Completion (with a twist)

Here we are at the end of a 4 month odyssey capped by a fevered past 4 weeks. The kitchen is done - all the major appliances are installed and operating, Carolyn and I have reclaimed our space and sense of order (and along with that our sanity!) just in time for our vacation to New York and Pennsylvania. I can say we need the rest and break from the juggling act of being busy at work and even busier at times at home. I can see why it is said 'you only remodel a kitchen once in your life' - I have no desire to do this again and from everything we have heard, this job went extremely smooth.

Well, on to the photos - how about a short recap?

Before


After


Before


After


So... I am sure the 'with a twist' comment is causing a bit of curiosity. Well, we had planned to have an Insta-Hot dispenser installed by the sink and the shank was too short for the solid countertops. John from New Concepts Plumbing was going to try and get here this morning and install the Insta-Hot that has a longer shank... but he was unable to pick it up last night for a first thing in the morning installation. So... we are complete in the sense we can cook and live normally again. We won't be 'complete' until the Insta-Hot dispenser is installed after our vacation.

Still almost done...

Yes, you are reading the title correctly. In spite of incredible efforts to get this project completed on time, we have slipped into the 'extra day' I built into the schedule for an emergency but didn't want to use. First, the 'hole' snafu mentioned and photographed yesterday was resolved by John of New Concepts Plumbing with a nifty tool that cut the notch and placing the air switch for the disposal in that location. But... even after he warned me to watch out for 'short shanked plumbing fixtures', it turned out the Insta-Hot dispenser's shank is just that... too short. So, no Insta-Hot was installed, but he was able to get the faucet, disposal, air gap for the dishwasher and sink drains installed. Because he was working under the sink, the dishwasher install and range install was postponed until later in the day while the refrigerator and wine cellar were easily placed by the other team from King and Bunny's.

Here's a look at how the kitchen looked at that stage...









and that is how the kitchen is right now. The range and dishwasher installer called to coordinate the install at 4PM or the next morning and I opted for the 4PM time frame as I want the job done (see opening portion of this post). He then called at 3:20 stating he was behind and also having a family emergency and would be over to complete the install the next morning. What can you do but deal with it - although this presented a challenge as John was scheduled to be here at that time to install the new Insta-Hot (as he can get the 'good ones' with the longer shank). I informed John who really didn't want to come by to find out he wouldn't be able to install if the dishwasher or range was being installed. I said, he had first shot at the area and the other installer would be put on 'hold' to wait until he was done - I mean it is probably only 1/2 hour job to complete at this stage. Unfortunately, John's last job of the day ran over and he was unable to pick up the new Insta-Hot - and won't be able to get it installed until after our vacation. I can accept not having an Insta-Hot right now - but the range and dishwasher will be installed tomorrow come hell or high water...

Stay tuned!

Almost done!

The new counter tops were installed today. They look beautiful, but I have to say - while the installers were polite, they didn't leave me with a 'happy' feeling. First, the good stuff though...








But they failed to tell me about this little snafu!




It looks like I will have to 'customize' the side of the sink base cabinet in order to install the Insta-Hot dispenser...

Heading into the home stretch with... molding?

It was a busy weekend that saw me wither on my hands and knees or stretching from a step stool working on molding. Of course, we had a few minor kitchen molding elements to handle ourselves. We pulled the old brown molding in the kitchen nook off when the floor was being replaced and knew we would need to replace the door frame going into the DVD library/dining room. The kitchen nook was fairly straightforward - we needed some pre-primed MDF molding in the profile to match the rest of the house and some rounded corners. After painting these with the enamel trim paint (using my trusty paint sprayer to get a nice even finish), I set the corners and then proceeded to measure twice and cut once for each piece, making sure I was cutting the corners in the correct direction. ;-) See for yourself...




Similarly, I held back a few rounded corners and picked up 3 nice clear wood trim molding and finished those with the stain provided by Superior Cabinets. These trim boards would make up the door frame (that was brown to match the existing kitchen) and needed to match the new cabinets. The stain looked great, but the boards needed a bit of luster. So... I pulled out an bottle of MinWax finish I used on the DVD shelves and entertainment center and proceeded to give them a bit of luster and deepening the color. After a few coats, all was ready. Again, this job was fairly straightforward and here are the results.





So that covers the on my hands and knees aspect of this post (except for the door frame which I could reach comfortably) and I bet you are asking where's the step stool come in. Well, I had left a project to languish for quite some time and chose this time to finish it. As many of you know, we have a pool table in the deep red living room and I never finished the room with crown molding as originally planned. After some trouble getting the right 'parts', I had everything together and while painting the other trim with the trim paint, I painted the crown molding and blocks too. Saturday I spent cutting, drilling, nailing, and caulking crown molding in the 'pool room'. Now, I can say the job is done...

The new blinds - a very nice touch

Thanks to Carolyn, we now have new blinds. I will admit, I always knew the old ones needed to go, but couldn't ever decide on what to replace them with. Well, Carolyn called 3 Day Blinds and they sent out a well prepared representative and we were off to the races. Today, Scott came and installed the blinds we had ordered. Carolyn wanted a wood venetian style blind in the kitchen window that closely matched the new cabinets. This is what we found and it is a far cry from the terrible metal mini-blind that was there and almost an exact match to the color!



