14x36 in Northwest Arkansas

[OkieJohn2]

Wow, a vessel sink, how utterly upscale!
As for the Oak cabinets, perhaps you could do a test using some of that colored minwax stain, some of them look pretty good,  And you also might do a test swatch of what used to be called a "limed oak" finish, lets the grain show but is very light.  One way of doing it is just to use some diluted white latex paint, rub on, rub off.  And as others keep telling you, looks really good. 
As far as the garden spot, you might want to google "solarization", great way to kill all the organisms and weed seeds for a new garden spot, if you have the time, let the sun do the work for you.

[Redoverfarm]

jdhen you might consider using "Ditra" for your tile underlayment.  It is a waterproof membrane that you can apply with thinset to your ply and them immediately lay your tile over it.  I think HD has small rolls or I have a site you can order smaller quanities from. If you want it let me known. Here is one application where I used it over 1/2" ply although I have also used it on a double layer of 3/4" ply on the kitchen cabinets.                 


http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=3613.msg109403#msg109403     

[MountainDon]

We used a green stain on the red oak cabinets for our cabin. We love them. The open grain of the oak looks fine stained, to me. Are you planning on filling the grain before painting?

[jdhen]

OkieJohn- my wife found the bowl on ebay for $40.  We're not trying to make the little house something it's not    Thanks for the ideas on coloring the cabinets- I'll look into them.

MD- I hadn't planned on filling the grain.  Do you think it's something that would be necessary.  I suppose I wouldn't mind the grain showing through.  What would I fill it with?

Red- So the Ditra is used in lieu of durarock or hardibacker?  And do I understand you to say that you use thinset on top of the ply and lay the underlayment on top of that- then thin set again and lay tile?  Sounds like the big advantage is the moisture barrier effect.  I would like the info on the site that supplies small amounts.
Have you added tile to yours yet?

[Redoverfarm]

OkieJohn- my wife found the bowl on ebay for $40.  We're not trying to make the little house something it's not    Thanks for the ideas on coloring the cabinets- I'll look into them.

MD- I hadn't planned on filling the grain.  Do you think it's something that would be necessary.  I suppose I wouldn't mind the grain showing through.  What would I fill it with?

Red- So the Ditra is used in lieu of durarock or hardibacker?  And do I understand you to say that you use thinset on top of the ply and lay the underlayment on top of that- then thin set again and lay tile?  Sounds like the big advantage is the moisture barrier effect.  I would like the info on the site that supplies small amounts.
Have you added tile to yours yet?

I have used it in all my tile (floors and countertops).  The main reason I used it on the floors was that by adding 1/2" ply to the 3/4" subfloor to make it suitable for the stone tile I was faced with a elevation issue which the Ditra helped tremendously.  The waterproof membrane was just a plus for my countertops although after 2 layers of 3/4" ply on the kitchen it did make it a little thinner.  Yes you do not have to necessarily have to wait for the thinset to set up or have any seams to seal like backerboard before laying the tile.  Just thinset the Ditra felt/wool back to the plywood.  Go over with a float (2X4) to make sure it is firmly pressed down and then thinset the tile ontop of the Ditra.

This place had the best price that I was able to find.  Not real sure exactly how much tile you have to lay but they do have a 54 sf roll which might be cheaper than buying by the ft.if you have a good amount to tile.  If you look on this page it list the various size rolls available through them.

http://www.shagtools.com/category/ditra.cfm



http://www.shagtools.com/tools/schluter-ditra-cuts-by-the-square-foot-49-ditracut.cfm

[jdhen]

The wall painting is finished.  Still need to paint the trim on the window jambs.
We were expecting delivery of the oak floors today but it's been delayed until tomorrow.  I did a little sanding of the high spots on the subfloor and finished scraping up the last of the drywall plaster.  Also spent some time hanging some light fixtures and fans.








Ready or not...we move it at the end of this month.

[Bishopknight]

Jdhen,

I'm curious about the cabinets you're making yourself. How are you going to face them? Are you going to build your own faces or order them from a DIY like Ikea?

House looks great. Love the vessel sink as well.

[jdhen]

Bishopknight- I'm glad you like the house and the sink.
I plan on building the cabinet faces.  I really haven't worked out all the details just yet. I won't get to that until after we've moved in.
Any thoughts on how I should do it?  I was thinking of basic drawers on wood slides and some simple paneled doors or even gluing up some solid doors.  In the kitchen, above the cabinets,we plan open shelving.

[MountainDon]

basic drawers on wood slides

Metal slides with rollers make for a much nicer drawer, in my opinion. I especially like the Blum full extension slides. With them you can easily access the contents of the rear of the drawer. Hard to do that with wood. Just my thoughts.

[OkieJohn2]

Jdhen, one question for you, the outlet by the lav, does it go to a GFCI breaker.  If not you should consider installing a GFCI outlet, same in the kitchen for locations near the sink. 

