall floor since I added 15/32". Ditra adds 1/8". So I have to return all that freakin' hardiback. Wouldn't be a "Mike" project without multiple handling of material. Anyhow, gearing up for a big weekend. Mr. Chai indicated that he will help me on one of the weekend days. Man, next time someone kick me when I think about doing large format tiles (I'm waaaaaaay over budget with the floor, but fortunately way under budget with the electrical since I'm doing it myself instead of having an electrician). Out.
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Phase IV - Cabinets |
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10/6/03 UPDATE - See Photo #11 as I got a head start on the cabinets!
10/12/03 UPDATE - As you can see by the photos, I was able to get quite a few cabinets in. Finally, some fun stuff. I kinda went out of order installing the base cabinets first, however because the granite fabrication can take up to 3 weeks, I wanted to get that going as quickly as possible - should be able to get him in here the middle of this week. So the wall cabinets will be a little more cumbersome to install, but I will be having a real Pro (i.e. contractor) help me. I helped a co-worker with their home computer in exchange for help with the crown molding - and now my co-worker has committed her husband to helping me hang the wall cabs - that is going to help big time! I can't thank Pat and Kathy enough. Tracy is going to be leaving for a girls weekend (missing my birthday, but myself and a few friends may have something up our sleeves, nudge, nudge, wink, wink), so she will be surprised when she gets back. Don't tell her (she certainly doesn't read this site). 10/19/03 UPDATE - well, had my mo-fessional here on Saturday and got all the upper cabs up (with the exception of one). We got a touch of the crown molding up too (what a pain in the arse). Special thanks to Pat for making the trip here and spending nearly all day with me. It's remarkable how he was able to measure one time and be right (I usually measure about 6 times before feeling reasonably comfortable with my measurement). And special thanks to Tony and Jen for watching Alaina for me - that was a big help. Also a great excuse for me getting to eat dim sum! So I'm in good shape - except for the fact that I need to do the remaining crown on my own - I think I can do it, but if I can't figure it out, I'll have to bring over Mr. Chai to help me (just don't nail my pocket door in the open position). Alaina blew my cover on Saturday night when she spoke with Tracy but I covered it up some. When she got home she couldn't believe the cabinets were up - "Where'd you get the time to do that?!" she wondered. Then I told her the whole story. I'm such a sneaky guy... yeah, whatever. :) I can actually install my oven and microwave!!! 11/3/03 UPDATE - Sorry for the delay in posting. I've been doing work but things now are slowing down. This precision work is testing my skills and patience. The crown molding is very challenging - especially with an uneven ceiling. As Tracy's dad said, "can you get another molding?" - pretty good advice if I hadn't have dropped over five benjamins for the crown (or something like that). So instead I plod away. Still feeling good about things though. The Thanksgiving deadline may not happen. It will be close. Thanks to Tracy's parents for giving us a much needed break - we went to Yountville and stayed at a nice B&B. I actually got almost double the amount of sleep I have been averaging on this project. My back was sore from that much sleep. The massage helped that. Getting back to the project, as you can see in Photo #20, the undercabinet lights are done and the island is ready for granite. I installed an additional outlet underneath the island which will be very handy for using small appliances on the opposite end of the cook's station. Put all the faux panels up and things look great. I was concerned the seating portion of the island wasn't going to be strong enough to support the granite - but it is really stout. The arches weren't the funnest things to cut, but I think they turned out pretty good. My paint job was so-so, but in the big scheme of things I'm fine with it. 11/8/03 UPDATE - Man, this day is filled with great updates (at least for me). The crown molding is freakin' D-U-N!!! That is huuuuuuge for me. Thank goodness for caulking and filler stick (and actually for glazed cabinets). The only thing remaining now on the cabinets is the light bar trim and installing lighting in the glass doored cabinet. I'm just waiting for the fluorescent lights and will simply plug them in - I installed my last outlet of the project. Hell yeah! 11/16/03 UPDATE - Got all the hardware installed on the cabinets. I was unsure at first these were going to work, but after seeing them with the granite I'm very pleased. See Photo #25 for the hardware. Had to order a few more pieces, due to the slight change in the island, and a mistake I made. Make sure you're not rushing when installing these. I was rolling, things were going well, and then got complacent. I marked and drilled one drawer in the island when I went, "oh she-ite". Drilled for the medium sized pulls instead of the large pulls. Oh well, it still looks good, just that now I have some extra large pulls and am short on the medium pulls. Patience is a virtue grasshopper...
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Phase V - Granite Countertop |
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10/19/03 UPDATE - Reserved my slabs (3 total) at Alpha Granite. I changed colors!!! Actually, the color I got was virtually identical to the sample I had - but it was called Golden Oak. The Madura Gold just didn't look like the sample and wasn't as warm. I did pick the slabs myself, so hopefully Tracy is okay with them (they're really nice looking - trust me).
