A visit to Portland!

I took a break from the kitchen, and winter,  and went out to Portland with Annette to visit Barbara.  She just moved into a wonderful new apartment just 2 blocks from the river in a wonderful, vibrant neighborhood.  

She has a third floor porch and a big bank of windows that look out over the street and into the middle of a big, beautiful tree!  

It only needed a bit of paint in the kitchen, so the midnight sister-crew did the job!

Here's a shot of Barbara and Annette at Barbara's office.  Check out all the projects she's working on!  

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!