Varmint

Rachel, I was agreeing with Dave's work area lay-out. The eating bar should have light distributed across its length. We'll have wiring incorporated into the box that'll be covering up the I-beam. For a "mood" effect, I'd love something akin to this: This is an exaggerated cross section of the I-beam above the eating counter. The red circles represent fluorescent bulbs running the length of the box that the carpenter is building to cover the I-beam. Those fluorescents would operate off of a different switch than the small halogens at the bottom of the box. That way, we could have some nice backlighting onto the ceiling.

Folks, let's keep this focused on the role critics play rather than issues we have with each other. We're all entitled to our opinions, but when those opinions attack each other, we have to draw the line.

The website is actually incorporated in the cookbook site. Go here for a sample extended menu. This represents a lot of the restaurant's offerings, but there aren't nearly that many items on the menu on a given evening. Please report back, as I'm headed over there next week (and the week after that!).

I need you to shed all your collective light on me regarding this issue. I'm in the dark otherwise. Your help would really brighten my day. Enough of the inane.

That looks good, Dave. The reason I suggested halogen was simply because the fixtures are smaller and sexier (I may not want sexy appliances, but sexy lighting is cool!). Also, I could get smaller halogen tracks to replace the current incandescent arrangment. However, I know absolutely nothing about lighting, so please, shine your knowledge upon me (har back at you).

Yes. I actually meant the left side. I'm becoming more like Mrs. Varmint, who has always had problems with her left and right. But you would be standing in the doorway area to use the bookshelf.

Oh, the "work area" of the bookshelves will be on the right side, not the bottom as you have it.

I don't think the bookshelves (at the end of the SubZeros) will be a work area (although if you're configuring lighting, which just dawned on me might be the case, then lighting would be needed there). Also, the counter where the compactor currently is will be a marble slab -- thus, it's the pastry region. If this is for lighting, do we need something near the ovens? Everything is ok otherwise.

I'm thinking of putting a shallow cabinet at the end of the peninsula for the spices, etc. That way, I just have to rotate to get what I need. Again, that's a ton better than my current arrangement!

I sketched out the cabinetry arrangement along the new long counter area. That window will be great -- it's a view to the west, so we'll get filtered sunlight coming through the trees. There will be some good upper cabinets along that wall -- more than we currently have over the cooktop. I'm starting to think about the shelves and cabinets around the cooktop as well. There's not going to be much room in that area, but I'm thinking that I want a narrow row of upper cabinets on the left side, beside the hood. These actually might be shelves -- just a place to put some dinner plates. I like the idea of pulling down some plates off of a handy shelf on which to plop some food. I'm not sure about that right now. I may also want a drawer or two on the left to house some utensils. I need to play with this configuration for awhile. Regardless, I don't like the space that I'm losing by cutting off that corner of the cabinet. I may have to keep it square, as it'll still be better than the current configuration, with the eating bar intruding into the work area. This may be a spatial compromise that I have to make.

My favorite spot would be directly on a counter. I think it's the safest space for one. That's why I also said it could fit right on the countertop across from the fridge, right there in the corner on top of the wine fridge. I showed Mrs. Varmint where the microwave was going. She said it was perfect. She doesn't say stuff like that very often.

There will be two areas where much of the prepwork is done. The prep sink by the windows is designed to be a dedicated prep area. That sink will have its own disposal. The eating counter will act as a prep area when I'm doing simple things. But for big jobs, the eating counter and the long new counter will be considered secondary prep areas. One thing about the lighting above the eating counter is that we'll likely build a wood housing around the structural I-beam that sits above the counter. We can put the wiring in this housing, from which we can add lighting. The bottom of the I beam is but a half inch above the cabinets in this picture, which should help you visualize:

The windows exist now. Plus, the ceiling is quite low over there -- about 7-1/2 feet. Ah, the quirks of this kitchen. I've run the design by 2 architects and a kitchen designer with 30 years of experience. Looks like this plan is a "go." Now, it's time to talk about features. I saw all the bells and whistles that cabinets have today, and with the possible exception of a lazy susan and a couple of pull out drawers, I don't see anything else that's imperative. Ever since I started working at this firm, there have been a couple of huge granite slabs sitting out in the middle of the parking deck. I’m going to ask the building’s owner if he might consider my taking them off of his hands. Granite would be cool!!! Under the cooktop, I’m contemplating having open shelves rather than cabinets. Just an idea at this stage. I’ll have some drawers to the left to put various implements.

