We Have Walls!

There's nothing quite like putting drywall up and feeling like progress is being made. In half a day we went from studs and a wrecking zone to walls and ceilings.

These guys had a nifty way of working around the lights. First they measured the edge of the can light to the edge of the ceiling drywall and wrote the dimension on the drywall in pencil. Then they hung the new, uncut sheet, and screwed the drywall around the edges of the sheet to hold it in place.

The edge of the can light was found by using the measurement taken before and marking the spot. A special attachment on a dremel tool was pushed through the drywall on the mark followed the outside edge of the can light when turned on. Voila, a neat and tight cut, in the right place. Sure beats measuring cutting and then hanging.

Once the drywall is up, it's easy to see what square really looks like... and doesn't. It will all be unnoticeable once taped, mudded, sanded and painted. Of course, the cabinets and crown moulding go to the ceiling just in case.


A little more hanging tomorrow and then on to taping and mudding. So much fun watching how the pros do it!

Did I mention the plumbing we were concerned about a week ago is actually updated and properly functioning? The evidence of past problems was only cosmetic. Phew, at least that bullet was dodged.

Dribs and Drabs, No Way!

Things have noticeably slowed down. The demolition is over, the mechanicals are in, it is on to reconstruction, beginning with drywall. In the scheme of things, drywalling here, is a small job that can be squeezed in between larger ones. While waiting, time was spent looking at countertops and backsplashes....again. So many choices!

Mont Granite has an amazing selection of granite types. Walking in as a visual artist, it was like walking into a candy shop. I wanted them all. This one, mixing geometric and organic shapes was nothing short of stunning. The countertop would become an art piece all it's own.

It has a massive feel and with the dark cabinets might really make for a heavy feeling space. I toyed with the idea of white island cabinets with this on top and the dark cabinets with a lighter granite on it. Very dramatic, and in a way, trendy. One does not put this much into a kitchen to have it go out of fashion in a few years, so, at the bottom of the list.

I have picked this next one, Arctic Cream, over and over again, from different suppliers. The picture does not do the granite justice, especially the areas of quartz. The slashes of dark add a more subtle drama and give it a quieter feel. It looks arctic in the way of ice flows but it is warmer, creamier.

 Another one I keep coming back to is the Canyon Dawn. Has subtle blue and greens the color of sea glass which would make nice paint colors. The only thing is the spots, I find them a big annoying now, if I had to look at it everyday, hmmm.....

Then there are the quartz products which are man made, with 90% or more of quartz pieces in an epoxy like binder. Up until yesterday, most seemed manufactured. I found two that had a more organic feel. The beauty of quartz is it's hardness 8 out of 10, diamond being 10, and the lifetime guarantee. It's hard to stain, too, which is appealing in a well used kitchen.

This one, Parys by Cambria is STUNNING! The blue sparkles have such a depth to them. My only hesitation is it is in the middle value range, and with the dark cabinets might be too dark. But it sure would add some bling!

This is also a quartz product, by Viatera. It looks like granite with all the benefits of quartz. Not as showy, but more the look I was going for when I picked out the cabinets. It's subtler, has some bling from the quartz and leaves room to change it's look by changing the surrounding wall colors and accessories. It reminds me of the kind of look, usually marble, that one would see in a stately home or hotel from the early 1900s. Marble is not an option in a well used kitchen as it's porosity and softness would require constant care and upkeep. There are many choices for rusts, reds, creams and greens, but I going for a different look.Wonder what will eventually make it into our kitchen????

December 17, 1923

Whenever we dive into renovating an old house, we wonder if we will find any hidden treasures, be one of those lucky people that finds a bag of silver hidden in the floor boards. No such luck yet, but we did find newspaper used to shim up the floors. The 10" x 6" Plain Dealer sections give snippets of what was going on in world as well as locally, December 17, 1923. President Harding had just died in August, leaving Calvin Coolidge to assume the presidency. His political stumping for re-election was underway and we all know how affective that was. Billiards was a popular sport, recipes were a part of the news then, comics smacked popular culture and pre-TV soap operas were published to entertain readers. Some of the political articles could be from last week. The advertisements are a hoot, really, who advertises men's pajamas anymore, unless they are maybe the 1923 price of $1.69?

