Monday, January 31, 2011

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.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

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...

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

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.


Friday, January 21, 2011

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.

Two Photos of the Original Flooring

You may remember the previous post when we found the previous owners never removed the original floor tiles, but instead put the carpet and wood flooring on top of them.  Below are two photos of the original tile.  In the first, there is a small strip of carpeting on the left side.  We shot the best section of the flooring; most of it is not in good shape. 
Original Eichler Tile Floor

In the second, you can see the old carpeting and the green silent-walk layer that goes under the wood laminate.  The three-leaf mark on the tile is, we believe, some kind of glue.  At least that's what we're going with.  The alternative is not terribly pleasant.


Paint and Floor

In anticipation of the counters coming later today, Farid painted the wall closest to the dining area.  This is a before photo of the wall:


The Last Glimpse of Original Mahogany Paneling

The photo above also shows nicely the new flooring.  And after three coats of "mud" to smooth out the bumps and damage from removing the pantry, along with two coats of paint, the wall looks like this:



Behr Premium Plus Ultra Semi-Gloss in Painter's White

Now just waiting for the counters to arrive.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Small Advances

Our contractor has been splitting his time between ours and a project in San Francisco, so there's been only some modest changes in the last day or two.  It's a bit frustrating to have work slow down, but we had expected several days of downtime at this point, so we understand why he would schedule a small job.  Here's what's been happening:

First, they filled in the lines of the concrete block wall, first step in prepping it for the backsplash.


Second, they installed backer board on the opposite wall, also preparing for backsplash.


Finally, the base cabinets are now fully set, and we have the toe kicks installed.  That's kinda fun because the toe kicks are made of the finish material, so we get another glimpse into the final product.


The lighting is good here -- these are the true colors.

Work begins again on Monday.  But the kitchen is on hold for a couple of days as the countertop people are still working on the quartz slabs.  Instead, focus turns to the laminate flooring (one color now hopefully) that will extend throughout the house.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Countertop Template

UMG came to create the template.  Lots of plywood and staples.  It's not super exciting, but you can see the templates over the cabinet boxes:


Shortly thereafter, the countertop guy took them up, along with our sink, and now begins the fabrication process.  Supposedly five to ten business days.  Tick tock.

Monday, January 10, 2011

"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Kitchen"

Guest Blogger: Mark

At last, some real progress.  The dust and dirt are flying, and the cabinet boxes are in.  Not the best place in the world given the doctor told me today I have minor bronchitis.  Gotta make certain the plastic barriers are tight.  But it's neat anyway:

Cabinet Boxed Installed

No door or drawer fronts yet, but everything is in its place.  Just in time for the countertop measurement tomorrow morning.  Some points of interest above.  First, there is one "finish piece" installed.  It's the square-ish brown panel in the left foreground.  That is a "side panel," on the other side of which will go the dishwasher.  It may be hard to tell from the photo, but you can see the cabinet finish is very close to the original, stained mahogany paneling (on the wall and door in the background).  The finished product should look quite modern, but it should also appear as though it's been there forever.  It's the "What Eichler Would Do if He Were Doing it Today" theory.

Second, on the right-hand side you can see the original concrete exterior wall.  Most of it is painted white, but there is some raw, grey concrete.  It's interesting -- some of the blocks behind the existing cabinetry were painted, others not.  I wonder if the unpainted part indicates the dimensions of the original kitchen.

Finally, you can see the electrical work on the right-hand wall.  We placed the outlets strategically along the wall, running wirers along/within the gaps between the concrete blocks.  The backsplash thinset and tile will go over (and mask) all, leaving us with a seamless, yet highly functional, plane.  I have some minor regret about losing part of the original finish.  But then I think "massive glass tile" and things feel better:


Mark and Modwalls Lush 4x12 Vapor

By the by, that is some SUR-ious product: the backsplash tiles weigh 295 pounds.

Up tomorrow: United Marble & Granite measure for the quartz countertops.  I'll try not to cough too much on them.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

And the Cabinet was hung (by the chimney with care...)

Hello to the few and dear friends who actually read our blog! Today our floor was laid. Yay!


No Floor
New Floor!


see the difference in the floor colors?



ONE cabinet!


make-shift kitchen


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

There's WHAT under the floor? Oh, more floor?

Guest Blogger: Mark

And now the first frustrations.

