At least 15 years or so. I don't know when the PO re-modeled but it wasn't all that recent. Cabinet doors and fixtures are right out of the mid 1990s.
This was supposed to be a quick cabinet re-face and new countertops. Maybe a floor. Ha. Ha. Ha. Jokes on me. As soon as I pulled the laminate countertops and got a peek at what was underneath? (Cue scary orchestral music...) old countertops had a full-height backsplash that hid all the laziness quite well. Wall penetrations for electrical looked like they were done with a shovel. 3/8" rock throughout (not so bad but ....) and not to mention studs cut for penetrations in exterior walls. No jack studs. No header. Maybe a 2x4 nailed in if it was convenient. Take a look where my sawzall is lying on the shelf. That's a formerly exterior wall of the original house which is now the wall between the house and attached garage. There should be a stud right up the middle of that opening but nope. They cut it out, along with the insulation and the sheetrock so the enormous countertop microwave would sit on that 12" shelf.
MasterMech you have opened the proverbial can of worms... on a holiday weekend... how long is the misses gonna deal with no kitchen? ya got to fix it.. guessing ya want to do it right.. ya got to take it down... I feel for ya... am I missing them or are those wire not in boxes in a kitchen....
Don't see a problem. Looks like old Merillat cabs. But seriously, the bolts didn't even go into the bottom truss/rafter chord? I too am wondering where the boxes are. Gotta' say though, if we ever get around to it, all the cabs are coming out of the kitchen (we'll possibly reuse), all the insulation is coming out, wiring redone, flooring redone. The 2 rooms I've redone so far have shown me that not everyone shares my idea of the right way of doing things. Not even close. Good luck with the kitchen MM......looks like you'll need it. Keep those wonderful pics coming though. Despite the headaches, I love this stuff.
Hang in there MasterMech ... opened a few of those Pandora's boxes myself at our old farm. You'll git-r-dun...
Yeah, we're going to the studs on this one I think. She'll get her kitchen back whenever I'm good and ready. Right away dear. Those are just 2x4s screwed to the ceiling joists with Sheetrock screws. My best guess was they just set the distance off the wall. Why on earth he notched out the long 2x like he did I will never know either. One good yank and it all would have come right out.
The electrical was all in boxes but the boxes were mounted in the full height countertop backsplash. (Laminate). I had half a day of electrical dismantling to do before I could pull the counters! When I did pull the counters, I found two hidden receptacles (not live but still connected and the cables running to who knows where). Here is what I was talking about with some of the framing f'ups. Note the two cut studs. I added the three 24" pieces thinking I was going to close it back up but now that the wall is open, I will likely replace the studs proper like. And one more just for kicks....
When I remodeled my bathroom the PO just put the tub in with the plaster still on the walls and just added new drywall over the entire bathroom. What a mess. The guy also owns his own painting business and someone the windows were older and he had sealed them shut when he varnished them. Smh
good call.. at least that way you know your cabinets will be attached to them... I once filled cabinet with dishes and it fell off wall.. there's a sign they put lipstick on a pig!
And that the walls will be properly closed up rather than having holes everywhere and open "joints" where someone never bothered to finish a patch job.
