Modernize This

We freshened up exterior of the place

2011-09-26T15:51:00.003-07:00

We have to admit something... we had the exterior of the house painted a while ago and didn't share!

As many of you know we live in a community with a homeowners association. For the most part we enjoy having one as it helps keep the neighborhood looking fresh and clean. With this we have a limited selection of paint colors. Various shades of brown. I know, totally my favorite colors. So after much deliberation and complaining to each other we picked one that looks the most "grey"; especially since or neighbor to the north is dark brown and our neighbor to the south's original color looks pink.

We interviewed at least a half dozen painters with a laundry list of questions:

How was the paint going to be applied?
Would the house be power washed?
Will the trim that is rotting be replaced?
How do you paint the doors/screens/windows?
Do they include painting the block fence?
Will you seal the wood slats on the gate?
How do you protect the items that shouldn't be painted?
How much time do you need to paint?
What addresses have you painted that we can look at?
Can we pay you as the job is completed?
Will you clean up each day?

We found one with the correct answers to all the questions.

Steve Glass Painting
http://steveglasspainting.com/

We would and have recommended him to friends and family.

So how did it turn out? You tell us!

Before: This is the picture we took prior to move in.

While they were painting, this was our view to the outside.

Here is a side by side of what the new paint on the left was in the process of covering. The old paint on the right was multiple shades due to fading and builder grade paint. The power wash that Steve Glass did brought out the multiple shades!

Here is another shot on a larger scale of the two colors. It's amazing how a brown shade can look so grey against such a pink/peach!

They drylocked around the fence.

And also along some additional areas - like the built in BBQ and the bottom of the house.

Below is after the "pop outs" and the trim were painted.

The most exciting part was when the front door was painted. The nice slick glossy brown was a nice change from the discolored, faded pink it was before.

Here are the after pictures in the nice Arizona afternoon sun.

So what do you think??

Kitchen/Family Room Current Status

2011-08-22T11:25:00.003-07:00

We've given you details with how we've taken down the built in entertainment unit, how Husband was laying the tile, how we Wife painted, then we left you all hanging. So while we are waiting for a decisions to be made - we should share where we left off!

Here is the stove/microwave with the pot filler line (not chosen yet). We have not put up a back splash - we are thinking about a single sheet of glass to make it easy to clean up and simple.

We also went with a single bowl sink, extra deep that we bought from overstock.com

We also went with a simple faucet that we picked up at at Ikea. You also have a sneak peak of the family room.

To put you as caught up on the family room. I painted between Husband removing the built in and laying tile. Here is the progress while tiling.

Notice the beauty of the missing built in in, and the nicely colored green wall (no more Malibu Barbie here!)

Below is how the living room currently looks. We've added a simple Lack Ikea wall shelf for the mantle.

Our next steps in these rooms are:

Grout (after the tile is laid in the laundry room)
Baseboards (after the grout is down)
Window Coverings
Final coat of ceiling paint
Finish trim above/below cabinets in kitchen
Final finish to fireplace (yet to be decided).

What chirps when you are on vacation or at the worst part of the day?

2011-08-20T18:18:00.001-07:00

If you guessed the smoke detectors, you'd be right! We had quite an adventure on this one!

They started chirping late afternoon, and Husband proceeded to change all the batteries in each of the beeping suckers. All of our detectors are A/C connected, so when one goes crazy it shares the love and they all go crazy! However, after he changed them all it still chirped. This was at 8 PM, and after two trips to the store to get 9 volt batteries.

After taking one down and inspecting it - and reading the details. Husband came to the realization that the smoke detectors should be replaced every 7 to 10 years!!! Who would have known! So with 30 minutes until Home Depot closes, we rushed (safely) to figure out what to replace it with.

Husband and I had a very difficult decision to make in a very short time. As many of you know we research all products prior to purchasing just about anything. So making a decision on such a life saving device in 20 minute in Home Depot; was very difficult. Thank goodness for smart phones or we would have had some serious anxiety issues. But it was that or hearing 8 smoke detectors chirp all night. Talk about motivation.

We chose the Kidde brand. It was moderately priced and we hoped we wouldn't have to change the base plate. What's crazy is how much smaller these little chirpers are now. An these new littler chirpers speak "warning warning fire fire beep beep".

We had been considering upgrading two smoke detectors to be smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. So at this time we chose to replace two of the eight chirpers with the smoke/carbon monoxide detector combos. And theses babies came with 9 volt batteries - so now we have backup!

The other 6 we changed out with regular smoke detectors.

So about a couple of headaches and an hour and a half later - we were golden. However, I can still hear "warning warning fire fire beep beep" You know because we had to hear it at least 8 times...

So ladies and gents consider this a public service announcement. Check those smoke detectors and replace yours if it's anywhere between 7 - 10 years old!!!!

