A Small NYC Kitchen Reno 2017

[weinoo]

4 hours ago, dcarch said:

Very beautiful board. Weights a ton. Have your wood shop make a smaller one with matching wood for heavy chopping.

 

Beautiful project. Worth all the aggravations and $$$.

 

dcarch

 

I actually will not cut/chop much, if at all, on the butcher block - I have a beautiful, end grain, thick cutting board for that, from the Boardsmith in Pennsylvania.

 

And for real chopping, such as hacking up a chicken, I pull out an old wood or plastic board and a heavy Chinese cleaver, and go to town!

[Porthos]

@weinoo That is a beautiful addition to your new kitchen.

[dscheidt]

13 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

I think my copper pipes touched each other inappropriately.

 

 

This sucks, and so sorry to hear. From everything I've ever read, sell the house as-is.  Some minor cosmetic freshen-up might not be a terrible idea, but most people, when they buy a house or apartment, want to do it in their own inimitable style.

 

 

In almost every market, you will not get your money out of doing repairs or upgrades.  In some market conditions, a few small changes (paint is the most common, easy one) will make a house sell faster, but probably not for more money. 

If there is something like a leaking roof, though, fixing that will prevent damage, and is a selling point. 

[IowaDee]

The first home we owned was a flat roofed one that leaked all too often.  Can't tell you how many tubes of Black Jack we squeezed

on that thing!  When we listed the house I asked the realtor about how to respond if asked if the roof leaked.  She told us that if it

wasn't leaking when the question was asked, I should just say "no".  I have always been grateful that no one asked the question.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

On 12/8/2017 at 7:00 AM, weinoo said:

This arrived, and is being given some extra tlc before I let it get installed.

 

 

It's from a woodworking company in Massachusetts, called Sprague Woodworking. Maple, beautiful job they did. Got it when they said I would, just 2 weeks from the date of order until delivery. Quite reasonable.

 

What does everyone think  - can you over-oil a board?

 

I don't think you can over-oil a board, especially if you live in a dry climate. We brought a 3 x 5 Boos countertop for an island counter in our kitchen when we moved down here, and I find I have to oil it frequently during the dry season. Of course I use it as a big cutting board and prep area which beats it up a little bit, so I keep a bottle of mineral oil around for touch ups. And when we go away for a day or 2 we oil it heavily before we leave. I think you'll find that you'll need to oil it periodically to keep it looking as beautiful as it does now. It is a gorgeous hunk of wood, isn't it?

 

And my sympathies for your remodeling woes. There's nothing quite so disheartening as looking at the mess of tools and materials lying around your kitchen. You're fortunate to have access to another apartment while yours is in ruins. Fingers crossed that you'll be finished enough by the end of the year to move back in.

 

Nancy in Pátzcuaro

[dscheidt]

On 12/8/2017 at 9:02 PM, IowaDee said:

The first home we owned was a flat roofed one that leaked all too often.  Can't tell you how many tubes of Black Jack we squeezed

on that thing!  When we listed the house I asked the realtor about how to respond if asked if the roof leaked.  She told us that if it

wasn't leaking when the question was asked, I should just say "no".  I have always been grateful that no one asked the question.

 

A roofer who was working on the roof of the shop I used to work in said "They are two kinds of flat roofs.  The ones that leak today, and the ones that leak tomorrow."

 

[dcarch]

34 minutes ago, dscheidt said:

A roofer who was working on the roof of the shop I used to work in said "They are two kinds of flat roofs.  The ones that leak today, and the ones that leak tomorrow."

 

There are three kinds of flat roofers. The one who gives you flat roof that leak today, and the other gives you flat  roof that leak tomorrow.

However if done by a qualified roofer who knows how to build, flat roofs should not leak.

But back to kitchen /home renovations. Plan carefully. Due to major hurricanes and fires, significant labor and material shortage is here and will be much worst in the coming months (may be years).

 

dcarch

 

[weinoo]

The "still-to-do" list is long, with things like finishing the kitchen tile/grout, fixing the smallish hole in our bedroom wall, which I hadn't noticed until yesterday (it came from the installation of the shower door - the walls in our building suck) and restoring the electricity that somehow got cut-off where it feeds to my desk/office area, but we are finally able to move back into our apartment over the next few days (as it was promised to me by Christmas).  So while we won't be totally finished by year-end, which was my goal, we'll be damn close.  The punch list (one or two cabinet panels, touch up paint, floor molding, final finish on the kitchen floor, mounting hanging rails, etc.) is what I'd normally expect a punch list to be. By the way, if I ever do this again, shoot me. You'd think one would learn after doing this once with our full-gut reno of an apartment in DC, but it's amazing what contractors can come up with to give you agita (like how do you lose the Franke stopper for the Franke drain for the Franke sink? Morons.)

