On Saturday we did lots more demo, and I'll try to post all about that tomorrow or Tuesday.
TODAY we went to Ikea and booked the measuring/kitchen planning service, found an island we might want (butcher block top, might be a nice contrast), and then went to BrandsMart. (And I was hoping to stop by H Mart to pick up some asian goodies, but the damn thing STILL isn't open. WHEN????)
We wandered around the top floor for a while until a woman finally approached and asked how we were doing. "Fine, thanks!" and kept walking. "Well what are you looking for today?"
"Everything."
"Ohhhh - new house?"
"Yup, we're remodeling."
And Nate said, "We're not really going to buy anything today, we're just looking to get an idea - "
And I said, "Though, if we can find what we want for what we're willing to spend, we'll absolutely buy it all today. The tricky part is getting what we want for how much we want to pay."
And then it was off and running. A KitchenAid fridge (KITCHENAID!!!!!!!) with french doors and a freezer drawer with all kinds of sliding cabinets was a floor model up for sale. MSRP is $2600, and we ended up getting it for $1348. AMAZING. I love the thing. 25 cubic feet of space!!!!
A gorgeous Frigidaire range/oven WITH convection cooking is normally $827. We got it for $588. I caved to Nathan about wanting a gas range - he loves the look of an electric cooktop. For the price, I was just fine with electric, and since I like to bake a lot that convection/speedbake setting has me way excited.
I think I died and went to heaven when I realized we could get this Whirlpool Energy Star! dishwasher. The controls are at the top inside level of the drawer, so the front is smooth and flat and ridiculously lovely. $650 and we got it for $498.
The microwave that goes over our range is a GE Profile Spacemaker. I love the lines of the entire thing, it's just so pretty and feels solid and I can't wait to use it. Normally $549, we got it for $250.
Nate's dad's fiance is generously donating her white, front-loading dryer, so all we had to do was find a washer to match. AND OH WE FOUND ONE. A GE Duet Sport!!!!! Normally between $600 and $700, we got it for $428.
And those prices, added up with $50 (instead of $70) for delivery, are the prices we paid - tax was knocked off each and every one - and then we walked out the door and I could finally squeal and call people and get super happy and excited that our kitchen is going to have AMAZING appliances that we got for AMAZING bargains! Such a huge high, seriously.
And now I've learned that I have pretty much no shame and can keep people on topic - aka "Okay, you said you could do $3050, but that's not an answer to my question. I asked if you could do $3000. You can tell me 'yes' and you've got a sale, or you can tell me 'no' and we'll need to leave."
And I can ask for ridiculously low prices and can walk if they're not met. ORRRRR I can skip out with joy 'cause they WERE met!!!!!
Updated demo pics soon, promise. But tonight we're just so thrilled. Go click around and look at how lovely our kitchen is going to be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
DEMO: side note
Hammering tile with hammers with wooden handles will cause INSANE amounts of joint pain in your knuckles, wrists, and elbows. Seriously. Damn.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Heyyyyyyyyy e'rybody
Just a little shout out to the new readership. Love ya Maureen. ;)
And oh, Alison. Can't wait to put your painting and hammering skills to work. <3
And oh, Alison. Can't wait to put your painting and hammering skills to work. <3
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Eeeheeheehee heeeee, temporary wall time.
Our contractor duder is coming in on Thursday morning to put a temporary wall up next to the studs so we can knock those suckers OUT!
Then I have to wrangle him into a meeting to talk about:
*Creating a powder room
*Renovating the main bath and the bath off the master
*Bumping a wall up in the dining room
*Widening a hallwall behind that wall
*Knocking out bigger windows in the master
*Walling up that window in the kitchen
*Changing the sliding glass door to the backyard into french doors
*Who the hell to call about estimates for painting and flooring
*Molding ideas
*How to lay out our recessed lighting plan
And we need to get some dudes to pull out all the ivy in the back yard.
And we need to hunt down every last shred of wallpaper and tear it down.
And we need to rip up carpet (including the stuff in the basement) - but when? I wanna say after painting, so we can let it drip without fear of messing with our hardwoods. But.
This is why I need advice.
Anyway. Dude's getting started Thursday. And we're going to Ikea this week to get the kitchen planners up in this bish.