Be Our Guest

2010-12-31T17:31:00.006-07:00

The Valley of The Sun. Heat Advisiory, 100 plus degree temperatures, so hot you can fry an egg... Sold you right? What's that? You booked your plane ticket? Husband and I are honored, we can't wait to see you!!! Okay, while the egg part is all fiction (we tried) and the rest does describes the summer, we do have a surprise for you. Are you sitting down? Okay, it's not that bad ALL year. Arizona has other seasons. Shocker, right? Three really Summer, Spring, and Winter; I'm sold Fall doesn't exist here. Really it can't be THAT bad, after all baseball teams and their fans flock hear for Spring Training every year. One of the many perks of living here - we don't have to pay for a hotel when it's quadruple the rates to see our beloved Angels play.

Anywhoo, I am thrilled to show you the first completed room of the house. Pretty darn exciting!!! We promise it will help keep you cool no matter what time of the year.

But first we should take a quick trip back in time. Call Doc Brown and we'll head back in time, back to May 2009; cue Huey Lewis. First promise me something... Please, please when you see these images don't close the window - these are the 'before'.

Pretty - no? What you can't see is how gross the walls are. They are flat paint, which is fine by all means - but the paint is old and there are random stains on the walls where it may have been washed, and flat paint does not take wash well. So while we don't live in the guest room, we didn't want our guest to think we encouraged them to stay in stain covered walls.

So first step, what color? I know, completely backwards. Everyone says pick your bedding then pick your color. Except I need to be inspired. I can search and find anything to match anything. So what did I choose? Purple. Yup, shades of purple. Grabbed some paint samples and then bought the small samples. Put them up in different areas, and then it was decided.

Husband kindly humored me and removed the not so sturdy shelf/bar in the closet. The shelf didn't come out so easily - and the good ole car jack doesn't go THAT high. so it took some good old fashioned patience to minimize damage to the drywall. Husband managed to do that well, so all we needed was some spackle and a few coats of paint. The paint went up. The truer purple covered all 4 walls, and the grey/gray (however you want to say it) purple went on the ceiling and in the closet.

Once the queen bed was set up, the room felt small, because of this we chose to keep the closet doors off. We wanted our guests to feel like they can open it and put their suitcases/clothes in there. So we needed a storage solution, and we head to ikea, Where we found this:

Stolman System - from Ikea

And for some odd reason we've been having this magic luck at Ikea. The things we want seem to discontinue themselves. They decided to change up this little system - they decided to go with white poles rather than silver. Go figure, we preferred silver. So when we couldn't find the silver poles, but found the other pieces we thought - hey let's check the "As Is" section. Sure enough two poles $10 each. No joking. Thanks Ikea!

Then I went to figure out bedding/curtains/accessories. I'm one to use what I have, and if for some reason my taste changes (and I can't paint it) - or it get's damages; I shop for a bargin. Since I figured purple walls, I should probably stick with a neutral. So I thought black and white with silver accents would look excellent in there.

I headed to Home Goods. Walked around the bedding and saw the most awesome black and white bedding, it was a comforter, shams, accent pillow and dust ruffle. Hesitating a moment only because it was floral - I looked at the price (and it was on clearance) and said sorry boys- focus on the black and white and it entered the cart. This room is one penny saver. So what's next?

Curtains. Except I had an odd set up to figure out - 3 small windows and one large one. Since the three are the head of the bed, it seemed smart to go big and dramatic. Floor to ceiling. Initially, I thought silver sheers and black drapes floor to ceiling. So I give my bargin hunting mother a call after finding nothing on my own. She thought, hey we'll check out Bed Bath and Beyond. We have 4 20% off coupons worst case. So we went. Just as I was about to give up, she spied them. 4 silver curtain panels, on clearance. $9 a piece, marked down from $69. No way. Too good to be true right? Yep, they were about 5 inches short. You know like me wearing highwaters, just wouldn't look right. So I figured I'd go back to Ikea and get the black sheers. Since I needed 3 (and they come in sets) I could use the 4th for the bottom of the silver panels. After getting the Ikea panels it was then I realized they wouldn't weigh enough and would look silly. I rememeber the bedding set came with a bed skirt, that I was going to throw in a donation box. It was a little shiny and heavy, so it would work out well.

So here we go: the afters!

Bedding and Curtains

Pictures taken by Wife's Sister

Stolman System Installed

So What do you think? Keep in mind one day we'll replace the flooring and the baseboards will go black then. (and yes there is a black test strip in the closet ;))

Pool Tips: Circulation and Filtration

2010-10-01T15:20:00.002-07:00

Following on my previous post about chemical balance, circulation and filtration of your pool are the next important things to consider. The pump, filter and return jets act very similar to our own human heart and circulatory system. Consider the following similarities:

Pump -> Heart

Filter -> Kidneys

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_chilton/4328999216/in/photostream/#

Ideally, the water in your pool should "turn over" at least once a day. That means the pump should run at least long enough to have all the water in the pool cycle through the pump and filter once a day. This serves two purposes: 1) equal distribution of chemicals and temperature, and 2) adequate filtration of contaminants.