Stopped by a co-worker's house today and saw the granite she had done - turned out beautifully! She used the same fabricator I am using (based on my recommendation). One seam in her entire kitchen - turned out suh-weet. I was a bit nervous since I recommended the guy and he had not done any work for me - I had just seen his work. But what I saw confirmed what I previously saw - good quality work at a fair price and he's a good guy. If you're in the Bay Area, give him a call and tell him I sent you - Jeff Davidson of Davidson Tile (925) 833-2566. Turns out he has never needed to advertise in the existence of his company. Not too shabby. He'll be out this week to do my templates and start the fabrication process - exciting stuff! 10/25/03 UPDATE - The granite guy was here this morning and just finished templating. I was surprised - very simple process for templating. This is really exciting - it will be done in 2-3 weeks - that's going to be HUUUUUUUGE! Can't wait. Plus, then I'll get to start putting in all the appliances. Speaking of appliances, I installed the hood, oven, and microwave. Talk about challenging - installing the hood by myself was a bear - it wasn't super heavy, but as you can see in the photo, it is sizeable. Amazing that the instructions call for only 4 screws to mount the the beast. Of course, I didn't have a ceiling or cabinet to mount to, so instead I put some 4"x4" material in the attic, and then drilled some holes and ran 1/4" all thread down to support the hood. I've got a series of nuts and washers in there which allow for tweaking (which I spent a ton of time doing - it's not perfect but visually it is good). The microwave was pretty easy to install - just needed to build a shelf and install some fancy venting/retention system that came with the trim kit. Turned out nicely. The oven was a bit more challenging - that thing was pretty heavy and again awkward. I got the electrical connected (thanks again to my forum friends for their recommendation on connecting the existing aluminum wire to the new copper wire from the appliance - split bolt rated for Cu/Al, anti-oxidant, and 3M 33+ electrical tape - at least 3 wraps - I must have done at least 6 to be sure). I changed out the 50A circuit breaker to a 40A since the wiring from the appliance was 8AWG. My dilemma was how to put the oven in the cabinet by myself. Well, believe it or not, I read the instructions (yes, men sometimes do read instructions), and it indicated to remove the door. Dang, that door is not light. So after that was gone, lifting the oven into place was much easier. Screwed it in place, put the trim back on, and fired it up. Working A-OK. Lovely smell though on the new appliances - they say it will go away after a few uses (I hope so, it pretty much stunk up the entire house). Makes you wonder what actually is being burnt off... 11/8/03 UPDATE - Huge update today - the granite is in!!!!!!!!!!!! Man o' man, does it look great! I couldn't be happier. That is a huge item to have crossed off the list. Had the granite not gone in today, it would have been next Saturday. In the meantime, I would have really had some down time. So this will allow me to keep plowing away and hopefully still make my target date. Jeff and his brother Chris did a great job with the granite. Unbelievable that the two of them moved the island slab by themselves. I helped bit for balance but otherwise did nothing. I felt compelled to help, but they said they didn't need me (probably figured I'd get killed if I were to help). Boy were they shaking after setting that island. But they got it in and things worked out well. Jeff indicated that this was one of the best kitchens he has worked in in a long time. That was a nice complement to my work. Definitely contact him in you're in the Bay Area and need some granite done. Good guy and good work.
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Phase VI - Flooring |
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10/25/03 UPDATE - As several of you know, and I think I mentioned above, we're going to go with hardwood on the floor instead of tile. It will actually provide a nice contrast (the tiles, although I really like them, didn't provide enough contrast - live and learn). We plan on re-using the tile in the bathrooms or I may sell them to my co-worker. We'll see if she likes them. Anyhow, we like the Santos Mahogany hardwood. Now we just need to find a more reasonable source for the flooring - I can't see spending double the cost of tile based on the Expo price of hardwood.
