Varmint's New Kitchen

[Varmint]

We've already had the special meal. I'll cook tonight and tomorrow, but we're going out for an adults only dinner on Saturday, and we'll be packing up what's left in the kitchen on Sunday. Thus, the number of meals remaining is very limited.

If anyone wants a functional trash compactor and/or a functional ice maker, let me know! They're old, but they're ugly!

[Rachel Perlow]

You should list them (and the marble) on freecycle.

[alacarte]

Good luck with the demolition and remodel!

However will you eat while you are sans kitchen?

[Varmint]

Good luck with the demolition and remodel!

However will you eat while you are sans kitchen?

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Somewhere upthread I showed pictures of our mini-kitchen that we'll be using.

Oh, 3 days, by the way! And I think there will be very little cooking done in it over the next several days.

[Varmint]

Tomorrow is Demolition Day.

The day will be complete mayhem. We've packed up 90% of the kitchen, but it's that remaining 10% that will be a bear.

[snowangel]

Dean, please describe your meals today!

[Varmint]

Not much in the way of meals today. We had our typical breakfasts, ranging from buttered toast, grits, eggs, and cereal to coffee for me (I was still full from last night's meal). Lunch was very quick -- leftover pizza. One of my children has soccer practice, so we'll pick her up and stop somewhere for dinner. We're in no shape to cook!!

The highlight of the day, however, was allowing the kids to break out the markers and write and draw all over the kitchen. Marcella and I even had a little fun with it. I took pictures, which I'll upload before too long.

[Safran]

One more sleep and the wait is over! Good luck tomorrow!

[Varmint]

The workers and plumber had all arrived by 9 this morning. The electrician is showing up after lunch.

Wow, this is really happening.

[fou de Bassan]

While eating breakfast this morning I thought of you and your kitchen. What a strange thing, I don't know you- yet I was hoping everyone would show up on time this morning for the demolition. Well, good luck.

fou

[Daddy-A]

As I head out this morning to start a kitchen remodel for one of my own clients, I raise my mug of coffee to the Varmint family.

May your workers stay safe, may your troubles be few and may your new kitchen be everything you had dreamed of and more.

A.

[Varmint]

One day of demolition is done. Almost all the floor cabinets are gone. The appliances (except for the fridge and freezer) are gone. Part of the floor is gone. The dust is not gone (although they've done an excellent job with sealing off the space). I couldn't imagine working there, and right now, I'm very glad we're staying at my in-laws.

The big surprise so far? That there is at least 2-3 inches of mortar under the floor tiles. It's ridiculous! In some areas, there still exists a decent looking hardwood floor under it all. Unfortunately, all of this will have to be built back up, as it needs to be level with the adjacent floor.

I haven't been able to upload the demolition photos yet, but I do have a bunch of pictures of the L'il Varmints wreaking havoc on the cabinets.

OK, I do have one picture of the demolition:

[therese]

Great pics, Varmint, and very cool looking kids: the younger girl is a dead ringer for my daugther (when she was that age).

[fifi]

What a cool idea, getting to draw on walls. I hope you got a shot of what everyone wrote. That will be nostalgic gold in a few years.

[phatbastard]

The photos of your children drawing on the walls are priceless. Just those photos alone indicate what type of family dynamic your home enjoys. I can only dream of what it would be like as a child in your home. :) Except for me, given such liberty when I was young, would likely result in various scribbles of boobies. Actually, that'd be the case even today.

[Varmint]

I'm currently unable to upload photos, but once I get that capability restored, I'll post some demolition shots.

The floor is gone. The cabinets are gone. And, surprise, the closet is one major load bearing structure!! Uh oh. Time for the engineer to come in and figure out a solution. I had planned on having one support post in the kitchen, but not multiple posts. No need to panic, of course. Everything can be fixed, but it's just a matter of how much it's going to cost, of course.

The demo has moved along remarkably well. This kitchen became the monstrosity that it is for lots of reasons, and it's apparent it wasn't just because of the marble slabs. The space, however, is going to be great.

[Boris_A]

Everything can be fixed, ...

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A typical conversation when we were constructing:

Boris_A: "But what about X?"

A: "We'll fix that, there's always a solution."

Boris_A: "Will it cost more?"

A:"Yes, somewhat more."

Boris_A: "Much more"?

A: "No, no, not so much."

Boris_A:"Ok then, how much?"

A:"..."

Remembering the floorplan, I can imagine about your great space coming soon. You won't regret a single dime.