Protip: newer pumps on the market come with multi- or variable-speed options. Running an electric motor at a lower speed provides greater efficiency, and lower electric bills.

On to filtration...

There are basically three types of filters on the market, all with different capabilities, costs and pitfalls. I'll give a brief summary of each, and talk about the high points. Different pool installations will call for a specific type of filter, so your situation may vary.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) Filters
These filters offer the highest level of filtration, meaning even the smallest of particles will be removed from the water. They do this by the use of a natural sedimentary rock ground into a very fine powder. It comes from the skeletons of diatoms, very small hard-shelled algae. DE filters are also commonly called "water polishers" due to the insane capabilities.

On the downside, DE filters must be backwashed and recharged in order to maintain this type of efficiency. Not to mention, because of the size of DE, it's not very good to breathe or ingest. This type of filter is best suited for situations where clarity is number one, e.g. white plaster pools, or any show pools. Also, the grids of the DE filter must be regularly cleaned, as the DE tends to cake itself, and you may also end up needing to buy DE filters every few years.

Cartridge Filters
These are more recent additions to the market. Instead of using a filter grid and DE to provide the finer filtration, everything is built into the filter media. This means you can, once or twice a season, open up the filter housing and wash the cartridge or replace it altogether. Like a DE filter though, you may find yourself spending upwards of $100-200 on a new cartridge, depending on the manufacturer.

Since you won't be back washing on a regular basis as with DE or Sand, water hardness and chemicals will tend to build up in a cartridge filter pool, so be sure to drain and fill regularly to keep the total dissolved solids within check.

Sand Filters
I have to admit, I'm a bit partial to sand filters, as they offer the lowest maintenance cost, albeit at a slightly lower filtration capability. Essentially, a couple hundred pounds of fine grain sand are loaded into the filter. Just like nature, the water passes through the thick layer of sand, and is filtered. Since sand is much larger than DE, for example, it doesn't provide the same filtration capability.

What it does though, is keep you from having to buy cartridges and DE powder. All you need to do is backwash regularly, maybe 3-4 times a swimming season, and that's it. The sand can be used and reused many times, up to 10 years in some cases. So not only is this the green way to go, it's also the easiest in my opinion.

Protip: if you have a sand filtered pool, combine the superpowers of a DE system and a sand system by adding 2-3 cups of DE into your skimmer after each backwash.

Stuff the Pool Store Doesn't Want You to Hear

2010-09-17T09:38:00.002-07:00

When we found out that our house already had a pool, I was excited, because it meant we would not have to build one. Also, an existing pool typically adds about $10,000 to the purchase price of an existing home, whereas a new pool can cost $25,000-$30,000, or even more. Of course, being the frugal Husband and Wife that we are, there was never any discussion of having a pool guy (or gal), maintain our pool.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/camophoto/2183863621/

I did a bunch of research, and thanks to the guys over at TroubleFreePool, I got the basic understanding of water balance, and how easy it is to do it yourself. If you've got a pool, check out their forums and articles. They do a great job of taking the complication out of pool maintenance.

I would like to address a couple of widespread myths around balancing chemicals in your pool, and hopefully save you a few bucks in the process.

1) If I don't buy phosphate reducer, my pool will turn green!
Phosphates are algae food. They enter your pool through dead leaves and grass, and basically any plant material. The pool store will scare you into thinking that your pool will suddenly turn green with an algae bloom unless you buy phosphate reducer. Don't fall for it. As long as you keep your free chlorine level in the proper range, you don't need their overpriced phosphate reducer. You can reduce phosphate levels by regular partial drain and refill cycles.

2) You need expensive and specialized chemicals to keep your pH and alkalinity in check.
All you need to manage these two levels are: muriatic acid and baking soda. Yep, baking soda. The same Arm & Hammer box that you probably have in your kitchen.

Briefly, pH is a measurement of the acidity in your pool. When the pH is out of whack, this is what causes pain in your eyes. Lots of people think chlorine does that, but that's not true. Human tears have a pH of approximately 7.5. If your pool is within a few tenths of that, people won't complain about burning eyes.

To lower pH in your pool, muriatic acid is the best way to go. Beware though, it is a highly caustic liquid, so keep it safe and away from the little ones. If you want to raise your pH, you don't need pool store chemicals, just aerate the pool. Turn on all the air jets, even get all the neighborhood kids to swim. Rain water, for example, raises pH.

