Lets put it out there

So we decided to put out kitchen on HGTV's Rate my space.

We didn't do too bad. Actually people rated it quite high.

http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Kitchens/1975-to-2010-Kitchen-Update/detail.esi?oid=20598384

Our Dream Kitchen Comes to Life!

Well after careful planning, measuring, selecting colors, textures, etc, we came up with our dream kitchen.
It was quite the process. A bit more stressful than the bathroom as we had a carpenter who wasn't very bright or one with much common sense. I think that is the most difficult part of going through this kind of process. You can have a design in your mind, yet trying to convey that to someone else in a way they can understand and comprehend can be very challenging. We had to draw diagrams in detail, and be scrutinizing detail every step of the way.

So without further adieu, I'd like to show you all the pictures of our kitchen. I'd like to start with before and after pictures. I tried taking the pictures at the same vantage points so you can appreciate the changes that were made.

This first picture is the before picture of the kitchen. Its very 1975. Maximizing space was not a consideration in this 1975 design, nor was function. I couldn't wait for this kitchen to be gone. There was nothing I liked about it. To the right is the kitchen after our redesign. LOVE IT! Notice how we moved the stove away from the refrigerator. The area was very cramped. Notice the upper cabinets do not go all the way to the ceiling. When you opened the cabinet, the upper area was cut off. You could not store things up there. Again, a poor choice in design in terms of maximizing storage space.

Before Pic - Our Vintage 1975 Kitchen (click on picture to see a larger version)

The floor was a not so pretty pattern. We ended up getting a pergo at Home Depot. It was interesting shopping for that. There are so many types, brands, colors, etc. There were a couple of styles we really liked. One had a warranty 50 years, the other 25 years. Warranty doesn't mean shit. We took a sample of the flooring and literally struck a key against it to see how well it could stand a scratch. We wanted something that was very durable as the kitchen would be the most traveled area on the house. The 25yr warranty sample did not scratch. The 50yr warranty sample left a nice gouge. Decision was made. We went with the Red Jatoba Pergo. We think the color and grain is a perfect match.

After Pic - Our Dream Kitchen 2010  (click on picture to see a larger version)

Diamond is the name of the manufacturer of the cabinets we chose. We opted to get all wood cabinets. Typically, most cabinets come with some particle board on them somewhere. We made this mistake with the cabinets we got for the bathroom. We weren't about to repeat it in the kitchen. The timing of purchasing the cabinets was good. I guess due to the economy companies such as this are offering many incentives. We got a free sink base, we got a huge discount on the package, and a glazing discount. 

The cabinets we got are maple. The color is called Whiskey Black. The base color is the whiskey, while the glazing around the rope edges are black. Its difficult being in the showroom seeing so many styles and colors and trying to picture it in our space. The style we choose wasn't necessarily in the showroom. We knew the look we wanted and was able to put it together with the options that Diamond had available. It worked out well. 

Before pic, same vantage point as after pic (click on pic to larger version)

Looking at the sink in the before picture, you'll see that is a double basin. In our new kitchen we opted for a one basin sink. Part of this was due to the size restraints we had to be able to fit everything just so. Typically a double sink was something that was needed when one would do dishes by hand. One sink had the soapy water, the other sink was the rinse. Not being one to do dishes by hand and having a dishwasher, we thought it made sense just to get a single basin sink. The sink manufacturer is Kraus. This is the same company that made our bowl sinks in the bathroom. We were also able to get a Kraus pull out faucet. Gotta love Overstock.com. That is where we got our stuff. The sink is a 16 gauge stainless steel and insulated. Most sinks purchased at Home Depot etc are 18 gauge and not insulated and costs more. We are very impressed the the quality that Kraus puts out. Gotta love our German friends. 

After pic, same vantage point as before pic. (Click on pic to see larger version)

I bet you are looking at the counter top and thinking that its granite. Its not actually. Its a quartz counter top. A quartz counter top is a manufactured material unlike natural stone. It is composed of crushed quartz rock mixed and compressed with an epoxy. You'd swear it was a natural stone. We choose quartz for a number of reasons. First, I love quartz. Its an amazing mineral with very good spiritual and healing properties. Secondly, Consumer Reports rated a quartz counter top as a better buy than granite. Quartz counter tops are harder, more heat resistant, and almost scratch proof compared to its granite counterpart. The third factor that influenced us is that granite needs to be sealed every so often. A quartz counter top never needs sealant. Its pretty much impervious to anything. Also, unlike a natural stone, a quartz counter top will always have the same consistency from one batch to the next. You can always get a perfect match and not worry about one piece not matching the other piece exactly.