[jdhen]

MD- I appreciate the suggestion.  Call me old fashioned but I don't like drawers on rollers.  Maybe it feels too modern.  I like a drawer to offer a little resistance when opening and closing.  I like a drawer that forces you to push it evenly or it will jam  -- maybe I just like challenges.  I've never lived in a house with roller drawers and I don't think I'll start now!

Okie- Same for the GFCI.  I've never had them in any house I've lived in.  Not where I grew up, not any apartment I've lived in, not in the 1940's house I owned in Texas.  I guess I only like to live in "old" places.  Except now, of course!
The friend who helped me with the electric install had put them in his house and he said they all failed after about a year.  He replaced them and a few years later they went bad again.  Finally, he just installed regular outlets and 20 years later they're still there.  I don't know.  I understand that they are safer.  The electrician I had come to check out the wiring said the same thing you did but admitted that they are most useful if you have children who don't understand yet that electricity can kill you.  I've come this far without them so....
Besides, I put an outlet in the bathroom but I'll bet I'll never use it.  I can't remember the last time I plugged something in at the lav.  No hairdryers, curlers or electric shavers here!

Not trying to be contrary here.  Please keep the suggestions coming. 

[OlJarhead]

MD- I appreciate the suggestion.  Call me old fashioned but I don't like drawers on rollers.  Maybe it feels too modern.  I like a drawer to offer a little resistance when opening and closing.  I like a drawer that forces you to push it evenly or it will jam  -- maybe I just like challenges.  I've never lived in a house with roller drawers and I don't think I'll start now!

Okie- Same for the GFCI.  I've never had them in any house I've lived in.  Not where I grew up, not any apartment I've lived in, not in the 1940's house I owned in Texas.  I guess I only like to live in "old" places.  Except now, of course!
The friend who helped me with the electric install had put them in his house and he said they all failed after about a year.  He replaced them and a few years later they went bad again.  Finally, he just installed regular outlets and 20 years later they're still there.  I don't know.  I understand that they are safer.  The electrician I had come to check out the wiring said the same thing you did but admitted that they are most useful if you have children who don't understand yet that electricity can kill you.  I've come this far without them so....
Besides, I put an outlet in the bathroom but I'll bet I'll never use it.  I can't remember the last time I plugged something in at the lav.  No hairdryers, curlers or electric shavers here!

Not trying to be contrary here.  Please keep the suggestions coming. 

Here code forced me to use them in the bathroom (probably smart) and a new kind in the bedroom -- not a GFCI but some sort of overcurrent type I'd have to go check again to see what it is -- and they've all been working fine for the last 5 years.  I probably used Leviton.

Perhaps the brands you used were the issue?

[Onkeludo2]

That other kind would be and Arc Fault Interrupter.  They are oft maligned for good reason but getting better.  The safety gain is very questionable.

As for GFCI's, unless you have dirty power or inductive motors running on them, the failure rate is pretty low.  The safety increase is very high to marginal depending on the location of the outlet but they are required in basically all code for specific locations in baths and kitchens plus outdoor outlets in "exposed" locations.

Mike

[OkieJohn2]

I looked around my humble abode again(which was built to fairly high code standards, fire sprinklers and hard wired smoke alarms which trip the building alarms) and there is no GFCI in the bathroom, but two in the kitchen area, one on each side of the sink.  This is kind of weird, since one would have done the trick, the second outlet piggybacks off the first one.  The quality of the GFCI outlet is indeed a problem, the cheap ones the big box stores sell are well CHEAP and prone to failure, I have heard the GFCI circuit breakers are better quality.
As far as drawer and door hardware, I personally hate the self closing drawers and the slam proof door hinges, sometimes a guy just has to slam a door shut.
As far as personal taste, I really do like the look of vessel sinks, BUT I wonder how hard they are to keep clean, give me the "dated look" faux marble contertop/sink units, very easy to clean.
As long as I'm rambling, I get a kick out of all the high end kitchens on HGTV with the "professional style" square cornered stainless steel sinks.  These sinks are not NSF approved and wouldn't be allowed in a commercial kitchen.  The NSF approved sinks must have radiused(sp) corners, those square corners are mold magnets and very hard to keep clean.

[MountainDon]

.... and he said they all failed after about a year.  He replaced them and a few years later they went bad again.  ....

That is weird.   Our house has a few and they were installed in 1985. They still test out fine. We also 2 newer ones maybe 12 years old (in an an addition). Also fine.  I do believe that back in the early seventies when they were developed there were developmental issues.

GFCI's can be damaged by lightning caused surges and should be tested after local electrical storms. It's best to check with a small night light or something plugged into it rather than just listen for the click. It is possible for a mis-wired or defective older GFCI to test "ok" with the test button, but still be supplying power through the outlet.

Newer GFCI's are designed to not pass current through when wired incorrectly or in a tripped state or if the sensing circuitry has become defective or inoperable.

Anyhow, with all that said I'll stick to using them.

One last thing. It is not recommended to use GFCI's on circuits that power refrigerators, freezers, furnaces or sump pumps. That is because GFCI's can falsely trip.


