WEEK 15 - A SWEETHEART OF A KITCHEN!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Today is countertop day!  The adrenaline is pumping away and the excitement level is high!  Wayne and I went to see the stone and do a layout with the templates on Saturday.  Laying out the templates on the stone is very important.  Not every granite or marble is perfect.  There may be some areas you would prefer to hide or those that you want to show off!  I highly encourage all of my clients to do them.

Isaak works on interior molding  today, and John and Joe are due back late this morning to continue installing the wall cabinets.

We decide to repurpose and reuse and older door we purchased
for the remodel many years earlier.

A team of five guys arrive with the granite right on schedule.  These countertops are rather long and very heavy; approximately 22 lbs. per square foot.  They get everything inside and in place.  The stone looks awesome; by the way we have selected a honed Jet Mist for our tops.  As they tweak the one countertop the installer insists on cutting into my freshly sheetrocked walls.  I am told that the overhang by the range is ¼” larger.  I refuse to allow them to cut into the sheet rock.  Cutting into the sheetrock has always been a very sore spot with me.  There is a reason they come to template!  Follow the template and these problems would not exist!  After a while of bantering we conclude that the right thing to do is to return the stone have the ¼” cut off.  Stone is not cheap, and I want this done correctly!  There is no reason to take shortcuts after waiting all this time.  Do it right!   They call back the other team of guys to load up the stone and take it back to the shop.  They did leave the peninsula so Wayne will get to see that tonight.

Of course this choice affects the remainder of John’s day.  Fortunately John calls as we are discussing the countertop issue, and decides it is better for him to stay at his cabinet shop today. 

He vacuums and does windows!

I continue to work at home and then it hits me that it would be so much easier to get paint on the walls before the cabinets go up.  I head out to buy primer and paint!   By the time I get home it is 6:00PM.  Wayne & I wipe down the ceiling and walls, and manage to get the walls all primed.  We stop for dinner around 9:30 and I head back upstairs around 10:00PM to start painting.  The color is beautiful and goes up much faster than the primer.  By 1:00AM I am almost finished cleaning the brushes and rollers.  The color looks great.

Picasso?  NOT!

Cocktail counter being broken in!

Michelangelo...Maybe?

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Isaak is here and decides it is time to work on the outside of the house.  The sun is shining and there is no snow!  It is a great day to start trimming the windows.

The stone returns earlier then expected, and goes in without any issues whatsoever!  Gorgeous!  As you can see by the pictures, this is a lengthy installation process.  The longest part is mixing the epoxy to join the two pieces of granite, and then waiting for it to dry.  The day starts off good and everyone is happy especially the client and the designer!

The return of the countertops!

Our great stone fabricator!



Place the stone and then custom color mix the epoxy. 
Whew it smells!



Fill in the seams with the epoxy mixture.

Now push to close the seam.

The seam is cleaned of extra epoxy.



And then dried with heat gun...not your blow drier!



A couple extra hands to ensure a tight fitting seam.

Now the sink can be installed.  A little adhesive...

and a few extra hands!
It's all teamwork!

 

John and Joe arrive late morning about a half hour after the stone guys leave.  Now the remainder of the wall cabinets can be installed.

As the day continues, I get very little work done and spend most of my day in the kitchen with the guys!  So far only one major goof on my part.  I gave Isaak dimensions for our spice cabinet as a frameless cabinet, and then later on I asked John to make it an inset cabinet.  Guess what???  It doesn’t fit in the frameless opening!  Oops!  Time for an Add/Change Order.

I keep getting texts from Wayne asking for pictorial updates as the cabinets get installed.  I see most of the cabinets installed before I have to leave for an event in the city.  My colleague Elaine is joining me for the event and is meeting me at the house.  She comes in to check on our progress and is amazed at how large the kitchen has become.  Off the city we go!  But first a very special thank you to Elaine for introducing me to John!  THANK YOU!