 

The vanity/washbasin nightmare that exists in our bathroom (vanity arrived damaged from Germany, after waiting for it for 10 weeks) has been temporarily solved, as we got a floor model loaner from the plumbing supply store (and it actually looks ok).

 

The last few days have been crazy; the cabinet/drawer fronts and panels arrived Tuesday, and were installed by Wednesday evening, since no one plans to be here today or during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day (though the electrician may come by on Friday).  We still owe a fair chunk of change to our contractors (over 30% of the cost) and "project managers," which won't get paid till the job is done to my satisfaction, so at least I have that going for me - they'll all come back.

 

And I think it will have been worth the wait. Or at least I hope it will have...

 

 

 

The perspective of the sink in the top picture is interesting, as the sink is actually quite a bit larger than our old one. And all the LED overhead lights have not yet been installed, nor have they been adjusted to the right locations.

 

That's my trusty 15-year old Miele vacuum, which I think will see a lot of use this weekend. That custom-made 9' wooden shelf in the second picture is gorgeous; it has dimmable LED lighting in a channel underneath, and it will get a hanging rail on the wall underneath it as well. I'm using the Rösle open kitchen rail system, mostly just with hooks.

 

Oh - two things:

 

1. If I never see a contractor again (at least not once the job is finished), I won't be upset. 2. Wouldn't it be nice if ceilings, floors and walls in NYC buildings were actually square and level? They're not.

 

Merry Christmas!

Edited December 21, 2017 by weinoo (log)

[HungryChris]

In spite of all that aggravation, things are looking good. It looks like a well crafted and well thought out space.

HC

[gfweb]

Fantastic @weinoo! Dramatic lighting and beautiful finished work. Completely agree about never doing it again. It was a year ago we did ours and the bad memories  linger.

[weinoo]

53 minutes ago, HungryChris said:

In spite of all that aggravation, things are looking good. It looks like a well crafted and well thought out space.

HC

 

18 minutes ago, gfweb said:

Fantastic @weinoo! Dramatic lighting and beautiful finished work. Completely agree about never doing it again. It was a year ago we did ours and the bad memories  linger.

 

Thanks.  I think I did a halfway decent job on the design of the kitchen, especially for its utility.

 

The designers certainly worked their magic with the lighting.

[Shelby]

Oh it's so beautiful!!!

 

Yeah, just the mention of "contractor" sends me screaming and running as fast as I can to get away.

 

I'm with you on the square/level thing, too.  Our 100 year old farmhouse has some serious issues with that stuff lol.

[dcarch]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

1. If I never see a contractor again (at least not once the job is finished), I won't be upset. 2. Wouldn't it be nice if ceilings, floors and walls in NYC buildings were actually square and level? They're not.

 

1. Do not pay final payment to the GC. Ask your expeditor what the GC needs to supply him with to close out the project with the DOB. Or else it will take you years of phone calls.

2. Buildings were not square and level because they were built before laser tools.

3. Get a smoke bomb and turn on your exhaust and see how it pulls air out from your kitchen.

 

Looking very good for Christmas, which is a few hours away.

dcarch

Edited December 21, 2017 by dcarch (log)

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

what an outstanding looking kitchen !

 

congratulations !

 

I can see many meals happily made there.

[FauxPas]

@weinoo, it looks spectacular! You did a wonderful job on design. I really like how light and bright it looks, important to me in a kitchen. I'm not sure about your actual square footage, but that kitchen looks very spacious! Love the white cabinets AND ALL THOSE DRAWERS! I have never had enough drawers. How long is that kitchen? Wonderful to have two big pantry storage cabinets in there. 

 

I know it's been a hassle and slower than you hoped, but it really does look good. And the not-quite-square-and-level surprises happened to us at times even in newer homes. 

 

Can I get you to redesign my kitchen? 

 

And can we get final pics when the last bits are complete? Any chance of a final pic of the bathroom? 

 

Happy Holiday cooking in your new kitchen! 

