Yr 2 - Day 299

Countertop is in!! Just need the final plumbing and she's good to go. Oh and for some reason the Electrolux Icon induction cooktop won't power up so someone is coming to check on that.





The view to the old kitchen the day we viewed the house. (where the old stove is is where the new oven is.)








The Old kitchen now.








New kitchen - wheeeeeee! (The pendants and sink are approx. where the old wall used to be)

Yr 2 - Day 299

Countertop is in!! Just need the final plumbing and she's good to go. Oh and for some reason the Electrolux Icon induction cooktop won't power up so someone is coming to check on that.

Build Fireplace Mantel Reprive

This is a do over of an article about how I built my own fireplace mantel. It's now painted gloss white and the brick work is refinished (see entries below).







It's done - Bob will have somewhere to hang his stocking. I bought the lumber for everything but the pilaster molding and top and bottom blocks - that came as a pilaster kit from Lowes (?). I got some good guides to how to do the structure from here

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hi_fireplace/article/0,2037,DIY_13914_2269267,00.html

and here

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/bw0011.asp

and here

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/buildfireplacemantel

Faux Brick Finish on Fireplace Reprive

This is a republish of a post from January 25th, 2007 for Houseblogs.net Fireplace tagging thingy:








Slowly getting back into some projects after a lull over Xmas. Have mainly been concentrating on the kitchen project but last night I took on the brick surround on the fireplace (yet again). Last effort was four coats of paint stripper and no brick in sight (first two coats were an environmentally-friendly stripper that you left on for 24hrs til it changed color, 2nd two coats were a chemical stripper but still no luck.
I headed to Lowes and got some heavy duty (50) sand paper for the Mouse and also a bunch of brick red paint swatches. I sanded the brick a bit and results were mixed - some of the paint came off easily but some was on there for good so I decided I have to do the faux paint. Back to Lowes but this time I had matched the swatches to the actual brick tones and bought 3 sample pots of paint ($3.98 each and a "pouncer" brush to stipple - couldn't bring myself to drop $15 on a sponge). The mid color that I painted on first was American Century Tropical Nut, then a stippling of the just slightly darker Cliveden Henna Red and then a stippling over that of a slightly lighter color - Florentine Clay - that I softened and dispersed a lot more with the brush to get that kind of effervescence white sheen that you get on bricks.
I think the results were pretty good - the flash doesn't help the photo. I painted on the medium shade first and then stippled the darker tone on top and then stippled the lighter tone over that being sure to really work it so that it looked like a soft smudge and not edgey. The samples only came in satin but I didn't want to buy a quart of flat so I might have to hit it all with a matt clear top coat. Just need to go back tonight and get a cement color for the mortar and then I can start priming/painting the mantel/wood surround.

Went back to Lowes tonight with another matching color swatch but wanted to check if there was any ready-made mortar in a tub that I could use as the painting was going to be a pain. Luckily Lowes had Quikrete Textured Mortar Repair ($1.99) - think grey bath caulk with sand and grit in it. So I just smoothed that on with my fingers in to the mortar groove and wiped off the edges of the brick and I think it looks fab. It really needs a wash coat to cut the new and clean look, to give it a bit of grime so I will have to look into that but apart from that it was a much easier, quicker project than I had anticipated.

I have since added a faint glaze as I thought everything looked too new and clean cut. I went back to Lowes and picked up a small bottle of their premixed Antique Glaze, it's in the Faux Painting display area. I was originally going to darken some individual bricks to give it the reused chimney brick look but I just faintly added some "dirt" all over - bricks and mortar with an old towel and as with the paint colors worked it really well so that there were no hard edges or obvious splodges. Fireplace mantel has since been painted gloss white.

Year 2 - Day 282

It's always good to pause and reflect.








Before






After minus fridge, DW, countertop and cooktop

Year 2 - Day 282

3" hole, 6" duct. You do the math.










