Plumbing and more!

I met with John of New Concepts Plumbing to get a bid for installing the gas line for the new range. We discussed also putting a gas line out for the barbeque. He showed me some options and I have to say, he taught me a thing or two. I decided on the gas feed to the patio with a safety connect and he showed me some other plumbing options like an air switch for activating the disposal. I never really thought much about it, but what a great idea - a simple air activated switch to turn on and off the disposal. No more reaching for the electrical switch with wet hands - definitely a great feature. He also showed me the best faucet connections to install (or he would do it for extra) and I have to say, that was refreshing also. I scheduled him to be here when Jim was installing the cabinets so they could coordinate on the placement of the gas line in the island. One more thing set, now to hope everyone stays on schedule!

Appliances

One of the driving factors to this remodel is the pain the backside range in the kitchen. Back in January, I was fed up with it and wanted to just replace it. Carolyn and I went to King and Bunny's in Renton and wanted to have a new range installed in short order. Jason, the sales guy and I were discussing remodeling and he suggested we not buy anything right now if we wanted to remodel anytime soon. He suggested we just do it - we would be much happier that way and spend less money than if we installed a new range only to remove it for a remodel. I have to say his candor was refreshing - of course he was right and I knew it. He could have had a sale right then, but he was more concerned with a satisfied customer than just making a deal. So we stopped by on Easter Sunday and who was working but King himself. Carolyn and I had done our research on the appliances and since we were going with a new stainless gas range, we knew we would need to replace all the older black appliances to have a consistent look. We made King's day by ordering the new range, a new counter depth refrigerator, and a dishwasher - all Jenn-Air EuroStyle stainless and a KitchenAid disposal.







I asked for the range to be delivered before the counter tops were templated and he said no problem. The remainder of the appliances would be delivered and installed once the counter tops were installed. He gave us a great deal and now we have one more thing done. He recommended a top notch plumber to handle the installation of the gas line for the new range. Now to schedule that work...

Scheduling fun

The installer, Jim, recommended by Steve stopped by to check out the work needed and give us a bid on the job. What a character - such a nice guy and very reasonable. We have him on the 'team' scheduled to demo the kitchen a week before the cabinets arrive so the floor can be laid. The iFloor scheduler, Raina, was ready to go immediately, but was easy to work with given our scheduling needs. They will deliver the new flooring a few days ahead and tear out the existing hardwoods at that time - everything starts with that job on April 10th. Now to get the appliances... and we know just were to go!

One more thing down...

Saturday, Carolyn and I stopped by the iFloor store and finalized the deal on the new hardwood floors. Now to schedule everyone so we will be without a kitchen the minimal amount of time...

Writing a large check...

Steve stopped by the house as scheduled to take the final measurements and get the cabinet order completed. He really liked the house, especially the pool table in the living room.



He took all the necessary measurements and checked them twice. We discussed the next steps, potential delivery dates, and installation arrangements. He suggested a guy they work with closely and regularly, which was fine by me. We discussed the flooring options and he agreed with our desire to have the flooring installed wall to wall first, then install the cabinets on top rather than install the cabinets on underlayment and then install the new flooring up to it. So after all the discussion, it came down to writing the check... 1/2 down for the cabinets and all cost for the counter tops. Of course, Carolyn passed the check book to me for that deed...

Now that the cabinet order has been executed, it is time to get the rest moving forward - flooring, cabinet installation, and appliances. Oh, and also getting gas plumbed into the island!

500 square feet of flooring and you want what?

The iFloor estimator arrived and took all the measurements, but was a bit aloof on my desire to have a 'dog leg' in the floor to handle the offset in the walls of the entertainment room that adjoins the kitchen. The entry way flows through an arched entry into this joint room - I want the entertainment room to remain carpet, but want the hardwood to flow into the kitchen. I guess you could describe it as a 'walkway'. I also didn't want the hardwood floor to be 'squared' with the archway as it would run to 1/3 of the way under a window in the entry way and really shrink the entertainment room visually. He didn't say they couldn't do it - he said to discuss it with the installer...

Cabinets and flooring, Oh My!

Our meeting with Steve was extremely productive. I had taken some pictures of the kitchen and brought them along - after seeing it, Steve agreed the best option was the 'as is' plan. We setup a meeting for the following week for him to make the final measurements so we could start making the schedule upon execution of the work.

We stopped by the iFloor store and spoke with Dante again. Rather than attempt to match the existing oak hardwood floor, we asked about replacing the existing floor, the 'bridge' of carpet, and the kitchen floor with maple. He said that was an option and we scheduled their estimator to come visit and make the necessary measurements. It seemed things were coming together...

Now we're getting somewhere!

We received Steve's drawings and estimates. The upgraded kitchen design was extremely close to the previous designers layout. The design required removing the soffits from the kitchen and doing drywall work, re-routing electric and plumbing, and adding overhead ventilation. The costs were reasonable for the cabinets and counter tops, but it was the 'as is' design Steve came up with that hit the nail on the head. Steve had gotten rid of our blind corner cabinets in favor of a heavy duty lazy susan below and a corner cabinet with full access via a hinged door. To provide us the optimal use of our existing pantry space, he designed a custom cabinet to fit in the large 'closet' with roll out shelves and doors to match the rest of the cabinetry. Overall the costs weren't that different, it was really a matter of what we wanted to endure at this point. Carolyn and I realized that Steve had eliminated the problem areas in our current kitchen and allowed the elements we liked to really come through. We decided that evening to go with the 'as is' design.

We set up a meeting to meet with Steve on Saturday to iron out the specifics. The remodel was back on!

More research...

Carolyn and I headed out to investigate doing the kitchen remodel ourselves. Lucky for us, one of our first stops was at Superior Cabinets in Tukwila. We met Steve and discussed with him our kitchen remodel desires. Steve listened intently to what we liked in the current kitchen and what we didn't like. I had made a drawing of the current kitchen layout with measurements and Steve said from that and our discussions, he would draw up 2 plans - one for the kitchen as is with a few amenities and another with major upgrades. He said he would fax us the drawings in a few days. We left with a good feeling and restored confidence this project would get off the ground.

Around the corner from Superior Cabinets is an iFloor.com store. We stopped in to take a look at the flooring options and picked up a few free samples. One of the catches to the kitchen remodel is the need to replace the worn and tired vinyl floor. I have always wanted the hardwood entry and kitchen to flow together - removing the carpet 'bridge' that gets the heaviest traffic in the house. We met with Dante and he gave us good advice on the flooring options and there was no pressure to buy. We had two options rolling and we ended the day of rollercoaster emotions on a higher note.

You're out!

With our excitement at a fever-pitch over the stunning kitchen we had discussed the previous weekend, our designer showed up and went through the plan. He had a proposal ready - 1/3 due upon execution, 1/3 at the half-way point and the balance upon completion and acceptance. The shocker... the cost was double our budget and was going to take 7 to 8 weeks to complete! So much for the 'ballpark' figure...

We looked at each other as the new kitchen dream went up in smoke and said we had to think about it and excused ourselves. The deflation from such elation was bitter, but I was determined to remodel the kitchen. I told Carolyn to get her coat as I would show her how I was going to do it and stay in budget...