New Kitchen - cabinets, countertop

Now that all the major, structural stuff was complete:

• New floor down to and including the joists


• New ceiling including new rafters


• New interior walls and exterior siding including studs, etc.


• All new plumbing & electrical

We were now ready for the cabinet maker to deliver and install the new cabinets. This is the one part of the job that I did not do. We had Yoder Cabinet Company make custom built solid wood (Hickory) cabinets. Our kitchen is roughly 9'x20' and we designed it so that we would have a "J" shaped kitchen where we had 20' of cabinets along the long wall, 9' along the short wall, and the 6' peninsula. The peninsula separated the dining room from the kitchen and provided barstool seating for 3-4 people. I also installed the new sink and new dishwasher and hooked up the plumbing.

For the countertop we chose laminate, which the cabinet maker also installed. Although it has held up just fine and there are no problems with it, I wish I had spent the extra $1k and gone with Corian. For the backsplash, I installed decorative ceramic tile which looks great. I also installed beautiful tile on the wall behind the stovetop and on the peninsula/counter. My wife chose all the tiles (floor, wall, countertop, etc, and they look great!). (Remember: I am just the handyman). Thankfully, she did the wall painting which required special effects (which are beyond my ability!). I did the priming, but the painting required an artist (my wife)to deal with the 3 stage finish painting/glazing, etc. I don't know what it is called: but it looks fantastic.

New Kitchen - continued

Before I continue I would like to say that if I had realized all the work that I was going to be getting myself into, I would have somehow talked myself out of this project using whatever excuses I could think up: "it is way beyond my capability & ability", "it will cost too much", etc, etc... There were alot of things that came up unexpectedly (known as mushroom factors: where you encounter an unexpected problem that you must deal with, and in dealing with that one, another 5 crop up).

But what I have discovered is that when you rise to the challenge, you will be amazed at what you can do. Sometimes, of course, it is a choice; other times it is a necessity. In our case we often had to go back to the "drawing board" to re-figure "custom" solutions to the "custom" problems.

So: I am very happy that I didn't give up. And 7 years later I still am delighted with the results and still amazed that I could possiblyhave built something so beautiful. So: don't underestimate yourself!

One Hardworking Man

When you live through all that there is much that you just take in stride (or suffer through- you pick), but when I read through Handyman's account I started to remember just how hard he worked... and keeps working. We can say we were nuts, that we would not do this again if we had known how much work we had let ourselves in for, but the truth is that the Handyman honed his skills and proved his mettle in the accomplishment of what is probably the work of two men... no, probably more like a team of men. He did get some help from our sons, but the elephant share was his own sweat equity (and blood sometimes... if you count scratches and whatall).

Thanks, Handyman... you have made things nice for us. and that kitchen is a constant pleasure:)
I'll try to get some pictures scanned in if I can find them...
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Total Tearout Defined

When the Handyman says "total tearout" he isn't kidding. On both the Bathroom, which was formerly a pantry for bread dough proofing (yes, figure that one out) the end of the room was open to the stars... and in this kitchen renovation the entire back wall was open to the outside for sometime. Just so you know;)

Oh, this old house thing is just so much fun. I won't describe how we managed without a bathroom with five kids and two adults... but use your imagination when I say we cobbled together our version of an outhouse. fun, fun, fun.

The temporary kitchen was easier, we used a back room and set it up with a microwave and then did dishes in the bathtub. I don't recommend it, but it did work. somehow though I am not laughing about those days in hindsight, they were hard and not alot of laughs. I have always been grateful for the outcomes, however. That is the saving grace in all this. We have ended up with living spaces that are quite improved. I like them anyway:)

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Kitchen Saga: Appliances

Our project that we are most happy with has always been the Kitchen remodeling. One way we managed the financial budgeting of that rather expensive undertaking was to retain the old appliances for as long as possible. Well. The time has arrived when we must purchase a new refrigerator, the stove came due two years ago- so this is the last big replacement ( knock on wood ) for awhile. We don't buy new unless the old has totally run its course- seriously flawed in its operation.

The stove was an easy choice. The first new one I had ever bought was a Jenn Air brand and I was very happy with that. I loved the indoor grilling (before the time of George Foreman's popular item), so we simply went with the updated version of the stove I originally had. The refrigerator is not going to be as easy a choice. For one thing they have changed the design quite a bit, I am not sure whether to get a side by side or to choose the French door type. We have looked at Home Depot and Lowes mainly. The last fridge we bought had been from Sears, I think. One thing I don't like is the flimsy plastic that is found on some of the median priced ones, my family needs Fisher Price-toy strong plastics. You have to check little things like the strainer for the in door ice and water server, or the compartments inside the appliance. Of the different brands, LD , GE, and Kitchen Aid are my favorites. We are thinking about a GE Adora ( made for Home Depot).

I am always happiest after the purchasing is over. Refrigerators aren't sexy. At least not the ones I buy.

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Do I really want to start another major project?