Ay carumba! The range hood is up but not without much crunching of brain cells, wringing of hands and of course the able help of Bob. Many challenges as usual. 1) our ceiling is only 7'6" so with the hood at the recommended 28" above the cooktop that left us with just over 14" to get the duct up, through a 90 degree turn and out the wall; 2) The center point for the range hood was right on a stud, a stud which happened to be the LH stud of a panned in stud bay that was a return for the HVAC which couldn't be violated; 3) The outer edge of the range hood chimney was about 3-1/2" from the center line and had a 5/8" flange that sat against the wall, this gave us an effective useable space for the outgoing duct of approx. 3"; 4) The duct collar coming out of the range hood was 6" circular and centered on the range hood so that also compromised the fit of the ducting.










This picture shows the final solution: having hummedand ha'd and visited Lowes and HD and searched the web, I visited a plumbing supply place that I passed on hte way to my Drs. I explained my challenge to a nice chap at in N&S Supply, Danbury, CT and out of the many ducts he showed me we found a 90 degree elbow that was 6" round on one end and 6" oval on the other. This was like it was custom made for me! The vertical oval was 3" at it's widest section (see 2nd top picture) - just enough to go through the gap that we had. I had to shorten both the 6" round cone part and the 6" oval part to get it to turn a full 90 degrees in the 14" that we had to work with. I sheet metal screwed it and aluminum taped it to stop it breaking apart when we shoved it through the wall. I also extended the oval end so that it would extend all the way through the wall.



Here it is in all it's friggin' glory. We hung the range hood part first and then Bob suggested I elongate the hole in the wall upwards so that I had play to push the duct through the wall and slide it over the range hood collar. He also suggested I cut the back of the duct into a couple flanges to assist it over the collar. Bob I know you are a genius so here are your props for that. With those tweaks done the two ducts defied all physics and the 2" offset that was between them and slipped together like a charm. The only loss was that we couldn't do the chimney in one piece but you can barely see the telescoping overlap. I also had to trim down the wall flanges on the chimney as they where touching the duct on the LH side and preventing the chimney sections from nesting correctly and making it look shitey instead of fab.










So today I just had to finish off the outside. As usual still not a straight forward job as the siding wasn't level so I filled it in with some siding offcuts (see there's a reason why you shouldn't throw anything away until the whole job is done) turned the opposite way to the boards so that I got a flat surface so that the plastic cover would sit flush with the siding. I also had to customize the plastic duct vent as it was made for 6" round. After filling in the gaps around the duct with insulating foam, I cut the duct extension into flanges so that it I could sheet metal screw it to the siding. I then aluminum taped over all screws and seams to fully seal the duct exit and then screwed the plastic cover to the wall and caulked where it touched the wall. I have burnt more brain cells on this project than I did on moving the window but I think the final result has been worth it.

Year 2 - Day 282

Ay carumba! The range hood is up but not without much crunching of brain cells, wringingof hands and of course the able help of Bob. Many challenges as usual. 1) our ceiling is only 7'6" so with the hood at the recommended 28" above the cooktop that left us with just over 14" to get the duct up, through a 90 degree turn and out the wall; 2) The center point for the range hood was right on a stud, a stud which happened to be the LH stud of a panned in stud bay that was a return for the HVAC which couldn't be violated; 3) The outer edge of the range hood chimney was about 3-1/2" from the center line and had a 5/8" flange that sat against the wall, this gave us an effective usuable space for the outgoing duct of approx. 3"; 4) The duct collar coming out of the range hood was 6" circular and centered on the range hood.
This picture shows the final solution: I explained my challenge to a local plumbing supply store (N&S Supply, Danbury, CT) and out of the many ducts they showed me we found a 90 degree elbow that was 6" round on one end and 6" oval on the other. This was like it was custom made for me! The vertical oval was 3" at it's widest section - just enough to go through the gap that we had. I had to shorten both the 6" round cone part and the 6" oval part to get it to turn a full 90 degrees in the 14" that we had to work with. I sheet metal screwed it and aluminum taped it to stop it breaking apart when we shoved it through the wall. I also extended the oval end so that it would extend all the way through the wall.











