Sunday, January 27, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Day 23 Photos
Reminder: Click on any photo to see the full photo and view a slideshow of the day's photos. (This means you, Wife.)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Day 6
Sometimes I hate being right. I was right about having forgotten to move the outlet and phone line from behind the location of the new pantry. As the first photo in the Day 6 slide show clearly shows, they simply cut out spots from the back panel of the pantry so they'd stick through. Though it turns out the electrician would not have moved the phone line anyway. I'll have to get someone else out to the house to do that. Sure would have been nice had Sol mentioned that at some point, eh?
Anyway, right now we've got most of the lower cabinets installed. The drawer fronts and cabinet doors are not ready yet, but they don't get installed until the end anyway. What we can see though, we love. The drawers are good and solid quality, will full extension pull-outs. The pantry is huge, just as we wanted. The island is strong and we can already tell the pull-out spice rack next to the oven is going to be a great help. It looks wide enough to also hold bottles of oil and maybe even cans of coffee. I think the person who came up with this idea should be memorialized in one of those Bud Light salute commercials: "Here's to you, Mr. Cabinet Pull-Out Spice Rack Inventor." (I still won't drink Bud Light though. Bleah...)
But the goodwill of seeing actual cabinets was tempered somewhat when I got the first part of the electrician's bill. Everything that had been discussed as part of the initial project was dead-on. What I didn't know was that he added $60 for each under-cabinet light and $60 for each of the two pendant lights that were outside of the initial scope. Granted, I didn't ask Sol how much they'd be, though he didn't tell me either. It'll also cost at least $25 to install the lights I had to buy elsewhere, which means there's a total of around $765 I had not accounted for in my budget. Fuck! So the under-cabinet lighting alone will end up costing me nearly a grand. They'd better look spectacular when they're done.
And on top of everything else, Sol has left messages for the plumber about the inflated bill, but the plumber has not returned his call.
Anyway, right now we've got most of the lower cabinets installed. The drawer fronts and cabinet doors are not ready yet, but they don't get installed until the end anyway. What we can see though, we love. The drawers are good and solid quality, will full extension pull-outs. The pantry is huge, just as we wanted. The island is strong and we can already tell the pull-out spice rack next to the oven is going to be a great help. It looks wide enough to also hold bottles of oil and maybe even cans of coffee. I think the person who came up with this idea should be memorialized in one of those Bud Light salute commercials: "Here's to you, Mr. Cabinet Pull-Out Spice Rack Inventor." (I still won't drink Bud Light though. Bleah...)
But the goodwill of seeing actual cabinets was tempered somewhat when I got the first part of the electrician's bill. Everything that had been discussed as part of the initial project was dead-on. What I didn't know was that he added $60 for each under-cabinet light and $60 for each of the two pendant lights that were outside of the initial scope. Granted, I didn't ask Sol how much they'd be, though he didn't tell me either. It'll also cost at least $25 to install the lights I had to buy elsewhere, which means there's a total of around $765 I had not accounted for in my budget. Fuck! So the under-cabinet lighting alone will end up costing me nearly a grand. They'd better look spectacular when they're done.
And on top of everything else, Sol has left messages for the plumber about the inflated bill, but the plumber has not returned his call.
I'm marginally giddy right now...
I just got off the phone with Daughter. She calls me or Wife every day when she gets home from school. She says the kitchen guys are there and they've started putting in the island plus the sink cabinet and some of the cabinets next to the refrigerator. I'm going to go home and it's going to look like the start of a real kitchen. Of course it also means Wife is going to want me to drag one of the heavy tiles inside to see how they look against the cabinets. Ugh...
However, it also occurred to me that on that long list of things we needed the electrician to do, I did not include moving the phone connection a couple of feet to the left. The current location of the phone jack will be covered by the new pantry, which means they can't even put it in until the jack is moved. I'd better call Sol soon.