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These photos were pics that I've taken in the past on our travels. I had them blown up and I framed them myself.  
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Bathroom Remodel Revisited

Well as you can see the bathroom is done. It was a fun project. We learned a lot. We learned that shopping online can save you lots of money. We got the sinks from Overstock.com. They are Kraus sinks. They are sturdy, well made and stylish. We love how functional they are. The toilet is a Kohler Cimmaron. Love it!!! I'm surprised at how well if flushes with so little water. The old toilet must have been a 4 gallon flush and often required two flushes. They've come a long way with toilet engineering. We are very happy with how it turned out. Our next project is the kitchen. The cabinets should be coming in next week. Stay tuned.

Before and After Pics

Well the work is done! Finally. A bit over a month to complete. I'll blog more about the experience a bit later. I wanted to get the pics up for folks to see the dramatic transformation from a 1975 bathroom to a 2010 bathroom.

Enjoy

The Joys of Bathroom Renovations - The Tile

With only two days to pick tile, we had our job cut out for us. Have you looked at tile lately? Tons of selection, a variety of prices, etc etc. There is stone tile, porcelain tile, ceramic tile and probably some others....

We went to Lowes and then The Home Depot. We ended up finding our tile at the Home Depot. It only took us about an hour and a half to pick the tile and the grout. We love the people at the Home Depot in South Portland. We walk in and have people asking us if we need help. We must look pretty bad and in need of help, or they are just doing their job. One of their people helped us put the door of our cabinets and countertop that we have on order, up against the different tiles we thought might look good. The saying about going with your first pick worked in this case. We compared about four different tiles, and went with the first one we both liked. We went with a 12 inch porcelain tile. We think it will look really good with the black countertop and the red vessel sinks. Who knew it could take so long to figure out what kind of tile to get. The tiling guy (Scott), came by on Saturday and installed the tile. He did an incredible job. We are very pleased. Those who have seen it so far have said they think it will look great with the colors we plan on having in there. Here are some of the pics of the floor. 

Its getting closer to being done........

The Joys of Bathroom Renovations - The plumbing

The plumber ended up coming in and getting things set up. The shower got in its place and the shower controls got put it. We ended up going with the Symmons Allura from the Home Depot. We've been told its one of the better controls for showers. Having had shower controls in the past by Delta, and having them not work good, we wanted to get something that hopefully will last and give us good results. I'm feeling I'm getting toilet and shower withdrawals. Ok, I have a toilet in the basement.....but I'm limited to showering at the gym. Not very convenient. Slowly but surely, the bathroom is taking shape. We were told that the tiling guy would be available on Saturday. That was 2 days away and we had not even thought about the kind of tile we wanted. After spending 1 1/2hrs at the Home Depot, we finally agreed on a tile and grout. Yeah!

Here are some more pics of some of the progress.....

The Joys of Bathroom Renovations - demo time

Demolishing a room has a certain pleasure to it. You get to tear out the walls, get rough with things, and feel like a real man. Marc and I had sketched out and done a CAD design of how we wanted the bathroom to look. This would mean sliding the shower and tub over, and moving the toilet to the other side of the room. You see, where the toilet was, it only allowed for a smallish counter area and one sink. Our goal was to have the cabinets and counter top go the length of the wall. This would also allow us for two sinks. Our plan was to completely transform this bathroom from 1975 to 2010.

The first thing that I did was tear apart a small storage closet. This would be the area where the new tub and shower would get moved to. The first mistake I made was to not put plastic around the entry way of our living room. You see, our living room is across the hall from the bathroom. I would definitely call myself a newbie in terms of demo work. I did a great job tearing everything out. Plaster was a flying......and so was the dust. A few days later our contractor, Ron, showed up and did the rest of the demo. He is great, he comes in does his thing, and cleans up everything before I get home from work. No mess for me to contend with. That is the way it should be.

Now what really sucks about gutting out a bathroom, is that you are gutting our your bathroom! Thank God I have a toilet in the basement. The shower I could live without for a bit as I would use the one at the gym.

Here are some pics of the demo work.