Here it is in all it's friggin' glory.










So today I just had to finish off the outside. As usual still not a stright forward job as the siding wasn't level so I filled it in with some siding offcuts turned the opposite way to the boards so that I got a flat surface so that the plastic cover would sit flush with the siding. I also had to customize the plastic duct vent as it was made for 6" round. After filling in teh gaps around the duct with insulating foam, I cut the duct extension into flanges so that it I could sheet metal screw it to the siding. I then aluminum taped over all screws and seams to fully seal the duct exit and then screwed the plastic cover to the wall and caulked the where it touched the wall. I have burnt more brain cells on this project than I did on moving the window but I thinkthe final result has been worth it.

Year 2 - Day 271

Chris, the countertop installer, came last night to measure/template. It's quite an interesting process. Also just heard that they will have the Paperstone slab by end of the day this Friday so if they can schedule it in for about a week's turnaround then we might be looking at installation the week of Nov 5th, which makes perfect sense because I begin a 10-day run of work on Sony Ericsson tennis on the 4th (f**k!) so might have to push it back to week of Nov 12th when I will likely be off for a couple days.

Year 2 - Day 263

A small celebration is in order: I started unpacking the kitchen stuff and putting it in the new cupboards! Quite exciting and I vowed not to stuff it all back in but to only put what we use. Then with a couple of planks on top of the base cabinets until the countertop arrives we prepared dinner at an ergonomic counter height. I couldn't believe how different it was from stooping over a cutting board balanced on top of a 30" high bar stool! It was bliss!

Called the countertop guy. He is based in Kingston, NY and tries to come and measure only when he is making deliveries to Danbury. But we want him in ASAP to measure and get this thing going. I told him we're both at home tomorrow and then after that it's off until at least next week. I do not want this last step of the puzzle to become the never-ending saga.

Year 2 - Day 261

Ups and downs. Went to DHL to pick up the Zephyr Savona 30" range hood. Order instructions said to open the box and inspect for damage BEFORE signing. DHL guy said I couldn't open the box UNTIL AFTER I had signed. So in trying to assess any damage to the inside by looking at the outside I noticed that the label said 36". Too wide. If I had the sapce I would've just taken it but we only have space now the cabinets are up for a 30-incher. Called them today and they will ship the correct size (and likely be glad to get the more expensive 36" one back). We will have to wait a bit longer.
One the upside, the kitchen sink and faucet should arrive today by FedEx. (More sexy, shiny objects.) We ordered these from a website called irawoods.com that listed them for a over $400 less than list on the faucet and about $200 less than list on the sink. There seemed to be a lot of bad customer reviews for irawoods.com so I called the gal and when she said there was only 1 faucet showing in stock I made her go back into the warehouse and actually put her hands on it. (Maybe she did, maybe she was bluffing, maybe she said she was going back to the warehouse and would call me in 15 minutes and maybe she slipped out the back for a quick coffee and a fag.) Also the price she had for the sink was $40 less than their website price so I did a rush order to be sure that it would get picked immediately.
We had shopping for the sink and faucet at Klaff's in Danbury. I arrived there about 5pm a day or so ago and I was doing research and talking to one assistant (Joan) while I waited for Bob. She was EXTREMELY snooty, put down any questions I asked about differences in product and didn't like when Bob asked why the sink on display had two large dents in it and how would ours hold up if we bought that one. Anyhoo I said we would take the ($600) faucet - the LK7420 springy thing - very stylee. She called it a "pulldown" although technically it didn't. Then to my shock she looked at her watch and said "oh, we close at 5:30 pm, I'm leaving now." And like that she was gone. Needless to say we did not even get the chance to give her any money. All I can say is what an ass. Very disappointing.
So the next day I went to Klaff's in Norwalk as I still was confused about finishes - every manufacturer has different names for basically the same finish. I had thought that Joan was just a one-off but I got "helped" in Klaff's Norwalk by a guy who was equally snooty as Joan. First of all he didn't seem to want to help me and then I said "I have a couple quick questions, I only need you for 5 minutes." However we got talking and I wanted to know about the finish onan Elkay sink. "Oh, it's all nuances," he said, "Nuances." I'm thinking "well yeah, that's why I'm asking you". Then he slagged off the Elkay faucet and told me not to buy it and recommended a 4-5ft high KRW faucet that would have touched my ceiling. So I asked him "well, what part of the Elkay faucet has the problem", "oh it's throughout". "So, how is their warranty?" I asked. "Oh, you'd be dealing with me, you'd be dealing with me." He shouted. "And how is their customer service?" I continued. "Oh, you'd be dealing with me, you'd be dealing with me", he continued. I was thinking secretly to myself, "well let me tell you buddy I ABSOLUTELY will NOT be dealing with you, my friend." Just another Klaff's ass. Incredible.
So I have decided that the Klaff's in Danbury is not there to actually serve the Danbury population, it's so the Litchfield yahoos don't have to drive all the way to Norwalk anymore to drop full list.
I will say that I then called on Torrington Supply Plumbing and Heating and wow! talk about night and day. Super helpful and pleasant, gave us catalogs and really helped us understand the rpoduct and could show us examples of finishes. If I had a bottomless budget I would've bought from Torrington but we ended up shopping for price but Torrington will be my store of choice from now on.