Alkalinity is a pH buffer. This means that when alkalinity is at the proper level, the pH won't fluctuate as much. The pool store will try and sell you alkalinity increaser or reducer. Don't buy it. Instead, keep more muriatic acid on hand for alkalinity reducing, and some baking soda for increasing alkalinity.

If you need to burn off alkalinity, use the muriatic acid to bring the pH closer to 7.0, and then aerate the pool back up to the right pH. This may require multiple cycles, but it's a lot cheaper than unnecessary pool store chemicals. If you need to increase alkalinity, just add baking soda. (for the exact calculations, check out TroubleFreePool for a handy calculator)

So that's about it folks. All you need is a basic 4-test system, available at any home improvement store. These kits will check for Chlorine, pH, acid demand and alkalinity. Any further detailed tests you may need, bring a water sample into the pool store, but do your own research before falling for the pool store tricks!

What are your tips and tricks for maintaining your backyard oasis? Let us know in the comments.

The Dark Side

2010-09-16T21:09:00.001-07:00

Check out what we found today at the local Costco.

The Dark Side composts...so should you!

CRT TVs are So Yesterday

2010-09-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

Nothing says old and dated like a built-in entertainment center sized for a cathode ray tube television.

From the first day we saw this entertainment center, we knew it had to go. Modern spaces call for open clean lines and simplicity; not boxed in. We were going to redo that entire wall. The plan would be to have the space left of the fireplace completely open, for our current free-standing LCD TV stand. The tile around the fireplace had to go. Also, the stubby mantle was pretty much useless. Seriously, what can you display on that mantle, HotWheels?

All kidding aside, we get to the serious (and fun) part, demolition!

There is something utterly satisfying about smashing stuff. Must be that Y chromosome. The left side of the entertainment center shown above was pretty tough to remove, because the framing also served as a support for the top shelf. But, not even 6 layered 2x4s would get in the way. After getting the support structure out of the way, I found that the top shelf was going to be incredibly stubborn.

Remember when I removed the kitchen sink? It was time for the use of the same simple machinery, the car jack. Definitely not a uni-tasker. Alton Brown would be proud. With the crazy setup below, I was able to get the top shelf loose enough for it to come crashing down on its own.

I also got rid of the tile around the fireplace, and the stubby mantle. These parts did not put up the fight that the retro entertainment center did. Here's the remaining fireplace. At the time, it was too much work to take the entire unit out, because we would have had to redo the ventilation as well. This is a simple ornamental fireplace (read: no usable heat).

One of our future projects may surround modernizing the fireplace interior, possibly with glass rocks instead of fake logs, and a snazzy ribbon flame.

Once again, Craigslist came to the rescue. Since I don't have a pickup truck, I can't easily haul this much off to the dump. After making a quick posting with this same picture, I had someone haul the whole thing away for me, on the cheap.

Doing the drywall patching went rather quickly, as I had already done a larger section in the kitchen. When it came time to texture though, I needed to subcontract it out. Always looking for value, I asked the contractor if I could observe and chat while he was working. I was able to pick up a number of tips and tricks in drywall finishing, especially around the corner bead.

Here's how it looked after all the fun.
Note there's no mantle...more on that to come!

Seeing Rectangles

2010-09-12T15:13:00.018-07:00

Every now and again, I'll wake up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. Not because some big monster is chasing me, but because I dream in rectangles. Rectangles that are 30cm x 60cm, coincidentally the same size as our tile. Now that they have stopped somewhat, I'm ready to discuss.

We wanted to have nearly the entire downstairs in tile, because when it's 115 degrees out, carpet doesn't help one cool down. Also, we wanted a diagonal brick pattern, which would add to the custom look of the job. Since most of you already know that Wife and I are the OCD type (hell, we even keep a Google Calendar between us), every tile had to be perfect.

Top left: front entry
Bottom left: kitchen
Bottom right: family room

I went around the entire downstairs, measuring every wall and every angle to the 1/4", measuring every wall twice to make sure I captured everything correctly. Then, I fired up my trusty graphing / CAD software and digitized every wall and angle. Remember those nightmares? Well, this must have been the start of them. On top of the digitized floor plan, I overlaid an exact 30cm x 60cm layout of rectangles, with exactly 1/8" separating in between.

Then, with my computer ninja skills, I made the floor plan and the tile layout two different layers, and I was able to move the pattern around, to help visualize how the tiles would look. Minimization of small triangles was the key.

Why go through such great lengths to map every single tile? Well, it's all about maximization of the edge pieces! Each of our presentation ends (where the tile ends with another floor surface, or is visible on a stretch of wall) has at least half of a tile. Doing this minimized the effect of having small triangles at key points, and also let us hide said triangles in places where we would have furniture.

