In the Home Stretch

I finally got my driveway back. When I got home today, the trailer and dumpster were gone. This is a sign that we're in the final lap. All that's left to be done is the installation of the counter tops, appliances, backsplash, and electrical switches.

A Few Finishing Touches

The installation of the finishing trim for the cabinets has begun. I love the addition of the molding. It's little things like this that make a good kitchen look like a great one.









It looks like we're getting closer to having power and lighting in the kitchen. With the exception of the ceiling fan, all of the light fixtures and bulbs have been installed.

Warm Reception

We found the right color. I was able to dig out a picture of a room from one of my previous homes. Alan matched the paint and found the right color. While the tone is still light and neutral, it is warm... just want I wanted. This was color pick #3. The picture on the left is of the mudroom. It is fully painted in the new color. The picture on the right shows the contrast between 1) the mudroom in the correct color (color #3) 2) the powder room in a darker color I selected 3) the kitchen in color #2.

Color #1 was the gray from yesterday (no longer visible). This morning I picked out two colors that I thought matched what Robin had initially picked. They were warm earth tones, tan to brown in nature. But once the went up... they looked gray also. So, I went home at lunch and pulled out the picture that got us to color #3. Alan was kind enough to stay here until I got home so that he could get my reaction to the mudroom. The moment I entered the room I knew that this was the color. We're set. The kitchen will be painted tomorrow.

If you're going to do any painting, I recommend that you purchase small sample sizes of the colors you want to test. Apply them to different walls; look at them during different times of day under different lighting. I should have done that but trusted the paint to turn out like the swatches. It didn't. So, save your self a little frustration and always put up samples. Benjamin Moore makes convenient 2 oz. samples that can aid you in finding the right color without the major expenditure of quart after quart of paint. For less than $20 you could purchase quite a few samples to test.

Two other big steps were taken at the house today:
1) The measurements for the counter tops were taken. This was being done when I got home for lunch.
2) The plumber came in and began the installation for the new in-ground sprinkler system we're installing.

Cool Reception

Anyone who knows me knows that I like things exactly the way I want them. You pick your own colors for your spreadsheet; but if it's for me... I want it the way I envision it. You pick your colors for your wardrobe; me... probably going to involve navy, blue, gray, and a few red or orange t-shirts along the way. I was disappointed to come home to find that the kitchen had been painted gray. I didn't want a cool color in the kitchen. The gray is contemporary; it's even nice for another room... but not for what I envisioned.

How'd we get here? Well, Robin picked out three distinct colors for the kitchen, all of which were in the color family I was looking for. Warm earthy tones. The swatches were on the dining room table. At some point they were moved. I thought the guys had them; they thought I had them. Once we realized they were lost we reached out to Robin again to identify the colors. I'm certain that this gray was not an option.
1) There were three colors, one for each room. This is one color that is consistent across the three.
2) I have a mental picture of the colors. This wasn't one of them.

This can be easily fixed. No harm; no foul. But I was just a little shocked to walk in and see exactly what I didn't want to see. I almost didn't make a post today. But, hey, if there is only one bad day over the course of 6 weeks that's o.k. Things happen. It's not like the wrong appliances were brought in. Paint can be fixed.

Monday #7

We began the seventh week of renovation today. The trim around the windows and doors was painted. This includes the trim in the mudroom. The rooms probably would have been painted but we lost the swatches for the wall colors. Alan reached out to Robin to get them. The kitchen, mudroom, and powder room walls should be painted this week as well.

I think that tomorrow the measurements for the counter tops will be taken.

The Little Things

On the surface it doesn't look like a lot happened this week, but it's the little things that eventually add up. This week was focused on grouting the floor and installing all of the trim. All but one of the windows and doors were trimmed this week. The one remaining window is going to be replaced and then trimmed. You'll also notice that the faux wainscoating has been added to the walls under the glass block and near the powder room. I'm hoping that next week is when we'll see all of the major items come in like counter tops and appliances.

Rocky inspects the work that's been done
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I'm really enjoying the full light door. It truly brightens up the kitchen. It also makes the room feel much more modern than if it had a half light or traditional door.

A Dual Bonus

Timing is everything! Since the tile for the old kitchen floor extended into the powder room off of the kitchen, we had to take out all of the fixtures to remove the old flooring.