Year 2 - Day 259

HAD to use the new oven last night so baked up some pumpkin muffins. It was from a Trader Joe's mix so still not the real deal but fun. That oven is dah bomb.

Year 2 - Day 258

World's sexiest oven!

















And we can do all this with it!

Electricians came yesterday to finish up the electrical and move the downlight that is too close to the crown molding over the fridge. On the phone the guy had said that he'd likely have to cut a big square out of the (new) ceiling to retreive the "new construction" downlight and move it. Mark Briganti, our kitchen installer, suggested abandoning the offending light fixture in the ceiling and cutting a new hole and putting in an "old work" downlight. We'd obviously pay for the $75 fixture that we were abandoning and the new fixture but it would save us having to cut the ceiling and patch a 16" square hole. Seemed worth it to me and when I went back downstairs to suggest it to the electrician his face lit up with the thought. "Man, I wish we had more customers like you," his assitant said nicely. Apparently any chance to not cut loads of sheetrock and get covered in plaster dust is a good thing for them. Rob, the main electrician had one concern in that the trim on the light fittings might not match but it did so I only had to patch the round hole left from the old fixture rather than a huge hole and I used the 5" circle he cut for the new one to do that.

So that was one small victory. Another part of the day was wiring in the double oven. The thing weighed a ton, 345lbs the paperwork said, and we had to get the thing over to the oven cabinet so he could wire it in. I asked if he would actually install it and he said "oh no, it's too heavy and Orlando (his assistant) can't lift anything". Fine, no worries the installer could install it but we had to get it over to the cabinet so it could be wired in. The electrician mentioned a dolly and I popped out to the U-Haul that is just about a mile down the road and rented a flat dolly for $7 for the day. I also remembered some lifting straps (those cheesy "Forearm Forklifts" you see advertised on TV, which, it turns out aren't that cheesy after all) that I had bought when I bought the U-Haul moving blankets to protect the floors.
I came home and for some bizarre reason I actually read the oven installation instructions before we installed it rather than whilst standng in front of it installed scratching my head as to why there was one bracket left over.
These instructions had good advice: "remove doors, fix levels and racks before lifting to reduce weight." Seeing as there was a possibility that I might be the one helping with the lifting this seemed a good idea. So I removed both oven doors with the flick of a lever and a gentle tug and the oven racks and then I removed the side rails that hold the racks. Curious, I hopped on the bathroom scale with one door - 40lbs! - so all-in-all that dropped at least 100lbs off the weight of the oven, maybe more.
I mentioned to Bob on the phone what we were doing and maybe he and I could install the oven when he got home and then later the electrician said we would do it. So we lifted the oven onto the dolly and wheeled it across the kitchen effortlessly. Infact it was now so light that we didn't really need the dolly and the electrician and I could quite easily have waltzed around the kitchen with that thing.
Couple of pilot holes later and I had the brackets installed and then we slid it into place, powered her up and she came to life like something from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". The clock is on all the time but when you touch the panel it lights up on a ramp up kind of lighting gradually but quickly going from off to glowing in a second or two.

