I'm Going to Have a Kitchen

I should have posted this one months ago for input... but honestly, I can only take so much input right now. And after several revisions, the deed is done and the kitchen has officially been ordered.

Here's the plan:

 

There isn't really a wall at the bottom of the room... that will be completely open through the living room. The peninsula will have a 12 inch overhang that we will use as our main eating area (which means we are putting in a smaller window in the bottom right).

 There is a fridge on the upper side of the two tall cabinets on the left. The doorway next to the fridge will have to have a door... at least until we pass inspections. :D I'm not sure what to do above the window over the kitchen sink. I keep thinking about putting in a taller window, but then they wouldn't all line up... and symmetry is really important to some people. (You'd think that would be me... but I think I care more about more light then spacing from the ceiling. Weird, I know.)

And here it is, in all of its glory. Just waiting for a kitchen area to be in existence.  Except by the time this posts, Kenlynn and I will have assembled all of the base cabinets and wall units. The rest will have to wait until we can erect them in place.

And okay, okay, fine. Show me where my weak points are before I get everything assembled and wedged into the kitchen space. I promise to only be a tiny bit defensive.

Squeaks be Gone

Once we removed the wood floors, we tackled the sub floor.

Actually, I'm screwing up my tenses here... we are still very much in the process of tackling the sub floors. But it will probably be an ongoing project, so here are some artful pictures taken by my partner in crime (Kenlynn).

A couple places in the bathroom need to be replaced but the rest is in pretty good shape.


We decided (and by "We" I actually mean Jason made the decisions, bought the stuff, and showed me what my task was) that we were going to screw all of the boards into the floor joists using deck screws. Not sure if this is the most correct way to do it, but Kenlynn and I snapped some pretty chalk lines and went to work, drilling through every board. Anywhere there was a seam, we drilled holes (to prevent excessive cracking) and screwed each end. The palm of my right hand still hasn't fully recovered.

And I'm happy to report that the squeaking has been almost entirely eradicated. Hopefully it will last.

Bonfires!

Here is where we show you pictures of the only thing of any value in our sweet little box of a house.

Yep. I hear your gasps. That pile... that is all that remains of the original hard wood floors. Very pretty oak floors. Oak floors that we thought really hard about reusing in the living room.

But... turns out that pulling up such thin strips is incredibly hard (as everyone warned us). Tongues and grooves kept breaking left and right and there was such a small margin for error, I gave up in the first twenty minutes. Besides, they had already been resurfaced a few times, and I wasn't positive there was much life left in them. Jason diligently labored on for another hour, in a desperate attempt to preserve some historical remnant in the house. He is a better person then I am.

And now that you are done gasping, I can hear you wondering WHY NOT LEAVE THEM WHERE THEY WERE?!

Yeah. I understand. But you see, the wood was only in the bedrooms and hallway. And I'm not incredibly fond of wood in the bedroom (though I have very little experience with it and would be happy to be wrong). And then there was the issue of the squeaks. I mean, if we were just going to install carpet, we might as well remove the wood to deal with the subfloor. And, despite everyhing, I like to pretend I'm an optimist. And we thought, if we could salvage the floor, we'd love to move it to the living room, where everyone could enjoy it. Tragically, we are not skilled or patient enough for that task. AND in hindsight, do you have any idea the amount of scud under those boards? Dust, and dirt, and skin sluffings. EEEeeewwww. I've already swept and vacuumed the sub floor half a dozen times and feel much better.

And so we have a giant pile of oak strips in the back yard (which I am descretely stuffing in our trash can each week, since we are paying for that service anyways). If anyone wants a bonfire, I'm sure it would burn beautifully.

Like Nails on a Chalkboard... or in a wall

Demoing this house feels an aweful lot like trying to clean a house with a toddler "helping." Pretty much two steps forward, one and a half steps back. The moment you start to make visible progress (which typically includes sweeping the floor) something else needs to be ripped up and dumped out.

Looking back is actually surprisingly depressing for me, because it doesn't feel like we've achieved much in the last few weeks. We're in another annoying holding pattern while we wait for finances to finish lining up and plans to clear the permit process. And everything is starting to blur together.

So. Today we'll focus on one of the most mundane and ubiquitous tasks.

Nail Removal.

Tragically, we didn't capture any great pictures of this... so you'll have to use your imagination. Open the picture of the wall with lath. Now look at all of those pieces of wood. And realize that each of them have at least two nails. DO THE MATH.

<---------------Millions of those stupid little suckers.

That photo is just a itty bitty, teeny, tiny taste of the numbers scattered on the floor. Multiply that by a ga-gillion and you might be getting close to the picture. ----------------------->

And I'm absolutely positive that the moment you turn your back, they procreate like rabbits. You finish one room, and come back to it days later only to find that you didn't get anywhere close to finishing it. Rinse, Repeat. In fact, weeks later, I'm still removing renegade nails.

Kenlynn did the brunt of the nail removal... for which I'm incredibly grateful. Except this is one of those tasks that I could turn on a podcast and proceed on autopilot for several hours. (And to be perfectly honest, I didn't mind this task) Entire days disappeared and the only thing I really remember is that I wanted to sweep them all up into a bucket to take a picture of... and then realizing that was a ridiculous waste of time. Except now, I'd really like a picture of the bucket to commemorate the labor.


Next time...
 

Insulating Love

Pioneer Day is a big deal in Utah. A HUGE deal. Most people get work off to enjoy parades and pancake breakfasts. I chose to forgo all of those pleasures for the warm confines of the attic. As I've alluded to before, there was no way I was going to get stuck emptying the vacuum again. And while it certainly wasn't the worst job I've done so far, there are some definite down sides. Let me elaborate and complain for just a moment.

Salt Lake has been ridiculously hot. Somewhere around 100º most days. So then multiply that by a degree of hellishness... and that is the temperature of the tiny attic space. Add itchy fiber glass and a particulate mask. Subtract 80% of light and nearly all air circulation. And that... well that is where I spent my Pioneer Day.

And the day after.

And yes, for those of you who notice, I'm wearing my old maternity pants. Stretchy waists that reach nearly to your armpits prevent fiberglass and bugs from creeping into undesirable places while providing a modicum of comfort. Sheer genius if you ask me.

Eventually, all of the insulation was removed, the plaster was dropped, and the lath was ripped away.

Wouldn't vaulted ceilings be awesome! :D