We're almost done with laying the tile. All that's left is the laundry room, about a 5ft x 8ft room, as well as the area around the floor outlet in the kitchen. Then, on to grout!

Goodbye Barbie Butt

2010-08-06T21:41:00.006-07:00

We apologize in advance for the name of this post. Please understand we think the previous owners loved Barbie. Not just one shade, but all shades of Barbie. Barbie was well represented in this house. Classic Barbie and African American Barbie made appearances, mostly in the kitchen and bathrooms; but the love was for Malibu Barbie. This beach inspired babe covered all the walls of this house, except for the bathrooms and part of the kitchen.

We Wife started in the kitchen with help from her sister. They primed. Two thick coats of primer. Then it was covered with two coats Manhattan Mist by Behr. It was a beauty at 2 PM on a wonderful summer day. A few hours later Wife and Sister finished and cleaned up, loving their work. After returning from dinner the color wasn’t so pretty. The beautiful gray became blue tinted. In the morning it looked more white. Hyper-colored walls became what covered Barbie Butt. This simply would not work for wife, she likes consistency. Back to Home Depot she went.

Home with paint strips, she returned to place them around the kitchen. Shades of gray. From a dark charcoal to a light silver, the whole spectrum of gray. The top selections made it in a sample above the counter. After again looking at it in different lights at different times of day a deep dark gray was chosen. Loft, by Glidden was the winner. And Once Upon A Time, Disney by Behr for the ceiling.

A last trip to Home Depot she returned with Behr’s Premium Ultra Primer Plus paint. Rochelle, at the paint counter recommended it. She said it was great to cover over flat old paint. After battling to cover Barbie’s flat butt paint with primer and paint, she was sold. Since the walls were already covered, it was selected anyway - hoping to reduce the hypercolor walls that currently existed. There was also a storage doorway that didn’t get painted with the original Manhattan Mist, so when the sample was purchased, wife had tested the two in one on there.

It worked. Perfectly. Two coats and she was done.

Kitchen Renovation ... Tile

2010-07-28T20:10:00.005-07:00

We knew we wanted tile. Our wishlist, was something both Husband and Wife agreed on. Gray, large, modern, porcelain, inexpensive and most importantly something different. They thought it would be simple. Tile store after tile store. Various shades of brown, beige, and cream. Those of you who know Wife, you understand how much she does not appreciate shades of brown. It became a difficult search. We apologize for how much gas was wasted, we were not green in this search.

Finally, after nearly passing Arizona Tile, we decided “Oh, what the heck” and went in. Then we saw it. She sang out from the floor, all 9 square feet that was placed in a sea of brown. It was like the sky opened up and the Angels (not the baseball team) were singing. A moment of clarity. We approached with great hesitation. it’s got to be discontinued, it’s got to be $20 a square foot, it no longer comes in this amazing size.

So we dare to look up, and there it is on the wall in 3 amazing size choices. 18 x 18 , 12 x 12, and the most amazing tile 12 x 24. You see, Wife LOVES, LOVES, subway tile. The consistency, the color, the pattern - she can stare at it for days. It definitely didn’t make tile shopping any easier. But the problem was that laying tiny 2 x 6 tiles all over the floor of the house seemed rather silly. Okay, unusually strange. The sad thing is, Husband and Wife paused. We actually debated between the 18 x 18 and the 12 x 24. Go figure. We were so in love with the tile we hadn’t even flipped it over to see the price. Nor did we see the sales associate that kindly tried to get their attention. “It’s new” that definitely got us looking away, “They just laid that 9 square feet two days ago”. There was no discussion needed. We understood without speaking that this was the tile, we also knew they couldn’t let them (the associates) know just how much they loved the tile.

So husband fired away with questions. Husband tends to research everything in extreme detail. So much so it usually requires additional assistance to make a sale to him. It’s a test. Not just how well you know the product, but how hard you are going to work to make him happy. Wife still doesn’t know how she passed. They were evenly matched (the sales associate and the husband), it was an impressive site. So someone had to flip the tile over to reveal the price. Husband and Wife were definitely determined not to let any facial expression help the sale of this tile. The price was shocking, it was about half of what we were guessing. It was less then one we almost settled on. Boy are we glad we stopped.

Then, they warned us. 1/8th inch grout line and a 12 x 24 pattern is for an experienced tile layer. It was going to be difficult, if not impossible. Impossible? Husband and Wife don’t believe in that word.

Impossible = Challenge.

Wow, it’s been a while.

2010-07-21T20:09:00.012-07:00

We’re not MIA, or lost, or anything else. But you want to know where we’ve been? Okay, we’ll tell you.

