Day 39

It's close freaking enough! Still need to grind down the seam in the granite, fix the threshhold lip on the floor, fix the LED's on the new oven, get a new hot water faucet for the sink, and install the dining room chandelier. But, it's close enough.
I present to you our new kitchen and dining room!!

The Sage Green in the dining room is a magnificent casual elegance

The island that became a continent

New appliances include a Blue Star cooktop and a Viking french door double oven.

Microwave drawer

Quartz meant for rolling around naked on

Our new art faucet with it's own pet hot water faucet.

3D Backsplash

Sink carved out a solid piece of travertine

The pics don't show the blue star down draft for the cooktop or the lovely under cabinet LED lighting or the over cabinet ribbon lighting. We also got new disposal and dishwasher. Moved a bunch of electrical around. But, you get the idea. A complete overall.

Was it worth it? It was pricey. We went way over budget. As a real estate agent, I know we will never recoup it all. We definitely over-improved for the market. 

But, we do love it so much. And that makes it worth the headache and the cost. We know we didn't skimp, we know we picked finishing that we liked, we have to live in. And we are pleased.

Rating the contractor: Small issues. He said he would have us functional by Thanksgiving and he kept his word. Still waiting on a few of the subcontractors to come back and finish up. But, overall it was a good experience. Except the plumber. (raising my fist in the air)

Scale of 1-10

ceiling-9+ 

Wallpaper removal-10

walls-9+

floors-7* (still waiting on threshhold repair)

appliance installation-7 (don't like the exterior fan unit placement)

granite-8 (love the granite, poorly cut and seam is still scratchy)

cabinets-9+ (color good, installation good, but we thought we were getting wood not a fake stuff)

plumbing-5 

electrical-9 (nothing caught on fire, but he seemed to take a while to do his work)

Overall contractor-9

He did very well. I thought the timing could have been organized a bit better. There were multiple off days where no work was going on and several days different trades could have been there working at the same time. It was a little pricey. Some things got lost in the chaos. They used up all my paper towels. But, really it was done very well.

Keep checking back. I will update as the finishes are done. And we will be starting a new project next year. The new closet addition in the master bedroom. It's sure to be loads of fun as we build a whole new second story room just for the closet. One that will hold all of my straightjackets. 

Days 33-36

No work. Waiting on contractor to return for finishing details.

Day 32

No Work! I just want this to be finished!

Day 31

No crews today either. I guess they celebrate Cyber Monday as well.

Day 30

no crews arrived today to finish up. I guess contractors celebrate Black Friday, too.

Day 29

It's Thanksgiving. Everything went perfect. No fires in the kitchen, dishes got cleaned, plenty of prep space, nothing leaked. I am pleased.

Steve promised we would  have functioning kitchen by Thanksgiving and he delivered. There are still a few things that need to be addressed. Some final touches. But, he will be back next week to collect his money and finish up.

Still waiting to get our furniture back from the refinishers and the chandelier from Europe.

I'm just so happy that everything is working.

Day 28

It's the day before Thanksgiving. Not a lot is going on. One of the installers came back to attach the dishwasher to the cabinet and that's about it.

Somehow the renovation bug is contagious. We called out David and his guys from British Masonry to shore up some bricks in the fireplace. It does, on occasion, get chilly in Florida. Another $650.00 up in smoke.

Day 27

We chose to go with most impractical backsplash on the market. It's a lovely stone weave design with a dark center cut.

As everyone woman on the face of the planet knows, this particular design will be absolutely impossible to clean. Despite sealing once a year, grime and grease will get into every nook and cranny that are sitting up exposed to the air. I am so thankful I won't be cleaning it. This tile is a beautiful nightmare.

And because it's a 3 dimensional stone weave, it will never sit flat, level or flush. There will be some countertop edges that will be slightly exposed. The good news is that I get to find new stone electric plate covers to go over the switches and outlets because the current contractor plastic covers will never sit flat.

The installer has decided it would be easier to lay the backsplash over the existing ceramic tile. I am naturally concerned about the new adhesive not holding it's integrity and our new stone weave sliding right off the wall. However, the installer assures me that this is better because there is less risk of tearing up the drywall behind if they removed the existing tile. They also did a half ass job of smoothing the floor tile transition piece. Not pleased.

The plumber did fumble his way to getting the faucet and dishwasher hooked up. At an extra charge of almost $300.00. Amazing how that works in his favor. He is still having trouble hooking up the extra hot water faucet. It leaks. I am sure this will cost us extra as well. This plumber is an incompetent boob and we are having to pay for it.

The good news is, we have an H.R. Geiger inspired faucet. It's a chrome alien of art rising up from the depths of hell. 