We were on schedule today to lay down the laminate flooring and install the wall cabinets.  The flooring should be simple: we have the same laminate flooring (blond wood effect) in the dining and multi-purpose rooms.  We tracked down the original work order and ordered the same product from the manufacturer.  Just connecting the flooring in those two rooms with the floor of the kitchen to create one unified space.  It looks sort of like this:

[dining room][kitchen][multi-purpose]

Farid first called me at work to discuss his discovery regarding the subfloor.  Or what we expected would be subfloor.  It turns out that the previous owners simply laid the laminate floor over the original VCT flooring (that's vinyl composition tile for those of you playing the home version).  On one hand, cool!  Original flooring!  On the other hand, gross!  It's in really bad shape.  Oh, and they did remove the VCT in the kitchen area.  So there's an eighth-of-an-inch height difference.  Farid said that he could smooth the transition between multi-purpose and kitchen, perhaps add an extra layer of underflooring, but it might still slope a bit.  Bummer.  But OK.

Farid next called me to let me know that he would not be able to make a seamless transition between kitchen and dining room.  The previous installers had left an inch or so gap and covered it with an edging strip.  We would not have the seamless floor, but it would still be pretty good.  We knew going in this was a strong possibility, but it's unfortunate to get the confirmation.  Bummer.  But OK.

Farid called me the third time at work today regarding the flooring product itself.  Manufacturer correct?  Check.  Model number correct?  Check.  Name of color correct?  Check.  Looks the same as the existing flooring?  Nope.  "It's a little bit lighter."  Farid tells me.  How much lighter?  "You probably want to come see."  Ouch.

So I do come and see.  And it is lighter.  Significantly lighter.  Noticeably lighter.  I make an executive decision -- we replace the entire floor!  Yes, we go from 100 square feet to 500.  But now we get one color.  We get the seamless floor.  We even get the sub-floor difference taken care of as Farid can lay the planks strategically to best account for the height difference.  Below is a photo of the area with new green Silent Walk layer, and some of those strategically placed planks:


Silent Walk, Holy Walk

Wait... did I forget something?  Oh yes, consulting with Lauren.  When she arrives home later I spill the beans, taking her through each of the various issues, what we (I) decided and how much extra it would likely cost.  Lauren, bless her heart, agreed in full.  Gotta love her!

We then looked at our various under-cabinet lighting options.  Farid had chosen six different options, various types of fluorescent, LED and xenon lights.  We settled on the xenon.  The LED was too green, too cold.  The fluorescent was too, well, fluorescent.

Tomorrow (Thursday) floors go down and cabinet installation begins. Stay tuned for more photos.

Monday, January 3, 2011

1/3/2011 - Day One: Demo

Today is/was demo day. That means a lot of banging and whacking. Dust and debris. I'd love to say that's what I imagined it to be, but no, I was here. For all of it. After a prompt trip to urgent care this morning, I was diagnosed with strep throat and an ear infection.

<A little back story on this... I've been on-and-off not well for a few months it seems. But each time I'd end up recovering on my own and giving all credit to my exceptional genes. Well, the past 2 weeks I've had a sore throat. Nothing horrible, but there. I just used Tylenol to get by and assumed my genetic superiority would come through again. That was dumb. This morning my throat had white spots. No bueno. I needed a professional, I needed antibiotics>

I got an Rx, filled it and returned home. Well, there was no sleeping. Partly because of the noise but also bc i just had a good solid 9hrs of sleep during the night. I did a great job of not getting involved, in the way, or otherwise letting my curious nature interfere with the hard work these good men were doing.

I completely trust our contractor. As things were taken out today, there were no surprises. That's really good news because you never know what's under the appliances, under the old tiling, you just don't know what you're going to find. So we got over a major hurdle. I'm excited to come home tomorrow evening and see the floors. So far, not much to look at, but here's the gut job:
The sink used to live here
cabinet graveyard, outside

"welcome to my gutted kitchen"





Sunday, January 2, 2011

As of today, only "after" photos

We took many pics today to document our "Before" area. It is both exciting and nerve wracking to imagine an empty space tomorrow evening, where a kitchen stands today. Good bye to our oven, stovetop, refrigerator, dishwasher, sink, floor, pantry, cabinets- everything!

One of the biggest improvements will be to get rid of the pantry to extend the space. Pantry today:
 The other areas of impact will be removing the tower that now holds the micro and oven:
And then extending the new cabinets and countertops through, into the now empty family room:

I'm very excited to see the color palette at work. Over the years my eye for design has evolved. I'm very drawn to cool tones like blue, gray and white. This area is very warm with the wood tones, brownish-red granite and sandy yellow floor and tile. The new palate will compliment other elements of our home and inspire a feeling of calmness and order. It may not be for many weeks that we have pics of the new counters and backsplash-- those things are done toward the end.

We bought all new LG appliances, they should arrive in another week or so.


Not so huge, not so functional
This thing is HUGE!!
Mark found the biggest sink I've ever seen (yet always wanted!) and it will make doing the dishes almost enjoyable. Almost. See the current and new.




I will have the initial demo pics later Monday night. How exciting!!