Husband and Wife had to pause for a search. You see they lost their bunny. ~~Chloe~~ Colin disappeared. No worries, Husband found him. Can you see where? Yes, the box spring of the guest bedroom. I wish this would explain the nearly year absence from blogging.

We also paused to become Mythbusters. We wanted to test myths. Our first one? It’s so hot in AZ you can fry an egg on the asphalt.

Myth BUSTED.

After it’s success, you can see below, in exhibit A - we’ve retired from Mythbusting. We’ll leave it up to the Pros. You know the ones on the Discovery Channel that tell you not to try this at home. We shoulda listened...

Exhibit A

We became depressed. After 168 hours over 7 years, we no longer know what to do with our Monday Nights. It’s amazing how empty a TV show can make you feel when it’s no longer on, after FOX convinces you to become so devoted. Jack Bauer, you are truly missed.

But realistically we’ll have to tell you how ~~fast~~ slow it is going. We’ve made some progress, and well took some time off for the holidays to spend time with our families.

So stay tuned - new posts are coming as fast as we can recall the process :)

Kitchen Renovation ... Assembly

2009-07-13T20:09:00.003-07:00

Once the counter tops were in, Husband worked on installing the cabinets fronts.

While this was happening, Wife was cleaning up the paint that was extra in the inside of the cabinets. You are asking, why after it was dry. We’ll because it had so many coats, we didn’t clean them off between coats. We figured worst case we could take a razor blade to them. That is exactly what we planned on doing, until Wife discovered the miracle product.

Before

After

The Power of Citrus!

Goo Gone. After this, Wife really doesn’t want to know what’s in it after it took off dry paint. See above for the miracle before and after. Impressive right? And Wife didn’t even have to use her muscles. The orange guy on the bottle did it for her.

See the amazing look of just the doors, pretend there aren’t sheets and cardboard covering the cabinets! See how Husband perfectly aligned each door? Pictures really don’t do it justice. Wife is very happy with the result. Especially how in contrast with the cardboard tiles. Wife is contemplating keeping this pieced together look. Kidding. Totally kidding.

After we were sure the paint dried, yes we waited for at least a month, Husband installed the handles. We decided that all the handles would go horizontal. Husband also started with the Ikea orange template, but when he realized it didn’t meet his needs he drilled holes in the template so the holes would be where he wanted them.

Images from Ikea and Goo Gone.

Kitchen Renovation ... Countertops

2009-06-10T20:08:00.007-07:00

During our kitchen planning and ordering visit to IKEA, we browsed around the solid surface countertops. Since high quality stone can run up to half a kitchen budget, we paid extra attention here. Quartz, rather, engineered quartz, ended up being our surface of choice. After Husband and Wife did extensive research, this surface was the best decision. Neither of us wanted a granite surface, as the natural striations wouldn’t provide a modern look.

Engineered quartz provides the greater durability than granite, and it is also naturally less porous. During the creation of an engineered quartz slab, quartz particles are evenly ground, and a binding polymer is added to provide cohesion. What this means in the modern kitchen is that the surface is completely uniform (read: sleek, modern), and the polymer additives contribute to the sealing. When people ask Husband about quartz, his two selling points are: more durable than granite, and never needs sealing!

We chose the Tiffany Grey (CL 105) color from HanStone. After pulling out many samples, as soon as we pulled this off the shelf, we immediately knew this was the one.

Should you wish to also install solid surface countertops, make sure to spend the extra time to plumb and level all cabinet frames, trust us. Solid stone has almost no variance across the entire run, and any misalignment in your cabinets will show.

Back at home, Husband made sure that the cabinet frame installation went according to schedule, in order for the representative from StoneNet, Frank, to come conduct the measurements. When Frank arrived, he and Husband had a lengthy and informative conversation on the measurement process. Frank measured the entire run of countertops first by hand, and then by an optical measurement system.

Each of the optical markers are placed at key points of where the countertops will go. Regular digital pictures are taken, then a CAD, or computer assisted drawing system pieces these all together to provide the data points for the cutting machine. Husband, being a geek at heart, asked all about the machining process.

Whole slabs are shipped from the manufacturer, in this case, HanStone. Once the measurements are digitized, an automated water-powered cutter takes over. The water comes out of the jets at a stunning Mach 3, that’s over 2,000 MPH! The water also contains mineralized Garnet to assist in the cutting. For those that remember elementary school geology, Garnet sits slightly higher on Mohs’ scale, which means the garnet particles will grind right through the quartz.

Here’s a view of the installed countertops. The kitchen is finally establishing an identity. We can’t wait to continue!

Images from HanStone.

Kitchen Renovation ... Making it Modern

2009-06-01T20:08:00.002-07:00

If you snuck ahead, or if you were on Facebook checking out our awesome random updates, you are looking at the pictures scratching your heads. “Aren’t your cabinets black?” you ask so astutely. Great observation, yes they are black!