I watch a little bit of HGTV and TLC. Shows like "Curb Appeal", "Flip this House", Flip that House" (yes there is one show with "this" in the title; another with "that"). While the powder room lay empty, I saw no less than 2 to 3 different features on dual flush toilets. So I decided that while the room is torn out, why not put in a new, environmentally friendly toilet.



I've chosen to go with the Aquia Dual Flush Toilet. The TotoUSA site didn't really say alot about the toilet, so here's what our friends at HGTV Pro.com says:

The high-efficiency Toto Aquia dual flush toilet enables users to select the level of water used each time the toilet is flushed -- 1.6 gallons for heavy or bulk waste or 0.9 gallons, for light or liquid waste.

The toilet has a gravity flush with a washdown system that directs 100% of the water through the rim to keep the bowl clean. The sides of the unit’s bowl are pitched to force water toward and through its large 2 5/8" trapway.

Go to HGTV Pro.com

There is no handle. There is only a button to push when you want to flush the toilet. The picture on th left shows the dual flush button. #1? Push the button on the left (it's smaller). For those big jobs... push the button on the right. It makes absoultely no sense to install one of these in the low-use powder room if we still have a water-hog in the primary bathroom. So... we're installing a second one upstairs as well.

The Microwave: the Must Have Appliance

What would the modern kitchen be without the microwave? How would we pop popcorn? How would we ever heat up left overs? Would Stouffers be in business without the genius that is Lean Cuisine??? And now, the big brains at GE have REALLY done it! Not only is this baby a microwave, but it is also a convection oven. WHAT??? You don't know what a convection oven is? Well guess what... neither do I. So let's lean on our friends at Wikipedia once again:

Convection ovens/fan ovens augment a traditional oven by circulating heated air using a high temperature fan. Food warms faster in a convection oven since the moving air strips away the thin layer of air which otherwise would surround and insulate the food. This is analogous to how wind chill makes a windy day effectively colder than a calm one.

By moving hot air past the food, convection ovens can operate at a lower temperature than a standard conventional oven and they can cook food more quickly. The air circulation, or convection, tends to eliminate "hot spots" and thus bake more evenly.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

(Thinking to myself: I wonder what happened to World Book. When I was a kid growing up EVERYBODY had World Book Encyclopedias. I used to actually sit in the corner and READ the encyclopedia. I loved the profiles of each of the states, the US presidents... What? Huh?... Just a minute, my super-ego has requested an audience.)

JPE Super-Ego: What do you think you're doing?
JPE Id: Oh, just reminiscing about the joys of growing up with World Book Encyclopedias.
JPE Super-Ego: Silly Id, you've just shared a little too much information and confirmed our nerdiness as a child? It's bad enough our mother can't stop telling this story, now you've published it in a blog?????
JPE Id: But, but...

JPE Ego: While Super-Ego and Id duke it out, let's get back to the blog:

So, as I was saying... this microwave also doubles as a convection oven. From the GE website:

Speedcook technology — Delivers oven-quality food up to four times faster than a conventional oven

Multiple cooking modes — Combine four ovens in one with speedcook, traditional, sensor microwave and warming options for an incredible second oven!

Over 100 Pre-Programmed Menu Items, Recipe Saver, Manual Cook, Help and Demo Mode

Sensor cooking controls — Automatically adjust the time and power for exceptional cooking results

Auto and Time Defrost — Automatically defrosts for a specified amount of time

Halogen Cooktop Lighting — Brilliant, natural-looking lighting illuminates every inch of the cooking surface

Click here to visit the manufacturer's site

The Dishwasher

Ok, this is one post I just can't get excited about. Don't get me wrong; I think that dishwashers are a necessity. They just don't move me. Honestly, I do my best to steer clear of the things. I'd prefer for some one else to load and unload them. Nevertheless, everyone raves about Miele dishwashers and how quiet they are as well as how well they clean your dishes. Apparently spotty glasses are a thing of the past. (But isn't that why someone invented Jet Dry???) Anyway, here's the lowdown on the Miele from the manufacturer's site:

Diamante G2150SC
Controls

• TouchtronicTM controls
• PC Update function

Finishes

• Prefinished: stainless steel
• Angled control panel

Standard features

• 6 wash programs
• 5 wash temperatures
• CleanAirTM drying system
• MaxSpaceTM stainless steel interior
• 14 place setting capacity
• Accommodates plates up to 12 ¼"
• Intake/Drain fault indicator
• Rinse aid refill indicator
• Double waterproof system
• Child safety lock
• Q₂ AcousticsTM
• 318 kWh consumption per year

