Substantially Complete

When people ask if the kitchen is finished, I honestly didn't know how to answer. Then our lawyer friend David gave me the legal term - "substantially complete". I think this means you can't sue if you threw them out before they finished. So our kitchen is substantially complete.

Without dwelling on the unfortunate problems that cropped up, which we can't now do anything about, I can honestly say that it looks great. The cork floor is terrific even though it will never lay flat due to the uneven slab on which it was placed.

So Larry and I will finish those last details that need doing. These will all be handled in my lifetime, though not anytime really soon. The before and the after.

Week 11 of the Remodeling

I skipped week 10. The good thing was that the floor was installed. The cork is wonderful in feel and appearance. When you walk on it, it feels soft and somehow warmer than the old floor. Strangely, the first time I walked on it I felt that I was standing on something taller - although it can't be more than half an inch or so.
Like everything else, it was a challenge. The pocket doors to the living and dining rooms had to be removed and one cut shorter to clear the new floor. This involved removing the door trim - twice - which by then was so beat up that it had to be replaced.
As we anticipated, the refrigerator was a problem. It did, indeed, fit in the space provided, but only if we don't plan to open the door a lot or remove the drawers. This is why I didn't blog last week. I was generally too upset to be civil. The options included tearing out the cabinets, backsplash and granite and moving the desk unit over to where it should have been, OR , buying a new, smaller refrigerator. I opted for the new, smaller frig. We will lose 2 cubic feet and have to adjust to a bottom freezer unit, but we gain 3 inches in the width and don't have to move anything. At this point I just want this over with so we can move back into our kitchen. This was the speediest solution. On the bright side (I'm trying to see the bright side) we will gain an ice maker.
Long before we moved in, the water line behind the outside wall had frozen and split. When we installed our refrigerator with icemaker there was water flowing out from under every cabinet in the kitchen. We shut it down. When we replaced the refrigerator, we opted not to get an icemaker because we didn't want to tear the wall out for the repair of the line. So, with this remodeling, we had access to the wall and installed a new, plastic water line, on the correct side of the installation, in case we ever replaced our frig. So things work out as they should.
The dishwasher... did we discuss the dishwasher? Ours didn't fit. Well actually it did fit, but then the drawer next to it wouldn't open. The contractor took my dishwasher and found us a new one with a flat front, no curve, that will allow the drawer to clear. It is a nice dishwasher, a KitchenAid with a stainless interior, which is what we had. It loads in a sensible way, unlike some that I've seen. Again, the up side is that this one more closely matches the new, brighter kitchen. Ours was black - but nearly new - so we hadn't planned to replace it.
I figured out a way to get back some of the drawer space that we lost. Larry had brought home a good quality drawer from a piece of office furniture. They wanted the furniture but not the drawer. It is a nearly perfect fit for underneath the cook top. The carpenter has expressed some doubt about mounting it there because of the proximity of the gas flame shield. I don't know how to check on that, but I can't imagine that there would be real danger from flames beneath the cooktop. We really need this drawer because without it we have no place to keep cooking utensils. And if there's anything I love, it is kitchen toys.
So the drama continues. The wonderful flooring refuses to lie flat in the laundry. The new refrig arrives Thursday. Was the backsplash sealed today? I don't know. The new door frame needs paint.
Life goes on. I am hosting bridge Wednesday whether or not we are done. I never imagined that we would still be trying to finish.

Tuesday, Week 9

I think I can see the light now - at the end of the tunnel, I mean. Today the tile man finished grouting the backsplash, while two carpenters started at the top of the "punch list" and worked their way through it. They even suggested some things that never made the list!

The kitchen has turned out to have a Tuscan look to it, which was unintended, but I like it. Now I wonder if the table and chairs will match. If the chairs look too country, I can slip cover the backs. We wouldn't want to give up our big, sturdy oak table. But the tile has definitely given me a longing to fill the kitchen with lemons and rosemary sprigs, strands of braided garlic and big jars of olives.

Tomorrow afternoon, the flooring man will start on the cork floor, expecting to finish sometime on Thursday. The pocket doors will be challenging, but he seems unfazed. He even took the installation directions home to read - a man - took directions to read! Will wonders never cease? Leon has been doing floors for 27 years so I'm guessing that he knows what he's doing.

Monday Week 8

It was a busy and productive day. We finally have appliances and they look great. I hesitated about the bisque oven and cooktop but they match perfectly.

Steve the electrician arrived early to complete his long list of jobs. He provided an outlet for the cooktop, hooked up the oven, hung the light fixture, changed out switches and outlets, and added bulbs to the canister lights. He mounted the plant light above the sink, to benefit the plants that will live on the window shelves.

