Monday, April 20, 2009
Sorry for the delay
We're still here, working hard, I promise!! I have misplaced the camera though. While you all wait with baited breath for new pictures of our messy basement, go check out lil sister's new blog:
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Snow Day
After the warmest and driest CO winter ever, its now snowing nearly every other day. I think the explanation for this is El Nino, or some other crazy Spanish weather phenomenon.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Look What's Finished
Yeah, not the whole project.. sorry if I got your hopes up! Instead, its only our incredibly complicated two-sided-entry no-visible-screw-holes peninsula, complete with two fake doors. Next up: Wall cabinets and the challenges that come along with crown molding, under cabinet lighting, etc etc etc...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Time Travel
We got a touch of demolition fever last night. Hope you enjoy this journey through the history of linoleum:
Who needs slate? That yummy green goodness looks like its in mint condition.
1. Current kitchen floor ~ late nineties
2. One layer down ~ late eighties
3. Two layers down ~ late seventies
4. Three layers down ~ 1971, baby! Under this is only subfloor... we think...
Who needs slate? That yummy green goodness looks like its in mint condition.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Visitors
Not much work going on this month. We had a great visit with old friends last week and are looking forward to 6 more visitors on Wednesday.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Countertop options
Well, face-frames are all stained and finished. By the end of it, we worked out a simple semi-fool-proof method. Also all but the peninsula are actually even assembled. And the peninsula will be first on the list once August gets back from training. Next on the list is to make some of the uppers.. I forsee this going quickly as these are smaller than the base cabinets and there's only four of them.. for now.. A few more later...
In the meantime, we've been investigating countertop options. Originally we had this idea to do concrete, and pour them ourselves. However, that was before we decide to also make the cabinets. Now I think we have enough "homemade" for one kitchen.
Thus, I got a couple of quotes on granite. We have a whooping 27 square feet of countertop (quite small) but 23 linear feet of exposed edges. In the granite world, exposed edges = $$$. The quotes came in at $2100 and $1900. That's $70 / sq ft. Also, granite is HEAVY. What if our cabinets buckle under the pressure? More likely, what if the floor buckles instead? I'm kidding... sort of...
So we considered granite tile. Excellent idea... The tiles are in the $10/sq ft range. We can install them ourselves. Besides, its not like we live in an upscale neighborhood or anything. However, we have SO MUCH exposed edging. And with tile you have a few options:
As an alternative option, we are heavily considering going with a compromise: Some companies sell tile with bullnose edges built right in. Its still tile, so we can install it ourselves. The edges will look much nicer. Of course there's a cost associated with that.. We are looking at ~$27/sq ft. Still a little high, but at least we don't have many of those square feet to cover. Here are some images so you can see what I'm talking about.
In the meantime, we've been investigating countertop options. Originally we had this idea to do concrete, and pour them ourselves. However, that was before we decide to also make the cabinets. Now I think we have enough "homemade" for one kitchen.
Thus, I got a couple of quotes on granite. We have a whooping 27 square feet of countertop (quite small) but 23 linear feet of exposed edges. In the granite world, exposed edges = $$$. The quotes came in at $2100 and $1900. That's $70 / sq ft. Also, granite is HEAVY. What if our cabinets buckle under the pressure? More likely, what if the floor buckles instead? I'm kidding... sort of...
So we considered granite tile. Excellent idea... The tiles are in the $10/sq ft range. We can install them ourselves. Besides, its not like we live in an upscale neighborhood or anything. However, we have SO MUCH exposed edging. And with tile you have a few options:
- do the edging in wood - eh... maybe a little dated... Kinda reminds me of the 80s. (See image on left.)
- ease and polish the sharp edges on the edge tiles - can have a fabricator do this for $10-12 /linear foot. Or get a grinder and DIY... (See image on right, ignore tape.
As an alternative option, we are heavily considering going with a compromise: Some companies sell tile with bullnose edges built right in. Its still tile, so we can install it ourselves. The edges will look much nicer. Of course there's a cost associated with that.. We are looking at ~$27/sq ft. Still a little high, but at least we don't have many of those square feet to cover. Here are some images so you can see what I'm talking about.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Interior design trends
The hole in the ceiling over the dining room table finally got to me this week. Its been there ever since we removed the glorious 70's chandelier that came with the house, when we first painted the ceiling.. ~July? Purchasing a new one was a real challenge because picking out anything is a challenge for me, and it only gets worse if I involve August.
The trouble is that there are 10,000,000 choices available to me via the Internet. In all shapes, sizes and colors. Early on I noted that oil-rubbed bronze (read: brown) was the most prevalent and the most popular. So I got to wondering what the deal was.. And finally it occurred to me: you need oil-rubbed bronze fixtures to complete your Tuscan/French Country/Old World style, and that's what's all the rage these days. I won't lie: I like the look myself. However, it is not the style we are going for in our house. I think it would be a little at-odds with the original 70's split-level intent of the place.
Anyway in my meager understanding of interior design and popular fashion, I began to wonder something about this trend. In 20 years, will we be laughing at those ugly brown fixtures and hardware? The big chunky "hand-carved" vent hoods? The use of different materials for cabinets and countertops? I suspect so... "Ah ha ha that's so 2000's..."
Case in point: the picture to the left. I believe those oak-trimmed melamine cabinets were called "euro-style" in the 80s. And the lighting, well there are no words for that. See I can talk bad about the 80s for several reasons. One, I was born in the 80s. And two, I actually do own pickled furniture as well as pastel-colored poufy window valences.
So, what light fixture did I chose? Well, not oil-rubbed bronze. It matches nothing in our house. Not pewter/nickel/brushed chrome. Just not feelin' it either. The final selection is black. Classic right? Maybe it won't be laughed at in 10 short years... maybe it will...
The trouble is that there are 10,000,000 choices available to me via the Internet. In all shapes, sizes and colors. Early on I noted that oil-rubbed bronze (read: brown) was the most prevalent and the most popular. So I got to wondering what the deal was.. And finally it occurred to me: you need oil-rubbed bronze fixtures to complete your Tuscan/French Country/Old World style, and that's what's all the rage these days. I won't lie: I like the look myself. However, it is not the style we are going for in our house. I think it would be a little at-odds with the original 70's split-level intent of the place.Anyway in my meager understanding of interior design and popular fashion, I began to wonder something about this trend. In 20 years, will we be laughing at those ugly brown fixtures and hardware? The big chunky "hand-carved" vent hoods? The use of different materials for cabinets and countertops? I suspect so... "Ah ha ha that's so 2000's..."
Case in point: the picture to the left. I believe those oak-trimmed melamine cabinets were called "euro-style" in the 80s. And the lighting, well there are no words for that. See I can talk bad about the 80s for several reasons. One, I was born in the 80s. And two, I actually do own pickled furniture as well as pastel-colored poufy window valences.So, what light fixture did I chose? Well, not oil-rubbed bronze. It matches nothing in our house. Not pewter/nickel/brushed chrome. Just not feelin' it either. The final selection is black. Classic right? Maybe it won't be laughed at in 10 short years... maybe it will...
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