Kitchen is FINISHED

It's been 3 months to the day since we started the remodel.  Demolition started on Monday, 6/22/09.  Yesterday, 9/22/09, the last piece was put in place - the new light kit.

This light kit uses regular bulbs instead of the CFL.  The CFL were not compatible with the controls on the wall; these bulbs are.  They are not as bright - there are only 3 60-watt bulbs in there.  Sounds like a lot, but it's kind of dim.  When it's really dark outside, the light seems brighter - so maybe we just need to get used to it.

new light kit

  Old light kit

This is probably the last post to the Kitchen Blog.  It's been "fun".  The blog, not the project.  But all the hassle and stress was well worth it.  I love my new kitchen. 

I have said this before...

But we are SOOOOO close to being done.  The window treatment went up on Monday, 9/14/09.  Levelor wooden blinds with 1" slats.  Got them at Penney's.  We love the look.

This is how they normally look - partially open to provide privacy and block the western sun.  We can see out, but no one can see in.

 

Fully closed

 

Fully open.

The ONLY thing left now is the light kit over the kitchen table.  We had to order a new one, since the one we have is not compatible with the controls on the wall.  Ordered the new kit on Friday, 8/27/09.  Anticipated arrival - 1 week later, 9/04.  I finally called Littman Brothers on Monday (9/14) to see what had happened to our light kit.  Can you believe it - the light kit had Just Come In That Very Day.   Yeah, right.  Anyway, installation is now scheduled for next week, 9/22.  It is supposed to look the same as the current one.  Just work better with the controls.  I'll post the results.  I know you'll be sad - but that will most likely be the last post.  :-(

PS - Trim for cabinet over the fridge

The trim work was installed on the bottom of the cabinet over the fridge. Looks so much better. Matches the other cabinets now.

Inching onward

We just keep inching forward toward COMPLETION, but in teensy weensy steps. I keep saying we're almost there, but that's what I've been saying for several updates now...

Our new fan/light fixture was installed a week ago (8/27). We were delighted with it until we tried to turn off the light. It doesn't turn off - sometimes for hours. The bulbs flash on and off, like little flashbulbs (remember them?). Pretty darn annoying. I called Littman Brothers the next day. They said to call the Emerson Fan Company. I wondered why THEY didn't call, but OK - I called.

After spending a lot of time on hold, and speaking with several people - the problem was identified. The light fixture and the remote controls are not compatible. Solution: keep the light fixture and use a pull chain to turn the fan & lights on/off. OR, get another light fixture. I call Littman Brotheres back, and told them what Emerson had told me - and said I DO NOT WANT TO USE A PULL CHAIN. They said they would order a new light fixture, one that uses regular bulbs, and would absorb all costs related to the purchase, shipping and installation. Good. I was prepared to go picket them and raise a fuss in person if there had been a problem. New light fixture should be in sometime next week. In the meantime, we have a light show every time we turn off the light.

PIX 2 = shows both of the light fixtures in the kitchen.

Our window treatment (Levolor wooden blinds) was delivered on Tuesday. One of the boxes looked like it had been run over by a truck. See PIX 3. Thank goodness I was home when FedEx delivered it. I talked to the driver about possibly refusing delivery. He said he would make a note on the record that the box was heavily damaged, and suggested I open it and see what was inside. Miracles do happen. If it was damaged, to call Levelor.

So that's what I did. I found damage to the front trimwork of the blind, but not bad considering the way the box looked. I was prepared to accept it, rather than deal with a re-order and return of the damaged blind. I called Levelor to let them know that there was obvious damage, but we couldn't know the full extent of the damage until the blind was installed. Something in the workings could be bent or sprung or something. The lady I spoke with said 'We'll ship you a new one - and you can keep the damaged blind.' In that case, yes please, send a replacement. SOOO, we're waiting yet again.

PIX 1 = our window treatment is all over the dining room table right now. Should have been pix 3 but had trouble uploading and don't want to start all over. :-)

Not done yet

We are soooo close, but not done yet.
(1) new fan/light fixture has been ordered. (I think I already said that in an earlier post.) It should come in next week sometime. Then we need to schedule installation.
(2) New window treatment (wooden 1" blinds from Penney's) ordered today. Did we fall into a deal, or what. 70% off sale today, plus an extra $15 off on each item with a coupon I got in the mail. WOW. 10 days from now they should be in. Then we need to schedule installation.
(3) Change order items yet to be done. See pix 1 - bottom of the cabinet over the fridge is unfinished. It was in the plan that way, but we did not catch it. Raw wood with staples, believe it or not, is what you see. So, we had to order trim and a 'skin' to apply to the bottom. Delivered here sometime next week. Then we need to schedule installation. (do you sense a pattern here?)
(4) Change order item #2 - trim to cover the gap between the cabinet and the wall next to the bay window. Should arrive next week. TWNTSI.
(5) Handles for the cabinet over the microwave. Need to buy. TWNTSI.

