Day 18 - drywall nearly complete

This is Dan and Mark...working on the drywall.  It looks FABULOUS!!!

Rob is going to start the cabinets early next week.  We've made all our decisions except the hardware.  

I'm off to Portland to spend time with Barbara and Annette.  Barbara thinks we're going to paint!

Day 14 - Relocated Chute and Finished Subfloor

We finished the subfloor!  Sean and I thought that Larry had lost his mind...after planing the floor nice and level, the dymamic floor team (K,S and L) measured, cut and nailed (thousands of) 2x4 stringers between the joists to make the floor solid. OK, maybe about 100.

Next, we quilted the floor with 3/4" plywood, running perpendicular to the joists and the final maple floor strips.  

You can land a 747 on the floor.  It's wonderful to step on.  Quiet and strong.  

Did I mention: I tripped when the floor was open...landed with all my weight on a joist, on my shin, and now have a bruise from my ankle to my knee?  It's especially wonderful to have the FLOOR in again!!!

In the "it's always something" category:  we forgot to pull up the romex for the island's electricity.  It's under the subfloor somewhere.  We should be able to map and find it....

And the final thing before the drywallers come, I moved the opening of the chute from one side of the chute (where the new oven will be) to the other (inside the new closet).  From the beginning I was unwilling to give up the laundry chute, and it has survived!!!  Functional!!!

As have we, so far. 

Day 11 - A plane day!

Tee Hee, a plane day, get it?

Larry's planing the joists (this man needs a HOBBY!).

The floor wasn't completely level, but it will be now!!!

It's been "interesting", walking from the dining room to the lower level, which is where our kitchen is now, balancing on joists.  No one went through!

Day 10 He-Man Construction

A quiet family day today...

Larry and Sean ripped up the original subfloor, Kathryn cut it up into fireplace/suana sized pieces.

(Simone's in a library somewhere writing about the anthropology of food.)

Day 9 - Electrical Inspection

Passed electrical inspection!

Onward to begin assembling the new kitchen!

We took a break to go to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in St. Paul.

Miles of green!

Interesting shot

OK...this one is out of order, I know, but it's an interesting shot.

Here's a shot that shows the feel of the project...

just before the wall came down.

The plumbers are removing all the pipes from the wall.

You can see the false wall that Dan and Don put up before they demolished the Dr/kitchen wall.

Lots of ladders, people, work going on.

With a nice visit from Carole (LaBonte) Kelly!

Days 6-8 Wiring the weekend away

Allen is amazing.  And Larry.

You should have seen these guys working on the electricity.

Or should I say, helping me with the electricity!!!!!

We spent a looong 3-day weekend getting all the wiring done.

Some of those fixures or boxes were all but impossible to fish wire to, or get a box in, or whatever, and those guys, covered head to toe in plaster (and other) dust just plowed ahead and got the job done.  We went through over 500 feet of romex.  Oh, my.

We finished late Monday afternoon, marking the one WEEK anniversary of the start of the project.  Plumbing, electric, walls all roughed in.  Inspections are going well, electrical inspector coming this AM.  We have never been this up-to-code!!!!!

We're pooped.  

Day 5 - A dream come true.

It's the day we've been dreaming of since we moved in...

we opened the wall between the kitchen and the dining room!

Mike's plumbing team moved all kinds of pipes that had been in the wall,

and Dan and Don, the wonderful guys who gutted the room and are doing the carpentry, took care of the wall.  They had to put in a double header, and a new post with new footings in the basement to cary the load of the house.

Amazing!!!!

Carole Kelly is visiting from Chicago for a nice, relaxing weekend...

Designing the opening

This is Don and Dan...taking the measure of the peak of the existing peak so that the new opening matches.

Wow.

Day 3 - 6 degrees

Heat and water turned off.  

We said a fond farewell to the radiators...and are TRILLED at the one under the kitchen sink going away for good!  Sold them to a used radiator dealer.  For enough to buy a light switch.  Maybe two.

Larry tore up the bathroom floor and found that the whole wall that is the outside wall and near the foundation has ZERO insulation.  Bare wood and air.  Filling that in with foam should cure our frozen pipes.  

The one inch of 50 year old insulation in the sink area will be replaced, so our cups won't be cold in the cupboards.  Found lots of evidence of the old mice infestation (well, the mice weren't old, but the infestation is a thing of the past)  Fond memories that I'm sure Mom, Dad and Dan will remember.

Since the ceiling is out we are having the upstairs bathroom replumbed (thanks,  Yvonne and Ric, great idea).  

This is really going fast.

Thanks for watching, we enjoy your company!

March 10

DAY 2

Larry's working on the floor in the back hall.  He's taking the old subfloor off so he can level it.  Getting ready for the in-floor heat!

The sign above the basement door says "Please remove your shoes"!

Day ONE 5 pm part 2

A view into the back hall where the closet used to be.

(the clothes chute is still there...)

Day ONE 5PM

Oh, My, is it too late to change my mind????

March 9, 2007.  

And so it begins!  No turning back now!

Here is the last 24 hours in the kitchen.

Don Metcalf and his crew showed up this AM and the sawsalls are humming.

Larry's capping off the plumbing and radiators.

Here we go!

Greetings, one and all!  Or maybe just one...or maybe just me.

If you are reading this, welcome aboard! 

We're rehabbing our kitchen this Spring.  The appliances are dying, the drawers are falling out (except the ones that AJ has fixed with FULL EXTENSION GLIDERS over the years...)

and it's time.

We've been planning this for awhile.  Over a year ago my sisters came and we measured, planned, dreamed.  Last month the shopping, planning, scheming started in full swing, and now, we're really ready!  Monday is "crowbar day"...

We invite you along for the ride...