Just about two hours later my cell phone rings…it is Wayne.  He is absolutely beside himself and overcome with emotion on how beautiful the kitchen is! 

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

This morning starts off with plumbing!  Isaak hooks up the sink, garbage disposal and faucet.  We now have running water back in our kitchen.  Technically we are fully functional.  The range is hooked up, the sink and the microwave.  We are only missing the dishwasher, refrigerator and hood.  These will all have to wait until another day.  The dishwasher is hidden in the garage behind the refrigerator.  We are not ready to install the refrigerator yet, and the hood cannot go up until the tile comes in! 

And just our luck, the first course of tile in our backsplash is backorder until late April…early May.  Ouch!  I have not told Wayne yet!

Isaak has plans to be outside again.  We are expecting temperatures in the 60’s today!  The window trims are coming along nicely.  Snow is no longer an issue…now it is the mud!

Surprise...you never know when or where the camera shows up!

New trimwork going up!
More to paint...ugh!

On my way out the door, John and Joe arrive to continue the cabinet install.  They spend the day tweaking cabinets and installing the one piece I am so excited to see…which is the tv/phone hutch.  I will have to wait until later to see.

I come home to find the tv/phone hutch installed and looking fantastic!

Now I am starting to feel anxious about moving back into our kitchen!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Wow, most of the snow is almost gone!  The weather has been great.  I wonder how long this will last.

Today Isaak is inside working on trims, moldings and window sills after he completes the exterior shingles.

Short by only 6 shingles!

John will be gone for the rest of the week.  I asked John to finish the crown moldings throughout the room in the same finish as the cabinets.  This will take some time to prepare, paint and cure.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Friday already!  Wow has this week gone fast!  I have so much to do at the office that I do not hang out at the house.  I see Isaak for a little bit and then I am off and running.  Several new appointments today!  It’s nice to hear our phone ringing with new prospective clients. 

But the great part about my morning was greeting sent via Isaak from Nachum!  It’s always the little things that mean the most!

I come home to find that the dishwasher has been installed!  Wayne will be so happy! 

So here we are…

Base cabinets installed  R

Countertops installed  R

Wall cabinets installed  R

Windows and doors trimmed  R

Snow gone  R

Message from Nachum  R

Happy designer  R

Happy clients = PROGRESS      R

WEEK 14 - BEAUTIFULLY SURPRISED!

Monday, February 07, 2011

Isaak is back!  He still has more work to do on the walls and ceiling, but the first thing on his list is to protect the floors.  He sends his helper out to get the protective floor runners and drop cloths.  As he gathers all of these items, the helper continues to walk across the newly finished floors with his wet shoes, until Isaak stops him and puts the runner down so he can continue into the kitchen.  Before I leave the entire first floor is now covered and protected.  These rubber back mats that Isaak has are a great way to protect the floors; much better than rosin paper.

His helper is out shoveling around the dumpster trailer, clearing a path for its anticipated removal!  Tomorrow the cabinets are coming!

Wayne empties his closet once again, and the guys go back to spackling and now sanding the all areas with new sheetrock.

I head to the office and give the cabinet shop a call to discuss arrival times.  After discussing the weather forecast of snow and the expected drop in temperature we decide to postpone the delivery until Wednesday. 

Isaak gets a call confirming that his dad has a touch of pneumonia in the other lung now.  Nachum can’t catch a break!

When I got home today not much looked different since the remainder of the day was sanding the new sheetrock areas.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

More sanding in store for today!

Wayne reluctantly empties his closet once again and jokingly complains to me that it is so much smaller since they added a ½” of sheetrock to both sides.  I hope he was joking.  Oooh the suffering he has endured just so we could have central air!

Isaak arrives with good news!  They plan to discharge his dad today and send him home.  Nachum must be very excited.

The guys continue to sand!

Cooper and I go to the office where he has plans to head home to the country today.

Isaak calls to say he leaving early to get his dad settled in.  We all hope this good news continues, and that Nachum is feeling better soon!

