Progress

(This is Mindy posting)

We've had some progress in the last couple of weeks, but haven't taken time to post. First off--Mark finished tearing down the plaster, and tore out the wall cabinets. Here is the sink wall before:

and after:

Besides the fact that we no longer have a place to store many of our dishes or our boxed and canned foods, this development has made things very dismal in the kitchen. While it is still functional (sink and oven/stove still work fine), I don't like being in here. I have avoided cooking for the last three or four days.

On the bright side (pun intended), today Mark finished installing the recessed lighting. Before, the one overhead light we had was very dim, and cast shadows whenever you stood in front of the sink or stove. Also, there was only one switch to turn it on or off--that switch was by the back door, which didn't help if you weren't coming in to the kitchen from the outside. Now, we have a switch at both doors, and with three can lights strategically placed, I think we'll have plenty of light. Mark still plans to install a light right over the sink, and some under-cabinet lighting, but aleady the kitchen is significantly brighter.

minor change of plan

Today I went to Home Depot to pick out recessed lighting for our kitchen ceiling. When I got home I tore out a large portion of the ceiling plaster and discovered that the lights I picked aren't going to fit. Our bathroom is directly above the kitchen, and the bathroom floor has a mortar bed floor, which extends several inches into the space between the joists. So instead of 7 1/2 inches of clearance I only have 4 inches. I'm going to have to choose low profile halogen lights or some kind of surface mount lights.

The lighter colored boards on the left side in the picture are the planks supporting the mortar bed. You can see the cleats that support the planks nailed onto the joists.

Slow march forward

Today my parents brought us home after spending Thanksgiving in Oil City PA. My Dad helped me move our fridge into the dining room so I could work on the walls and ceiling around it. Since garbage will be collected tomorrow, I wanted to get some more demo done tonight. I got 5 bags full of plaster and lathe torn down, but ran out of contractor grade garbage bags so I had to stop there.

Our dining room is becoming more disrupted as the kitchen is gradually moved there piece by piece.

Eight more bags

Each week I put out eight bags (give or take) of plaster and lathe for the garbage man. I don't want to tick him off, so I try to keep them managable. I need him on my side.
So here's what I have to show for it.

small steps

I'm afraid there are no exciting pictures to post, just a little bit more plaster ripped down.
We have officially picked out cabinets: they are Shaker style, maple with square recessed panels with a very light stain. We were able to get them from a discount place for about 20% less than normal price. Rosti didn't have the wall cabinets we wanted, but said he would keep an eye out for them, and should be able to get them in the next month. We also had the window people out this morning to take final measurements before they order the windows. Unfortunately they won't be able to install them until December. But I have plenty to do in the mean time: continue tearing down plaster, then start on the rewiring.

Waiting

So we're now waiting for the window people to call us to set up an appointment to take measurements to order windows to wait for them to come in so they can install them. I'm waiting for the discount cabinet guy to call back to tell me whether he has what we want so I can buy them so I can install them.

In the mean time, I've been doing a little gardening. Here's my new blog: http://alwaysdoing.blogspot.com/

More demolition

Last weekend I (Mark) finished gutting the walls in the nook...

And, discovered that the plaster on the chimney came off quite easily. Mindy and I had been talking about how we would rather have a brick chimney against the wall than a drywalled box. So I just started chipping at it with a claw hammer and pretty soon I was pulling down huge chunks of 1 1/4" thick plaster off the chimney. I'll probably need to tuck point the bricks since the mortar is rather crumbly. There will be a cabinet at the base of the chimney which will hide the exhaust duct near the floor.

Before

Since nothing has happened since our last post I am going to give you a virtual tour of the kitchen as it was about a year ago. In case you were asking, "why are they remodling their kitchen?" (anyone who has seen it would not ask such a foolish question) Here are a few pictures:

The Project Has Begun

Mark and I decided to start a blog to chronicle the progress of our kitchen remodel. It's going to be a slow, arduous journey, so I don't know how often we'll have new things to post, but here is the beginning.


Mark started tearing out the little wall into the "pantry" area of the kitchen. This will now be incorporated into the rest of the room, and we will have a counter along the entire wall with stools for seating.

Here is the wall and doorway before...

The plaster and lathe has already been removed, today Mark is working on building a new header so he can remove the studs from the old wall. Below is a view of the temporary supports for the ceiling just before the wall with the doorway was removed.

Voila, No more wall!

We've decided to hire someone to replace the windows, as well as add a new window looking out over the back yard. With four windows and a door that might also have a window, our kitchen will have lots of light!

Upcoming projects will be: ordering cabinets, tearing out the plaster, getting the new windows, rewiring, insulating and drywalling.