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, FauxPas said:

@weinoo, it looks spectacular! You did a wonderful job on design. I really like how light and bright it looks, important to me in a kitchen. I'm not sure about your actual square footage, but that kitchen looks very spacious! Love the white cabinets AND ALL THOSE DRAWERS! I have never had enough drawers. How long is that kitchen? Wonderful to have two big pantry storage cabinets in there. 

 

I know it's been a hassle and slower than you hoped, but it really does look good. And the not-quite-square-and-level surprises happened to us at times even in newer homes. 

 

Can I get you to redesign my kitchen? 

 

And can we get final pics when the last bits are complete? Any chance of a final pic of the bathroom? 

 

Happy Holiday cooking in your new kitchen! 

Thank you!

 

I think the thing about designing a kitchen is that it's very personal, certainly based on the way one cooks. I tend to cook alone, so this works nicely for me. The kitchen is almost 14' long by about 7'6"...we picked up a little space by moving the doorway to the middle, and also when we knocked down the wet wall it was rebuilt adding about 2" width.

 

The cabinets are actually a light grey, and the counter top is Caesarstone's raw concrete, a nice matte.

 

I'll take some bathroom pictures this afternoon; I'm attempting to at least clean enough for us to be able to move back in, though I'm sure the place will get messy when the contractors come back to finish working. At which point I'll really take some pix! 

[quiet1]

Oh, keep an eye on the Ceasarstone - on another forum people have been reporting problems like stains from water rings, not even from spills.

[Spork]

“2. Buildings were not square and level because they were built before laser tools.”

 

Buildings are not plumb, level, and square because the ‘craftsmen’ now rely on cheap gadgets. 

 

The plumb bob, water level, and the teachings of Pythagoras seem lost. 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, Spork said:

“2. Buildings were not square and level because they were built before laser tools.”

 

Buildings are not plumb, level, and square because the ‘craftsmen’ now rely on cheap gadgets. 

 

The plumb bob, water level, and the teachings of Pythagoras seem lost. 

I’m neither a builder nor a scientist but I do know that over time even the squarest building will settle and there goes your square. 

[Spork]

3 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I’m neither a builder nor a scientist but I do know that over time even the squarest building will settle and there goes your square. 

 

Settling has its consequences. But, if foundation issues show in cabinet work we need to reasess the integrity of the entire structure.  

[chefmd]

5 hours ago, weinoo said:

Thank you!

 

I think the thing about designing a kitchen is that it's very personal, certainly based on the way one cooks. I tend to cook alone, so this works nicely for me. The kitchen is almost 14' long by about 7'6"...we picked up a little space by moving the doorway to the middle, and also when we knocked down the wet wall it was rebuilt adding about 2" width.

 

The cabinets are actually a light grey, and the counter top is Caesarstone's raw concrete, a nice matte.

 

I'll take some bathroom pictures this afternoon; I'm attempting to at least clean enough for us to be able to move back in, though I'm sure the place will get messy when the contractors come back to finish working. At which point I'll really take some pix! 

Significant Eater does not cook?  I am the cook in the family which suits me just fine most of the time but occasionally I fantasize about an eGullet imaginary friend cooking with me

[weinoo]

7 hours ago, quiet1 said:

Oh, keep an eye on the Ceasarstone - on another forum people have been reporting problems like stains from water rings, not even from spills.

Thanks - please show us that forum.

[dcarch]

7 hours ago, Spork said:

“2. Buildings were not square and level because they were built before laser tools.”

 

Buildings are not plumb, level, and square because the ‘craftsmen’ now rely on cheap gadgets. 

 

The plumb bob, water level, and the teachings of Pythagoras seem lost. 

 

There are advanced tools for any kind of uneven, un-square, un-level walls.

 

dcarch

Edited December 22, 2017 by dcarch (log)

[weinoo]

Some more pix.

 

LED track lights.

 

 

My pegboard (stainless steel) corner.  Designer kept trying to talk me out of pegboard. I found this company online, ordered it, and guess what - he actually likes it (like I care if he likes something or not).

 

 

Walk in shower. Temporary vanity, only standing on legs, not attached to wall.

 

 

Dimmable lights; here my designer did a good job by finding these. Custom floating wood shelves.

 

 

All kitchen stuff, packed into our bedroom (which we are moving back into tonight).

 

Obligatory range shot.

 

 

Shelf to be added as soon as I can get all that damn protective covering off the riser.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2017 by weinoo (log)

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

I was waiting to see the red knobs on the Wolf !