There's an interesting recipe for Potato Chocolate Cake, with the caption, "Here's a recipe that smacks of war-time."  I had to use a magnifying glass to read it, the font noticeably smaller, probably to save space. Wonder if anyone could have read it to make it?? Think I will try to make it when I get my kitchen back. Here's the recipe:

3/4 c shortenung
2 c sugar
1/2 c chocolate
1 c mashed potatoes
2 eggs
3/4 c milk
2 1/2 c flour
5 t baking powder (yikes!)
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 cloves
1 c chopped nuts
1 t vanilla extract

Cream shortening. Add sugar, melted chocolate and mashed potatoes; mix well. Beat eggs separately and add yolks to the first mixture. Add milk and dry ingredients which have been....

Well, that 's the end of the recipe, the rest torn off onto another page. Wonder what happens to the egg whites??? Oh, well. Worth winging it just to try it.

We also passed the electrical rough in inspection.

 

Cabinets and Appliances Everywhere

The cabinets have arrived! By far, outside of labor, they are the biggest expense of the kitchen. There's a feeling of excitement, then nausea wondering if they are the right style, right size and enough to fill the kitchen.

The driver noticed a damage box. After pulling it open there were some indentations on one of the door panels and he noted it in his paperwork. We will find out what if any other surprises when they are unboxed for installation. Until then, their secret is kept, not wanting to tempt fate or an unlucky mishap of moving stuff around.

Well, there certainly seems enough of everything. We can no longer park in our garage. The appliances are all delivered, too. Whew! I spent a lot of time picking out what would go in the kitchen. It had to be functional, good looking and highly rated by consumer reporting agencies AND have great user reviews. Not one line of appliance was best in all categories so the unifying factor is the stainless steel finish. There is a fabulous Samsung French door refrigerator with a drawer that converts to frig or freezer, GE gas cafe range with convection and double oven, kenmore corner washing dishwasher, and a kenmore convection over the range microwave. Each does double duty in one way or another. Can't wait to use them and this will hopefully all be done in time to try them out for Thanksgiving.

A light was added above the fireplace to highlight artwork. Obviously a star bulb is not the best one to do the job, but it was what was available and a good one to see the affect. One of the electrical outlets on the mantle was also made functional. The second outlet had to be covered with a plate and remain where it is for code reasons. Originally wired through the brick at the back of the fireplace with knob and tube, it was impossible to get to without tearing into the mantle. My Christmas lights will sparkle just the same, so exciting.

Chessie is adapting and follows me around to check out what's going on, too. The guys that come are met with a wagging tail and friendly sniffs, now all part of the crazy going ons in this family. She is such a sweetie.

Day Whatever

The days are blurring together as is the pile of debris heading to a landfill. It is a bit overwhelming and good that someone else is doing it. The older I get the more I wonder what marks I leave and this is one of them I hope gets overshadowed by everything else in a positive way. The progress continues.

Upon seeing the original quoted amount of lights, it was not going to be enough and the configuration needed to be rethought. Hmmm. Hanging lights can seem more of an obstacle, when the view is so great. The kitchen/dining area has to have an even flood of light, divided by work/live spaces, task lighting.

We also considered changing life styles that require flexible space. Not everyone may have a dining room table. It has been suggested by a designer that the space be used for couches and small tables. To each his own, but my motto is flexibility. Just in case a next owner would like a chandelier, the electrical has been run in a loop under the sheetrock to easily pull through and add one. It is wired to turn on with the dining area lights. A brilliant idea by Trevor, always thinking ahead or is that hindsight??? The saying "Necessity is the mother of invention." comes to mind. The same has been done over the lake end of the island.