Then I have to wrangle him into a meeting to talk about:
*Creating a powder room
*Renovating the main bath and the bath off the master
*Bumping a wall up in the dining room
*Widening a hallwall behind that wall
*Knocking out bigger windows in the master
*Walling up that window in the kitchen
*Changing the sliding glass door to the backyard into french doors
*Who the hell to call about estimates for painting and flooring
*Molding ideas
*How to lay out our recessed lighting plan
And we need to get some dudes to pull out all the ivy in the back yard.
And we need to hunt down every last shred of wallpaper and tear it down.
And we need to rip up carpet (including the stuff in the basement) - but when? I wanna say after painting, so we can let it drip without fear of messing with our hardwoods. But.
This is why I need advice.
Anyway. Dude's getting started Thursday. And we're going to Ikea this week to get the kitchen planners up in this bish.
Monday, August 24, 2009
DEMOLITION!!! Day One
Stuff is happening!!!!
On Saturday we headed over to the house around 9, 9:30 and got started. Nate and his mama's SLIC (spouse-like companion, love that term) Jerry began to take apart the kitchen immediately while I stood around and figured out what the hell to do. Such a Where Do We Start? moment.
Nate's mama took some knick-knacks out of the den that were being donated to a church and I noticed hammers. Have you ever tried to hammer through wood paneling? If you have, you were probably clueless like I was; Mr. SLIC taught me how to use a pry bar with the hammer to loosen the nails around each panel. He taught me that right after he saw me wielding a hammer and screeching like a maniac each time I smashed the thing into the wall. Which, actually, was REALLY fun - just totally inefficient.
After that first hammer blow I had to stop and admire the fact that I'd just knocked a hole in a wall. Kind of a first for me. I think I'm addicted now. I'm dreaming up new walls to knock down just for the fun of it.
So we pried the molding from the ceiling and floors, yanked the paneling in the den down, and smashed through the drywall on the other side in the living room. It was so cool to watch our new layout emerge - one little hole we could see through turned into bigger and bigger chunks and then it turned into this:
I did that!!! MAN. Demo makes you feel so proud and productive!
While I was kicking drywall and prying nails, Nate's mama was clearing out anything left over from the yard sale (oh yeah, there was a yard sale the Saturday before) and carrying huge pieces of paneling and drywall out to the car port. We're getting a dumpster for 10 days to hold all this crap, 'cause wow. The stuff piles up.
I also know now to get goggles and a mask for demo stuff. Lots of spluttering due to dust in my eyes and mouth. Put a bandana over my hair.
The shower I took when we got home was the best thing ever, but look, I'm digressing.
Nate and Mr. SLIC took down the entire kitchen during all this - oven, range, L-shaped cabinets, all countertops, all base and wall cabinets. That's a huge amount of work, and they were done by noon. It was shocking how fast stuff comes down. Putting stuff up is probably a different story . . .
It was a really, really happy morning. We finally got EXCITED about this project - things are changing and happening and it's all tangible now, and the house is morphing almost instantly into OUR place. Definitely not transformed into home or anything just because those main rooms are open now, but it's pretty crazy how fast it became something new and different.
We spent the rest of the weekend messing around on Ikea's 3-D home planner. That thing's AMAZING, clunky interface aside. After taking ridiculous amounts of measurements, we were able to completely plot out our kitchen and dining room layout. Being able to SEE something that, up till now, had been completely conceptual was stupid exciting. And I'm managing to have a banquette seating area!! Thought that would have to be tossed out the window, but nope. Made it work.
Went to Home Depot on Sunday to look at appliances and materials; OVERPRICED APPLIANCES. I think Brandsmart will be our next stop. But we did find some great glass mosaic tiles for a kitchen backsplash and maybe for an accent in the main bathroom. Beadboard's gonna be everywhere in both. And we're thinking slate tile floor in the kitchen. Hardwood would be a bitch to keep from warping, and I just don't like travertine or porcelain or ceramic tiles.
Anyway, enough typing. It was a wonderful start to the physical renovation process, and I hope the rest of it (or as much as possible) feels the same way.
Pics of destruction:
Den on left, living room on right, kitchen behind us.
Living room on left, den and backyard on right, kitchen ahead.
View from what used to be the kitchen.
The kitchen and garage entry. Laundry room in the back there. We're filling in that window to create some extra counter/cabinet space.
Next up: Contacting Ikea to help plan and organize the kitchen layout, getting the contractor in, smashing bathroom tiles.
On Saturday we headed over to the house around 9, 9:30 and got started. Nate and his mama's SLIC (spouse-like companion, love that term) Jerry began to take apart the kitchen immediately while I stood around and figured out what the hell to do. Such a Where Do We Start? moment.