Bud and Red came and finished a lot of the finish carpentry work that remained, including placing and installing the bookshelf on top of the desk countertop. They will add a cabinet door to the top to hide our less attractive cookbooks.

Winfred, the plumber, finished everything on his list. Installing the dishwasher, sink, and cooktop. We actually have water in the kitchen now. Pretty exciting. Winfred had also installed the hot water recirculating pump that we have benefitted from for several weeks. Larry loves being able to shave with hot water for a change.


Several challenges remain. It seems doubtful that the refrigerator will fit back in it's space. One of the only two drawers left in the kitchen runs into the dishwasher. Some of the lights aren't turning on. Tomorrow is another day.

Tomorrow, my brother, the kitchen remodeler arrives about lunch time. His commentary will no doubt be priceless. Too bad I can't make him the dinner I promised.

End of Week 7

Thursday, the last of the drywall patches were completed and the painters finished the second coat of paint which enriched and deepened the colors.

The exciting day was Friday, when the granite countertops finally arrived. The 'Lady's Dream' granite, all the way from India, was finally installed in our new kitchen and looks great. The stone has wonderful movement and variety and the under counter lights really make it shine.

The largest piece was so heavy that three men just barely were able to lift it and carry it into the house. Dex, the fabricator, says that they "make no money on tornadoes or hurricanes, because the house may move but the granite stays put." He is also preparing a cutting board for us, made from the sink cutout.

Now I am having second thoughts about the tiles I chose for the backsplash. The 12" tiles, placed diagonally, will not fit between the counter and the shelves, so each one would be cut. The full tile would only show behind the cooktop, under the hood. The color doesn't seem perfect either. If Walter has not already ordered and/or picked up the tile, I may select a smaller, lighter tile.

Lots left to do. Carpenters have a list of details to finish. Plumber has to hook up faucet, disposal, dishwasher and gas cooktop. Electrician has a long list. Removing the wallpaper revealed holes in the wall that somehow were not filled before the painters came, so they need filling and painting. The backsplash must be installed and the cork floor is to be installed when everything else is done. So one more week, maybe two.

Wednesday, Week 7

No pictures today. No progress today. I took the day off to play bridge with my ladies group and calm down. Tuesday was not a stellar day.

I awoke with high hopes for an action-packed week and the very first thing two painters showed up, neither of whom spoke English and one of whom was talking on his cell phone and ignoring me in my own home. By the time the young, smart, painting contractor showed up, I was already angry. I am the child of immigrants and have no problem with legal immigrants, BUT I must have someone with whom to communicate when they are working on my home!

The previous day I asked the carpenters if the caulking didn't need to be done so that the painters could touch it up (the caulk is white, the cabinets are ivory). "No problem," I was told, "the painters can do that." The painting contractor says, "No, we don't do that."

So I called Walter, the contractor, in charge of coordinating these things. While we talked, the painting contractor decided that my kitchen was not ready for painting. The drywallers hadn't patched the walls yet. So the painters left.

Walter called in the drywallers who thought I had complained somehow about their work. Lots of attitude when they arrived. They were surprised to find that the electrician had opened up the walls to get to the wiring, tearing up the work they had done the last time they were here. And they arrived unprepared to complete their work. No sheet rock. They stayed and mudded the imperfections in the walls and ceilings with sanding to follow at a later date.

In the meantime, Walter advised that the countertop fabricator wanted me to drive some 60 miles one way to approve the granite slab that "looked sort of red" to him. (While this is all going on, I have customers calling and orders coming in.) I advised that I didn't have time to drive to his shop and what would I see since I had personally chosen the slab to start with. Turns out, the fabricator did not have the slab I had chosen and put my name on. Walter and I agreed that he should go and get it!

I feel certain that every job has one extremely bad day. We have now had ours.

Monday, Week 7

If you have ever attempted to miter a corner, you can imagine the challenge that faced the carpenters today in trying to miter a corner on a rope trim! Nearly impossible. It may, in fact, require some hand carving to smooth the outside corners and has already required some caulking. Unfortunately, the caulk is not the color of the cabinets so it may also require a little dab of paint later. Details, details.

The larger rope spindles frame the sink cabinet and appear to be in good proportion to the overall trim.

Tomorrow we have painters. The final coat of paint and the dangerous decision about the laundry. I will, or already have, asked the painters to add just a touch of the dark green to the ivory in the laundry room to echo that color. If it's awful - big deal - we will just have to paint it again.

Wednesday I will take a day off to play bridge and see real people.

Thursday will be exciting because the countertops are coming. Then I expect the kitchen to start looking like it will be finished someday. Still no word on when the backsplash will be done or by whom. The drywaller needs to be scheduled first and I haven't heard about that either.