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!