Doors back on and racks and everything in and SHE IS A BEAUTY!!

Year 2 - Day 253

Can't find the pic of the corner with the old kitchen and the new duct so this will have to do.









The new practically custom-built built-in that boxes around the ducts and frames in the fridge.

Year 2 - Day 253

The hardware. Installed vertically on the doors and horizontally on the drawers. Adds a bit of curve and fanciness to all the straight lines and will really tie-in with the almost black countertops.

Year 2 - Day 253

Here's a quick summary of the day by day progress:









End of day 1









End of day 2










End of day 3










End of day 4

Year 2 - Day 251

Year 2 - Day 250

The kitchen installation guys are here! Mark Briganti and Stew (and Kevvie (the cat) has buried himself deep under the bed covers) to get away from it. The cats really have put up with a lot even though these two guys are not that noisy.

I can say already what a good decision it was to hire these guys rather than do it ourselves. We hired them really because of a box-in that had to be done around a duct but they have spent most of the morning shooting their levels due to the unlevel floor and strategizing how to do the boxed in corner and make the 2-piece crown molding build-up work with the cabinet height and the ceiling height.

Gil, our kitchen guy, didn't like our idea to mount the wall cabinets a little higher but that is exactly what Mark has suggested otherwise there is a 7.5" gap above the cabinets. We will move the cabinets 1-2" higher on the wall and it will be imperceptible and then the molding will work better and be easier to work with.

So far so good. We are also shooting a time lapse of the guys installing the kitchen - stay tuned.

Year 2 - Day 249

The last weekend (just about) for me. Spent priming, painting the trim and painting the ceiling and walls. I have to say it looks pretty snappy.

Year 2 - Day 245

We gain cabinets (lots of cabinets), we lose a dining room (temporarily).

Year 2 - Day 244

We have a date! (and no, it's not for the wedding! ha, ha) it's for the kitchen install. I went and coughed up the remaining balance on the cabinets this morning so that they can be delivered tomorrow for the installation to begin next Monday Oct 1.

We decided to hire a pro for the install so that it is done quickly and efficiently and any screw-ups are not our responsibility. I really hating picking between contractors and this one was tough but came down to availability. Mark Briganti could work better with our schedule than the other installer who was impressive and professional but way to busy to fit us in as soon as we would like. Although Mark is the guy who didn't call me back about moving the window that provoked me to do the framing work, I think he will be good for the install.

So I will take Mon/Tues/Wed off and Bob will be home/in the locale in general - maybe at the office but around for any decisions we have to make on site.

When I paid for the cabinets I picked up one cabinet door that is going to be a dummy door in the boxed in duct area. This way we can "ooh" and "ah" over it tonight.

I picked up 12 packing blankets from U-Haul to cover the newly finished hardwood floors so that they do not get trashed by the workmen next week. And now we have to clear all the cr*p off the screened-in porch so that the 40 or so boxes of cabinets and stuff have room to be delivered.

Then I/we have 'til Sunday night to finish installing the trim, priming, and painting (and probably a few other things that I have forgotten.)

Very exciting.