Love our finished floors

This was the easiest improvement yet.  We leave the house.  Come back in four days and viola the works is all done.  Perhaps that is how "normal" people do home renovations. Maybe we will have to try this on more projects around here.

Jim and Nate started on Tuesday afternoon (November 4th) by sanding the floors throughout the first level of our house.

Nate sanding in the entry way

And the dining room

After finishing the first of three sanding passes, they filled the cracks between the joints as well as some of the larger "imperfections" in the wood and sanded again.  

"Filled" floor

We spent some time working out the specifics of the stain color.  We had a sample from a flooring store that complimented the wood that we are keeping on the stairs leading to the upper floor so we wanted to match to that color.  After multiple attempts at mixing various colors - walnut brown, medium brown, red mahogany - and trying to match it at Sherwin Williams, we couldn't quite get the right color.  Jim and Nate showed us a process called "water popping" the wood.  Water is applied to the raw wood which opens it up so that it takes the stain differently.  Using this technique and a 3:1 mixture of medium brown and red mahogany gave us a formula that was very, very close.  We moved our stuff out and went to stay with my brother, Tim, for the rest of the week while the boys worked their magic. 

Floor after water has been applied (Photo courtesy of Jim D.)

The water had to completely dry so the floor was left over night before the stain could be applied.  Wednesday morning the stain went on and after a couple hours of drying time, it was ready for polyurethane.  

Stain dry and beginning of poly applied

The polyurethane is oil-based so it has a very strong smell.  Additional coats were applied Thursday and Friday and then we were allowed to come back on Saturday.  We spent a couple of hours cleaning up the dust - it got everywhere and even though the guys cleaned up really well, there was still more that needed to be wiped away. The smell was so bad that we opened doors and windows even though it was rather cold outside (43 degrees) but that didn't help enough so we planned to go for a late, slow lunch and ended up enjoying Happy Hour (starts at 3pm) at The Big Bowl with Tim and his girlfriend, Andrea.  Had a great time catching up and got away from the smell.  It really didn't clear much at all on Saturday so we headed back to Tim's for another night. Yesterday (Sunday) I roasted some vegetables, baked homemade pizza and cooked in the crockpot which really help to lessen the poly fumes.  It is still noticeable when you walk in the house but it's not as overwhelming.  I am happy to put up with the smell to get the beautiful results that we got! 

Dining room into the kitchen

Entry way with stairway wood that we were coordinating with. 

 The floor is not as red as it looks in the picture above - I think it's the lighting that makes it look so red.  It really looks more like the picture below.

Back hallway

We are now waiting for the cabinet maker to come back and finish the cabinet install.  Today we occupied ourselves with installing the dishwasher.  Technically it is ready to use but I am not loading and running it until the corner drawers are installed and the dishwasher can be fastened to the cabinets.  I can just see it falling forward and smashing dents into the new floor.  Bad things happen when dishwashers are not secured and I have a fiberglass cast that fits Matt's 9 month-old arm to prove it.  But I will save that story for another time.

New dishwasher installed

We are getting there.  Next up cabinets worked on sometime this week and the counter is tentatively scheduled to be installed next Monday (11/17).  I am praying nightly that the counter company will stay on schedule.  I really want to cook on my new cooktop.  Emily and I already have the recipe that we want to make all picked out.  We are hoping to have Spinach and Kale Stuffed Pasta Shells for dinner on Monday.  Who's coming to join us?

Thanks for reading and we hope all the Minnesotans reading this are doing so in front of a nice hot fire. 

Kitchen cabinet installation part 2

The cabinet installation continued on Monday, October 28th.  Bruce and Mitch returned Monday thru Wednesday this week and now we are much closer to having complete kitchen cabinets. 

The first order of business was to look into the electrical problem caused by the screw getting driven into the wiring above the refrigerator.  Mark and Bruce examined things closely and determined that the fix that we did over the weekend was going to be just fine so they moved on to the relocation of the island.  It needed to be moved over 6 inches so that the island lights would be in the proper place. I "managed the gas line" (basically held onto it so that it didn't kink) and the guys slid the island over.   Another quick fix. Whew!

