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Detours off Britta Blvd
| Aug. 20th, 2009 02:12 pm the new kitchen is all done! The kitchen passed final inspection from the city this past Friday, so the major remodel is really ALL DONE!!! It's the largest investment I have made in my house since purchasing it, not just financially but so much personal time & effort, and I am very proud of the results! :)
The kitchen has been pretty much finished & definitely usable since July 18th, but I had to finish inspection details like sealing around the new ducting, labeling the electrical panel with all the new circuits, and buying a temporary fluorescent light (shh don't tell), plus the pantry door glass, then planning, purchasing & installing the pantry shelving, so all that is now finally done...hooray! I've already had a major 4th of July party, 4 movie nights & one work BBQ since the countertops & plumbing were done on July 3rd, so the new kitchen is definitely getting a good workout!
I am already reaping the benefits of my design, research & planning. I love that I can have a weeknight movie night, throw DIRTY serving dishes in the dishwasher, set for a delayed start while I'm taking my shower before bed, then have actual CLEAN dishes by morning, even gooey jam jars or baked brie plates! I have lost count of how many times I've already used my drop-leaf counter for prep work, and even moving lots of party supplies from garage storage into the pantry, there is still room for more! My cabinets aren't totally crammed full either, and I haven't even started putting anything in the toekick drawers, so it's very nice to have more space. The microwave is at eye-level inside the cabinet between the stove & fridge, which I love, and the dishwasher is so nicely hidden behind a matching panel that my housecleaners didn't know where it was. :) The travertine stone tile was definitely a worthy splurge since it is gorgeous without being overwhelming, and my copper sink really does make me smile every time I do dishes!
I'm still working on the webcam stop-motion movies of the riveting remodeling action, so those will come later, but for now please notice the bonus features, then enjoy the before & after of 5 months of work!
 
copper sink under custom archway with travertine stone tile backsplash
 
drop-leaf gateleg counter - matching $6 pair of spindles hide the hinge and decorate the other side to match
 
wall cabinet endcaps hide key storage or magnetic dry-erase boards -
dishwasher is behind matching panel with fancy handle
 
pretty pantry storage & shelving, before filling with stuff -
straight on view from dining area (no before pic from this view)
 
kitchen from main hallway - before & after
 
kitchen from patio - before & after
Oh, yes, and both kitties are finally getting used to the new flooring everywhere. Instead of running in place like cartoons or sliding around corners crashing into walls, they have now figured out when to stop so they can finish sliding where they really want to go. Pretty funny to watch them chasing & sliding into each other! Ebony also only waited one day before climbing up above the cabinets, but now she has to slink under the ceiling beams like a snake to get anywhere...heehee...
All the kitchen photos are in the Brittahytta gallery, with the new ones from the last update starting at page 38...
Next up will be some garden updates with pretty flowerbeds around my new brick pathways, pumpkins growing, and even a bountiful grape harvest this year...then it will be full speed ahead on Halloween plans, including new Eerie Elegance project podcasts! I've already sold 75 books just in July & August so far! Current Mood: accomplished
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| Jul. 7th, 2009 03:19 pm almost finished! This was the whirlwind week for the new kitchen! All the painting was finished by Sunday evening, Monday I cut all the baseboards & door trim & painted them, Tuesday I installed those, went to see Spamalot, then came back & installed my magnetic door stops...unfortunately Tuesday afternoon my cabinet guy called & said he needed an extra day, so Thursday was crazy since the electrician & plumber couldn't do anything until enough cabinets were installed....
( Thursday was crazy... )
( Friday was also crazy... )
before & after
before & after
Of course even more photos are in the Brittahytta gallery, starting at page 35...
Since the electrician needs to come back anyway for a couple hours to finish the ceiling light & labeling my panel, the cabinet guy will also be back for hopefully the last time, both on Friday as I work from home...then I plan to start my backsplash tiling on Saturday, seal the stone before grouting Sunday, grout on Monday, the final sealer Tuesday, all while unpacking properly into my new kitchen...we shall see! Leave a comment | |
| Jun. 26th, 2009 04:48 pm more kitchen progress Lots done in a week!
Friday - passed all rough inspections, then finished living room flooring!
Saturday - finished hallway - since going backwards & fitting into such a small space took FIVE HOURS...argh! But ALL the flooring is DONE!
Sunday - Handyman Charles helped me with drywalling the pantry from 10am-4pm - thanks Charles!!!
Monday - break for Cinema Brittahytta - Galaxy Quest
Tuesday - 6 hours after work, cut & anchored rest of drywall
Wednesday- 5 hours after work, replaced leaky dishwasher valve, spackled all of kitchen patches with entire gallon of spackle!
Thursday - 4 hours after work, spackled all of pantry, including texture, another entire gallon used!
      