Basket configuration

• Standard Upper Basket
• Standard Lower Basket (w/cutlery tray), lower basket
• Separate cutlery tray

Optional accessories not included

• Cappuccinatore insert
• Glassware insert
• Rinse Aid
• Salt

Dreams of Diet Dew

Ok... I'm not just a little gadget guy. Me likey big gadget too!!! So the must have item in for the kitchen was a beverage center. Anyone who knows me well knows that I put away quite a few Diet Colas in a day, closely followed by my growing love for Diet Dew. What better than to have as many cold Diet Dews at my disposal as one could possibly imaging (short of putting a vending machine in the kitchen). Don't worry; for my wine loving friends I'll always have a few bottles chilling in the center just in case (but you don't chill red wine, right?).

From GE's website

GE Monogram(R) Undercounter Beverage Center with Liquid Crystal Window
Model # ZDBT240PBS

Privacy glass — Innovative liquid-crystal technology allows you to turn glass from opaque to clear with a simple press of the button. Opaque setting conceals contents from view

Adjustable Temperature Control — Maintains a consistent temperature

LED Temperature Display — Allows you to monitor the temperature at a glance

Beverage Shelf on Full-Extension Slides — Holds up to five wine bottles or ten 12-oz. cans

Unfinished heart-of-cherry wood shelf fronts — Can be finished to complement surrounding cabinetry

Removable Spillproof Glass Shelves — Helps contain spills for ease of cleaning

Click here to visit GE's website to read more about this appliance

The picture on the left is that of the center without the use of the privacy glass. With the push of a button, you get the image on the left. The picture below shows how great one of these babies looks under a cabinet.

The Deck

A few of you have inquired about the deck off of the back of the house. This is an example of how one project leads to another, to another, and another.

When we purchased the house this was just the roof to the mudroom. I'm assuming that at some point a previous owner intended to install a deck on the roof because the door was there. But when you stepped out you were greeted by a tin roof. No one is going to sit on a tin roof in the heat of summer... or even on a spring day.

When we had the house inspected we were warned that we probably had another 2 years on that roof. Here's today's lesson boys and girls; when someone tells you that you have 2 years on the life of a roof... it means less than a year. This is the second house I've had where I was told I had a good deal of time to deal with an roofing issue, only to have a major rain prove that the issue needed to be handled immediately. Within less than a year, the mudroom incurred water damage from a hard driving rain.

During this time, I'd met Alan and had been giving him small jobs to do. In one week, he worked inside the house while the central AC was being installed by another company and the roof to the mudroom was being installed by another. Alan expressed an interest in building the deck; sold. This was his first big job (big in scope for us, that is) for us. Since that time I've learned that he does whole house additions. He's good; really good.

Later in the year Alan and crew came back to demolish and rebuild the water damaged mudroom. I was so please with the work he'd done it began to bug me that I had this great looking little room off of the kitchen, a great little bathroom, but a horrid kitchen. Thus, the kitchen remodel. Of course there were other reasons, but the quality of the work Alan had done on these other jobs motivated me to hire him again to do the kitchen.

This deck is an unbelievable addition. It may look simple, but it's like having a fifth bedroom room. We really like to hang-out up there. It's also a great place to send the dogs when they want to go outside. Our yard isn't fully fenced in, so we can't just leave them out there. Therefore, we open up the back door at the top of the stairs and let them hang out out there. They actually stand at the door and wait for us to come and let them out. And as you can see from the picture below, they enjoy the space as much as we do.

More Floor

The majority of the kitchen tile was laid today. I know you're wondering "what type of tile is that". Uh, I don't know. But I like it.

The tile was laid after the cabinets because the manufacturer of the heated floors recommends against placing any additional load on the floor. So, the cabinets were installed on the subfloor prior to the installation of the heating components, concrete, and tiles.

Our old gray tiled floor showed dirt so easily. It made me aware of how frequently you should probably mop your kitchen floor. This floor will hide dirt, but we'll have to be diligent about keeping it clean in the absence of the visual cues we got from the plain gray floor.

Solid as a Rock

I'm posting this entry from home i.e. the internet connection is back up and running.

The concrete for the heated floor was poured today. Things are moving along.








