Ladies and Gentlemen... The Final Final

Wow.. it's been over a month since the last post. But we are now done and done. The final, super-awesome photos by Sabrina Huang are below. But first a look back at where we started.

Below is a view of our kitchen looking out into the back yard:

Next is the opposite view, leading into the family room:

Third is the "flow" of kitchen into family room:

And finally the other half of the family room:

And now, without further ado, our new kitchen:

We can not be happier with the results! We've received some questions regarding the materials and such, so here is a list of all the important elements:

contractor: Farid Azari (faridazari@sbcglobal.net)
real-estate agent: Mark Easterday (mark@themeshnetwork.com)
photography: Sabrina Huang (http://themeshphotography.com/)
landscape design: Monika Kafka (http://www.mscapedesign.com/)

Cabinets: Ikea Nexus in Yellow Brown (discontinued)
Counters: Caesarstone Quartz in Blizzard
Tile: Modwalls Lush 4 x 12 glass tiles in Vapor
Floors: Eternity Floors laminate, Classic Collection in Honey Maple
Range: LG LSE3092ST
Fridge: LG LFX21976ST
Microwave: LG LMV1680ST
Dishwasher: Ikea Renlig (integrated)
Sink: Vigo 32" Undermount Stainless Steel 16 Gauge Single Bowl
Faucet: Vigo Stainless Steel Pull-Out Spray Kitchen Faucet


You can read a neat write up of our project on Mark Easterday's blog here:
http://www.eichlerhomes.com/2011/04/ikea-kitchen.html

Thank you all for following along! Next year, maybe a bathroom remodel blog?

Love,

Lauren and Mark

A Teaser

Below is a photo of Farid sealing the grout on the backsplash. The refridgerator is in, and everything is done. We hope to have some final-final photos soon!

By Popular Demand...

...or at least requested by Isabel, here is a photo of the fridge in all her massive, stainless, steely glory! We're waiting to post more pics even though the kitchen is basically done, we want to have a "Reveal" blog after the cleaning lady comes. I know, life's tough...

Working tonight to finish the "Punch List" to review with Farid. This is important because once we make the list and he completes the items on the list, we are done. Done, as in, if we need him to do anything more we will pay. So it's important that we get the list right. Planning to have the Punch List walk through on Thursday. Cleaning lady on Saturday.

Finally got the living room put back together. There were so many boxes piled up. I knew it was making me feel crazy, but I think the impact hit me when my lovely, pregnant sister-in-law, Joni, came over and said something about how chaotic the room felt. We've become used to it to some degree but it was also feeling crazy to us, too. Because our living room was being used as storage we had to do all TV watching in our bedroom and we also ate our meals there too. But now we have reclaimed the living room and it feels so good! Reclaimed the bedroom, too...

By the way, Thanks to everyone who reads our blog and also for the comments. Can't wait for everyone to see our improved home in-person!

Love to You!
lauren

Fridge Update (no photos)

Guest blogger: Mark

The fridge arrived yesterday morning. Looks great. Interesting note: the wholesaler originally said it would take nine days to deliver and arrive some time next week. I left them a message and said this was by no means "expedited" delivery as promised, and they need to do better.

They did. A got a call back the next morning saying the would have the fridge delivered within the next 24 hours. One one hand, I feel bad as I assume we took someone else's fridge. On the other hand, new fridge!

We haven't taken the plastic off it. This week Farid will hook it up, finish some small stuff and we're done.

It's All Over But the Fridge

Well, we're almost done. We're expecting the fridge this week. Once that's installed, we have just a little bit of touch-up work and that's it:

Here are some shots with the under-cabinet lighting on:

Get a Handle on Things

Two days, and more progress. All of the doors and drawer fronts are on. The finish pieces are in place. A bunch of the handles are on. It looks, aside from the empty fridge space, like a kitchen. Whoa!

Above is the family room, complete except for the lighting (on the counter) and the drawer handles.

Below you can see the (former) mahogany wall, now painted white:

Above you can see just one handle installed on the sink side -- that's the integrated dishwasher. It matches the cabinetry and looks REALLY cool. You can't even tell. Here's a closer look:

Pretty neat, eh?

Next steps are putting in the remaining handles, installing the lighting, installing the baseboards and then the detailed finish work to make it all look pretty. Oh, and the estimated ETA on the fridge? Valentine's day.

Getting Closer

Guest Blogger for the Week: Mark

Lauren is out of town on business, so I'm left to my own devices. Assuming I don't starve myself or burn the place down [miss you sweetie!], I should be able to preside over the rest of the construction.

Today they installed most of the doors and drawer fronts. BIG change. It actually looks like a kitchen.

