Kitchen renovations

[benevolance]

Anyone have some links for good sites with info and pictures....

If all goes well with the house insurance(another hurdle the bank and real estate company is making us go over before the house closes.)..I could be in the house in a week or so...

I will get some pic's and measurements of the Kitchen...I want to knock out a wall...Install an island...Redo the floor and restore the 80 year old cabinets in there...I was thinking french doors with stone floors and the island could serve as a breakfast nook and house the automatic dishwasher...

As it stands now the kitchen is a gally style and very small...There is a sunroom to the side of the kitchen and the wall is begging to be removed and the table and chairs could be in the sunroom making the kitchen seem a lot larger....Which would allow for the island and the breakfast nook.

I spent a few hours at barnes and noble gathering info for free..Reading books drawing stuff I liked on a sketch pad...I am not paying $40 for a magazine style book...

But I would love to gather a lot of info and resource ideas and come up with something that will make it work....Going to try to get the most out of the space that is alotted.

Dunno if we will live here forever so we have to think about what will work for other people too if we decide to sell....My wife says she only wants to work in that area for 5 years....So I guess it will be me working on the place for the next 4 years...And then it will be time to put it back on the market

Central heat and air is a cakewalk as a buddy of mine is a 30 year heating and ac guy who can get used systems for nothing for me....Replacing all the windows will be expensive...refinishing all the hardwood floors will be a pain in the arse... but after that the only issues will be renovating the kitchen and the three bathrooms..Wiring has already been done...

Well there will be the fence that needs to be built outside...Have to have a place for the wife's 12 year old terrier to run around and not get mushed by a passing car.

Does anyone else here have pictures of their kitchens so maybe they could post them and I would be inspired Or Something like that.

links and info would be great too

[glenn kangiser]

Sounds like fun, Peter.  I'd post mine but you've seen it and hole in the ground doesn't fit your style.

[Sassy]

Peter, there are some pictures of our kitchen we remodeled at our house in the valley.  Glenn posted them under the digital camera thread in the referral section.  It's not real unique but I like it - but then I like the underground cabin kitchen too, although not near enough cabinets or storage  :-/ 

[benevolance]

Sassy

Do I detect that you doth protest?

Glenn get the shovel out boddy...Time to dig a bigger cave

[benevolance]

Glenn

I am the opposite of you...I am an above ground dweller...and I am the most anti social person you can imagine....I mean to say that more I deal with people in public the less I like them and desire more privacy......To the point where I enjoy spending a week at home cutting up cars without seeing or dealing with anyone.

The whole hermit thing in the woods would be so amazing.....

[glenn kangiser]

Peter --- I got the dig --- I was currently trying to ignore it. :-/

I will get to cabinets and closet space some day -- I guess it just means I have to do less spending quality time and get to work.

I feel your pain Peter.  When I get to the city, sometimes it's just like every car and beady eyed little homosapien  driving it is the enemy.  Yeah -- that's right --- you guys don't want to be around me when I'm out there --- I know --- you're all saying that I'm probably the threat.  So be it.

[benevolance]

Glenn,

Yeah dealing with people really leaves me unpleasant.... Had a guy rip me off yesterday for a bunch of money...Called "a friend" to tow a car for me...He tows cars for me all the time...I pay him...Well he went and bought the car I told him about from under me....Cut my throat....He told me he could not get the car...So I get someone else to go get it for me...I am putting a cab on my tow truck.. roof was damaged when I bought it....Guy gets there and the car is gone...I call my buddy up and he was like...Well I did not think you really wanted the car...So I convinced the guy to sell it to me instead...

Needless to say I was less than thrilled...Told him it would be best for his heatlh, and his family if he did not frequent my property any more....I could not put it any planer than that!

Yeah I think being a hermit would be perfect...Just live off the land...Shoot tresspassers.....Live in solitude write study nature....Find a young concubine for "entertainment"

Just need to make a bunch of money first so I can go live in the wilderness and not have the tax man take my land away for taxes....Set up a fund that would make enough interest annually to pay the property taxes...Have someone handle the whole thing so I could spend more time alone in the woods

[benevolance]

Well all the papers are signed and it is ours! Another hurdle today when they found termites...Luckily no real damage...Just going to cost $1400 to have the Phuckers removed ...$1400....That real estate selling lady lied through her teeth to me....I should know better I sell cars

Called the termite place told them the address they were like...Well your selling agent already hired us to inspect that place...Yes it has termites and we gave her the estimate on the cost to spray the house.

I have to admit I am a peaceful man....But there was this itching sensation to go beat the windows out her car....

$1400 is a lot of money to me....Not to some fancy real estate agent who likely makes a million a year....But it is a lot to me. And she just lied to my face not caring how hard I have to work for that money...

The closing costs are all out of pocket for me...So that means some of the money I was going to use to furnish the house gets spent on Termites....Told the wife we might have to use the airbed we have for camping for a few weeks... She thinks I am kidding

[glenn kangiser]

Always some kind of fun.  Seems there should have at least been some kind of disclosure if she already knew.  -

[benevolance]

Glenn

I will do my best to mention that to her....My wife is down where the house is 200 miles from our existing home...She signed off on the papers tonight after work...Had I been there I would have had a few choice words for the lady...I use the term lady because this is a family oriented forum...the word I would like to use is not likely to get your nod of approval....

Wife wanted it so she got it....What is it with women getting everything they want at our expense?