Also, Daughter's softball practice was cancelled because it was too cold, windy and wet. Note their first game is this Thursday and they've had only one real practice. I have to wonder how many of the girls on the team even know how to play at this point. And why the hell did they schedule games to start the second week of January? Also, why didn't they at least try to schedule some practices over the kids' winter vacation?
However, it also occurred to me that on that long list of things we needed the electrician to do, I did not include moving the phone connection a couple of feet to the left. The current location of the phone jack will be covered by the new pantry, which means they can't even put it in until the jack is moved. I'd better call Sol soon.
Also, Daughter's softball practice was cancelled because it was too cold, windy and wet. Note their first game is this Thursday and they've had only one real practice. I have to wonder how many of the girls on the team even know how to play at this point. And why the hell did they schedule games to start the second week of January? Also, why didn't they at least try to schedule some practices over the kids' winter vacation?
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Day 4
No workers came to the house today. But now I'm really annoyed because I don't think the plumber is going to be able to install the water line to the refrigerator behind the cabinets if the cabinets are installed on Monday. Then again, there's got to be some way to do it, right?
Today I picked up all of the tile. Combined it must weigh a quarter of a ton. I helped load half of it into the car and had to unload all of it myself. It wouldn't have been so hard had I not gone there directly after going to the gym. I also picked up the sink, disposal and air gap from the appliance place and got to tell Sam, the lady who sold us all of our appliances how Wife could not start the new washing machine today and thought it was broken. It turned out that the washer door was simply not closed. (I'll just say that Wife is not at her physical or mental peak right now...)
Tomorrow's plans include sleep, rest, nap, relaxation and poker...
Today I picked up all of the tile. Combined it must weigh a quarter of a ton. I helped load half of it into the car and had to unload all of it myself. It wouldn't have been so hard had I not gone there directly after going to the gym. I also picked up the sink, disposal and air gap from the appliance place and got to tell Sam, the lady who sold us all of our appliances how Wife could not start the new washing machine today and thought it was broken. It turned out that the washer door was simply not closed. (I'll just say that Wife is not at her physical or mental peak right now...)
Tomorrow's plans include sleep, rest, nap, relaxation and poker...
Friday, January 4, 2008
Detour: The ultimate evil...
All clowns are evil.
All cats are evil.
Therefore the epitome of evil must be embodied by a cat owned by a clown.
If you ever find yourself in need of a term to describe an incredible evil, feel free to use "He's as evil as a clown's cat." I won't even charge royalties for its use.
All cats are evil.
Therefore the epitome of evil must be embodied by a cat owned by a clown.
If you ever find yourself in need of a term to describe an incredible evil, feel free to use "He's as evil as a clown's cat." I won't even charge royalties for its use.
Day 3
And the non-existent god said "Let there be canister lights!"
From all appearances the electrician did a great job so far. However, the job is not yet complete, as the wall switches are not done and we want canister lights installed in the hallway next to the kitchen, above the wet bar and in the alcove outside the bathroom. Here's the exact detailed list of what we needed from the electrician. I'm sure he saw this list then pictured his kids at the Harvard graduation ceremonies...
From all appearances the electrician did a great job so far. However, the job is not yet complete, as the wall switches are not done and we want canister lights installed in the hallway next to the kitchen, above the wet bar and in the alcove outside the bathroom. Here's the exact detailed list of what we needed from the electrician. I'm sure he saw this list then pictured his kids at the Harvard graduation ceremonies...
- Add wiring for two outlets for the island to come down through ceiling along center post
- Remove wiring and switch for ceiling vent
- Add wiring for microwave above stove
- Wiring for garbage disposal
- Wiring for dishwasher
- Wiring for under-cabinet lighting (Note there will be seven total fixtures, see illustration below)
- Canister lights for kitchen (six total)
- Canister light in hallway next to kitchen
- Canister light above wet bar
- Canister light in alcove outside bathroom
- Lighting for above island (set up connection only, we have not purchased yet)
- Switch outside kitchen that currently controls kitchen and hallway lights to be expanded to four switches in this order form left to right: hallway, above island, under cabinet, kitchen ceiling
- Relocate outlet for refrigerator
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Day 2
This has been the hardest entry to write so far, because it encompasses all of the frustration and anger that can come with a project like this.
