Day Four

Today's goal was to wrap up everything in the kitchen.  This way the tile guys can come in next week and get the floor done.  Once the floor is done, the cabinets can come in, and then I can schedule the granite guy to make the template for the counter-tops, and after that, I have to wait for the granite to be installed.  Once that is done, the tile guys have to come back out and tile the backsplash.  That could mean more waiting.  Waiting is not something at which I excel.

The crew moved my tub drain line (there were some expletives, I heard them), pulled up yet more hardwood floor (because my contractor made a change), and put up a wall on the end of the kitchen, where the chimney had been.  It's been quite the productive day.  I have had the crew in the basement, on the first floor, and up in the master.  I know those stairs, they've had their cardio for today and earned their happy hour.

Tip #4:  There will be dust on all the things.  

The crew put down this protective cardboard stuff down on the floors to protect them.  Apparently, it's waterproof and puncture resistant, so my hardwood floors, the ones that are as old as the house (and look it), don't get damaged.

Those are covered in dust.  See the plastic in the doorway at the top of the photo?  That's to keep the dust in.  It's a nice concept, but in order to keep it in, the plastic has to stay taped.  If the plastic is taped, then we have to walk out the front door, around the house, in the back door, and through the gutted kitchen to get to the dining room and all that it contains (specifically, the fridge).  Ain't nobody got time for that.  So the plastic is untaped and we dip under it to get to the kitchen station--which is also covered in a layer of dust.  This means that the dust isn't contained to just that area.  Though it is mostly in the dining room and kitchen space, dust has this otherworldly ability of getting everywhere.  There is a fine layer of dust in the entry way, and an even finer layer of dust in the living room.

What's better, is the dust that is upstairs.  Though the furniture is covered in plastic in the bedroom, the doorway was not given a dust barrier, so the upstairs is gathering dust from the chimney project as well.

Here's something that you may not know about me--I'm allergic to a variety of things.  Dust is high up on the list.  I have been allergic to everything, with the exception of the elm tree (and those were wiped out in this area because of Dutch Elm Disease), and have been getting allergy injections for 10 years.  Thank goodness for this.  Because if I hadn't been doing that, this already uncomfortable experience would be unbearable.

Here's the photos from today's progress:

This is the space that will be my amazing new kitchen from the dining room door.  The contractor pulled up another foot and a half of hardwood because the cabinets will go to the end of the wall, and it would look strange to have a cabinet half on tile and half on wood.  The tile is going to come out to the edge of the cardboardy stuff.  (That's a technical term.)

The old pipe that connected to the bathtub.  I was told that the pipes for the drain ran uphill.  No wonder why the bathtub didn't drain properly.  A joint in the plumbing near the floor joist was leaking, and there was some damage, but nothing too terrible (thank goodness!).  

Here's my new drain plumbing.  The crew brought it down into the new wall, and made the pipe that goes to the stack a larger pipe.  This means the water will drain better.  The husband will be super happy, as he's been battling drain issues for awhile.  The drain was uphill...so it wasn't my fault after all! 

Just a different view of the above photo.  This looks up at the bottom of the tub.  The red and blue lines are Pex waterlines.

These are shut off valves.  This just happens to be in the wall that they had to demolish to get the chimney our of my master bedroom.  What's the phrase?  "Everything happens for a reason."

The basement view of my new plumbing.  It hadn't even crossed my mind that the crew would need to be in my basement.  I didn't tidy up down there.  Oops.

I thought this was cool.  There were holes in the floor all over from the old plumbing.  They patched in the basement and then put concrete in there.  Now the tile guys will have a smooth surface to work with.  

It's the Friday before a holiday weekend, so no crews will be here until Tuesday.  But that doesn't mean no work is getting done.  Remember my bathroom photo from Day Two?

My plan is to finish getting the wallpaper down and patch the walls.  I may even get to painting it this weekend!

Day Three

I'm not sure how other couples work, but one of the biggest subjects of discord in our relationship is dinner.

Regular texts that I send to the husband include:  "What do you want for dinner?" and "Any dinner ideas?".

The usual response from the aforementioned husband:  "I don't know".

So when I had a date of when my kitchen was going to be out of commission, I may have had a mini panic attack.  The stream of thoughts was along the lines of "what are we going to do", "how will we make dinner", "we can just go out...that's too expensive--we're going to be broke from the reno", "how will we prep and clean up, we don't have a sink", and on.  So far, into day three we have had three breakfasts (this is surprisingly simple, since during the week we usually eat cereal), one lunch each at home (not together), and one dinner (of which was planned for three consecutive nights, and then kept getting postponed).

The kitchen station is covered in plastic, which is covered in dust.  This makes it an undesirable place to try to prep meals.  Plus the stress of this project has made me want comfort food, and so we've gone out for two of the nights.

Tonight was easy; grilled hot dogs and left over pasta salad.  But I have a feeling, the longer that this lasts, the less easy it will be to plan dinner, what with neither of us being particularly decisive when it comes to meals.  I think this will be the biggest strain for me and the husband (I tend to get "hangry", and that makes me unpleasant).