They also installed the new back door. I think it looks pretty awesome. It'll be great to have more light entering the kitchen. I also think that the dogs will like being able to look out back... and bark... and bark... and bark... and, oh well.

The trim will probably be installed later this week.












Here is a side-by-side comparison of the new door compared to the old door. Notice that the trim hasn't been put on yet, but it still looks great. I think that the white door goes well with the white trim of the storm windows. We will be adding a full light storm door as well. You may question the need for both. The storm door allows us to utilize a screen to let air flow through the house on nice days.

The Dog Ate my Homework

So, you're wondering why I'm late posting to the blog this morning. Well, "the dog ate my homework". Seriously, the contractor cut my cable wire. No TV, no cable. Thank God for Tivo. I had something to watch last night from recordings earlier in the day. (Unfortunately I missed Big Brother 8; but it was only a Power of Veto night not an elimination night.) Unlike little Jimmy whose dog ate his homework, big James has a digital camera to prove that this really did happen.
So, they cut the main cable wire to use it as a guide to fish the electrical wire up to Wesley's office. Then they spliced it back together. Pictures 1 and 2 show the splice. Picture 3 shows where the two wires are running up from the basement along the stack for the bathroom vents. Apparently, the main cable wire didn't like being spliced. Now the entire system is down. I just received a call from Wes and the cable company is at the house right now trying to fix this. So hopefully there be no other delays in posting.

If I had made a post yesterday it would have been regarding preparations for the heated floor. Note in the pictures above that the base of all of the cabinets have been sealed with foam in preparation for the spreading of the concrete. The electrical insepctor comes today. With their approval, the floor concrete will then be laid and the job will continue.

As I was jumping out of the shower this morning, the new back door was delivered. I'm changing the current door out to install a full light door. I think that this is going to be a wonderful addition and bring in even more light into the kitchen

As Scooby Doo would say... "Ruhh???" (In other words, "What the..."?)

When I got in today, it was hard to tell what had been done. I looked high and low and all I really noticed were two things:

1. The wiring for the heated floor was completed as the wire for the thermostat was enclosed in the wall. It looks like a new junction box has been put in place for the controls.
2. The water pipes were extended through the base of the cabinet for the sink. It is amazing how they know EXACTLY where to put those such that they only cut away only the space that they need.

So I figured, "eh, not that much today".

Well, when I got upstairs I noticed the the furniture in Wesley's office had been moved away from the wall. (Bottom left) It was a little startling. It appears that they've begun work on an extra request that I made.

All of the outlets on the entire front of the house are running off of the same circuit. This involves half of the rooms in the house including the dining room, living room, Wesley's office, the main bathroom, and the master bedroom. Right now we've got the fridge in the living room, a microwave in the dining room, a computer an peripherals on a jack in Wesley's office, and the TV/Tivo/DVD on a jack in the master bedroom... all on the same circuit. If someone heats up a burrito in the microwave (no, we don't really heat up burritos), everything blows out. So I asked Alan to investigate how hard it would be to run half of those rooms on a separate switch. The furniture had been moved because they had begun running the wiring into Wesley's office where he will have a new box with 4 outlets to handle his computing and peripheral needs. (Bottom right)

Heavenly Heat for your Feet

The installation of the heated floor began today. In the picture to the right you will see rows of electrical wiring winding back and forth through the kitchen. This is the heating element for the floor. You'll also observe several bags of concrete. This will be poured over the wire and serve as the subfloor for the tile floor.

This is going to be a great addition to the kitchen. I've never had heated floors before, but I hear that they're pretty awesome.










Here is a close up view of the heating element. Notice how the wire is kept aligned by the track running perpendicular to the rows of wiring.










The wiring is ultimately tied to a thermostat that will control the tempature in the kitchen, mudroom, and half bath.

A little Sanding, a little Painting

Today the house was filled with the sounds of sand paper and sprayers as the team finished smoothing out the drywall and began painting the room. The first surface to be painted was the ceiling. (Picture on the left taken with the fish eye lens). All of the cabinets were covered to ensure that none of them were damaged during the process. If you look the the right side of the picture you'll see two small white donut holes. For those that are wondering, those are the AC vents.

Oh, Home of the Range

The crew is off today as it is a national holiday. This presents an opportunity to share more about the appliances.