Edited February 16, 2005 by Boris_A (log)

[Varmint]

Here's a photo after the first day of demolition. Notice the footprint of the "maze."

Still from Monday. This is where the wall ovens were:

This is a decent shot showing how much mortar is under the tiles, as the red tile is a 4 inch square:

I took this picture this morning. This is where the refrigerator and freezer used to be on the right and the old bar sink was on the left (yes, it was dusty in there):

Where the old cooktop used to be:

Also where the cooktop used to be:

The old closet. This has some structural elements in it, and the engineer is coming by tomorrow to take a look at this to see what we can do.

This is the I-beam (ha, it's wood, not steel!) over the eating bar.

The electrician was there all day today. Everyone has been great so far. I couldn't have asked for a better crew, that's for sure. I couldn't be happier with the progress. The dust, however, is another matter. I'm really, really glad we're not staying here.

[Varmint]

The load bearing elements in the closet aren't as big of a concern as I suspected. Our engineer has signed off on a very simple solution that is consistent with the existing plan. That's great!

However, one of our breaker boxes needs to be replaced. It's an old -- really old -- box from a company that went out of business ages ago due to product defects. You can't find replacement breakers for it. And, it's not safe. I had two different people tell me I'm crazy not to replace it. I'm not crazy when it comes to the safety of my family.

The HVAC guys came, and they'll be doing all their prep work on Monday morning. Three new ducts, a gas line, reconfiguration of my air flow system (which is badly needed), ductwork for the hood, and a couple of other minor matters. Cool!

The carpenters are building the new closet and the new doorway for the pantry. By the way, rather than flipping the other breaker box to the other side of the wall near the baking area, we're totally relocating it in the pantry. A much better solution.

We'll be installing the new window tomorrow, too. That'll be great.

We also worked out the lighting scheme. We'll have more recessed lights than I initially anticipated, but those will all be on a dimmer, so we'll have all the light we'll ever want or need in the kitchen.

The electrician will be working through the weekend, and the power will be off most of that time. Thus, we won't be moving back into the house until Monday. I'm very grateful for my in-laws' hospitality, as they've been great.

[snowangel]

Thanks, Dean, for keeping us updated.

Yes on the breaker box. Not only is it unsafe, but it's probably a lot cheaper to do it now.

What's the time-line for cabinets and cupboards?

[Varmint]

Next week involves putting down the "mud" for the flooring and some carpentry. Cabinets arrive in about 2-1/2 weeks. We're totally on schedule so far. Tee hee, this is fun!

[fifi]

. . . . .

We're totally on schedule so far.  Tee hee, this is fun!

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*Ever the optimist, our intrepid remodeler continues to delight and delude himself. Little does he know that, just over the horizon, galloping along at a breakneck pace, is . . . impending doom.*

Sorry. I just had to add that. This is going entirely too well. Are we to have a topic without the angst, the pathos, the conflict?

[Daddy-A]

Next week involves putting down the "mud" for the flooring and some carpentry.  Cabinets arrive in about 2-1/2 weeks.  We're totally on schedule so far.  Tee hee, this is fun!

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It should always be this fun Dean!! You've done your homework, took your time finding the right people to do the work, and have a realistic attitude towards the project.

[RANT]Unlike my current clients, who insisted on ordering cabinetry before we discovered whether or not a wall they planned on removing was load bearing. It was (of course!), and in fact was 9" thick cinder block Why, oh why don't people listen to me? Now they can't understand why they should have to pay for the first set of csutom cabinets they ordered, which now won't work.[/RANT]

I need more clients like Dean!

A.

[Varmint]

[RANT]Unlike my current clients, who insisted on ordering cabinetry before we discovered whether or not a wall they planned on removing was load bearing.  It was (of course!), and in fact was 9" thick cinder block  Why, oh why don't people listen to me?   Now they can't understand why they should have to pay for the first set of csutom cabinets they ordered, which now won't work.[/RANT]

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Umh, I ordered my custom cabinets thinking that I knew where the load bearing wall is. I'm just fortunate to have a good engineer working with us. Plus, as a professional engineer, his "seal" trumps an inspector's decision any day of the week. Did I mention the fact that the engineer is a old business partner of my father-in-law? Gotta love those connections!

I need more clients like Dean!

You mean you need more non-paying clients? Not a good business decision.

[Rachel Perlow]

Yeah, but I'll bet you let him put some before and afters in his portfolio. Those'll be some cool pages in his book. And he can promote it as an online, long distance, client.