The focus for the rest of Monday was getting more upper cabinets installed, hanging the doors and putting on the drawer fronts.  The southeast corner was quite the challenge.  Apparently the wall is not flat which was causing the cabinets to not be flush against the wall from top to bottom.  The remedy for this was to trim the backs of the cabinets at the high spots of the wall.  Bruce was meticulous as he shaved bit by bit off the back to get it just right. It was loud and he had to make a dusty mess (which I am still cleaning from every nook and cranny on the first floor) but he managed to get a perfect installation. The paint on the cabinets got a bit scratched up but Mitch (who previously spent 7 years as a painter with his brother's company) brought a paint sprayer on Tuesday and repainted the impacted cabinets and the end result looks terrific.

Southeast corner upper cabinets installed, repainted and doors hung

The rest of the upper cabinets now have doors on them

Buffet wall just waiting for two drawer fronts and the shelf

After the guys finished for the day on Tuesday, the kitchen was ready to have the oven installed.  It had been sitting in the garage for a month so I was quite happy to have it put in place and hooked up.  Mark, Emily and I worked quite well as a team.  Emily was happy to pitch in knowing that I would bake lasagne for dinner.  

The first step was getting the oven from the garage into the house.  Mark and I carried it while Emily guided us so we didn't crash into the doors or walls. Mark put some wood scraps on the floor so the bottom of the oven wouldn't dent the new hardwood.

Oven in the kitchen ready to have the wiring connected

Mark put on his electrician hat to wire the oven while Emily checked out the new kitchen cabinets.

Stripping the wire that comes from the electrical panel

Mark breaking his back while I stood around :-)

Emily checking out the pantry and finding a problem for the installers to fix - the upper door is colliding with the lower door when they are fully open. One more item added to the list of things left to do.

Connecting the oven wire to the house wire (while I take pictures!)

Pushing the wire into the back corner so we can push the oven into the cavity

Once the wiring was completed, I was needed again to help lift the oven into the cavity.  It was much easier than I thought it would be.  It wasn't that heavy and it fit perfectly.

one - two - three lift!

Looking to see where the wire is.  It needs to be moved over but even Mark's bony hand can't fit in there

No problem, Mark found a metal square thingy that slide in and was long enough to reach the wire.  He moved it over and we were able to push the oven in the rest of the way

Bit by bit in it went

I read the directions (I have become really good at telling Mark what to do) and he finished the installation (which was only 4 screws)

We made a Simek's boxed lasagne for dinner and it never tasted so good.  We have been without an oven since May 21 (in our old house) and since the weather has turned a bit cooler we have really been wanting to bake things.  It didn't help that we had cookie dough in the freezer courtesy of the Hopkins Volleyball fundraiser.  And yes, we made cookies after dinner.  I had to cook them on the tiny tray from the toaster oven which made me realize we need to get up to the airplane hanger to get the boxes and boxes of kitchen stuff soon!

Wednesday the guys were back bright and early to tackle the remaining pieces. Their focus once the cabinets were all in place, the doors hung and the drawer fronts in place was to put up the crown molding.  The molding is a two part process.  First MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) strips are installed at the tops of the cabinets then the specific molding, cove molding in our case, is attached to the MDF.  Bruce got started by measuring the distance from the top of the cabinets to the ceiling all the way around the room.  It was going great until he got to the top of the oven/microwave cabinet.  The ceiling in this area has a wave to it so the spacing between the top and the ceiling is 2 3/8" but the rest of the kitchen is 3".  Normally slight differences are not a big deal as the trim piece would just be cut down.  In our case the difference is too great to cut down because that big of a cut would have been into the curve of the cove molding which would look terrible when installed.  We talked it over with Bruce and determined that we need to go with a straight piece of trim which is what we wanted in the first place.  When we were working on the trim decision it seemed that it would be simpler for the installers if we selected a trim that they were more familiar with so we choose the cove option.  Oooops guess not.  I am happy that I will get what I wanted in the first place but I feel bad because they have to re-make all the trim.  Once we figured out the strategy, Bruce and Mitch got to work installing the MDF.  