So it was plumbing day. There are two plumbing tasks we need done up front, moving the kitchen sink drain and water connections two feet to the right of their current position, and to cap off the water connection in the wet bar because we no longer want a sink there. The estimate we got from Sol for this work plus hooking up the sink and appliances after the cabinetry and countertops were done was $750. I'd have to pay the plumber directly as his services aren't covered by Sol's company.
Wife wasn't feeling well so she left work early. She got home around 3:30 and called me to tell me that there was no plumber in the house, nor was there any sign of there ever having been a plumber in the house at any time today. After the fiasco with the demolition crew yesterday I was getting even angrier, though I did bear in mind that the demolition worked out well in the end. The anger abated when Wife called me back five minutes later to say the plumber had just arrived. Knowing nothing about plumbing I had no idea how long the work would take but I knew there was no way in hell he'd be done today. Coming back the next day was fine as long as he didn't get in the electrician's way, I suppose.
I got home with the kids around 5:30 and of course the plumber was still going. He's hammering, pounding, cutting and having fun with a blow torch. The house was already dirty and dusty enough from the previous day's demolition, but with the added smoke I figured it was best to just tell the kids to stay in their rooms with their doors closed. Around 6:30pm the plumber showed me a problem with the wet bar area, telling me that capping it off would be more difficult than anticipated because he'd have to replace some Y-looking valve in the wall. Of course he didn't have one of those handy and would have to run to Lowe's to get one then come back and finish the job. I took the kids out to dinner bringing back something for Wife, figuring he'd be done shortly after we got home.
He didn't finish until 8:45. Then he presents me with a bill for the work he's done so far. It comes to $840. He says that installing the sink and appliances when he comes back will be $750. I start steaming at this point. According to Sol, everything total was going to be $750. I understood that the problem he had with the wet bar was going to increase the cost, but this was utterly ridiculous. It was too late in the day to call Sol, which I would do the next day. So there were a couple of possibilities: Sol's estimation skills are astoundingly bad, which does not bode well for the electrical work and flooring/tiling work that I've also agreed to subcontract, or the plumber thinks he can pull a fast one on me, which would not be smart for him since it could cost him Sol's business in the future.
So it was plumbing day. There are two plumbing tasks we need done up front, moving the kitchen sink drain and water connections two feet to the right of their current position, and to cap off the water connection in the wet bar because we no longer want a sink there. The estimate we got from Sol for this work plus hooking up the sink and appliances after the cabinetry and countertops were done was $750. I'd have to pay the plumber directly as his services aren't covered by Sol's company.
Wife wasn't feeling well so she left work early. She got home around 3:30 and called me to tell me that there was no plumber in the house, nor was there any sign of there ever having been a plumber in the house at any time today. After the fiasco with the demolition crew yesterday I was getting even angrier, though I did bear in mind that the demolition worked out well in the end. The anger abated when Wife called me back five minutes later to say the plumber had just arrived. Knowing nothing about plumbing I had no idea how long the work would take but I knew there was no way in hell he'd be done today. Coming back the next day was fine as long as he didn't get in the electrician's way, I suppose.
I got home with the kids around 5:30 and of course the plumber was still going. He's hammering, pounding, cutting and having fun with a blow torch. The house was already dirty and dusty enough from the previous day's demolition, but with the added smoke I figured it was best to just tell the kids to stay in their rooms with their doors closed. Around 6:30pm the plumber showed me a problem with the wet bar area, telling me that capping it off would be more difficult than anticipated because he'd have to replace some Y-looking valve in the wall. Of course he didn't have one of those handy and would have to run to Lowe's to get one then come back and finish the job. I took the kids out to dinner bringing back something for Wife, figuring he'd be done shortly after we got home.
