Category: Kitchen Renovation

Just Face It

Published on by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

As I had hoped, we crossed a few more items off our kitchen to do list.

  • Install the new dishwasher.  Did that on Thursday night.
  • Sand the ceiling and walls smooth
  • Build the five remaining drawers we’ve waited on (we needed to see how things were in place before we could build one drawer in the dining room, the trash can pull out, and the under the sink drawer)
  • Fill, sand, prime and paint said drawers
  • Install every drawer, 16 total
  • Buy the wood for the counters.  Hopefully we’ll get a call today!
  • Haul the wood slabs to a cabinet shop to have them sand both sides smooth
  • Cut the wood to fit and install the counters
  • Hang the upper cabinets
  • Add decorative face trim to all cabinets for a smooth, pretty, even front
  • Fill, sand, prime, and paint all cabinet faces
  • Build the drawer and cabinet fronts, including two glass front doors
  • More filling, sanding, priming, and painting of the cabinet fronts
  • Install the drawer fronts and hardware pulls
  • Prime and paint the kitchen and living room.  Probably the dining room too.
  • Add lights: sconces, recessed light halos, and the rope lighting
  • Trim out the posts and door frames
  • Add crown molding to the top of the cabinets
  • Decide whether we want to add decorative trim to the vent hood or paint it to match the wall color
  • Install the pretty new marble tile backsplash
  • Put everything back in place and enjoy
Ben built five drawers: the top dining side:
See the window sill?  We had to make this drawer narrower than the others so it doesn’t hit the sill.  Instead of wasting three inches on the entire stack, Ben attached a few plywood scraps to build the cabinet out to the width of just the top drawer.
Three for the drawer stack we thought would be the trash drawer:
The top drawer by the sink isn’t installed because we ran out of drawer glides.  We bought 15 when we planned to have only two drawers in that stack.  We’ll install it once we get another set of glides.
And one under the sink:
I think this one is my favorite, just because I’ve never seen a drawer under the sink, and it’s so much more functional with the drawer.  To cover the exposed plywood edges, we filled the top with wood filler, let it dry, then sanded it smooth.
We could have used iron-on wood veneer, but it peeled off easily when we tested it for the laundry room.  That’s why I’ve made a few light fixtures with it.
After fitting the drawers, Ben started on the cabinet face framing.  Quarter inch MDF cut into strips cover the rough plywood edges.
Visible cabinet ends got a layer of 1/2 inch MDF followed by a 2 1/2 inch wide by 1/4 inch thick MDF decorative frame.
Wood filler seals the cracks.  Once everything is sanded, it should have a seamless edge.
We have a special plan to deal with the bare back and the drawer front for the dining side.
And, the trim covers the gap between the dishwasher and counter.
If all goes well, I’ll have the trim sanded and primed later today.  Hoping Everett takes a long nap.
What did you do this weekend?  Start or finish any big projects?  Planned out your Thanksgiving dinner menu?  Rake up leaves?  We tried but then it snowed.  Can you believe winter has already started?  Folks in warm climates, please send your weather our way.

A Washer of Dishes

Published on by Our Humble Abode15 Comments

Our kitchen is officially back to a fully functioning condition.  All because we installed the dishwasher that arrived yesterday.  After plenty of online research and in-store visits, we decided on the KitchenAid Classic Series dishwasher in stainless.

We like that it has the stainless tub interior, hidden controls, some adjustable tines, and an adjustable upper rack which they claim can hold full-sized plates.  That would be cool, but we haven’t tried.  After all, we just installed it.  Originally, we thought we’d end up with a LG, but Ben didn’t want to pay their higher price.  The normal price of this KitchenAid is $799.99, but thanks to a Columbus Day sale we got it for a mere 513.89 bucks.  Also known as 36% off, which is actually better than our smokin’ good deal on our range.  Thank you Columbus for discovering America.

Ben picked the dishwasher up from Sears yesterday afternoon and installed it after work.  Installation was easy.  Add a hose, an electrical cord, plug-in this, clamp that.  But we do have another problem.  Do you see it?

Ahh, we built the cabinets 1 1/4 inches too tall.  Gah.  I guess we were in a hurry to get the kitchen started and forgot to measure our old cabinets.  Apparently 36 inches is the standard height including a counter top.

Oh well.  We gained another inch of cabinet space.  And it’s nothing a piece of trim can’t fix.  It just makes it easier to see the hidden buttons right now.

I’ve never had a dishwasher with hidden controls, but I’m nerdy excited about it.  Now I just have to re-learn how to load this reconfigured dishwasher.  Ha.

