Kitchen Remodel (And Not Quite Dead Yet)

LOL - I'd have to clear that with the wife, whose current mode is "from my cold dead hands will you take my new kitchen"

 

So the block is in, and then we moved onto getting the range hood in and natural gas plumbed. Moving a 425 pound stove on a brand new maple floor is a nail biter! Put it on a carpet and slid it, worked pretty well. Oh yeah and I got a thumbs up from the wife, so I'll take the win!

Hood is a Vent-a-Hood 600CFM "Magic Lung" something or other. I tested out a bunch of hoods in that size range. They were LOUD! This one is still loud, but bearably so. Squirrel cage style fans, temperature sensor etc keeps it sane. 8" duct is required, this sucker moves some serious air!

 

Once the hood was in, the stove followed! And after the stove was in, I started building the surround for the range hood! My work bench (if you remember that build thread) has been getting LOTS OF USE since then! Range hood is an oak "bowtie" cut off that my brother gave me. Trivia: Tree fell down during hurricane Sandy and he milled it!

Final shot is the "main galley" - cabinets are set and started pulling all the protectors off since we're cooking again.

Oh the first thing I cooked? 2 pounds of bacon! Had the hood cranked and lo and behold - no greasy bacon smell throughout the house. Not that that's a bad thing... but if it were onions... you get the drift.

 

We're doing shiplap in the room, so I shiplapped behind the hood. Picked ship lap because we live in a log cabin, and want to lap over the ugly "tuscan stucco" finish in our main living area. Wood is good!

Then I tore into the range hood shroud. Cut tenons, cut mortises, started joining!

 

Full disclosure - our installer did the glass block - I can't take credit for that. Basically, I hired a dude to install the cabinets and do the glass block. I'm great at electrical, plumbing, finish carpentry, etc. But making a ton of cabinets perfect and cutting holes in the side of my house? I brought in the big guns. But thanks for the props.

We have crazy ideas. Everyone I talk to said "I have never heard of a glass block backsplash in a kitchen before"

 

The "boring electrical post" - I sure was sweating cutting lots of holes in brand new cabinets. Since the block is there, I had to put outlets off to the side, and run more switches for under cabinet lighting. We decided to put the microwave in the side cabinet as well so I dropped an outlet in there (and yeah we checked on ventilation - is acceptable, and we don't shut the door regardless).

Sharing this post because it's all the little things that can make a space crappy or great. An extra outlet for a mixer and microwave.. small detail, takes a bunch of time to plan and execute but makes the room a ton more functional. When you're DIYing, details like that cost very little except some time. I'm planning on seeing my kids grow up in this house so it's worth the effort!

Last shot is downstairs. Mayhem! Thank god for drop ceilings!!!!

 

Cabinet to the right of the stove is almost done, microwave installed and slider shelves are in. Another huge electrical splice (so many conductors in there that I needed a quad gang box to meet code based on cubic inches). Range hood is assembled and epoxied! Normally I don't epoxy wood stuff but in the case of the hood, I figured it'll be exposed to a lot of steam, chemicals, grease and heat over the years so it should be durable enough!

 

Cabinet trimwork above the glass block is now done. Window trim outside is installed and primed. Builder even made a nice copper rain deflector on top with his brake (nice guy!). I got the first bank of undercabinet lights installed. Range hood shroud part one is installed.

Oh and that window we took out? We saved it! And we planned on installing it in the front of the house so they started that piece.

Getting there!

 

Another shot of the shroud level one. Window install is done outside in the front, lets a ton more light in. Then I installed the first set of in-cabinet lights in the pantry. And here's a shot of our bathroom sink. This is what we've been dealing with this whole project. REALLY GETTING TIRED OF DOING DISHES IN THE SAME ROOM THAT WE POOP IN!!!!!

 

Progress continued! Range hood level 2 mock-up and fitment. Front window is done and trimmed out. The floor is finally free! Ramboard is gone!

And with the left over copper from the block window, my builder friend bent me up this gorgeous hood shroud for an additional $0!!!!

 

Ran plug mold under the cabinets since again, with the block - no in-wall outlets. Dishwasher unboxed. Bosch, a thing of beauty! Installed and I had to modify some trim to get a super tight fit. Then ran a bunch of power in there including some island outlets on a GCFI...

 

Moment of silence. THE STONE IS IN! We went with soapstone because we loved the look and impemereability of it. Yeah, it's soft(ish) but trade off is worth it for us.

 

Once the counters were in... no time to waste (see he poop comment above). Got the sink hooked up in a Jiffy! I've never installed a garbage disposal before. It's amazing what one can accomplish when one RTFMs. My old sink had the switch under the sink and I hated it. So I had an idea and installed a jacuzzi switch in the countertop which fires a relay which runs the disposer. Works great, super safe. New disposal was also an upgraded one that's supposed to be super quiet. Compared to my old one - indeed it is! Doesn't wake up my kids. #Winning

Also installed some trade dividers in a cabinet. Had to modify because they were originally going over the fridge but Jessica couldn't reach them so I retro fit them into a cabinet she could reach easily. Also jammed some of that anti-drip stuff under the sink to protect the cabinet bottom.

 

Took a fishing break Caught a cooler full of Salmon!

Then back to it... got the bar sink plumbed in and installed the fan sensor for the range hood for the forthcoming makeup air unit.

 

Hope you get to enjoy your efforts for many years to come.

 

And finally got around to installing the range hood stage 2 shroud. Had to disassemble all the copper fitment to slide it in from the side and then push it back together, definitely a spatial relationships challenge! Added additional lighting and life is good...