Cabinets: Day 3

The cabinets are all installed now. They've put the island in position too, and nailed it down to keep it in place.



Here's a view from the other direction. I'm still not convinced I like the green color yet.

Work has also begun on the laundry room. They've built the spillover pan for the washer; next step is to waterproof the floor.



I decided to go ahead and add the bathroom renovation to this project, so you can look forward to an extra couple weeks of this blog!

Cabinets: Day 2

More progress on the cabinets today including hanging of most of the upper cabinets, from the fridge to where the microwave will be.

Framing for the appliances has also been done. The big new kitchen is getting smaller and smaller..

Cabinets

Right on schedule some of the bamboo cabinets arrived. They are sturdy and look great, and I can't wait 'til they're in place and start filling them with stuff. Below is the island which I guess they're going to be using as a workbench while they install the others.

The edges of the drawers show the construction of the wood. I really like this detail.

They've done some of the basic framing for the appliances too, but went a little crazy with the green paint. They'll repaint that wall on the left white before we move the fridge in that space.

Paint

Floor tiles are in place and painting has begun. I made a kneejerk decision about the color for the walls - but paint never really looks the same on the walls as it did on the little card, does it? I'll see how I feel about it after everything is finished and maybe repaint it myself.



I think we're all set for cabinets to be installed next week. I hope they clean up some of this dust before hanging the cabinets.

Doors

A couple more things were accomplished today. The new closet doors have been installed and they've started painting.

They also built the brackets to support the new shelves.

Seems like we're on track for cabinets on Monday. I think they're trying hard to stay on schedule now in hopes that I'll agree to the additional work on the bathroom.

Tiles

At long last most of the ceramic tiles are installed in the kitchen. They look pretty good but still dusty and need to be sealed.

Here's a closeup:

Homestretch

Still no tiles but the floor is blue now. This is waterproofing, which I suppose is a good idea in case I spill something or the dishwasher explodes or whatever.



The laundry room is temporarily serving as a junk closet. I don't know for sure but I guess they unpack the junk they need every morning and put it all back each night.

The plaster on the hallway ceiling is basically finished now too and is ready for paint. Look closely and you'll see the photographer in the bathroom mirror.



The workers have started using the unpainted walls as a whiteboard to keep track of supplies and draw little sketches. I think that's either a dolphin or a banana in the lower-left corner.

Cabinet installation starts next Monday, appliances the first week of February.

Cabinets

Today I saw the first evidence that the millworker is actually working on my new cabinets. In the picture below the cabinets in the background are arranged like they'll be in the kitchen.

You can almost imagine them hanging in the kitchen below. Really, go ahead.

The floor is almost ready for the tile to be installed. They've poured new concrete so I'm expecting the tiles to be there in the next few days. Work has also begun on the hallway ceiling - they're adding sheetrock around the beams to smooth out the surfaces, then repainting the whole thing.

Walls are done (roughly)

Another day, another couple of pieces of sheetrock installed. The walls are pretty much done now; they just need finishing and paint. I can sort of tell how much bigger the kitchen is going to be now that the walls are in place.



The laundry room walls and pocket door frame have been done too.

The big decision now is whether to expand the project to include the bathroom.

Drywall cont'd

All the rough sheetrocking is supposed to be done tomorrow and it's getting pretty close.

Looks like just one wall to go, the one behind the new fridge (where the ladder is).

The framing for the door to the laundry room has been done now too.

Is it obvious I'm getting tired of taking the same pictures every day, with only minor progress to report? Well, we're over halfway through the project now so it should start getting more interesting soon. Honest.

Sheetrock

The work continues. I'm ready (as I'm sure you are) to see some cosmetic stuff start happening, like tile and cabinets and appliances. In the meantime here's a few shots of some new sheetrock walls and whatnot.

I'm heading down to Miami to watch the sooners in their bowl game today, so my next post won't be til next week.

Rough carpentry

Four weeks into the project and it's starting to show signs of what the finished kitchen will look like. They've installed the plywood where the back wall will be, with holes cutout for outlets, water hookups, power, lights, etc.

Here's a view from the front door. In the distance is 'The Zipper' - a plastic portal allowing access to the living room provided you can dive or crawl through the opening. The light switches on the new wall in the foreground turn the various new lights on/off now.

This shot of the ceiling shows how electric wiring has been embedded in a channel carved into the beam. The pink wallpaper on the beam has probably been around since the building was a hotel in the early 1900's. It's been hidden behind a dropped ceiling since then.