Now you’re 100% up to date on the kitchen status.  Hopefully I won’t be able to say that come Monday.  Have you ever made a silly rookie mistake?  How’d it work out in the end?  Maybe this is for the better because the trim will be a better match to the drawer stack on the other side of the sink…

Manormous Cabinet

Published on by Our Humble Abode25 Comments

All of our lower cabinets are in and we’ve even installed one of the three uppers.  A giant cabinet over the refrigerator, in fact.  We decided to frame out our refrigerator for a more finished look.  This started with hanging the large cabinet, screwing into the joists and studs along the back wall.

Now do you realize how huge.  It is 36 inches wide, two feet tall and 29 inches deep.  In a small kitchen, every inch counts.  Actually, when I was painting the insides of the lower cabinets, I accidentally painted this guy because he was that big.  Moving on.  After installing the cabinet, Ben screwed a small strip of plywood to the floor.  The sheet of plywood screwed into the cabinet and this small strip to keep it from shifting.

He did the same thing on the other side, too.  Another strip of 3/4 inch plywood on each side filled the gap between the fridge and wood nicely.

We’ll cover the ugly edges with a face frame for a smooth, polished look.  But this already does a lot to make the kitchen look fancy and custom.

The doors still swing open all the way because the panels are set back slightly.  We also made the opening a standard size as we plan to get a new refrigerator when this one conks out.  And it helps detract from seeing the fridge when you walk in the front door.

Of course once we get the dishwasher, which should be here today, install the counters, (we’re hoping they get the wood by tomorrow), and hang the other upper cabinets, everything will look much more cohesive.

While we’re discussing cavernous kitchen storage, let’s look at the newly installed drawers.

Obviously we still have more to install.  Well, we have to build them first.  But the drawers on either side of the stove are in.  Those puppies are massive.  43 inches wide to be exact.  Oh, and you can see the rope lights.  Vincent wanted to show you.

I’ve already started putting things in the drawers, too.  What used to be split into three drawers now fits in the top right drawer.  Yep, every single utensil we own is visible with the pull of one drawer.

The middle drawer has all of our mixing bowls, strainers, a salad spinner, and food storage containers.

And the bottom drawer holds our pots, pans, baking dishes, and toaster with room to spare.

Other drawers have some stuff, too, but nothing else is in a permanent place.  Before we started the kitchen reno, I had a few moments of concern about having enough storage space.  Now, I’m wondering what I’ll put in the other side.  Not really because we still have food in the pantry and dishes in the guest bedroom closet.  But we’re both so excited about the space we’ve gained without enlarging the footprint of the kitchen.

So how ’bout you.  Are your drawers over sized?  No, not your pants.  Have you encased your fridge for a high-end look?  Do you have similar items dispersed all over your kitchen?

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

Published on by Our Humble Abode10 Comments

This past Friday we, er Ben, installed the kitchen sink and adjoining cabinets.  Then he called it a night.   First order of business on Saturday: install the stove cabinets and range.  So, Ben hauled out our old clunker and brought in the box with the shiny new stove.  We carefully unwrapped the packaging to discover this:

Yep, a dent on the right side.  Fortunately, this will be hidden behind the cabinet.  Speaking of cabinets, here’s the new beauty sandwiched between two drawer large bays.

Isn’t she pretty?!?  I love the sleek stainless, the industrial style handles, and the huge top.  But installing this baby wasn’t a snap.  The old gas line came out of the floor right behind the left back leg, so the range couldn’t tuck tightly against the wall.  And we encountered another issue because we’re planning on two-inch thick countertops.  Our counters will make the cabinets 1 inch taller than average counters.  The adjustable range legs only go up to one inch.

As a temporary solution until we install the counters, Ben placed the range on wooden blocks.  After the counters are installed, we’ll search out a better solution.  We’re thinking of buying furniture legs for a less trashy custom look.  But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Now let me brag a little.  First, I love the front left burner.  It’s three-tiered and gigantic.  And the grates cover the entire top to maximize the space.  Oh, and if we ever want to get fancy, we can flip the grate insert for easy wok cooking.  But, the best part is something I didn’t even know about.  Smarties at KitchenAid designed the range to sit just above the counters for a seamless surface.

No more junk falling down the crack.  Wait, that sounded bad.

And here’s what everything looks like right now from the back door.

We’ve got cabinets, but only one drawer installed so far.  But, everything is functional, so we’re a okay.  Now I’m itching to get the rest of the drawers in so I can get everything out of the guest bedroom and start organizing.  Nerd alert.