Not finding a GFCI located in a bathroom could simply be because the bathroom outlet is downstream from a GFCI and is protected. That can be tested by tripping the GFCI's and looking for receptacles that are dead. Then reactivate the GFCI and check that outlet(s) again.

[MountainDon]

I meant to link this about GFCI's...

http://www.codecheck.com/cc/gfci_principal.htm

[Onkeludo2]

OkieJohn:  There are only two probable reasons to have multiple GFCI's on the same line...one legit and one not so much.  If the outlets are wired in parallel using pigtails (never required, but a "best practice" for non-GFCI outlets) instead of in series, they would have to be individual GFCI's.  The not so legit reason is appearances...either for the prospective buyers or a less than knowledgeable inspector.

Also, in your bath and kitchen, only certain outlets in codes older than 2007 (?) require a GFCI.  It can even be in a blank box in the attic or other location.  Easiest is still a GFCI breaker of the whole line.

Don:  Those appliances you mentioned fall into the "motor" category that I mentioned.  The start-up surge is what causes the temporary imbalance.  This of course kind of screws the owner who has the required, in some codes, GFCI outlets in the garage.  How to plug in your compressor, beer fridge or chest freezer?  If you have certain breaker panels you can swamp to a higher spec AFCI breaker that actually has mini computer circuit in the breaker panel...they only run about $60 each.  Alternatively you can remove the GFCI and install a standard outlet taking your chances should something go wrong.  No good answers.

Mike

[MountainDon]

GFCI outlets in the garage.  How to plug in your compressor, beer fridge or chest freezer?  

Add an outlet  in series UPstream and next to it. Easy if the garage is unfinished as many are.

[fishing_guy]

For better or worse, I have GFCI's in the garage and have both a chest freezer and an old(1958) fridge plugged in.  Both are left on and I have had no problems in the 5 years they have been installed.

I also have the circuit breaker GFCI installed in the circuit to the outdoor pond.  If I had to do the indoor ones again, I would do it that way.  Simple, not all that expensive, and all the outlets covered, no question about it.

[jdhen]

My friend did have the suspicion that an appliance in the kitchen was causing the repeated failure.

So, if I did decide to add them to the kitchen and bathroom, I would just need one most proximal to the circuit breaker because I wired in series?  The kitchen and bath share one circuit with the bathroom being the first outlet.  Would just adding one to bath protect the two that are distal to it?  I ran a separate second circuit to the other wall of the kitchen so that would need one as well.

OkieJohn- In your first post of this thread, you mentioned a gfci breaker and then later an outlet.  Are there gfci breakers that sit in the electrical panel?  I was under the impression that gfci's are just in an outlet.

Thanks to all for the info!

[MountainDon]

Kitchens: NEC states that two GFCI circuits for small appliances are required. No lighting can be on those circuits. There must be a fridge outlet but IIRC the NEC does not state that it needs to ber on the GFCI. The best practice for frisges is to have a dedicated line to the fridge (that is my opinion, not written into any rules I have ever seen.)  As well no point along the length of the kitchen counter is to be more than 24 inches from an outlet.

Bathrooms: Needs a ceiling light controlled by a wall switch. A GFCI receptacle is required when within 36 inches of the outside edge of each basin. A dedicated 20 amp circuit is required for all the bathroom receptacles unless the circuit ( which still must serve only bathroom loads) supplies only one bathroom. In this case the 20 amp circuit may also serve the lighting with that one bathroom. But only the one.      That means all the receptacles in however many bathrooms, may be served by one 20 amp circuit and GFCI. OR the 20 amp can supply the lights too, but then to a single bathroom.    Go figure that out.

At least that uis how I remember it. Rules may vary locally.



I believe the thought process of keeping the bath and kitchen separate, and of having two kitchen counter area circuits comes from the possibility of having several high amp loads on simultaneously; hair dryer, toaster oven, coffee maker, microwave.....

[jdhen]

MD- I did run a separate outlet to the fridge so I basically have 3 circuits running to the kitchen. I can't see a problem with part of the kitchen and bath sharing one circuit to power 3 outlets and two lights.  I understand that codes have their place but sometimes they don't make much sense.
Luckily I don't have a microwave or a hairdryer and I don't drink coffee so I think I'm safe!    A blender, a small food processor and a toaster are about as heavy as I get.
Thanks for the info!

[ScottA]

You build your house how you want and so long as there is no inspector to make your life miserable be happy. 

[davidj]

OkieJohn- In your first post of this thread, you mentioned a gfci breaker and then later an outlet.  Are there gfci breakers that sit in the electrical panel?  I was under the impression that gfci's are just in an outlet.

GFCI breakers are quite common - you can find them in Home Despot - about $35 each.  They are a little weird in that they have a separate neutral wire that needs to be connected to the neutral bus bar.

[OkieJohn2]

Hey jdhen, sorry for the delay in responding.  You have probably figured out from other posts that you can use a GFCI breaker in your service panel instead of the outlets themselves.
As ScottA points out, it is your house, you should do what you want (unless code inspection requires other).
The article that MountainDan linked is very informative, I am sure you aren't the type to stick a butter knife into the toaster are you?