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

More sanding in store for today too!

Nachum is home!  Isaak is here!  And the cabinets are coming today!

John, our cabinet artisan, calls to let me know what time to expect him at the house today.  Unfortunately I cannot be there since Plumberry is hosting seminars on Green Design. 

Wayne and I come home to a living room packed with the most beautiful kitchen cabinets I have ever seen!  My eyes fill with the thought that we will soon have our dream kitchen!  Eleven years in the making and 8 years now of preparing and waiting.  Our kitchen is really here!  The TV hutch cabinet is one of the first cabinets I see…it is just soooo awesome!  We are not the least bit excited…NOT!  I text John right away to let him know how happy we are!  I hope that all my clients get at least half as excited as we do.  And if they are more excited…that’s even better!  Of course it is time to have cocktails around the cabinets as we toast Nachum’s return home and the craftsmanship of John and his team!  We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such good people!

Roxie & Fred approve!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Exciting day planned today!  The base cabinets get installed!

Isaak and his helper are here and plan to work on the powder room today.  They will be pouring the shower base and getting that ready for tile and a stone sill.  But before that…more sanding in Wayne’s closet.  Yes, Wayne has to empty his closet one more time for the final sanding.

John and his assistant Joe arrive and get right to work.  I have planned to stay home to be here for any questions.  I try to work upstairs in Wayne’s office, but I can’t stand it!  I have to go downstairs and watch as the cabinets get installed.  It’s like being a kid on Christmas morning!  I keep checking and then head back upstairs trying not to be in the way.  All the time feeding Wayne photos via e-mail so he can share in my excitement.  I am just amazed at how beautiful it looks!  Wow!  This will be a unique kitchen!

Some of the new appliances have yet to be delivered.  I expected them today, but they called and had to reschedule for tomorrow.  Now I have to change my schedule for tomorrow so I can be here to accept the appliances.

Later in the afternoon, I get more involved with the placement of the peninsula.  We tweak the location a few times and the guys are extremely patient with me. 

Two levels to make sure the peninsula is level!

This is the other side of the peninsula.

Meanwhile Isaak is not too happy with me; but he will never admit it, being the consummate professional he is.  I forgot to tell him I had purchased a drain for the shower pan that is square and brushed nickel finish.  He had just finished pouring the shower pan when he called me in to approve.  The shower drain has been installed for months, but I never noticed it was not the drain I specified until today.  Isaak quietly scraped back the concrete mixture and replaced the drain.  Thank you Isaak!

Shower pan before the base was poured.  Interesting plastic
angles that pitch the shower base towards the drain.

After everyone is gone, I take an old wood piece and lay it on the peninsula to create a temporary countertop and we anxiously await Wayne’s arrival with cocktails waiting.

It is just like being a kid at Christmas!  Wayne’s excitement is immense.  After greeting the dogs he eagerly goes to every cabinet to open a drawer and door with this huge grin on his face!  He said he knew it would be wonderful, but that was even better than he dreamed or expected.  We cheered and toasted and sat our new peninsula for a least an hour just feeling so great about our new space!

Friday, February 11, 2011

It is a bright new morning as I travel through our kitchen to the basement for breakfast.  I let Isaak know we are expecting the template for the countertops around 7-7:30AM.  Sean from Stone Surfaces shows up and gets the job done.  Even he is impressed with the quality of the cabinets; and he sees many new kitchens every day.

Templating the peninsula.

We are still waiting on 2 more deliveries today.  One with the hood and garbage disposal, and the other is our microwave drawer by Jenn Air.  The microwave shows up first and Isaak quickly gets it unpacked and installed.  Not having countertops is an advantage to him right now as he runs the electrical wires for the microwave.

Even the designers are no exempt from shipping complications. 
Fortuantely there was no damage to the microwave!



Ooh!  Aah!  A working microwave drawer!



PROGRESS IS PAYING OFF!