Did run into a slight OOPS. The toaster oven no longer fits on the counter beside the microwave. (See pix 2) We think the error occurred when we changed from Plan 1 to Plan 2. Plan 1 called for enclosing the fridge in a cabinet. We didn't like that, so Plan 2 removed the enclosing cabinet. We did not notice that the size of the cabinet/countertop to the right of the fridge was smaller by about 3". Oh well. Toaster oven now lives in the pantry. It's really light, and easy to move, so no big deal. We seldom use it, except during 'tomato bread' season. Which is almost here by the way. We have several tomatoes on the edge of being ripe.

I resurrected my old canisters from the basement and they now live next to the microwave. Flour & Sugar used to be in large glass jars in the pantry. Hard to get at. Had to move sugar to get at flour. I think the old ones look ok in their new home. (see pix 3)

Dining room is about back to normal. Actually, it is back but something seems missing. It looks so bare in there. Perhaps we just got used to all that clutter during construction? (See pix 4)

Last, but not least, Bob found a perfect runner to go on top of the divider cabinet. (See pix 5) It's so convenient to put stuff on it, that I was worried about scratches, etc. So we've been looking for something to put there. The width is perfect. He had to trim the length a bit. The left over piece fit perfectly on the end table by the love seat. It looks better in real life than it does in the picture. BTW, when Dan comes back to do the other change order items, he's going to move the outlet and phone jack down to the wall behind the couch so they are not visible. So that's another change item yet to be done.

Next blog updates probably won't happen until some of those outstanding items get installed. I'll let you know when I am done posting. In the meantime, check back around 8/24. Perhaps something will have changed by then.

WE LOVE OUR NEW KITCHEN.

Window Treatment

We decided that the old window treatment had to go. It's been up there for 10 years (believe it or not!) and we're tired of it. We thought a more simplistic look would be great - faux (Martha Stewart for 'fake') wood blinds with a decorative cornice at the top, hiding the inner workings of the blinds.

So, we went shopping yesterday (Sunday) at EddieZ's. Would Mariette Hartley steer us wrong? We thought not, so off we went. However, it seems faux wood blinds only come in 2" wide slats. And, in case you're wondering, real wood isn't any better - real wood comes in 2" or 2 1/2". Neither Bob nor I care for the look of 2" slats.

But aluminum mini-blinds do not come with a decorative cornice. So we'll keep looking.

In the meantime, we've put up some homemade simplistic window treatment, to block the western sun and offer a bit of privacy. How do you like it?

Week 7 draws to a close

We're at the end of Week 7. Most of the mess in the Living Room has been cleared. The kitchen table is back where it belongs - in the kitchen. The coffee pot is out of the bathroom! YAY.

We have lots of empty boxes to dispose of. Luckily, a friend of a friend is moving and will be more than happy to take the empties off of our hands.

As we unpack, we are finding things we just don't want anymore. And, luckily another friend is having a garage sale in a couple of weeks - and she will take the white elephants. Problem solved.

Dan will need to seal the back splash grout/tile before we can move the toaster oven, microwave #2, etc. back into the kitchen. Until that happens, I can't really finish the dining room clean up. We're still using the temporary light over the kitchen table (See 8/02 pix) - but we did find and order a replacement fan and light fixture yesterday. The salesman said it takes 7-10 days for the fan to come in. Then we need to schedule the installation. I'm guessing it'll be early September before we see it. We have a Casa Blanca fan in there now, but we've had so many issues with the fan not working due to voltage that is in spec for ComEd, but out of spec for Casa Blanca - we decided to junk the darn thing and buy new. Emerson is the brand of choice. It's not supposed to have any voltage issues. I sure hope so.

We do have a new Change Order, submitted to Dan yesterday. I have not heard back on when and how much to do it. The outlet and phone jack that were installed on the wall by the Divider Cabinet are eyesores. We didn't like it when they were put there, but decided to hold off until the phone actually got moved to see what it looked like. Terrible. So we've asked Dan to move them both to the wall behind the couch near the baseboard. We'll still have wires showing, but not the two 'uglies'. I doubt that will take place Monday when Dan is here to seal the backsplash, and poly the stained wood. But I can dream, can't I?