Plus, an island just turns my kitchen back into a maze -- one of the things that drives me crazy about it.

That's an excellent point, and one that I had not fully considered. But of course, they'll have total access to the sink and dishwasher, which is there appropriate spot!! Let me consider the island option again, although I don't like islands' ventilation that much.

I've already done that. The new configuration gives me a lot more space, simply because the unreachable corner is eliminated with the loss of the sink and its cabinetry. Edit: This relates to robyn's idea of mapping out the space by the cooktop.

Well, there's 3 lights in the entryway (one in the entryway, one above the compactor counter, and one in the middle). There may only be 2 lights above the eating counter, but I need to confirm that. Note the lovely track lighting in this lousy photo: Recessed cans in entry area: Recessed cans from utility room: Recessed cans use very hot incandescent spot lights. The interior, "reflecting" area of the cans is black.

That looks about right, Dave, but I need to go back and count the lights. I haven't truly paid attention.

Ha! You mock me.

Varmint, can you give us a drawing with the present lighting layout, differentiated as to track and recessed cans? I'm sure there's expertise and experience here -- in a past life, I myself worked for a major lighting company. You're pushing my limits on the lighting drawings, Dave. The only tracks are in the major cooking area: one track running from the marble slab to the cooktop and one track running in the narrow space between the eating bar and the cooktop/wall area. There are recessed cans (4?) in the cupboard above the eating bar -- that cupboard will come down, but the I-beam will remain. We'll probably box that in, being sure to run wiring out from it for the lights. Some cool surface mount halogen would look cool off of that. There are two can lights in the cupboard that sits above the right side of the marble slab. That cupboard is coming down, and I don't really want to cut holes into the ceiling for new recessed cans. In the hall towards the utility room are 3 recessed cans. In the hallway from the door to the grill are 2 recessed cans. All lighting is currently incandescent. I'll likely move to halogen. I need to think about under cabinet lighting, but there won't be much of that. I probably want a light in the phone area of the bookcase at the end of the SubZeros. The living and dining rooms are currently lit by old fashioned, track light cans. We'll replace those, too. I'd love to have something recessed there, but that's not critical right now. I'm a lighting ignoramus.

Wow, project -- what a thorough response. I'll just provide a few comments, as I'm not really trying to agree or disagree with your positions. I'll just comment on where we are: Oven Cleaning: Good point. But I still want it fairly clean from time to time. Disposal: We have no place for composting. Plus, we don't garden. Most importantly, we're slaves to our disposals. We've grown dependent on them, and I don't see that changing. Wine fridge: Yeah, it's not necessary, but we've got it, it keeps the white wine at the temperature I like, and they're very helpful when you have a party (and I have a fair number of those). Corner kitchen window. I misled people when I looked at the windows again this AM. The corner is indeed "fused" but there are vertical beams about 8 inches to either side of each corner. Anyhow, this window has been there for 30 years, so I'm not concerned with the area's structual integrity. Hood: I need a good one. I've set off too many smoke alarms from searing a meat to be braised or cooking a steak. Simple enough. House insulation: Our house is a veritable air sieve. I could have a full blown commercial hood, and we wouldn't have problems. Yeah, that's a scary thought, but it's true. Fortunately, living in North Carolina, we have pretty good weather much of the time such that the fresh air is quite welcome. Cabinets: I'm still trying to get the "lay of the land" on cabinets. Now that I have a good working design, I can figure more things out. For instance, I may just have shelves under the cooktop for the storage of pots and pans. Everything need not have a door, particularly those areas that are highly utilized. Fridge and Freezer: I have side by side SubZeros. They're old, but they're quiet and large. Floor: The floor will come later. It will be patchwork for now, but we'll do something simple in the near future. Marlene: as far as the circuit box is concerned, that's just one of 4 we have in the house. There's room for extra switches in each of them.