WEEK 13 - SUPER FLOOR DAY!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Today is a tape and spackle day!  Not that exciting to write about.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Today is another tape and spackle day!  Isaak out of here early to be with his dad; Nachum is having one of his lungs drained today.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Challenging weather once again!  A very icy morning, but Isaak is here.  Nachum’s procedure went well! 

Isaak’s helper is not here due to weather conditions.  I wait for the plow and head to the office.  Glad that the cabinets were not being delivered today!

Wayne is busy emptying out his closet again.  Isaak is planning on getting new sheetrock installed in the closet to close up the areas that were cutout for the air conditioning ducts.

Just a little ice!

When I got home today I found all of Isaak’s tools in the powder room, and the closet repaired with new sheetrook.  Now it is up to us to make sure everything else is gone and we are prepared for Dave, our flooring guy!  The old metal stair railing comes down and I drill out the old stair spindles so Dave can finish the stairs too.

Thursday, February 03, 2011

It’s a little strange not to have Isaak here in the morning.  I missed our chat time while having breakfast.  Since the floors are being done today it is important to have all three dogs out of the house.  They will not handle the noise well and they have not met Dave yet.  So Wayne drops off Fred and Roxie at the showroom on his way to work, and I keep Cooper at the house with me.

Cooper is a country dog who has free range outside.  He also has an aversion to UPS trucks and likes to attack them and jump in the truck scaring the drivers.  Dave has a similar truck because it houses a dustless sanding system for the wood floors.  I asked for a heads up as so I could get Cooper in my car before he the truck arrived.  You could hear Cooper's discontent when the the truck arrived and everyone wonder why my car was moving and shaking!

Dave arrived late morning with the new white oak for the kitchen.  We went with white oak to match the existing floors.  Dave’s challenge today is to weave the new floor into the old floor.  This is not an easy job since our existing floors are over 77 years old.  The old wood becomes a little brittle over the years.

Around 5:00 I called Dave to make sure it was clear to bring the dogs back to the house.  I packed all three dogs in the car and headed home to find the floor feathered into the dining area and stretching across the room to the side door.  It looks fantastic!  Time to pack up for tomorrow’s trip.

Friday, February 04, 2011

Today we woke up early and packed the car up with the dogs and a weekend bag.  Dave arrived around 9 with his crew to install the remainder of the flooring.  He put down three different stains to see which color we liked best.  Wayne chose the Early American and I chose the Provincial.  Dave helped us compromised by mixing the two together for Early American Provincial!  With that completed off to the office we went with the dogs not to return until Sunday. 

Why Sunday?  Once the floor was installed, all areas of the living room, dining area, kitchen and both staircases were to get sanded and then stained.  Once the stain dries, Dave planned on putting down one coat of shellac.  He thought this would be best to help protect the floor better from the dogs’ nails.  The shellac dries over night, and then on Saturday he would come back and put down the first coat of quick drying oil-based poly urethane.   It would have been impossible for us to stay in the house for the weekend.

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Today Dave stops by the design showroom to tell me he is all done and the stain, shellac and poly have gone down.  His next step will be to come back, screen the floor again and give it another coat of polyurethane before our faux finisher, Tomi Petrella, from ART, etc. comes in to do her magic.  Dave shows me a picture of the finished floor.  Unfortunately the picture is too small, but I am still excited.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Super Bowl Sunday is here!  We get home around 3:30 and plan our attack as to getting the three dogs into the house.  I open the door and WOW!!  They are exactly the color I had in mind.  Wayne is not too far behind me his reaction is the same!  The floors are dry enough for us to walk on.  I take off my shoes, Wayne gets the dogs and I guide them to their area downstairs.  Wayne unpacks the car and then joins me for a closer inspection of the new floor and new color!   Dave had warned us many time that we would see a difference between the old floor and the new, but the difference in the weaved area was hardly noticeable.  the floors are FANTASTIC!!! 

The entire floor color looks like the area at the bottom of the stairs.

Walls R

Ceiling R

Floors R

PROGRESS R