The vertical blinds on the sliding door and two windows in the entertainment room needed replacement - a sort of dingy gray with a black stripe, so we went with this...





leaving only the metallic copper mini-blind in the dining room/DVD library. So we opted for this matching vertical blind, complete with center draw function!



Today also saw a visit from Ken at Superior Cabinets to replace the chipped door and shelf. While he was here, he checked the installation and adjusted the doors and was kind enough to install the last handle.

We are now set and ready for the counter tops on Monday!

Counter tops

We are now under a week to being completed - the next phase is the counter top installation. Here is a picture of the counter top we chose...



and the Cambria USA site's page with how it looks in a kitchen.

The pantry

As promised, here is a look at one of the key changes in the new kitchen... the pantry. Before it was just a closet like space with wire shelving, now it is a functional area with great access due to the pull out shelves. Of course, we 'technically' lost some actual square footage in the transition, but we gained so much more functional space that I think we are leaps and bounds ahead.

Here's a better look at the pantry, before it gets loaded!

Ready for counter tops...

Yesterday, the cabinet installation was completed with the addition of door and drawer pulls along with crown and base molding. Today the team from Fine-Line Pacific will be here to create the templates for the new solid surface counter tops. Carolyn and I selected a product called 'Cambria', a man-made solid surface product with the look of quartz without the periodic maintenance required for granite. After today, work slows down quite drastically as we wait for the counters to be fabricated. During this slow period, we'll be busy painting and installing the base molding around the walls and pocket door frame, cleaning and loading the upper cabinets, and having new blinds installed.

Here's the look of the new kitchen with the protective paper removed...








Here's a look at the new 'pantry'. I'll focus a post on it and the other specialty cabinets separately tomorrow or Saturday.

Cabinet Installation - Day 2

Today brought a flurry of activity as the cabinet installation progressed along with the plumbing of the new gas line to the island. Jim and Robert worked to finish placing the base cabinets and then hung the upper cabinets with precision to insure an exact amount of workspace in between. Jim also worked on placing the island, coordinating with John so the new gas line would be in the proper position based on the range installation requirements. Of course, the range arrived today in the midst of the fun and thankfully John and Scott checked the gas line with 'smoke' and found a leak that needed to be addressed. The gas line was a bit more difficult to add than originally planned and John assisted Scott in getting over the challenges. All in all, a lot of work was completed - as evidenced in the pictures below.

Cabinet installation - Day 1

Wow! The cabinets look great and the excitement is building to get this project complete. Of course, I know the most difficult part is yet to come - waiting the 10 days for the counter tops to be fabricated, but this is exciting nonetheless. Anyway, it seems like things are on track - no major surprises yet - and the gas line will be run today while Jim and his team (of one!) finish the cabinet installation.

Naturally, the pictures show the utter chaos currently consuming the house and as those of you that know Carolyn and I, it is a bit daunting. Yes, I will admit we are 'neatniks' - those people with Felix Unger tendencies (without the outrageous compulsion he displayed) so the 'displacement' is taking a toll on our nerves - especially me as I have been working from home most of this time. To say I have a bit of cabin fever is an understatement. Heck, I was overjoyed to cruise to Home Depot this morning to pick up a few new drawer handles as the ones we purchased wouldn't fit the narrow drawers in the island...

So without further ado, here's today's pictures!

Wooohooo - The cabinets arrive!!!

As scheduled, the Superior Cabinets truck backed into the driveway around 7:30, ready to unload the cabinetry. After showing the guys kitchen layout, they decided to deliver them all inside, rather than the garage. Works for me and I know Jim the installer will be happy to not have to move them in from there.

It's a cover up!

That's right - cover up the floors that is! After the nice flooring job was completed, we spent Sunday night covering them up to protect them during the cabinet delivery and install. Believe me, it was not exactly easy work being on my hands and knees (no wise cracks from the peanut gallery!) taping and cutting and getting the job done after 10PM.

But here is the end result...






Carolyn said this looks like a bowling alley. Funny, because I felt like a 7-10 split afterwards!

Flooring finished

This morning the carpet guy showed up to finish the flooring job by stretching and affixing the carpet to the tack strip along the new hardwood floor. It took all of 30 minutes - he and his helper were fast and efficient.

New flooring installed!

We have now turned a corner. Along with the painting Carolyn and I did last night, iFloor.com's team arrived this morning to install the new maple flooring. We are officially done with demo and tear out and are now completing tasks toward the remodel. The guys arrived early (before 9) and left close to 5 and knocked this out of the park!

Take a look for yourselves...

The entry way from above...


The entry way from the pool room...


The powder room...


The kitchen...


Remember how I mentioned the transition between the entry way and the kitchen/family room? Well, I had no reason to worry - this was the solution they implemented to my request. I have to admit this is better than I suggested.

From the sliding door in the breakfast nook...


Detail of the transition...