I've probably been in more than 100 houses in the Twin Cities since moving here. Between my initial house hunting trip, 2 Parade of Homes Remodelors Showcases (held every October), and plenty of open houses (just staying abreast of marketplace pricing and dynamics) I've seen my fair share of kitchens. The majority of these have been pretty outstanding renovations and inspired me as we headed in to our project. Granite counter tops are "point of entry" for a good remodel in this region. You must have the latest and greatest appliances. Wolf and Viking are brand names found in the higher tier jobs. I'm not on a Wolf/Viking budget but I think that we've picked out a pretty reputable line of appliances.

Our choice for the range is the GE Profile™ 30" Free-Standing Dual-Fuel Double Oven Range
(Operates off of electricity and gas)

Model#: J2B918SELSS

Electric Convection Oven — Features electric heating elements and a fan that circulates air throughout the oven cavity, to deliver uniform and savory cooking results

Self-Clean Oven Conveniently cleans the oven cavity without need of scrubbing

Central Oval Burner - Adds a fifth element to the center of the cooktop to accommodate large cookware and deliver ideal results

Non-Stick Griddle - Offers a flat cooking surface, placed over the center oval burner, for cooking multiple foods at once

Lower Oven — Offers an additional 1.0 cu. ft. of capacity for convenient baking from 150 degrees to 450 degrees

PowerBoil™ 17,000 BTU Burner — Delivers 17,000 BTUs of forceful heat for rapid boiling

Click here to get the full details at products.geappliances.com

Considering that neither one of us is the hard-core chef type, this range is more than sufficient. We could have gone with an affordable Wolf but wouldn't have gotten any features. I really like the lower oven. I don't bake, but man... think of all the pizza we could prepare!

"...You're the next Contestant on the Price is Right"

Today I went to Warner Stellian to confirm the make and model of each of the appliances. I'd originally planned to purchase a Maytag refrigerator that we liked, but there's just something about the word "Maytag" that takes me back to growing up in the 70's and watching "The Price is Right". I liked the fridge but struggled with the manufacturer. Maytag is such a 70's game show appliance. Luckily since first identifying the Maytag, LG has introduced a similar model offering a little more storage space; a brand name that doesn't make me look for Bob Barker to appear in the kitchen saying "James Ely, come on down!!!" . I chose the LG LFX25960. Here's the write up on the fridge from the LG website.


24.7 Cu.Ft. Total Capacity
External Ice & Water Dispenser

Convenience? Style? You've come to the right place. Not only can you enjoy the benefits of a Side by Side fresh food compartment with a Bottom Freezer, but LG has enhanced the French Door package by adding a filtered Ice and Water dispenser on the outside. The self-contained ice system produces 4.0 lbs. of ice a day in 3 sizes that can be dispensed either crushed or as crescent-shaped cubes. The ice storage bin is also removable for portability and easy cleaning.

SmoothTouch Digital Temperature Controls Ensure precise temperature control in the refrigerator and freezer compartments. Located on the outside of the refrigerator, the touch sensitive digital controls also allow you to use the IcePlus™ accelerated freezing function, monitor room temperature, and reset the water filter.

Click here to visit the full specs at the LG website.

Finally, thanks to those loyal readers that left comments regarding yesterday's lack of a true post. Hindsight is 20-20; my own disappointment and the knowledge of a disappointed readership made me decide that the show must go on! So look for a fresh post every day (with the exception of weekends as the crew isn't here).

Slow Day

There is nothing major to post today. The guys only spent a little time at the house today, primarily taping the drywall on the ceiling.

Fish Eye for the Kitchen Guy

Since starting the blog I have been squeezing into various corners of the kitchen in an attempt to take pictures that would provide visual perspective on the entire room. I finally aquired a fisheye lens for my camera which allows me to stand in one place and capture the entire room by taking a picture that rounds or bends the edges of the image, thus allowing me to capture a wider range of view.

In photography, a fisheye lens is a wide-angle lens that takes in an extremely wide, hemispherical image. Originally developed for use in meteorology and astronomy and called "whole-sky lenses", fisheye lenses quickly became popular in general photography for their unique, distorted appearance. They are often used by photographers shooting broad landscapes to suggest the curve of the Earth.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Each of these pictures was taken from an opposite end of the room. The photo on the top was taken facing west; the one on the bottom facing east.

Alan estimates that we'll be finished in about 2 weeks. From here, they will:

• Finish the cabinets
• Paint
• Install the heated floor
• Get measurements for and install the counter tops
• Bring in the appliances