We’re chugging along, but we still have so much to do.  How about a list to show what’s left to do:

  • Install the new dishwasher, which we’re hoping to get on Thursday
  • Sand the ceiling and walls smooth
  • Build the five remaining drawers we’ve waited on (we needed to see how things were in place before we could build one drawer in the dining room, the trash can pull out, and the under the sink drawer)
  • Fill, sand, prime and paint said drawers
  • Install every drawer, 16 total
  • Buy the wood for the counters which should be in tomorrow
  • Haul the wood slabs to a cabinet shop to have them sand both sides smooth
  • Cut the wood to fit and install the counters
  • Hang the upper cabinets
  • Add decorative face trim to all cabinets for a smooth, pretty, even front
  • Fill, sand, prime, and paint all cabinet faces
  • Build the drawer and cabinet fronts, including two glass front doors
  • More filling, sanding, priming, and painting of the cabinet fronts
  • Install the drawer fronts and hardware pulls
  • Prime and paint the kitchen and living room.  Probably the dining room too.
  • Add lights: sconces, recessed light halos, and the rope lighting
  • Trim out the posts and door frames
  • Add crown molding to the top of the cabinets
  • Decide whether we want to add decorative trim to the vent hood or paint it to match the wall color
  • Install the pretty new marble tile backsplash
  • Put everything back in place and enjoy

Miss a step in our renovation progress?  Read through these posts to get up to date.  

In addition to the kitchen updates, we thought we’d share our Halloween fun.  How ’bout a peek at our pumpkins first?

The eye on this guy popped out while carving, so we made it look intentional with some pumpkin guts hanging out.  Kinda looks like a pig in Angry Birds, no?

He’s just happy.

And this guy’s up to no good.

While we went Trick-or-Treating, Ben was busy installing a few drawers.  We’ll share as we finish more.

Everything, Including the Kitchen Sink

Published on by Our Humble Abode20 Comments

Wednesday afternoon we finished installing the new 3/4 inch thick stained hickory floor.  And we’re completely in love.

With the floor done, we started installing the cabinets Thursday morning.  Because we’re washing dishes in the bathroom sink, getting a sink was a pressing matter.  Rather than incorporating the toe kick in the cabinet, we cheat and build separate toe kicks.  Two by fours are the perfect height and they’re durable, so Ben makes boxes three inches smaller than the overall cabinet size.

Using long screws, Ben attached the boxes to the floor.

That part went quickly.

For the next several hours, Ben drilled several holes in our floor and ran tons of wires.

Wires for what?  Ben’s awesome idea.  Under cabinet lighting.  And not the halogen task lighting.  Rope lighting under the toe kicks.  A similar idea to the crown molding accent lighting in our master bedroom.  We’ve had several people ask how to do this.  I’m no electrician, so don’t quote me here, but Ben starts with a piece of rope light with a plug-in end.  He cuts the plug off and strips the wires.  Then it’s just a matter of connecting the proper wires to one another and capping everything off with wire nuts and electrical tape.

The posts we have on each side of the stove are mostly for support.  In an effort to keep the posts as small and unobtrusive as possible, we decided to put our switches inside the cabinets on the living room side.  We’ll have a bar top across the cabinets with a six-foot opening between for bar stools.  Here’s one of the cabinets by the kitchen entrance.

Don’t follow?  Here’s what it looks like from the kitchen side.

While Ben ran wires, Everett and I cheered him on.  Every time Ben nailed or screwed something down, Ev would say, “Nice!”

 

Ben took the afternoon off to go hunting.  Fortunately, he shot a deer, so he’s done for the rest of the year.  Unfortunately, we still didn’t have a kitchen sink.  Which means he had to clean his deer in our bathroom.  To say I was displeased is an understatement.  We needed a functioning sink, stat.  Friday morning Ben started working again, setting cabinets.

A small kitchen requires maximizing every square inch.  Even though we’re losing an entire wall of upper cabinets, we’re gaining a lot of usable space.  In fact, the only wasted space is this three-inch gap between the peninsula and trash drawer.  The only reason for this is drawer clearance.

Shortly before the sink could be installed, Ben brought it up from the basement.

 

A little more wiring for the dishwasher, which we ordered and should be here on Thursday, before the sink could go in.

Then some plumbing.

After five days without a kitchen sink, we were back in dish washing business.

Then we had a little leak.  Everything worked, but the leak came from dishwasher hook up.  Because we don’t have a dishwasher.

Duct tape over the hole works for now.  And here’s the sink side in its current state.  Oh, you’ll also see we have the trash under the sink.  After buying a 10.1 gallon trash and putting it in the trash drawer we realized there would be a fair amount of wasted space above it.  Luckily, it fits perfectly under the sink.  Along with another can for recycling.  Which means, we’re gaining a small drawer stack in the place of the original trash drawer.

In other news, we hoped the wood for the counters would arrive this past Thursday.  Sadly, it didn’t.  Now we’re shooting for Wednesday.  Fingers crossed it comes in and we like it so we can get counters in.  Though, we’re lucky because Ben built the cabinets with flat tops, so we have a solid work surface.  Things could definitely be worse.

Many of you commented that we’re making quick progress.  Even though we’re living with a torn apart kitchen, I have to agree.  Everything is back to functioning order and it can only get better from here.

What do you think of the kitchen so far?  Progressing faster than you anticipated?  Just wait until you see tomorrow’s post.  Yes, that is a teaser.