Even more photos are in the Brittahytta gallery, starting at page 32...
Tonight is a break for Margarita Friday, tomorrow I return 2 extra full sheets of drywall & buy my special order travertine tile...then caulking at the ceiling then PAINT this weekend! Cabinets should arrive either Tuesday or Wednesday, then the following day will be final electrical plus plumbing, housecleaning on Friday, then 4th of July Fireworks & Fun party on Saturday, whether the kitchen is actually complete or not! 3 comments - Leave a comment | |
| Mar. 7th, 2009 03:41 am Project Weekend February 2009 Last year was the first year my dad was retired, and my mom wanted to go to Stitches West, so the plan was for both of them to come stay at my house, I would take some vacation days, and my dad & I would build the two gates I asked for as Christmas presents while my mom was at the conference. This worked well enough last year that Stitches Project Weekend has become an annual tradition. This year my mom even brought a friend for the conference, so I had 3 guests for Mardi Gras, then only a couple days later, another 3 guests, so I'm glad my guest room & office have gotten good use!
When I make my wish list of projects to do, it is truly a wish list of things I want done eventually, but usually a stretch goal I don't expect to complete, so I prioritize, plan out what we think we can do in the time we have vs. daylight hours, and see what we can do. We actually got EVERYTHING done on my list this time...wow! Thanks Dad! :)
To read details about each project, click the links.
Day One (only afternoon/evening):
( site survey & shopping )
( leaky sprinkler valve )
( new kitchen light )
  
Ugly old kitchen track light before...now prettier & brighter new kitchen light!
Day Two:
( proper drainage from 3 downspouts )
Drain ditch in process
( paving front porch to go with new brick pathway )
 
Voila! Front porch before I moved in & now! So much more charm than the pebbly concrete before!
Spillover Day Three (morning only):
( hallway linen closet doors closing properly )
 
Linen closet doors with new hinges that match my hallway doorknobs...and should I repaint the fronts but leave the insides of the doors the "painted desert" effect as house history? ;)
( restabilize pipe organ )
( old kitchen light installed on wall switch in garage )
Track light from kitchen now illuminating the garage
( new fridge water supply valve in kitchen )
 
new water pipe extension through garage wall...and the valve moved inside ready for a new fridge!
( stabilize screened patio structure to be ready for outdoor patio carpeting )
so...
leaky sprinkler valve = $13
new kitchen light = $175
proper drainage from 3 downspouts = $60
paving front porch to go with new brick pathway = $144
hallway linen closet doors closing properly = $25
restabilize pipe organ = $0
old kitchen light installed on wall switch in garage = $4
new fridge water supply valve in kitchen = $35
stabilize screened patio structure = $0
...project weekend with Dad = priceless! :)
P.S. I did get the living room, dining area & hallway all painted with a "wheatland beige" base coat then a hand-rubbed "wam oats" topcoat all in January! Those photos are here if you'd like to see... Current Location: Brittahytta
Current Mood: accomplished
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| Dec. 5th, 2007 05:56 pm enjoying my new sink! Finally the right cabinet arrived! My parents drove over to attend our concert at Chateau Julien winery on Sunday, so on Saturday my dad & I installed the new brushed nickel faucet on the granite countertop after getting the CatGenie into the new vanity cabinet. Since the cabinet is 3" deeper plus about 4" taller, it is much more comfortable for me, and I even have more counterspace since the sink itself is also smaller...which the kittens also like, making it a bit difficult to get ready in the mornings with both of them wandering around playing with running water, batting the curling iron and sitting in the sink! The cabinet has only been modified slightly, with cutouts to accommodate the underneath power outlet, plus a slot just big enough for the cables to reach the water intake and the toilet. Luckily the only modifications to the drain trap were to shorten it towards the wall, so the CatGenie scooper doesn't hit, plus there's still as much room as Kylie had to use the litter bowl, so I think it'll be fine when the kittens grow up. I have the left door removed for now, since the kittens aren't big enough to pull the door open, but when they're big enough, I'm sure I'll be able to teach them how to open it by themselves. Kylie was smart enough to figure that out on her own, which is what gave me the idea of the cabinet-hidden litter box in the first place!
Master Bathroom Before:
 
Master Bathroom Today:
 
...and showing how the litter box fits inside, plus full inspection complete!
 
...and speaking of the inspectors, there are indeed even more kitten photos starting here! Current Location: at work
Current Mood: accomplished
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| Jul. 18th, 2006 02:10 am it's hot anyway - might as well work up a real sweat! It's way too hot...I might have to sleep out on my newly-re-screened patio tonight if I can't get my bedroom cooled down any more! I'm on my laptop out on the patio right now as Kylie is exploring the heck out of every nook & cranny, even on top of the fridge! So, since it's been so hot lately anyway, I've been working up a real sweat by tackling hefty house projects. Might as well get really grungy if you have to take a shower before bed to cool down anyway!
I did take a little break after 4th of July to clean up, enjoy party leftovers, sew twin flannel baby blankets & see Pirates, but the next day I was back working on my house...
Last Monday night was the Attack of Britta vs. the Solid Wood Paneling. Not that much to tell except that it takes a lot of hammer vs. prybar, plus a LOT of elbow grease to get 8ftx6"x1" solid wood tongue & groove planks off of solid wood studs. I wore earplugs & kept trying to get Kylie to leave the room but she didn't seem to mind - that piercing ping of metal hammer vs. metal prybar plus the squeaking of nails as they finally start to give is horrid noise for 4 hours! I was plenty sore after that workout, but now I have an open wall ready for drywall, then a much easier spackle texture job like the rest of the living room!
New living room wall - no, not finished yet, silly!
( Pressure washing done plus patio progress )
New patio - trust me, all the screen is new behind the curtains, plus the structure now matches the house color
New patio showing the bar & fridge - if you look closely you can see that above the curtains matches the wall in back
( I'm smarter than Kylie the Kitty...for now...? ;) )
How to foil a kitty's cunning plan - make the door open inward instead! heehee...
Now to see if it's cool enough yet to sleep inside...good night! Current Location: Brittahytta
Current Mood: melting in the heat
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