What is wrong with picture 1

So, look over the first picture - what is wrong? I'll tell you at the end of today's post. It's not the 'stand alone' base cabinet. That's just waiting to be installed. It's something else.

More cabinets are up (see pix 1 - stove wall. Pix 2 - fridge wall). They expect to finish up Monday. The templaters will be here Wednesday to measure for the counter tops. Then we wait. If we're lucky, it'll be a week before they are delivered. If we're not lucky - could be 2-3 weeks. We don't know yet if Dan will be here working on odds and ends while we wait, or if he'll just wait and wrap it all up the same week the counter tops come in. We'll find out on Monday.

We still don't know for certain, since we have not unpacked it yet, but Susan tells us that the 2nd shelf for the cabinet going where the old railing used to be, is packed in with the top for that cabinet. Dan can bore the holes to make both shelves adjustable - so that problem is not a problem anymore.

The blotchy sink panel may not be a problem either. Dan said to reserve judgement until the cabinet was installed in its new home to see how it looks. And it seems to look OK. Final decision will be made once the counter tops are installed.

Did you see the problem? We didn't until we got an email from Susan explaining that the corner base cabinet is the wrong size - the left side as you're looking at it is 3" too short. (Manufacturer error) It should line up with the cabinet above it. We immediately called Kitchen Studio for a more detailed explanation, since we did not understand how the templaters could measure for counter tops when the cabinet was the wrong size. We talked to Deb, who was most helpful. She assures us this will not be an issue for the templaters. She says it's the corner measurement and the way the wall is, that concerns them. Dan will tell them it needs to be 3" longer on that side, and they will be able to adjust. We're a bit nervous, but these folks do this for a living and they know more than we do abut the process. The correct base cabinet should be delivered in time for the counter top installation, so this problem should not cause a delay.

Progress

Cabinets are all unpacked, and some are up on the walls. Today, more cabinets go up, and maybe the new light fixture in the kitchen. You can see the lovely 'light fixture' we've been using in the picture of the corner cabinets. It may be ugly, but we were thrilled when that single light bulb was hung up there. Light! The new fixture will hang down a bit, and holds 3 up-to-100-watt bulbs. Lots of light!

So far, only 2 minor problems have surfaced. First, the cabinet between the kitchen/family room is supposed to have 2 adjustable shelves, and there's only one - and it's not adjustable. Second, the front panel on the cabinet where the sink is going has a blotchy, dirty looking finish. Dan asks that we wait for all the cabinets to be in, to see how they all look together. If we still don't like the look of that panel, it can easily be replaced. The picture doesn't do a good job of showing how bad the panel looks. BTW, there will be handles on the doors & drawers (not knobs) - they just have not been installed yet.

Cabinets are HERE

The new cabinets were delivered today. Bob says it took about an hour to get it all unloaded and into the kitchen area. Dan will be here tomorrow, 8am, to begin installation! I am so ready for this project to be done.

Status update

We had our weekly status meeting with Susan on Thursday (7/2/09). For the most part it went smoothly. We did let her know about our problems with the painter. She was surprised that he failed to paint the walls after she told him to do it. Susan said 'Try not to worry. It'll all be made right". So I'm trying not to worry. I just don't like the idea of that painter coming back and painting walls/ceiling with the new floor in, even though the floor will be covered. That guy is just plain MESSY. Plus, he'll have to sand again in some large areas before painting - and the plastic walls are gone.

We asked Susan to recommend a cleaning crew to come in and clean once the work is done. She offered to pay for the cleaning, but Bob and I just don't feel right about that. If she can recommend a reliable company that will do a thorough job, that's good enough for me. We've tried finding people on our own in the past, using Angie's List, and have not had good luck.

The amount of dust that the painter generated continues to amaze us. If he had taken the time to vacuum up the dust, we believe most of it would have been kept within the kitchen area, since the plastic walls were still up. However, when Jim (floor installer) had to sweep up the mess the painter left, that really stirred things up. (The painter might not have come out looking so bad if we had not been working with Dan first - he is as neat as the painter is messy. Bet Dan would have vacuumed up all that dust...)

The house will be all mine Monday-Tuesday. Bob will be at work, and the workmen will be somewhere else. Cabinets are being delivered on Wednesday so that will be a Big Day for us. Hoping all goes well, and we have cabinets installed by the end of the week. No countertops or appliances, but at least the cabinets will be in.

what is a stair nose

Just in case you are wondering, here' s a couple of pictures of a "stair nose" (stairnose?)

One is a view looking from the family room into the kitchen. The pantry is on the left. The strip of wood on the edge of the tile is the 'stair nose'. In the old kitchen, it was a piece of grooved metal, with screws holding it in place. Pretty ugly, and impossible to clean. The wood will be stained to co-ordinate with the new cabinets.

The other picture is a close up, showing how the wood wraps around the edge of the step to the kitchen.

The reason the wood does not extend to the wall on the right is because a low cabinet will be installed there. I do not know why the trim was not placed all the way over so the surface was level for the cabinet to sit on. Another question for the contractor.

Floor is done

The floor in the kitchen and the entryway is DONE. Today went very quickly. Jim was finished by lunch time. We love the look and the feel of the tile. Kiki had to be encouraged, but now she freely walks on the new floor. She does not like the wood stairnose trim, though. She will not walk on it.

In the 1st picture, Kiki is standing near the doorway into the living room/entry way. If you look past her, you can see where the kitchen table went. To her right is the water line for the fridge (ice maker). In the 2nd picture, she is in the kitchen. Behind her is the family room, but it's too dark to see much.

Floor prep done - 2/3 plastic walls are down

Yesterday, the new underlayment went down. The installer (Jim) had to work several hours pounding down old staples, scraping off drywall compound blobs, etc. Then cutting the wood, and stapling it down.

The dust level in the house has increased to an incredible level. Jim cut the new underlayment in the garage, so we wondered why the HUGE increase in the dust? Even the basement floor is a dusty mess. I wish now we had covered the furniture in the living room. I just had to dust off some of the furniture in the living room and family room. Vacuumed the carpets in a half-hearted manner just to clear out the middle. The stairs are filthy. We're going to have the carpets and stairs cleaned when this is all over.

The plastic between the family room/kitchen and between the kitchen/entry way came down last night. It is a joy to walk on a nice new, smooth floor and to cut through the kitchen.

Pix 1 = incredible dust level. And if the wooden furniture looks like this, you know that the couches, chairs, lampshades, carpets, and even the walls, are also covered - just not as visible; Pix 2 = Kiki is checking out the new 'floor' and she is very hesitant to step on it; Pix 3 = sample of what the tile will look like on the floor. It's not glued down yet, just put there as an illustration.