Actually, yes, I would like just one more for sure: the front porch. This old farmhouse has gone through numerous "updates" and exterior architectural changes over its lifetime, but the present porch was just a slapped up silly job after they removed the porch that wrapped around the corner. They reused some of the former porch supports, etc, but put them together in the most nonsensical way.

The above picture is nothing like the actual style of my house, but the porch is representative of what I want: a pedimented simple, but sturdy porch. The pillars would necessarily be more of a farmhouse type and not as numerous, but I like the fact that they have presence. I hate skimpy porch pillars- it just ruins the visual proportions.

Although one of the first jobs here was to shore up that old porch- it has always looked rather ramshackle. It is the only thing I am truly dissatisfied with enough to want to have just one more remodeling job.

I've looked at a lot of homes and styles of porches that would be in harmony with the house- I think it would make the house look more than commensurately better- I think it would make a world of difference. But Handyman has been overworked and I am not eager for any new projects, so we will see. Still, that is one desire really percolating in my thinking.

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Kitchen Preliminaries

We lived with our old and inefficient kitchen for quite awhile before we remodeled it. Too long, we both think. There were fits and starts of taking care of some of the more offensive features: like the bathroom sink located at the far end of the kitchen...what was up with that? The window was nailed shut, and being a kitchen without air conditioning and facing west... well, it was Hell's Kitchen before they coined the name for the show. A new window was first on the nag request list. We opted for a large Marvin casement window. Summer relief!

Winter was something entirely different in this porch-turned-kitchen area. It was drafty and freezing cold- the pipes were threaded through openings cut into the insides of the cabinets- and they tended to freeze. This place had lots of the "what not to do" list of the D-I-Y trade ....

When we finally scrambled enough money together we started the project.

The first thing was the planning... after fortifying with many issues of Kitchen Remodeling magazines and books... my part was to draw up the plan. My husband made a template of the space as it presently was and I began to draw out different ideas that we discussed and scrapped. We finally came upon a plan that involved closing off the back door, moving it to where the windows in the dining room were and moving the basement door, while concealing the bathroom door from the kitchen dining area.Whew! This is the condensed version! About the only thing that stayed the same was the new window and the sink plumbing connection below it. And it was time to fill in the cistern that was half inside and underneath the kitchen and half outside. Mosquitoes in the dead of winter, I kid you not. Funky smells, too.

Some of the challenges included the fact that previous owners had removed lots of the bearing wall- and you could see the roofline was showing results of that fiasco. We wanted a more open design then it had, so took out most of the remaining wall- we put in structural beams and supports - big, thick, specially ordered cedar. My husband totally rebuilt from the inside once we had taken out the old failing particle board walls and whatnot the ingenious former owners had slapped up. We joke now that if a tornado hits everything except this kitchen will go... the studs alone are a backbone few winds will prevail against.

We knew it was bad- we had lived with this kitchen for about seven years, but once you start tearing into the insides of the walls and floors...you get to see just how bad.

So we had a plan, we had the demolition.... next were the innumerable trips to the stores.


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Small Projects::Big Returns

According to CNN Money the D-I-Y person can make upgrades in these areas: tile, cabinets, bookcases, lighting, and shower doors.

Most of us know that certain projects have more value than others, like kitchen and bathroom remodels, but we oftentimes don't account for some of the smaller projects.

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Here's A Project to Talk About: The Kitchen Re-do

I think both the Handyman and myself would agree that the most rewarding project was the Kitchen remodeling. It was more than remodeling, really, it was a complete, from the studs, changing doors, totally re-built project. But it turned out to be one that our family has most benefited from and with which we are most satisfied.

I'm happy that the DH (AKA "Handyman"...and I have to explain DH to him here...it stands for "Dear Husband"...that is right "dear" ;)- because he will ask. He isn't really techy online, although he is very techy with the Handyman D-I-Y stuff. Anyway, as I was saying, I am glad He is here on the blog because he can tell you what this involved from his perspective.

From mine, I did the easy part: helped plan it out and did cooking and dishes out back in a storage room for the duration. Remember those days? And the house was open to the outdoors for awhile when the door was removed and the sliding doors in the dining room put in. We made lots of visits to Lowes and to the ceramic tile outlets. Lots of them. The floor choice ended up being tiles that looked liked stone with a terracotta color and glints like granite. I am very happy with it. The drawback is the fact that tile gets cold and everything breakable that drops on it will break. Shatter is more the word..into myriad teeny-tiny pieces. It is death to dishes. But easy to clean, undamaged by the wet conditions of a kitchen, and beautiful.

We used 4x4 tiles on part of the counter and above the stove- it continues as a border across the top of the formica countertop. DH isn't sure he liked the choice of formica, but we had to cut costs somewhere. I am very happy with it- it is in a harmonizing color with the tiles and blends really well. We bought some Italian art tiles to intersperse and create interest above the stove. I love them- they fulfill my desire for something of art in the kitchen.

I'll write more on this topic later.... after I let Handyman know about the topic and give him a chance to tell you more of the nuts and bolts of the project.



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