While we were at Ikea searching for the perfect match to the counter tops we selected (more in a later post). We walked through all the kitchens and then headed to the area where they are all displayed side by side. We instantly loved the Adel doors, but we came across a slight problem. We wanted black. Yes, they did have Adel in black, as well as other options. However, we didn’t like how the texture of the wood went through. It didn’t feel very modern. This is where Wife offered to paint the Adel Beech doors black.

1. Wife primed the cabinets using Bullseye 123 Primer, and the recommended soft roller for cabinets. There was a little debate in how well it was sticking, but reading the container told us that it would take days to fully cure, but Wife could paint over it once it was dry.

2. After waiting for the primer to dry. Wife started painting the base cabinets with Behr High Gloss Black. There was some difficulty, as we realized the paint was going on with bubbles. After consulting with the Home Depot paint experts, we came to the conclusion that it was the heat. So we added a little water. It helped quite a bit. However when it cools down we may go over everything again with either a clear coat for extra shine or another coat of High Gloss. It looks a little matte in some places.

3. This next step actually was completed after the counter tops were installed. However, since it is still about the cabinets, it is here. Wife was excited to paint the fronts so she researched small paint sprayers for small jobs. It was important to them that they didn’t see brush marks. She also price matched and did all the leg work. Husband is always up for a trip to the home improvement store so he came along. They got home and wife was setting things up and playing with the gun. Husband wanted to try and play with Wife’s new toy. Usually husband doesn’t last long with anything paint related. Silly Wife, Husband really enjoyed it.

4. He enjoyed it so much, he even did his own research when they realized that the paint was drying quickly, as it was coming out forming little balls on the cabinets. It turns out that it was too hot in the garage to paint: the atomized paint droplets did not have enough time to relax and settle into a glossy sheen, so we moved it inside. Check out Husband’s paint area above.

Since we already had the counters installed, we covered them. To prevent as much paint dust escaping we covered the windows and created a plastic wall. We are going to paint the walls and the ceiling, and rip out the hyper-colored carpet, so we didn’t worry about it getting everywhere else. Wife covered the new appliances so they would stay pretty, and was glad she did after a layer of ‘black paint dust’ settled.

5. Before Wife knew it, Husband completed the fronts! He put six paint layers plus one layer of primer. Wife decides she’s going to buy power tools for everything to make Husband interested.

Kitchen Renovation ... Reconstruction

2009-05-18T20:07:00.005-07:00

The kitchen cabinets came from IKEA (the counters too, but we aren’t there yet). While we greatly appreciate the cabinets, it was a little drama getting there. We went to purchase the cabinets during tax free weekend - which was our first time figuring everything out. We had our dimensions and knew exactly what we wanted, but we couldn’t figure out the program for the layout (the downloaded version from IKEA.com). We went in and thought we were done, but because there were so many people “helping” us there were a few mistakes. Mainly the “virtual” space was bigger then our actual space. Luckily the OCD people Husband and Wife are, measured and laid out the kitchen twice and caught the errors. So the next day Wife spent 4 hours at IKEA with Jonathan from returns. (He’s great btw, knew exactly what he was doing with all those parts.) It took four hours because every single part is in its own package. In the end, after a few more trips, we got exactly what we needed.

While Wife was running back and forth from IKEA, Husband did this:

1. Viewed the texted photo of the amount of cabinets to pick up the next day.

2. Laid out and assembled all the cabinets. He is now an IKEA Assembly Master. He even labeled baggies so each cabinet had mounting parts with it. Husband would recommend others to use an automatic brad nailer gun to attach the backs of each cabinet (20-30 nails per cabinet can get tedious!).

3. Installed the lowers, in hopes that the counter top guy could come measure. Husband started with the corner cabinet that will butts against an existing corner and pony wall. He then moved left toward the wall oven.

For the lower cabinets, Husband recommends that you use toggle bolts to attach to the wall, since, based on your layout, there may or may not be a stud behind the frame’s mounting bracket. Also, toggle bolts are proven to be sturdier than mollies or drywall anchors. In our house we have 1/2” drywall, so Husband used 1/8”x3” toggle bolts to mount all floor-standing cabinets.

Husband also recommends that for the base cabinets, extra support be used mid-cabinet for the larger ones. For the 36” cook top frame below, we modified a leg by clipping off the positioning peg, and simply resting it flat under the middle.

4. Installed the uppers and the pantry unit. IKEA makes mounting wall cabinets insanely simple with their galvanized suspension rail system. All you have to do is measure the total width run of your upper cabinets, and cut it to length. Hint: the bottom of the galvanized rail should be mounted so that it is exactly 2.5” from where you want the top of the cabinet to be. In our kitchen, we wanted the wall cabinets to be at the same height as the wall oven.