11/8/03 UPDATE - Another big item to update - ordered the floor today. Got the exact type that Tracy wanted, but at a good savings. The karma was lined up for me today. I told myself that I was going to look at two local places, and if they didn't have anything similar to our sample I was going to go to Expo and bite the bullet (at $10/sq. ft.). I did a Yahoo yellow pages search on "hardwood" in Dublin and came up with a big ol' list. So I wrote down two which happened to be on the same street and were close to Expo. However first I tried Lowe's and they had the standard big box stuff. So then off to the first small, local shop. Turns out they just got the brand I was looking for and were running a sale - $6.50/sq. ft. I basically ordered it on the spot. Amazing. For 326 sq. ft. the savings adds up. And now I'm not spending much more on the floor had I done tile. Thank you whoever helped make this happen. :) 11/14/03 UPDATE - Well, the karma wore off too quickly. I picked up the flooring today and when I opened a box, it wasn't the same flooring that I expected. So I won't be able to install it this weekend. :( Crud. But the store is working with me and will accept it back. He is then going to order the flooring that I had wanted. Probably will get it Tuesday, but that doesn't help me much this weekend. Oh well, I'll do the plumbing this weekend and maybe I'll grout the backsplash. Worse things could happen. I'll survive. But now my Thanksgiving deadline probably won't happen. 11/30/03 UPDATE - Sorry for the late post. I've been pushing hard to get things done and well, the Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone and I'm not done. :( But that's okay - I've made really great progress and have essentially finished all major items. The flooring is done and looks great. What a tough job though - my back still is a bit sore. The guy at the rental place must have laughed at me after I left with the pneumatic floor nailer. I thought there was an off chance I'd get it done in a day. Baaaa haaaa! I ran into a major problem right at the start - the rail separating the kitchen from the family room (and the protecting the 30" drop) was too low for my hardwood to fit under. So I sat there feeling sorry for myself for about 10 minutes - I realized that nothing was going to get done sitting there, so I got out the old reciprocating saw and went to town. 10 minutes later and the rail was down. I need to paint it anyhow, so perhaps this was a small blessing in disguise? In any event, I would say the flooring operation was a success and we're both very happy with the end product. I do already find myself being much more careful about the hardwood. Definitely not as bombproof as tile but warmer.
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Phase VII - Finish Electrical/Plumbing |
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11/3/03 UPDATE - As noted above, the electrical, except for one in-cabinet light, is complete. After the backsplash is up, I'll put all the switches and outlets back into the box and install cover plates and voila, the electrical is goner. 11/16/03 UPDATE - Well, it wasn't my most productive weekend, but I'm not a super plumber so things went slowly. It was a 4-trip Home Depot weekend, with 3 coming on Sunday. And guess what? I still don't have all the correct parts. I found out when I ran the dishwasher and water came flooding out of the air gap. Kinked hose? Nope. Obstructed hose? Nope, brand new. What the heck? Small little detail of installing the hoses backwards. Oops. But the instructions are really lame, and I wouldn't have figured things out until I took apart the old one and saw how it works. Now I get it. They need to hire a new technical writer. Or add "inlet" and "outlet" to their air gap. Or a couple of stupid little arrows. Oh well. One more HD run to get some bigger diameter rubber hose and I'm done with the plumbing. 11/19/03 UPDATE - Dishwasher is working properly now. Of course, when I was checking things out in the cabinet I bumped the electrical cord for the dishwasher. I was shocked by how hot it was. I could hold it in my hand, but it was pretty darn warm. I checked the rating for it, and it was a 16/3 (16 gauge wire). I believe 16 gauge wire is good for 12 or 13 amps. Well, my dishwasher pulls 12 amps. So I took the dishwasher out again and installed a new 14/3 electrical cord. That is good for up to 15 amps, so I shouldn't have a very warm electrical cord anymore. In this case, bigger is definitely better. :) 11/30/03 UPDATE - Everything is done and operational. Hot water dispenser works well. The garbage disposal is shredding food waste (the air switch is really cool - Mr. Spicoli you need to get one installed for your significant other). No leaks at this point - exciting stuff. Water is connected to the refrigerator as well. I grew up with a water dispenser in the refrigerator and look forward to having one again. And an ice maker. The refrigerator is great - lots of compartments and not nearly as deep as our previous refrigerator - nothing should get lost in the back and start growing things... The cooktop is in as well! Thanks Spicoli for your help. It looks great and the accessories are really cool. You could cook a breakfast for an army on the griddle. The wok ring is perfect (my mom would be envious). A neat feature the cooktop has is that if the flame goes out, it will re-ignite itself automatically. A nice safety feature. I'm really excited about the cooktop and can't wait to cook something on it. Unfortunately due to the weather today, we couldn't get to the roof jack (exhaust). I'm targeting next weekend, but in the meantime we can still cook, we'll just avoid the deep fried stuff. See photo #27 for the near complete kitchen!
