How are your cats taking all of this construction.?
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How are your cats taking all of this construction.?
Fascinating! If we stay in this house this is what we must do with these uneven floors, part of why I want to move to a different house.
The cats are handling it well. We have a daily plan to keep them contained in the front 2 rooms away from the action, and DH spends quite a bit of time in there with them. They get the run of the house again after the workers leave. We've heard horror stories of indoor cats getting out during construction, so avoiding that was a top priority for us.
Our heating company tech came out and replaced a valve on the radiator, which did not solve the problem. I did some research and concluded it was probably the pitch of the radiator getting thrown off by all the banging. DH and I confirmed it with a level. He found a small piece of wood that we think had been used as a shim, because when we placed it appropriately, it solved the problem.
It was good to get a chance to clean up and get things a little under control over the weekend. Apparently there won't be any work for the next day or two, so while I delight in seeing the progress, it does feel like a bit of a reprieve.
I haven't been very good about posting updates, so here is a recap.
We did not actually solve the heating problem, but we are getting a new radiator installed tomorrow, and then hopefully we'll be on the road to solving it. Luckily, the weather has been pretty mild for February. We're heating the back porch room which is on a separate system, so that also fires the boiler and keeps the cellar from freezing. We're heating the rest of the house very effectively with 3 space heaters. It's a small house, so this is working for us, although I shudder to imagine our electric bill this month.
We both developed head colds, so that has kept us out of restaurants and we've just been doing takeout. We're not spending much at the grocery store, so I think our food expenditures have been more reasonable than I was expecting.
Here are some pictures of where we're at currently, and it's quite a transformation. This week we have painters today, radiator installation tomorrow, counter template being done Weds, as well as sink & faucet installation, and electrician is coming one day this week. By the end of the week, I think everything will be done but the counter and backsplash, and they will have us set up with a temporary plywood counter.
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Love the kitty perch! Progress! Congrats, rr!
Glad to hear the update!
Cats must check out new things, it is in their DNA.Quote:
Originally Posted by happystuff
Rosa I really like your choice of cabinet handles. It’s reminiscent of old kitchens. I still have not chosen cabinet handles for our cupboards and I need to do that. It’s becoming annoying.
Thanks, everyone. IL, I'm glad you like them. I was looking for somewhat of an old-fashioned feel.
I was just going to say before I read your post that I love the retro vibe (the curved pulls give it away!) I didn't know that's what you're going for. Beautiful job!Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
It is so pretty!!!!!
I've been putting off a kitchen remodel for a while now and am jealous others. A variety of reasons, but the top of the list is just the inconvenience and having strangers in the house for some unknown time. Local radio the other day had an ad for "ice white" cabinets, saying a fresh shipment just arrived. Seems to be a new popular tend? They say it makes the kitchen looks larger, which I could use.
Rogar: Yes, white is popular right now, but I've been saving pictures of white kitchens for almost 40 years, so I am comfortable that we're not just following a trend. They've probably gone in and out of style more than once in that time!
The sheer inconvenience is definitely a consideration, and not just from the temporary lack of a functional kitchen. Our floorplan: you come into a front porch room, which then goes into the LR, then into the kitchen. You cannot bypass the kitchen to get to the rest of the house. Off the kitchen in one direction is the back porch/dining area, which is also where my desk is. Also off the kitchen is the bathroom, a very important room! Off the kitchen in another direction is the stairway up to our bedroom, and the entry to the cellar is also off the kitchen. During kitchen work, we contained the cats in the front porch/LR, and it turned out to be easiest to go outside to get around the kitchen to the back room. We've been fortunate to have decent weather while this has been going on. So there really is no place in the house where significant work would be more disruptive to the overall flow of our lives than the kitchen.
Puerto de Gato
Our cellar doorway has always been left open for the cats to access the cellar and their litter boxes. It was not a very pretty view into the stairwell, which only starts to matter now that we're going to have a nice looking kitchen. I found this solution on Amazon and I love it, and the boys accepted it readily. The first picture is looking at it from the kitchen and the second picture is the back that you would see from the cellar stairway. DH said the day the carpenters installed it, he kept hearing "puerto de gato," which has a nice ring to it, so that's what we are calling it.
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That is SO CUTE!! Perfect and so kitty-friendly!Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
I have no words for the cuteness of the cat door!
One of my siblings has a cat door to the basement (sadly cat has died, but door is still there). Not as cute as that one, though!!!
That is adorable! Glad the cats like it!
Puerto de Gato
OMG. Love it
When we remodeled our bathroom 22 years ago, I coined two new words:
"obsessorizing" - to obsess about accessories
"excessories" - overabundance of accessories
At the time, it was toothbrush holders and soap dishes. Now it is a matter of accessorizing the kitchen. I had purchased the doorknob set for the cellar door many years ago, and it is finally in place. It's rather art deco unlike anything else in the house, but I love it. We have the same set on our bathroom door.
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I had looked at hundreds and hundreds of lights online a few years ago. Oddly enough, DH and I decided we liked the looks of the cheap light that was in the kitchen ever since we moved here. We bought a new one for probably about $20, because the base of the old one was in bad shape. This light is our our kitchen now. To me, it feels rather iconic, and I think it relates to the feeling of the cabinet hardware.
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Then, there was the major decision about light switch plates. I got these from Etsy. I really like them, although they're a bit modern. I'm hoping everything ultimately pulls together for an eclectic look:
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Finally, my sister requested that I get some action shots of Puerto de Gato, so here they are for your viewing pleasure:
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We're supposed to get our counters and sink installed Monday, and I think the project will wrap up in the next week or so. More pictures will then be forthcoming!