As strange as it might look, the cooktop location is quite good. It's a spot where I can interact with guests, there's enough room for 2 to cook simultaneously, and it's only two steps away from the prep sink. The location of the wine fridge and ice maker (yes, both under the counter) is down a long hallway. We don't want the cooktop there for two reasons: (1) It's pretty isolated the further you head down that way; (2) Once we swap out doors from the present location to the laundry room (in the next 2 years or so), traffic flow through that hallway will increase dramatically.

QUOTE from Robyn in Granite v. Marble Thread I don't want "sexy" appliances, Robyn. I want high performing appliances. Ones that kick out the heat and suck out the smoke. My two objectives of this remodeling are function and space. Everything else is secondary. Looks will come later.

As you wish: Windows are in blue. Note that the two corners of these windows are not framed: the glass has been fused together creating a great, relatively unfettered view. And the windows start at a height of approximately 40" off the floor and go almost to the ceiling. It's a lot of glass!

KITCHEN RENOVATION SPECS – JANUARY 19 2004 1. DEMOLITION • Remove all existing cabinets except those comprising the eating counter. o Cooktop o Compactor (will keep to sell) o Grill o Wall ovens o Bar Sink + plumbing o Kitchen sink + plumbing  Keep existing disposal for new prep sink • Cut off end of cabinet next to wall ovens to make flush with wall and to give more room 2. PLUMBING AND GAS, ELECTRICITY, HVAC • Run gas line to cooktop location • Run plumbing for 2 new sink locations • Run plumbing for dishwasher • Drainage for new ice maker location 3. ELECTRICAL • Wiring for cooktop and hood • Add required outlets near both sinks • Move circuit breaker and switches to opposite side of wall. • Add wiring for new disposals in both sinks • Add new disposal switches for both sinks • Add electrical outlets near cooktop (if necessary) • Electrical for new Subzero locations • Electrical for new wine fridge location • Electrical for new ice maker location • Check wiring for new wall ovens • Replace lighting where appropriate • Prepare wiring around I-beam for lighting • Phone line?? 4. HVAC • Close off ductwork from current grill location • Close off ductwork from current cooktop downdraft location. • Reconfigure ductwork near window • Reconfigure ductwork under current sink cabinet 5. CABINETS AND CARPENTRY • Create new wall oven space o Double ovens are 50 inches high o Put microwave above wall ovens o Put new cupboard below lower oven • Reconfigure cabinets above wall ovens • Build and Install 15 linear feet of 24” base cabinet to house sink, dishwasher, icemaker and wine fridge. o Sink cut out • Build and install approximately 7 linear feet of upper 12” cabinet over long counter o Build around windows • Build and install “L” shaped 24” base cabinet near window o Sink cut out o Small marble slab to sit on • Move SubZeros • Build and install base cabinets for cooktop (5 linear feet) • Build and install housing around I-beams • Prepare surface to install tile countertops. • Prepare • Replacement pulls on eating counter cabinets. • Build and install bookshelf/phone area at end of SubZeros • Need to determine cabinet configuration (drawers, lazy susans, etc.) 6. INSTALLATION • Cut and install ductwork for hood • Install stainless backsplash • Install hood • Install cooktop • Install wall ovens • Install microwave • Install dishwasher • Install sinks and disposals • Install lighting (Homeowner to replace track lighting) 7. FOLLOW-UP (Homeowner to do) • Paint cabinets • Floor configuration • Replace Sub-Zero panels