.

The original footprint of the house ended at the wall between the kitchen/dining room and lake room. The dining room french doors led to the outside in a bumped out wall facing the lake. Trying to make a logical transition with that odd oblique corner between the kitchen and dining room has been sparked all kinds of ideas. Minimizing it so the island size and location makes sense has been another consideration. Who wants a weird angled wall smack in the middle of an island?

In the end we had a wider header put in. It is a dramatic change and flows with the lake room much better.

Turning what is left into a column seems like a good design solution. It allows a place close by to reroute the mechanicals from the wall being torn down. Thankfully, there is now flexible duct that didn't exist when the house was originally built. We do like heat to flow in the upstairs hallway, too. Electrical switches and outlets will be tucked in it to meet code requirements. Each room opening has to have light switches. Lots of 3 way lighting going on in that column.

We will see the best way to finish it out as the kitchen evolves. The supporting 2' x 4' in the opening will be pulled out when the header is secured.

Day 8: Reprieve

The annual Green Bay Packer Pilgrimage was a reprieve from all the dust. The Packers won against the Lions, 22-9, on a beautiful fall day complete with tailgating before and after the game. And with friends and family, whoot!

This is the top of our antique frig, that plastic slipped off of unnoticed. Antique dust is all I have to say. It is feeling more like camping everyday. I have to keep reminding myself that I have slept, ate and sat in much worse out of doors. It has also, for some weird reason, inspired me to purge more of our belongings, though this frig will stay for a while. It is the 2nd one GE ever made and was from our first house renovation of a Victorian bungalow in Atlanta, GA. I am sure the metallic sparkle put on by a body shop will shine once again, someday soon, too.

After game at Lambeau Field, looks like home.

Day 7: Dust Motes

The most dramatic changes have happened and now the mechanicals, hidden within the walls, like HVAC, electrical and plumbing are taking place. 

There are a number of different ways to look at how this process unwinds. So much effort is put into working out 'ideas', intangible concepts that are decided upon sight unseen AND promised to be paid for. Factor in the abundance of information, expertise and choices available these days, it's a wonder it all gets sorted out. A contract is signed and a deposit is collected to seal the deal. The start day is inked in on the calendar. It's a leap of faith for everyone involved and when things come together it is thrilling.

Before / after garage addition 2009.

The house started out as a cottage, in the 1920s, which is what attracted us to it in the first place. A Craftsman style base, with a Cape Cod touch felt inviting and who could pass up the view, or the neighbors, who have turned out to be gems??? Our initial concept was worked out with an architect, Dave Maddux, at Arcus group, during planning for the first addition a few years ago. Trevor Miller, at Brady 3, helped tweak it as the project began and challenges/opportunities arose. This is a before and after shot of our house from the Brady 3 web site. We get many wonderful comments from passers-by, neighbors  and visitors. It is a charming home.

Dust tracks and sun motes.

When it

came down to functionality inside the house, it was apparent we were not finished. Plans to change the kitchen/dining room were put into motion. This has been a loooooong process, before we even got to signing a contract. It is a huge investment in every way possible, especially financially. 

There's also that no mans land between contractors expertise and homeowners ideals. This is our 5th time at this kind of rodeo and we are better prepared for the process, but... it is challenging. In the best case scenarios, it's a fluid relationship between all involved. Knowing our penchant to be inspired by an ever changing landscape, we chose a contractor that is willing to be a part of that fluidity AND hires sub-contractors that are as well. 

As we are now almost half way through the process, it is about managing the disruption on a daily basis as I work from home. But I also get to see the progress as it is happening, and make changes, ask questions, get schooled on best practices in construction. The project continues to grow, more lights, wider openings, bigger purse. So the process goes. We may be the clients from h--- after work, but while working with us, the positive attitude and atmosphere from Brady 3 goes a long way in making the process easier to take. Plus they do floors.