So that's why I titled this blog "What's for Dinner?"; because, at the time, pre-chimney problem, on the eve of the reno, my biggest concern was trying to figure out cost-effective, easy, kitchen-free meal solutions.

On to other news...

The chimney is gone! Below are the views from this morning.

   

The top two are of the bedroom.  That space that my dresser is in was a closet, but we (me, the husband, my mom and her husband) opened it up to make space for a dresser that I may have ordered without measuring first.  

The bottom left is the attic; bottom right is the kitchen (chimney is on the right of the photo).  

Here are the latest, from this afternoon:

This is the bedroom now.  Tonight, we're sleeping in the guest room.

 

On the left is the view up from the bedroom (I apologize for the quality; it is very difficult to take a picture with a phone when you can't see the screen); on the right, the view down into my kitchen.  Had I known this was coming, I might have had them put in a laundry shoot.  But as it stands, that's where my range will be going.

Here we have the attic now.

This is the view of the kitchen from the dining room.  All of that plumbing is going to be moved to the wall.  There's a hiccup there, but that's a story for another day.

The husband requested that I add this photo.  This is the view from the kitchen, up through the bedroom into the attic.  

I just realized that I don't have a tip for today...

Tip #3:  Be ready to be in the dark.  

Sounds cryptic.  As I thought about it, this tip has a few different meanings.  What I initially had in mind by this is that, depending on your contractor, he or she might not read you in on all of the updates.  I waited today to meet with my contractor about the chimney, the plan for my master bedroom and roof, and a couple of other questions that I had for him, but I missed him today.  So my little comfort of having an idea of what will happen is gone for the time being.  I've battled with this anxiety all day.  Did I mention that I'm a control freak?

Reason number two for my tip:  my kitchen doesn't have lights.  I'm literally in the dark once the sun goes down.  As there is nothing in there, no big deal.

See those holes on either side of the doorway?  Those were wall sconces.

Reason number three for my tip doesn't really have to do with light, but it does have to do with electricity, and those are kind-of related (or I'm pretending they are).  I found out today that my outlet in the bathroom upstairs is on the same breaker as my kitchen.  No power to the kitchen = no power to that outlet.  I had to find a new place to blow-dry my hair.  Isn't older wiring fun?

Day Two

Remember how I like to have a plan?

Today, we have a monkey-wrench.  Not the actual tool, though I'm sure the contractors have those.  A hiccup in the plan, as it were.

I have adapted for such moments like these.  There are times during my day that I must be flexible; it's necessary for my profession.  I anticipate any possible issues and run the possible scenarios through my head, and make a quick little plan for each.  This way, I feel prepared for anything and everything.

So I was ready for this monkey-wrench.

There is a chimney that runs the outer wall, up from the basement, through the first and second floors, into the attic, and out the roof.  This chimney is as old as the house (1920's-ish), and completely useless.  It doesn't have a fireplace; it isn't being used to vent anything.  For a fraction of time, I had thought to open up the wall, reface the chimney, and use it as a cool feature in the kitchen.  But it is eating up valuable, where-my-stove-is-supposed-to-go space.  It needs to go--one way or another.  Therein lies the problem.

I mentioned research in the first post.  I did quite a bit of it.  We originally started looking for contractors in 2013.  We didn't get too far with it the first year because there was a wedding to plan.  So once that was over, I took up the kitchen project again.  (Long story short:  2013 gave us people who wanted to build an addition ($$$), and that was the only way they would be able to make my "dream" of a non-tic-tac-sized kitchen work).

We went to a home show, met a few people, and booked some consultations.  One company came, scoped it all out, and agreed--the chimney is a problem.  We had been told by other contractors that the chimney would have to come out, the roof /floor/ceiling/all the things would need to be patched; this would blow a chunk of the budget.  This crew can put it in a cradle, keep the cost down.  Effectively, I think they were just taking the chimney out of the first floor, and supporting the 2+ levels of chimney with something.  Maybe magic?

We told this to the second contractor.  He too could make this work. Better, he didn't need to blow out the back wall of the house to build an expensive, budget-killing addition. He could make the kitchen work in the footprint of the house.  We signed with him.  Then promptly forgot about the chimney.

This brings me to my second tip for any renovation.

Tip #2:  Expect the unexpected.  Be ready for an unforeseen event/expense.  Hiccups happen.  

So, the chimney wasn't forgotten by me.  My "expect-the-worse" personality has been agonizing on this potentially problematic piece of the puzzle that is my renovation.  It can only go one of two ways:  1) the chimney can be supported by the second floor, by providing something to support it, and then removing the portion that is in the way, or 2) the chimney needs to come out.

Our contractor called a number of people that he knows could give advice on this problem; they all agree:  the chimney is coming out.  This is an unexpected expense.  Budgets are hard to stick to, and any wiggle room that I had has been eaten by my expensive taste in tile (and the necessity of a new sub floor to support my expensive tile). But that chimney is coming out--and I've survived a snag in the plan.  I'm freaking out, but I'm surviving.