[glenn kangiser]

I guess it all sort of evens out in the end.

[Doug Martin]

Called the termite place told them the address they were like...Well your selling agent already hired us to inspect that place...Yes it has termites and we gave her the estimate on the cost to spray the house.

If you can get that in writing from the termite people then I would that a copy of that letter to the agent after you do a little research on disclosure law on the internet.  She probably could lose her license.  She'll probably cough up the money real quick.

[CREATIVE1]

Re: termites, usually the seller pays for that.  How is it written up in your contract?  Do you have any free legal aid in your area?  And did you price shop the treatment--sounds high.

[benevolance]

I let the real estate lady have it both barrels and she has agreed to submit a form for the repo bank to pay for the termites...We had a CL100? done on the place $140 out of my pocket..Which is another inspection and a detailed list of what is required...Got that sent off to the bank and we will see

The real estate lady got really, really mad when I suggested that she looked the other way on the termites.

I immediately thought disclosure...She already mentioned that she has a real estate lawyer working for her firm....Like I give a flying rats arse...I just want the termite spraying paid for.

[CREATIVE1]

Yea!  You've got her on the run.  Maybe you can get back to your ideal kitchen plan soon.

[benevolance]

Well I hope to focus on the house renovations and not all this other crap

I think that as far as kitchen renovations go...I am going to redo the solid wood cabinets....Install new doors...I like French doors for cupboards I think...Pick out some handles that go with the taps we will be using... stuff like that...

Pick a type of faux pas stone and lay that....And I will knock out a wall...Install a island in the center with a few stools on one side for snacking...I like stone or tile for the countertops too...So my wife and I will have to bang heads on what to use..She likes all the girly stuff

dunno where the money is coming from for this yet...Should not cost a lot...Stone tile is cheap...Paint is cheap...The french cupboard doors will be expensive...Wish I had time to make them... no way in hell I have time for that...I will have my wife pick out a dishwasher/ fridge/stove set she likes I will measure them and I will leave room in the kitchen to install them when I can afford them in a month or so...

Hopefully the appliances will cost more than the rest of the items combined...I am sometimes blown away by the high prices they charge for everyday things like faucets, sinks, lighting fixtures....it is shocking to me

[CREATIVE1]

Can you recycle old windows for the upper cabinet doors?

[bartholomew]

If you change your mind on making the cabinet doors, the latest (October) issue of Fine Homebuilding has an article on making divided-lite window sash.

[benevolance]

Bartholomew

Thanks for the heads up...I would truly love to make my own french doors for the kitchen...

I just cannot see it happening. I have cleared 2 weeks for the new house...Going there on the 23rd and staying until all the hardwood floors are done...The bedroom is painted and the kitchen is finished.

Have one buddy that is coming down for a day or two to help me sand on the floors... you find out who your friends are when you buy a house or move...Usually they only call you when you want something.

I was sort of shocked but when I mentioned I was buying a fixer upper a couple of people said to me..."so when are we going to go down to work on it" Which really made me smile because it is so damned hard to get somethings done all by yourself....And the wife gets mad when you scold her for not helping you correctly

I might go see a local carpenter..He is supposed to work reasonable and do nice work...I might farm out the french doors to him for the cabinets...I can handle the countertops, island and flooring in the kitchen...

Most of the work in the whole house is boring and time consuming...I am going to strip the paint off the moldings in the whole house as they all have 10+ coats of paint...what is the best way...Heat and strip? chemical strip?

In the kitchen I need to remove all the paint from the cabinets and moldings...I will sand the walls and repair the plaster where there are cracks.

[glenn kangiser]

Don't forget - some of the old paints contain lead --  don't lick your fingers, Peter.

[benevolance]

Glenn

We had to sign a waiver  about the lead and the fact that they told us the 80 year old house would have lead paint...

I want to strip all the paint off the cabinets and mouldings in the kitchen...One way to eliminate the need to worry about lead paint.

I got online and priced the doors I want for the kitchen...6 lite french doors unfinished....$818 bucks ...Man the price of stuff is ridiculous...I guess my wife is worth it....I have to keep telling myself that...

[benevolance]

Scoped out used washer and dryer combos today...Found a guy that refurbishes them...Bought a decent set that were a couple years old.. matched pair clean dent free with 90 day warranty for $300...I was going to get a mismatched pair out of the local classifieds... and save another $100....But the wife likes the fact that they are dent and scratch free and the same color...They will match the color we are going to paint the laundry room....So I guess it is a win-win.

Still need to shop for a bed...And  kitchen table and chairs...The rest of the stuff can wait...well maybe we need a new microwave too...

I am hoping to find some real wood antique table and chairs...I hate to spend good money on veneer and pressboard furniture...YUCK

Maybe if he was not so far away and a Republican I would get peg to make a set for me... His work is pretty nice...

[glenn kangiser]

There is no question that anything PEG would make would be premium quality.  I was always repelled by particle board and veneer, however even I have bought my share of it in my lifetime.  

I don't see enough difference in any of the political parties to make much difference except to help divide America.

I'll just stay like I am and try to keep all of them mad at me.

[PEG688]

#1:[highlight] I am not now ,nor have I ever been, a member of any political party.[/highlight]

#2: Look for a local woodworkers guild in your area , a good woodworker should be easy to find once you locate the guild.

[glenn kangiser]

Good choice and good advice as usual, PEG.