Stuck on food and small children with run screaming with fear as it's nozzle approaches.

Day 26

The nervous breakdown is beginning to manifest. I am so frustrated. Here it is at Day 26 and the crew is rushing around trying to get things done.

Because of all of the off days and the half days that were worked and the items that came in late or wrong, we are running behind schedule. There is absolutely no way this renovation will be done before Thanksgiving.

Lesson Learned: Post a Project Board as a GIANT calendar to make sure everyone can see where they have screwed up.

And screw up they have.


From uneven cabinet doors and drawers to ledges I could sky dive from on the floors and the granite seam. I am NOT pleased with the quality of the craftsmanship I am seeing so far.





And the plumber returned today to hook up the sink. Which, of course he couldn't do because the sink people sent the wrong drain pipe and the faucet people sent something that wouldn't screw right. This plumber has more problems than a mouse in a cat house. And, unfortunately, we keep getting charged extra for it. It may not be his fault, but I am going to blame him anyway. Just because I suspect foul play.

The backsplash hasn't even been started, the cabinets are still unfinished, the chandalier is in Italy, the dishwasher is still in the garage, there are numerous little things that need to be attended to. Would I recommend this contractor again? Not at this point. But, I am reserving judgement until completion of the project.

Day 25

Has it been 5 weeks? Has it been 5 years? I've really started to lose count.

 Eddie and his assistant today were back to finish painting the dining room and kitchen.
They did a great job considering what they had to work with. Our walls and ceilings are all textured. Which is great for hiding imperfections in older homes, but almost impossible to match when filling holes. You can't get a straight line with the cut in. And, it uses more paint and takes more time. It's easy to miss a spot here or there with textured walls. But Eddie pulled through like a champ.

And he finished before the due date. We weren't expecting the painting to be complete until next week.

The granite guys came out today to finish up as well. They cut the hole for the cooktop and laid the last of the countertops by the sink. I have to say, I am a little disappointed.

Not in the countertop. It is the most amazing piece of stone I have ever seen.

One of the installers couldn't seem to tear himself away from the phone. He got everything installed fine. (other than forgetting his caulk). But, he couldn't seem to pull himself away from his phone for very long. They all sounded like business calls, not personal calls. But, it didn't look very professional.

I also think the cut on the sink countertop was poorly placed. They all say it was the best they could do. But, to be honest, I think it was the best they would do.








That said, I did enjoy working with Frick and Frack. They aren't brothers, even though they look and act like it. They tease each other, make "yo momma" jokes, sing "Akuna Matada" and over all are very speedy workers. And one of them is nice enough to come back tomorrow on a Saturday morning to grind down the seam we don't like. Yes, we are that couple. We absolutely will want to see contractors at 8:00 am on a Saturday morning to get the job done.

Speaking of getting the job done. It's been 5 weeks. The only thing that is complete is the painting. There are tons of little things to do on the cabinets, the backsplash needs to be installed, the faucets and appliances hooked up, shelves to go up in the bar, lights to be completed, quarter round to be repaired and filled, caulking, cleaning.......
There have been several off days where other work could have been scheduled. There could have been simultaneous work going on.
Someone needs a lesson in time management. Or maybe I am just grumpy from NOT HAVING A KITCHEN FOR FIVE WEEKS!!!!

Day 24

Eddie from Eddie's Dry Wall is back to paint the kitchen and repair the holes left by the electrician.

His attention to detail and pride in his work has been unparalleled compared to some of the other contractors we have had during the construction.
I could use an entire crew of Eddies.






The granite guys were supposed to cut the granite today for the cook top, but Eddie kicked them out because they caused a lot of dust.

It's toward the end of the project and we are learning some valuable lessons about contractors. One, no matter what you think you told the contractor, he heard something else. Two, the budget is flexible. Three, construction will never ever be completed on time. One delay puts everything else behind schedule. And to use the off days to make up for it or working late just isn't going to happen.
Four, make one person in the family the point person. And only one person. The contractor trying to work for two different people with different visions and timelines only serves to confuse and delay.

Day 23

Matt is home from Albany this week and can't help but get his hands into the renovation. One of the lights is flickering, so Matt is "fixing" it.

The new oven arrived today. Setzer's will be installing it in place of my "Boy in a Box" heating system. The installers have a great sense of humor. And they tolerated us hovering around them making "suggestions" very well. If you don't keep laughing through the process, you absolutely will go insane.

I would like to present to you our new wall oven.

The Viking Professional

Kneel before the Norse God of Appliances. This 30" stainless steel electric french door double oven comes with vari-speed dual flow convection cooking, concealed baking element, gourmet-glo infrared broiler, full extension rack, and coollit LED lights. It will cook your dinner and bring you salvation at 550 degrees in under an hour.