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Phase VIII - Backsplash |
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10/25/03 UPDATE - Stopped by a tile place my granite guy referred me too and they helped me come up with a design. Pretty cool - 4"x8" subway tiles (tumbled marble) around the entire area. The area behind the cooktop will be partially subway tile, but will also include a framed in section with raised edge - and 4"x4" tumbled marble tiles on a diagonal in the framed section. Looks cool, will create a nice focal point. Amazing though the cost of the frame pieces - $20/8" straight section and fifty-freakin'-dollars for EACH corner piece. EACH!!! Talk about getting hosed - makes the $3.75 drink at the movies seem like a bargain. Oh, I forgot - there are three little decorative pieces that will attach to the diagonal tiles - hard to explain but I'll have photos. The tile is hand made right in No. Cal - in Sonoma. Maybe I could save some money and have Kathy pick them up for me... :)
11/3/03 UPDATE - Ordered the tile and it should be here by the end of this week. No hurry though as I cannot do any tile work until the granite is in (which if I'm lucky could be 11/8). We shall see. 11/8/03 UPDATE - Picked up my tile today and did a mock up of the backsplash that will be behind the cooktop (see Photo #22). I really like the look and am going to try to get at least the decorative part up tomorrow (or actually today based on the time of this update - 12:37am PST). I'm dealing with some layout issues (as to where to put it on the wall without having a 1/2" high piece of the subway 4"x8" tile below the decorative part. 11/9/03 UPDATE - Started installing the backsplash today (see Photo #23). Things so far have worked out well. I think I'm doing it correctly. I'm pleased with the look, however Tracy is still lukewarm on it. She says it looks "heavy". She likes the decorative splash behind where the cooktop will go, however isn't too sure on the subway tiles. Kinda late now, but I think she'll like it once it is all done. Without the grout and with the spacers in place, it definitely doesn't look finished. But what really matters is that I like it, right? :) Anyhow, hope to finish up setting the tiles tomorrow night. The the fun part - the grouting. :( 11/12/03 UPDATE - Finished setting all the tiles. Only mis-cut a few pieces, otherwise all went well. I like the different texture that this stone adds to the kitchen. With all those smooth surfaces, it is nice to break things up a bit. When the grout is in, it will help to soften the "heavy" look some I'm sure. :) 11/19/03 UPDATE - Okee dokee - the grout is fineeshed! So exciting. I think it turned out pretty good for my first effort. Don't know if I'll quit my day job, but at least I'll be ready to tile the bathrooms (wait, getting ahead of myself there). Well, the backsplash isn't totally finished, as I will need to let it cure for about 72 hours and then I'll seal it and then add a color enhancer to it. The color enhancer hopefully will soften the white left by the grout (pretty tough to get rid of all of it with such a porous tile). I've tested a small piece already and it should help significantly - it kind of gives it a semi-"wet" look. Should hopefully look better than painted concrete block, which someone said it currently looks like. I will not put her name here since I'm trying to keep things positive. Oh, almost forgot - need to put on the little rosettes after the grout cures. I'm actually very happy that I didn't put in the hardwood last weekend - would've gotten trashed by the water and grout. I guess things happen for a reason... :) 11/30/03 UPDATE - I sealed the backsplash and did the color enhancer thing before we left for the Thanksgiving holiday. Man, some potent stuff, but I'm sure it will work well. The color enhancer definitely made a difference (at first I thought almost too much of a difference - it looked like a glossy glaze and appeared totally fake). But once it dried it looked great. I double sealed the area behind the cooktop and the sink. Figured it couldn't hurt. I just need to caulk the bottom and that would be fini as well. Just need to track down a color that's reasonably close to the grout.
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Phase IX - Punchlist |
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11/30/03 UPDATE - Basically I'm at the punchlist phase now (except for the roof jack). There are lots of little things left, but none that should be very difficult. Items include:
I'm guessing all will be done by the end of the year. I now expect to get some reasonable sleep from here on out (except for tonight due to this major update). 12/8/03 UPDATE - The roof jack is in! Thanks Spicoli for your help. Now let's keep our fingers crossed when the rains hit (especially since I did my "modification"). Also, the toe kick is in. The quarter round trim is cut and just needs to be nailed in place. The pantry shelves are finished (even put a "pretty" contact paper in - just happened to find some laying around). The backsplash is all caulked. Found a cool tile place in Dublin that does everything but tile - Tile Setters Toys. So that leaves:
Hmm... seems like I did more. Oh well. Definitely almost there.
1/24/04 UPDATE - Well, after a long hiatus (haven't done a thing since the last update), I figured I should put in a quickie update. I PASSED MY FINAL INSPECTION!!! Woohoo! Now just need to do the last cosmetic items noted above in the 12/8 update and I am D-U-N. Hope this has been entertaining. It has been quite an experience for me. I feel confident to tackle all my remaining home remodel projects. Not sure if I'll have websites for those, but you never know... Thanks to everyone for their support.
Peace and love. Out.
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Product List |
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By me doing most of the work, we saved a big chunk of money on labor, so we figured we would go pretty nice for the appliances. Remember the slogan, "you only live a couple of times so you might as well enjoy it while you're here."
And a bunch of other little nick-nack stuff - if you really need to know you can e-mail me.
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