Why am I freaking out?  I had visualized the problem, but not the repercussions.  This makes an already huge project into a ginormous one.  Allow me to explain.  The half of the first floor is a wreak.  I was totally prepared for that.  Have you seen my kitchen station?  I was ready.  What I wasn't ready for was the second and third floor to join in the demo party.  The chimney runs along the side of my master bedroom.  So I've had tidy that up and move all of the furniture tomorrow.  The chimney also runs up through the attic and out the roof.  The access is a stairway that also serves as our closet.  All of my clothes and the husband's clothes are hanging there.  Yup.  Lots to do.  Tonight.

So I now also have a bedroom project going on, as well as the roof...all in addition to the kitchen.  And right before school starts!  Cue the stress.

Other than the chimney complication, work is going well.  Check out the photos from today:

The ceiling in the kitchen is totally gone...the white is some plumbing that is going to be moved--this is good because it's leaking.  

The now "gutted" bathroom.  The toilet is still in there.  I'm sure that'll be gone tomorrow.  The wallpaper is on its way out--as it doesn't match the idea.  Also, make a note; dark wallpaper in a tiny room makes it look even smaller.  

Here's the view from the pantry door into the dining room.  The floor is down to the last level.  It's pretty sturdy for almost 90 or so years old.  

This is the pantry.

Here is a pile of the flooring that was in the bath and kitchen.  In my driveway.  At the bottom of the picture is our walkway.  We did that ourselves.  Nice, eh?

The cabinets from my, now empty, kitchen.  Everything, AND the kitchen sink.

Day One

I'm a control freak.  A teacher by trade, I like to have a firm grip on most aspects of things going on in my life. I like to have plans, even if they're flimsy tentative.  I need to feel like I can predict what may or may not happen next.  Don't get me wrong; I can cope if things don't go my way, but I do like to be able to feel like I know what will come next.  I enjoy order and organization (though it isn't always apparent in life).  Which brings us to the topic at hand...

Today was the first official day of my kitchen renovation.  Today was the day that I forfeited almost all control I have over my kitchen.  It is now under the jurisdiction of my contractor, along with one of the bathrooms--a story for another post.  I can't make popcorn at my whim; I can't boil water; I can't do much in the space that was my old kitchen and will be my new kitchen (cook--no; interpretive dance--only with shoes on).  It will be new and it will be amazing, but until then, I will be stressed and anxious.  And I would like to channel that energy into something positive.  I would like to pass on what I have learned through research and experience to others that are venturing into this fantastically chaotic territory that is a kitchen renovation.  I am also hoping that spending a bit of my time to vent my frustrations or share my joy with others will help me to keep my sanity (or rather, what's left of it), and maybe even help others keep theirs in the future.

Tip #1:  Control what you can.

That sounds really cliche, right?  But it's one of my mantras.  I try to not freak out over things that are out of my control.  I have plenty of practice with this from teaching, what with all of the standardized tests that students take, and how they affect my evaluations and such.

I have known for months that I was going to go some time without my kitchen.  I have worried for months about what I was going to do.  "We can grill.  We have a slow cooker.  I guess we can try all of those restaurants that we've been meaning to go to."  All these things have rattled around in my head since everything became very real in April.  That's when we signed the contract, put up some funds, and ordered appliances.

So, being the "problem solver" that I am (eh, it's sort of my thing...one of my mediocre powers), I problem solved.  My dining room is now my kitchen station.  I am standing in the kitchen doorway, looking into my newly organized kitchen station/dining room.

I don't have all of the luxuries of a proper kitchen, but I have somewhere to keep my food cold (the gentleman who bought our appliances is graciously letting me keep my fridge while I need it, which is totally cool of him), I have a place for some dry goods (to the right, in the white cabinet thing), a tote full of possible cooking tools (under the table--it's hard to see, but it's there), and a table on which to prep food and make coffee (this is especially important, as school is starting soon, and I can't do the whole sentence putting together thing without this amazing molecule).  So far, we have had breakfast here.  Not a true, prep-necessary meal, but I'm counting it.  

Here are some photos of today, after I lost control:

These are looking into the kitchen station/dining room.  

I really like the one of the wall gutted.  Keep scrolling, it gets better.  <SPOILER ALERT> That wall comes totally down!

These show the other two major walls in the kitchen.  Like that wallpaper??

Here it is, up-close and personal.  It's actually not that bad.  It was long gone before we moved in, but it is trending again, and I kind of like it.  The husband has been peeling wallpaper in the bathroom, and won't let me put up more.  Alas, I'll survive.    

Like that vintage-y stuff?  Here's the old "tile". 

I believe this is what they called "linoleum" and I'm sure it's from the late 50's or early 60's.  That wasn't so bad either.  I may have been born in the wrong decade.  

The next two photos are from the end of the day.  

I'm standing in the dining room.  The wall is gone.  The. Wall. Is. Gone!

Just for your reference, here are the befores:

You love the green counters right?  See the little Dough Boy??  He's in the top left photo, next to the sink...

Saved him.  I'll figure out what to do with this little bugger later.