No report yesterday because there was not a lot to see, but today …
One of the more daunting elements to the kitchen cabinet install was the oven cabinet, which weighs an ungodly amount, needed to be custom-cut, and, oh yeah, weighs an ungodly amount. If there was going to be one item that I might invoke the Mythical Man-Weekend for, it would have been to wrangle the thing.
(The Mythical Man-Weekend, modeled after Fred Brooks' The Mythical Man-Month, was the idea that if we were really behind or if there were elements that simply could not be handled by Jim and me, or even with the ladyfolk assisting, we'd thrown manpower at the project to get it completed. Not only are we on or ahead of schedule, but the cabinet, though a serious bitch to move about, was manageable. All our friends can rest more easily tonight …)
Having that in place, we're leaving the cabinet that goes beside it so that the regular contractors can put up window trim on Monday. Instead, we started in on the island, one of the features we are really looking forward to having.
While installing against walls can be a challenge, as walls are _never_straight up-and-down (or side-to-side), installing when your only guide is distance from the walls around, centering on lighting fixtures, or the level vagaries of the floor itself, is its own challenge. We got about 2/3 of the island assembled, shimming like lunatics to keep the thing level, plumb, centered, and straight.
The rest of the island will be finished tomorrow. That will leave work on crown molding, as well as finishing the peninsula. Plenty of time (as Jim and Ginger don't leave until Tuesday night).
Feeling good about the project, right now. And looking forward to publishing "Dave's Laws of Big Home Remodeling Projects" ….
In Album Hill-Kleerup Kitchen – 2015-03-28
I can't wait to read it. One of my sads is that we have such a small house. We managed to carve out a two-butt galley kitchen, but there is no place for an island. There's no dining room, either, so a good deal of the kitchen is devoted to the table.
Still, I love a small house. There are only the two of us (and four cats), so it's nice to have a limit to our possessions.
So. How many butts will your new kitchen hold?
+Paula Moore Since it's where everyone seems to end up, hopefully All the Butts.
Noodling, we've previously had, let's say, up to four people who could be doing something at once — one at the stove, one at the sink, two at the peninsular (maybe three if that person was standing on the outside of the peninsula). Part of that was space limits, part of that was cruft on the counters (too many corners, too many short segments).
In the new kitchen, we could fit several at once doing things — or just hanging out and watching one person do things — easily .
Now it actually looks like something.
More and more each day. 🙂
+Dave Hill All one really needs is a big kitchen, a bathroom, and a place to sleep.
Come to think of it, that pretty much describes how my dad grew up.
+Paula Moore 🙂 Well, a place to sit back on in a cushy chair with the TV is kind of nice, too. Oh, and bookshelves, gotta have bookshelves. 🙂
+Dave Hill Those are on the far end of the kitchen. Maybe a little alcove.