Left: wall oven
Center: cooktop

Left: pull out pantry

5. Took a well deserved step back to admire the handy-work.

Kitchen Renovation ... Demolition

2009-05-12T20:07:00.004-07:00

While it may be fun, and it was, it was a lot of work. Husband completed this part by himself, as many of you know. Wife was having difficulty breathing, and was later hospitalized with bilateral pulmonary emboli. She’s fine now, but that didn’t help the blog progress at all!

So to start off Husband:

1. Took down all the upper cabinets.

2. Threw a hammer into the soffit to see if it would stick. (Luckily it did - however this method is not suggested for anyone to repeat. The success we experienced may not be yours too.)

3. Took a step back and evaluated the situation. Then called electricians for quotes.

4. Checked out the wiring and the water lines for a future brilliant project. The backsplash was tiled straight onto the existing drywall, making it necessary to remove the entire section. Husband used a circular saw to cut just above and below the tiles, to remove it all in one piece. Hint: set your blade depth to the thickness of your drywall, that way you can do an entire horizontal cut without touching the underlying studs.

5. Removed the sink in the most ingenious way. Enamel coated cast iron sinks are quite heavy. Add to that the heavy duty caulk, and it makes for a tough removal. Yes, husband lifted the sink up with a piece of wood and a car jack. Smart and easy on the muscles.

6. Removed the laminate beige countertop and the lower cabinets. Had the electrician come out and add wiring for the new double oven and relocate a few outlets.

Husband plumbed a fresh water line for a future pot filler, while the walls were open. He also added a ball-valve and loop to go in the base cabinet under the stove, for easy secondary shut-off, as well as the ability to add a reverse osmosis system in the future.

Our home was plumbed with CPVC (Chlorinated PVC). Similar to the PVC pipes used in yard irrigation, but specifically rated for hot and cold drinking water. The jury is still out on whether this is better than copper, but at least it makes for easy plumbing, as it is not necessary to weld.

7. Removed the floor tile. We rented the machine from Home Depot and hired a few guys to help us out. Husband oversaw this with his father-in-law while wife avoided all the dust and mess. They did an excellent job.

The tools rented were a Hilti breaker hammer with tile and thinset blades.

8. Cleaned up to get ready for installation of the cabinets! Keep coming back to see what the plans are for the in-floor power below. It was used previously as a side outlet for the island, but we have bigger plans for it.

Note the empty case of soda. Husband thinks this will be an ongoing theme!

Kitchen Renovation ... Before

2009-05-04T20:06:00.002-07:00

Brent (our realtor) and Husband

Not that we need to tell you, but it just isn’t our style. While we appreciate Barbie and all her friends, Miss Malibu Barbie was not the color scheme we wanted for the kitchen. Sorry Mattel and Barbie, no offense. We are going for a more modern look.

Needless to say, we jumped right in. Thanks to IKEA, Craigslist, price matching, and the internet there were deals we could not refuse. We were going for the cheapest in style Kitchen anyone has ever seen. We are proud to be cheap.

Thanks to Husband’s excitement for destruction, and Wife’s Craigslist skills, all the kitchen items went. We love that people paid us to haul away the old stuff. The oven did go to the dump/recycling center, unfortunately the glass was broken and the cost to replace it was the same as a new oven. Even a free post didn’t get rid of it.

Patio Doors, Nook, Pantry

Original Stove

Original Cabinets

Original Island

Moving Day!!!

2009-04-29T19:59:00.004-07:00

Thanks Enterprise Rent-A -Truck! Thanks Aunt Mary too! We chose to rent an Enterprise truck, because frankly U-Haul was too expensive and we know a really cool employee. This was the second time we used Enterprise’s truck rental. We rented a van to haul our cabinets from IKEA to the rental, since the house wasn’t ready. That in itself is another story for another day. They come with high recommendations from both of us! We wouldn’t use anything else!

Because we are redoing so much of the house right away, all our stuff (besides the beds) went into two rooms. One is the office and the other is the living/dining room. This way we could eliminate moving stuff around and unpacking it.


Storage Room #1 Future Office

Storage Room #2
Future Dining Room

Storage Room #3
Future Entry / Living Room

Images from Enterprise.

We're Not Gonna Pay... RENT!

2009-04-26T17:07:00.009-07:00

Okay a little cheesy. With 6 months of searching, at least 200 houses, 15 offers, and yes even 2 realtors; we can be a tad bit cheesy.

So in case you haven't figured it out by now we have purchase our first home. We have been in it for a little over a month now, and we have already started making it our own.

We apologize for the big secret. We weren't trying to be sneaky, but with the craziness and drama of it all we hoped you'd all understand. So stay tuned while we post pictures and share our renovations with you!