He didn't finish until 8:45. Then he presents me with a bill for the work he's done so far. It comes to $840. He says that installing the sink and appliances when he comes back will be $750. I start steaming at this point. According to Sol, everything total was going to be $750. I understood that the problem he had with the wet bar was going to increase the cost, but this was utterly ridiculous. It was too late in the day to call Sol, which I would do the next day. So there were a couple of possibilities: Sol's estimation skills are astoundingly bad, which does not bode well for the electrical work and flooring/tiling work that I've also agreed to subcontract, or the plumber thinks he can pull a fast one on me, which would not be smart for him since it could cost him Sol's business in the future.
Day 1
Well, Day 1 is finally here. I met with Sol to give him our garage door opener before I left for work. He said the demolition team would be coming by later in the morning to start their work. If my life were a TV show, when my phone rang around 11:00, the sound of the phone ringing would have been accompanied by the musical 'dum-dum-duuuuuuuummmmmmmm' sting intended to ramp up the tension of the scene.
Immediately upon noticing Sol's name on my cell phone my thoughts started flashing by in rapid succession, each envisioning some increasingly catastrophic discovery. Did they break a water pipe and flood my home? Did they discover rotting beams or mold behind the old cabinets? Did they find a skeleton inside the wall? Did I somehow miss something that I'd have to run home and clean out before they'd continue tearing everything down? (Actually that was the best-case scenario that came to me.)
So what was he really calling to tell me? Well, apparently the demolition crew had a stop to make before getting to our place. The problem is that the crew was shorthanded and they weren't going to be able to finish that job then get to our place and do all the work before 5:00, so it was going to have to wait until tomorrow to get started. On the pissed-off scale of 1 to 10, I was at about 23.8.
OK, remember how in the masthead I promised that readers would be able to learn from my mistakes? Well, here's an excellent piece of advice: Do not schedule any work for January 2. Whether the crew was shorthanded due to extended vacations or extended hangovers, I don't know or care. I just know not to rely on work to be kicked off on January 2.
Once I calmed down I wondered if they couldn't just pick up someone outside Home Depot. How hard can demolition be? All of the stages of construction, this is the one that requires the least skill, right? Get some monkeys, give them hammers and mallets then just sit back and watch the fun. Deciding them that picking up day workers wasn't a viable option because I didn't want to become Lou Dobbs' whipping boy, and the monkey idea didn't work well either because they may fling their poo beyond the boundaries of the kitchen, I became resigned to the fact that work would have to start a day late.
When my phone rang again around 3:00pm and Sol's name appeared in the window I immediately thought of even more potential scenarios for bed news. Perhaps my cabinets weren't ready because they couldn't find an axe to chop down the trees for the wood. I took a deep breath and answered the phone. Sol then tells me that the demo crew has been at my home for a while and they should be finished by 5:00. Now why he didn't bother telling me once he knew the crew was going to make it after all I have no idea but I decided not to pursue it and instead just revel in my blissful ignorance.
Finally I get home and it sinks in that we've progressed well beyond the point of no return. The kitchen is gone. What's left is a dirty, dusty, empty mess. Ever notice that when you move out of a place it always seems like the room is larger once you've moved everything out of it? What's odd is that even with completely bare walls the kitchen doesn't really seem any larger afterward.
Immediately upon noticing Sol's name on my cell phone my thoughts started flashing by in rapid succession, each envisioning some increasingly catastrophic discovery. Did they break a water pipe and flood my home? Did they discover rotting beams or mold behind the old cabinets? Did they find a skeleton inside the wall? Did I somehow miss something that I'd have to run home and clean out before they'd continue tearing everything down? (Actually that was the best-case scenario that came to me.)