A few minor heart attacks this evening: when I came home, Farid said "Oh, good Mark, I'm glad you're here." That's never a good sign. It appeared as though we were missing some pieces, namely the drawer fronts on the unfinished cabinets below. Turns out Ikea labels the packages according to the total dimensions. So two 12x24 cabinets are listed as one 24x24 piece. Wow. That took about an hour of going through every piece we ordered and bought (if you've been following you know the count is above 250) AND a trip to Ikea. So we do have what we need. It's a super-good thing too, because there simply aren't any more out there. The line is discontinued. Phew.

It turns out I did need to go to Ikea -- the planning people did not clearly label the waste-sorting drawer and, thus, it didn't make it on our product list. So I bought the materials tonight.

Here's the eye candy for today:

The photo above is VERY close to what the finished product will look like, save for a two-inch strip at the cabinet-bottom line, behind which will go the lighting system.

The photo above didn't translate well -- the grout lines appear zig-zaggy. They aren't.

More Appliances and Completed Backsplash

Next step: the range, dishwasher, sink and faucet are in. And the backsplash is complete: grout and electrical finished. Here's the latest round of photos:

That's a little piece of tape reminding us not to use the sink.

More Backsplash Photos

... for your viewing pleasure. All of the tiles are now set:

Above you can see the two finish pieces on the left side, the counters and backsplash. That will be the finish throughout the kitchen.

[Mark's comment:] To my partial dismay, that original mahogany finish may not be long for this world -- it's to be sacrificed on the altar of the happy marriage.

Grout next, then lights & electrical, followed by plumbing. Oh, and there's now a two-week additional wait on the fridge. Hmm...

I Only Have Eyes...for Blue (sh-bop sh-bop)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63nlhoda2MY


OMG-- we have a backsplash! The tile looks FABULOUS! I love the color. And the decision to stack it rather than stagger it, was brilliant. For those of you that know our home, all 5 of you that read this blog, you know we have other stacked things in our home... concrete blocks, redwood beams, art in the backyard, etc.

The microwave was also put into place today. It's huge! The dimensions will look a bit different once its surrounded by the rest of the cabinetry and the trim pieces.
And now, enjoy the pics.

Poppin' Bottles in the Ice...

Guest Live Blogger: Mark

OK, I am home and the countertop people are here.  A three-person team of Jose, Jorge and Hector.  They arrive, set up a makeshift workshop in the carport and go to work.

The first glitch.  Wow, that didn't take long.  One of the guys put in the wrong size plywood.  Understandable -- he went with the size of the cabinet, but the counters extend an additional 3-4 inches in length.  I ask Jose to verify the template is correct.  It is.  Work continues apace.

And now the second glitch.  They started nailing down more plywood without really looking at where each of the slabs will go (there are five).  Fortunately I pointed this out early on.  Hector has had to remove and reinstall three of the plywood boards now.  Sorry Hector.

The first slab goes down.  Man, it really is nice.  Caesarstone quartz in Blizzard.  Bright white with tiny crystalline flecks of grey and brown.  From a few feet away it just looks white.

The installers use an interesting process of place, trace, remove and refine.  So each slab goes down, measured, make certain it's flush, inspect for flaws, changes, etc.  Then they use a pencil to trace any lines or holes that need to be altered or refinished (e.g. an unfinished edge or hole for the sink).  The slabs appear to be rather heavy, so I don't envy them their jobs.  The finishing in full swing now, and the smell of burnt plastic is heavy in the air.  Lots of particles.  I'm going to see they have an extra mask I can wear:


Who is that Masked Man?

Slabs are now cut to the right dimensions.  They're gluing them to the plywood.  The glue looks like some kind of mortar.  We have to inspect each of the slabs as they go down.  Once they "butter" the plywood, there is a rather thick layer of the mortar.  So the slabs can move a bit left or right.  We need 30 inches for the slide-in range and they left... 29 7/8 inches.  Yikes.  Fortunately they can tap, tap, tap the slab into its correct position.

Jose is now gluing two slabs together.  The maximum length is ten feet and our living room/desk length was just under 11 feet.  So it's in two pieces, one nine-feet plus and one 24 inches.  The glue/sealant used to fuse the slabs smells like super glue.  Super headache-y.

They're now drilling the holes in the slabs.  Two in the sink area for the faucet and air gap.  The third in the "desk" to allow cables and/or power cords to pass through.

And we're done.  Looks fantastic!  The first two photos are from opposite ends of the kitchen area:

... like a blizzard.

This next one is of the family room or desk area.  This is actually two pieces, but the seam is virtually invisible.  I swear it looks like a skating rink:

And finally a close up of the sink area:

We're in home stretch territory here.  On Monday, the floors will be done throughout the house.  Then it's backsplash, electrical & appliance hookup and, at long last doors & drawer fronts.