Half is done

Bruce finishing the first half

 

Half to go

Bruce got a few more pieces of MDF up before he ran out of material.  Some of it was damaged so he had to reject using it. 

Somewhat usable kitchen. 

 I love the height of my island. It is 4" higher than the perimeter counters which is a more comfortable height for me.  I discovered this as a result of using my "makeshift laundry room kitchen".  My microwave balanced on two stools is exactly 40" and it was so much more comfortable of a height for me than the table next to it (which is 4" shorter than normal) so I started doing all of my food preparation on this little surface. Can't wait to have my 9' counter to work with!!

 

"Countertop" that I have been using since May

 On Monday (Nov 3rd) the hardwood floor refinishing will start and then the cabinet installers will come back to finish the top trim, put in the toe kick, and finish up the other items that are left to be done (a few doors here and there, the shelf in the buffet wall, the corner drawers, the end panels and so on).

Once the floor is done,  I will start the process of unpacking the 200+ boxes beginning with these 7 that Mark and I got out of the hanger yesterday.  I already opened one so that I could get my cookie sheets out.  I am baking cookies tonight on a real cookie sheet! I can't believe these things have been packed since July, 2013.  It will be like Christmas a bit early!

Mark and I will be working on window, door and floor trim, ordering and installing doors (I think we have about 20 to do), picking out and installing lights, installing stone around the basement fireplace (and the upper fireplace if the basement one goes well), and completing the bathroom in the basement.  Seems like we have enough to keep us busy for awhile.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween, everyone.

Kitchen cabinets are getting installed

 After a small delay (from Monday to Thursday) the day for the kitchen cabinet installation finally arrived  Troy from Abbington Cabinets and his crew - Bruce, Mike and Mitch - arrived bright and early (despite trying to drive on Hwy 101 from 394 to Minnetonka Blvd! Yep we forgot to tell them that the road will be closed for the next year)  to get started converting this:

Space ready for cabinets

to a warm and welcoming place that will become the heartbeat of our new home. 

The obvious first step was unloading all the boxes, pieces, parts and tools from the truck.  Four strong guys working with Mark and I looking over their shoulders should be easy, right???  First they had to protect the newly installed wood floors with cardboard and "white styrofoam wrap" so they wouldn't get dented and scratched.  Then the unloading process began.  It was incredible how much there was to unload and some of the cabinets were very big and heavy.

Bruce and Mike needing to catch their breaths after carrying in the custom Oven/Microwave Floor to Ceiling unit

And they weren't done after this one.  A pantry cabinet that is similar in size came in next. When the four guys weren't working together on one big piece they were making trip after trip to unload the rest of the truck.  The base cabinets were set into place as they brought them into the house.  The rest was staged in the library and living room.

Drawers, cabinet fronts and our microwave unloaded into the library (the area next to the living room)

Island base cabinets and perimeter wall cabinets waiting in the living room

After setting the Microwave/Oven cabinet in place, they got to work installing the base cabinet next to the refrigerator followed by the corner drawers, recycling center and then the sink base.  It was a bit tricky getting the sink base in.  First, they had to cut out for the drain pipe, then drill holes for the water lines and make a cutout for the heat vent.

Sink base with holes for plumbing and heat vent

I was quite pleased when they took the time to vacuum up the saw dust mess before placing the cabinet. 

Bruce cleaning the mess

It took three guys and more than one attempt to get the cabinet in. The hole wasn't big enough for the drain pipe and Bruce really didn't want to make a bigger opening so he asked Mark if it was ok to cut the pipe off to get the jigsaw puzzle to go together.  A quick cut with the jig saw and they were back in business of setting the cabinet.

Mitch, Bruce and Mike lifting and shifting the cabinet to get it into place

Mark and I left for lunch and then ran some errands.  When we got back they were done and cleaned up for the day.  Here's what it looks like now.