My kitchen has become Valhalla! I worship at its coils.

Day 22

I am in love!!!

Our quartzite countertops have arrived. They are a showstopper. It's almost a sin to put anything on them.

They are all natural, straight out of the mountain rock solid sexy on a stick. The veining varies between sublime and bold with combinations of rust, grey, gold, and white. There are no seams on the island or the breakfast bar. They only need to be sealed once every 15 years. I chose a half bull nose edge. A half bull nose will prevent spills from running around the edge to drip into the cabinets, but it still has a smoother edge and rounded corners.

I'm going to go roll around naked on top of our island now.....

Day 21

No one showed up today. It's national "I refuse to finish the job day".

I unfortunately didn't get the memo. 

Hi-Ho Hi-Ho, 

It's off to work I go.

Day 20

And the work continues on cabinets and electrical........

We have new under and over cabinet lighting. The under cabinet is touch activated. Everything is LED now. Fancy schmancy.

We didn't realize that when we got the new island, that the drawers and cabinets would be configured differently from the old one. As a result, we don't have the appropriate knobs and pulls for the island.

Steve just so happened to have his trusty sample kit in the truck for us to choose all new hardware.

To save a little money we plan on replacing the hardware on the island instead of all the cabinets.

Lesson Learned: Budget for unexpected miscalculations. They will happen. Also, budget for weekend trips out of town to get away from the chaos. You will need it. And that is exactly what I am doing this weekend. I'm outta here.

Day 19

Let's talk about paint.
Back in the old days, before the whole open-concept trend massacred dividing walls, color was a lot easier to pick. Room colors didn't have to match. Each room could be a different color, a different temperature, a different theme.
However, now when we are dealing with rooms that flow together with very little division, your color scheme should match, or at least be in the same family. Trouble is, like with most families, not all of them get along very well.

So when it came time to picking out colors for our kitchen-dining room, I began to freak out a little.

I knew I wanted different colors to  separate the space. The kitchen needed to be a pale color to lighten it up. But, I could go a bit darker in the dining room.

My original thought was a pale grey kitchen and a darker grey dining room. Naturally, 50 Shades of Grey came to mind. I decided it was a bit too sexy for our 100 year old colonial. Then monotone combinations of gold, yellow, or amber crossed my mind.

A traditional red dining and yellow kitchen was almost the winner. Until I watched a re-run of American Horror Story Freak Show. And I couldn't get Creepy Clown Face out of my mind. Picking a bad combination of red and yellow could drive a person homicidal.



 


Finally, I surrendered and called in an expert.

I hired a color consultant from a large corporate not-allowed-to-be named paint manufacturer with the initials of SW. She came out to the house and took pity on me. She gave me alternative options and helped me narrow down colors that match each other and will compliment our current finishings. She really helped me focus on what I like, what works together, and what will work in the space. Worth every penny!!!



Together we narrowed it down to 3 options. This weekend we are picking up samples and putting them on the wall before the painter arrives.

Meanwhile the construction continues in the kitchen.

But, we are making progress. Most of the cabinet doors are on.









The crown moulding is being repaired.

This guy arrives early every morning with a smile on his face.

And the microwave was installed. Finally, I can have popcorn!!

Day 18 or 19 or 101...It's all getting so fuzzy.

A plumber walks up to carpenter working on a minibar. He says to the carpenter, "Man, I didn't know it had to be so perfect."
That's it. No joke. Really happened in my dining room. I could only hang my head and sigh. Now I'm afraid to sit on my toilet.

Lesson Learned: you know it's time for an update when your carpenter tells you mirrored mini bars "are sooooo eighties".

And the work continues. The electrician arrived today. He's very personable and I am hoping very competent. He did figure out how to use the old cabinet fronts for scaffolding so he could move the ceiling light over the cooktop.

 

I am sufficiently impressed.


Other electrical work will include moving the disposal switch to an air button on the sink, moving two switches from the  4 switch plate in the dining room two inches to the right so they are in the kitchen, hanging pendants over the sink, adding an outlet to the island, and overall goodnatured chattiness.

The best part of all is that he puts up with my renovation insanity.
While chatting it up about pendant location options, I tossed our favorite rubber snake at him as he was looking away. He jumped and squealed like a little girl. But, he did not run screaming for his life from the job site. He Passes!







And I have to say, Steve and his assistant are doing an outstanding job on the cabinets. The veneer is a poly-fill-mumbo-jumbo-synth-stuff Cherry. It is very low maintenance. It's not supposed to scratch, fade, or chip. Evidently, it's immortal.