OMG, I adore "obsessorizing" and "excessories"!! That's PERFECT.
I remember when DH and I demo'd our bathroom and redid it, I couldn't believe how many decisions had to be made for one little bathroom. You pick the sink and that's it, right? Nope. then you pick the faucet. You pick the finish color. You pick the mirror to go with it. As you said, even the switch plates are a way to obsessorize. We had to pick floors, floor finishes, wall color, ceiling color, moulding, towel bars, light fixture, towel cabinet, wall shelf. That doesn't even include the "easy" decisions that can be swapped out, like curtains, soap dish, hand wash vessel, rugs and towels. And you're like me--eclectic, so that multiples the possibilities.
I love all the pictures you posted, especially the puerto del gato in action!
Love it. Puerto de gato. :D
You cannot obsessorize too much, believe me. Hundreds of light fixtures? Yep, been there.
your door knob is very very cool. I wish your photos weren’t so fuzzy. I think I see the Art Deco lines. Your kitchen light looks a little bit like a what’s called a schoolhouse light. Nice. I currently hate our kitchen light that is new and was one of the several I was forced to buy too quickly without being able to obsess over light fixtures. I’m going to replace it with a vintage schoolhouse light.
The cat door is just the cutest thing!
I'm sorry my pics look fuzzy. Here's a link to a doorknob set that is the same backplate as mine, but my knobs are just smooth, round polished nickel. I had purchased them from Rejuvenation, long before they got bought out by Williams-Sonoma.
https://www.vandykes.com/restorers-a...saAui0EALw_wcB
I don't think it's a schoolhouse light. I think it's a standard-issue 1950s light preferred by those who did not obsessorize, lol. It can be easily found today, so I guess we aren't the only ones who like it. A close-to-the-ceiling flush mount is also a must in our house, and limits the options somewhat.
https://www.build.com/product/summar...54?uid=1949502
I'm sure my searches and obsessions would be a lot less extensive if not for the convenience of the internet. I can't imagine going to dozens and dozens of stores to look at hundreds of items. This is just another way in which the internet is a mixed blessing, I suppose.
That cat door. OMG... I wish our reno had something as awesome as that.
I said to DH that for all the expense and selections involved in this remodel, it's the $40 cat door that will be the star of the show!Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
We're just waiting on the range hood installation, backsplash, and some finishing carpentry touches. Can you believe the transformation? DH and I just cannot believe this is our kitchen now. Raymond had sniffed the faucet thoroughly and I believe it was deemed acceptable.
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It is a lovely transformation!Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
Your black countertop looks like mine. Mine is a black granite with large white streaks.
Really beautiful, rosa!!! And the window shade is so pretty, too!
Very nice!!
That's amazing it was so fast and well done!!!! I'm glad Raymond approves of the faucet. Will he learn to turn it on????
The counters are black granite with white streaks. It is honed granite, so they are not too shiny and sparkly.
I hope Raymond does not learn to turn the water on!
The curtain is from Target, and it only cost about $15.00. I found that a lot of what I've needed was available from Target online.
That is EXACTLY what I have for kitchen counters, even down to the ‘honed.’ I like the soft look of honed stone. I have that on the marble counter in my condo as well. It is nice for old houses.Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
Is the honed, also referred to as leather? Heard of countertops having a leather, or more mat finish.
I don’t think so. Honed granite is smooth but not shiny.Quote:
Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff
The ‘leather’ look is rough, has dimples.
It's funny that I spent a bit of time reading about polished vs leathered vs honed, etc., but when it came down to it, the choice process was "we like this one."
Did you just read about them, or view them? All I have ever seen in person was polished. Honestly I am not sure if I would go stone or not.Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
I lived with quartz in my last house and it’s very functional. I liked the look of it. To be honest, there are some where I couldn’t differentiate between solid stone and quartz countertops.Quote:
Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff
However—For me, I disliked the IDEA of quartz counters in this house. in this cottage type house things need to be natural. What I really wanted was wood countertops but that did not fly in several areas.
do not be me. Do not overthink it. Quartz countertops are very nice, they are functional and attractive.
Wood is a consideration, especially next to the stove (small sections of countertop that could possibly be done from sink cutouts). I have one long section of countertop, and am planning on an island with butcher block, so I am thinking I might just make all the countertops wood, eventually (formica now, still in fair shape). If I change the layout or something, I might do something different.
When we moved in here in VT, there was a small 20" range and then 2 ft of blank wall. We were able to find a stock cabinet at Lowes that matched the sink cabinet, so we bought that and painted it. I also bought a slab of maple from Home Depot and had our handyman cut it, add a backsplash, and voila! I like the look of the wood, and it's such a small space, it works much like a butcher block.
Now, also when we moved in, the sink counter was a hand-made assemblage of square stone tiles. While it's very "homespun", and cottagey it is very very hard to keep clean, so we will definitely replace it at some point. Not wood, being so close to water, but I'm not sure what. In NJ we put in quartz counters and I really liked them.
TMS: We viewed the actual slabs at a stone specialty wholesaler. It was an interesting process. We selected our slab, wholesaler notified our fabricator/installer, who purchased the slab on our behalf and then made and installed our countertops.
I was strongly opposed to quartz because the men (mostly younger immigrants) involved in the processing of quartz are dying of silicosis. It's a fatal, incurable illness. Once I knew about it, I could not feel comfortable contributing to the problem just so I could have pretty countertops. I would have felt bad every time I looked at them.
Here's one of many articles: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...age-california
I do like the look of wooden butcherblock countertops.