So what was he really calling to tell me? Well, apparently the demolition crew had a stop to make before getting to our place. The problem is that the crew was shorthanded and they weren't going to be able to finish that job then get to our place and do all the work before 5:00, so it was going to have to wait until tomorrow to get started. On the pissed-off scale of 1 to 10, I was at about 23.8.
OK, remember how in the masthead I promised that readers would be able to learn from my mistakes? Well, here's an excellent piece of advice: Do not schedule any work for January 2. Whether the crew was shorthanded due to extended vacations or extended hangovers, I don't know or care. I just know not to rely on work to be kicked off on January 2.
Once I calmed down I wondered if they couldn't just pick up someone outside Home Depot. How hard can demolition be? All of the stages of construction, this is the one that requires the least skill, right? Get some monkeys, give them hammers and mallets then just sit back and watch the fun. Deciding them that picking up day workers wasn't a viable option because I didn't want to become Lou Dobbs' whipping boy, and the monkey idea didn't work well either because they may fling their poo beyond the boundaries of the kitchen, I became resigned to the fact that work would have to start a day late.
When my phone rang again around 3:00pm and Sol's name appeared in the window I immediately thought of even more potential scenarios for bed news. Perhaps my cabinets weren't ready because they couldn't find an axe to chop down the trees for the wood. I took a deep breath and answered the phone. Sol then tells me that the demo crew has been at my home for a while and they should be finished by 5:00. Now why he didn't bother telling me once he knew the crew was going to make it after all I have no idea but I decided not to pursue it and instead just revel in my blissful ignorance.
Finally I get home and it sinks in that we've progressed well beyond the point of no return. The kitchen is gone. What's left is a dirty, dusty, empty mess. Ever notice that when you move out of a place it always seems like the room is larger once you've moved everything out of it? What's odd is that even with completely bare walls the kitchen doesn't really seem any larger afterward.
We now return to our regularly scheduled bile and venom...
Hello to the avid readers of My Kitchen Hell! Sorry for the long time-out. I was locked out of the blog for a while but it's all fixed and I'm back to posting. Check back frequently over the next few days because the bile and venom shall be flowing freely, and the streets will be painted in whatever color bile and venom happen to be. I've never really seen copious amount of either bile or venom, so I don't know if they're white, green, transparent, opaque or whatever. But just trust me, whatever color they are, that's the color the streets are going to be! Well, at least until tonight when the first of several large storms is supposed to roll in and I assume my bile and venom will be washed away. So if you drive past my home and see some bilious, venomous and/or otherwise unidentifiable liquids being washed away by the storm, you will know it's my bile and venom.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Day 0
Finally, our part in this ordeal is done. We've removed everything from the kitchen that we can do ourselves. Now totally emply and bereft of our clutter, it still looks like crap. We've stuffed a few large plastic containers with usasble non-perishable foods, with the rest of the food that we won't be able to use with only a functioning microwave stuffed into boxes and moved into the garage. Another container has paper plates, paper bowls, plastic ware, cups, napkins and everything else we'll need to maintain a marginally functioning kitchen area. We've still got the microwave of course and we'll be able to keep the fridge plugged in somewhere during the entire ordeal.
Packing up the kitchen
I am still in awe not only of the amount of crap we had stuffed into the kitchen and outlying kitchen-adjacent area to begin with, but also in the fact that we got rid of something like a dozen large hefty bags full of crap and we still have more crap than I'd have ever thought possible. I've discovered that Wife and I have developed some pretty bad habits together over the years. (In fact we're just two weeks shy of 14-years of cohabitation.) Anyway, let's say that we have a frying pan but the non-stick surface has gotten old and scratched, rendering the pan useless. We then go out and buy a new pan and voila, problem solved, right? Well, no, because the old pan is still in the cabinet, totally forgotten yet still cumbersome. That pan will then sit atop the previous retired pan, and in time would be covered by the newly purchased pan when that one has worn out it's usefulness. I believe we threw away at least seven frying pans of various sizes and levels of non-stick surface effectiveness.
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