Nate's mama took some knick-knacks out of the den that were being donated to a church and I noticed hammers. Have you ever tried to hammer through wood paneling? If you have, you were probably clueless like I was; Mr. SLIC taught me how to use a pry bar with the hammer to loosen the nails around each panel. He taught me that right after he saw me wielding a hammer and screeching like a maniac each time I smashed the thing into the wall. Which, actually, was REALLY fun - just totally inefficient.
After that first hammer blow I had to stop and admire the fact that I'd just knocked a hole in a wall. Kind of a first for me. I think I'm addicted now. I'm dreaming up new walls to knock down just for the fun of it.
So we pried the molding from the ceiling and floors, yanked the paneling in the den down, and smashed through the drywall on the other side in the living room. It was so cool to watch our new layout emerge - one little hole we could see through turned into bigger and bigger chunks and then it turned into this:
I did that!!! MAN. Demo makes you feel so proud and productive!
While I was kicking drywall and prying nails, Nate's mama was clearing out anything left over from the yard sale (oh yeah, there was a yard sale the Saturday before) and carrying huge pieces of paneling and drywall out to the car port. We're getting a dumpster for 10 days to hold all this crap, 'cause wow. The stuff piles up.
I also know now to get goggles and a mask for demo stuff. Lots of spluttering due to dust in my eyes and mouth. Put a bandana over my hair.
The shower I took when we got home was the best thing ever, but look, I'm digressing.
Nate and Mr. SLIC took down the entire kitchen during all this - oven, range, L-shaped cabinets, all countertops, all base and wall cabinets. That's a huge amount of work, and they were done by noon. It was shocking how fast stuff comes down. Putting stuff up is probably a different story . . .
It was a really, really happy morning. We finally got EXCITED about this project - things are changing and happening and it's all tangible now, and the house is morphing almost instantly into OUR place. Definitely not transformed into home or anything just because those main rooms are open now, but it's pretty crazy how fast it became something new and different.
We spent the rest of the weekend messing around on Ikea's 3-D home planner. That thing's AMAZING, clunky interface aside. After taking ridiculous amounts of measurements, we were able to completely plot out our kitchen and dining room layout. Being able to SEE something that, up till now, had been completely conceptual was stupid exciting. And I'm managing to have a banquette seating area!! Thought that would have to be tossed out the window, but nope. Made it work.
Went to Home Depot on Sunday to look at appliances and materials; OVERPRICED APPLIANCES. I think Brandsmart will be our next stop. But we did find some great glass mosaic tiles for a kitchen backsplash and maybe for an accent in the main bathroom. Beadboard's gonna be everywhere in both. And we're thinking slate tile floor in the kitchen. Hardwood would be a bitch to keep from warping, and I just don't like travertine or porcelain or ceramic tiles.
Anyway, enough typing. It was a wonderful start to the physical renovation process, and I hope the rest of it (or as much as possible) feels the same way.
Pics of destruction:
Den on left, living room on right, kitchen behind us.
Living room on left, den and backyard on right, kitchen ahead.
View from what used to be the kitchen.
The kitchen and garage entry. Laundry room in the back there. We're filling in that window to create some extra counter/cabinet space.
Next up: Contacting Ikea to help plan and organize the kitchen layout, getting the contractor in, smashing bathroom tiles.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Nearly a month now, no updates. We've been to the beach and Walt got to experience sand, waves, boarding, and Redbones treats. I got to experience guilt and separation anxiety when we dropped him off, but we sprung him each day for some quality time.
Still working on clearing the house - being patient and just not thinking about timelines right now, 'cause there's nothing I can do at the moment to change them.
Our TiVo's clogged with HGTV shows now, by the way.
I can fast forward through Design On A Dime and know everything that's going on by this point. What they do is, they glue crap on crap or paint crap on old crap and add some crap to crap and then voila, you have a room that looks slightly better than . . . crap.
Anyway.
Plugging along. Calling a plumber at the beginning of the week.
Still working on clearing the house - being patient and just not thinking about timelines right now, 'cause there's nothing I can do at the moment to change them.
Our TiVo's clogged with HGTV shows now, by the way.
I can fast forward through Design On A Dime and know everything that's going on by this point. What they do is, they glue crap on crap or paint crap on old crap and add some crap to crap and then voila, you have a room that looks slightly better than . . . crap.
Anyway.
Plugging along. Calling a plumber at the beginning of the week.
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