We call this area our buffet wall. The pantry cabinet is at the end

Refrigerator cabinet with one upper cabinet still to be installed

Corner drawers, recycling center and sink base

Space for the dishwasher and another set of corner drawers

Lots of space to store all of my precious kitchen stuff. These two cabinets are between the corner drawers and the Oven/Microwave cabinet

The next cabinet was custom-made for our microwave to be built into it.  We wanted a microwave that was the same width as the oven below it.  Most people would buy a combination oven/microwave unit in that case but not us!  We didn't like the microwaves in them and they are crazy expensive compared to the two standalone units.  Troy said "no problem, I can build that".  A special channel had to be put in the top so that the unit with the cord sticking out could be inserted into the close-fitting space.

Channel for microwave cord

Microwave installed and channel covered up so no one is the wiser (except for all of you reading this)

Oven cavity ready for the oven

Island Cabinets

Cooktop cabinet flanked with spice pullouts

Backside of island

Emily came home while the installers were finishing up. Shortly after they left we returned home and Emily said "Mom, the refrigerator isn't working. The light is not on".  Sure enough there was no power to it.  "Oh they must have mistakenly unplugged it." We pushed the fridge out (no easy task, it is a really tight fit) and saw that it WAS plugged in so we pushed it back in.  So off to check the circuit breakers.  Yep it was tripped. Not only did the refrigerator come on, so did the installer's radio.  That was helpful as Emily knew it was on when she got home (3:00) but it wasn't when the guys left (4:00) so something happened at the very end of their day.  We reset the breaker and it seemed to be fine.  Until Emily and I came back from dinner (about 40 minutes later), that is.  It was tripped again. Mark was out having beers with his friend, Art, so I called him to let him know the refrigerator was out again.  I reset it and left to walk Dixie.  When we got back the radio was off.  Perhaps I was trying to prove Einstein's definition of insanity (doing the same thing and expecting different results!)

Urrrgggghhhhh So does it have something to do with the outlet they pulled out in the buffet wall, one of the two wall cabinets installed near the refrigerator, or is the refrigerator overheating because the cabinet is too close?  I opted to stay out of the refrigerator and wait till Mark got home to figure it out.  Mark having a couple of beers wasn't conducive to solving this problem so we pulled the fridge out, plugged it into an extension cord, plugged the cord into another circuit and went to bed.  

I got up around midnight and checked to make sure the fridge was still running.  Yep. Mark got up sometime in the wee hours of the morning and again it was still running.  Must not be the overheating option.

As soon as we got up we looked around where the screws were driven and at the wiring in the laundry room (nice that it is the one place that is not sheet rocked yet).  Mark decide it must be the screw in the upper left corner of the refrigerator cabinet.  He took it out.  After talking with Troy today, I learned it was the only 4" screw they used.  All the rest were 3" or smaller.  

The offending screw

We continued our investigation.  I got a thin wire and put it through the screw hole while Mark reached up through the wall in the laundry room to figure out where it came out and thus the likely path of the screw.  When he felt the wires, it seemed that there might be a small place where the screw was touching a wire.  With the screw removed and the refrigerator plugged back into the original circuit, it has been successfully running all day.  We found the answer.  Now we just have to decide with the cabinet guys on Monday how to remedy the situation. 

I spent parts of yesterday and today walking around the kitchen imagining how it will be to have all the pieces in place.  I imagined cooking on the new cooktop.  As I stood there something just seemed off.  It took me a minute to figure it out.  It's the island lighting.  It's in the wrong place.  There was a discussion during the island installation where we discussed exactly where the island should be.  I said "6 feet off the wall behind the sink".  The plans had 42" out from the cabinet.  That seemed fine so we went with it.  But it's not.  They will move the island over 6" on Monday so that we get the lights centered up.  

I also imagined what it would be like to do dishes in the new kitchen.  This will be my new view:

Looking out the window over the sink

It sure beats this view that I have had since May 21st:

View in the bathroom mirror while washing dishes without a kitchen

All in all, it was a very successful first day of cabinet installation. Can't wait to see what Monday brings.  (The guys didn't come today - Friday - because they tend to avoid coming down to the "cities" on Fridays and they have some doors, end panels and molding to finish for our project.)

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading.