The Nest's Kitchen Rennovation 2018

Our 2018 Kitchen Rennovation To The Nest

Our latest rennovations have been to our new old house - The Nest - a two bedroom, one bath bungalow in Mount Dora. It was built circa 1925, at least, we're pretty sure it was. The records say it was built in 1925, but there was this fire, a fire that destroyed all of the records previous to 1925. But I digress...

The time has come to get rid of the worn out, painted over, faux woodgrain covered, particle board junk and replace it with better quality cabinetry and counters. When we did this in Wekiva we had to do it in stages, for a number of reasons, but primarily because we needed to maintain a relatively functional kitchen. This time, we plan to have the kitchen offline for a number of weeks at a time, while we let our son Nick entertain us for meals at his place a few blocks away. We will still have food in the refrigerator, but without cabinets for the countertop and sink to rest on, probably no running water for the ice maker and definitely no place to prepare meals.

Ann is ready to start, and in fact had already started before Christmas 2017, mainly because she found some great deals on the new, more narrow appliances we were going to need to be able to insert a pantry between the refrigerator and the wall. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I tried to plan out the space using the free version of a 3D computer drafting tool called SketchUp, but ran into issues with not being able to get the actual dimensions of the diamond cabinets online. I can guess, but that can and will lead to problems later when trying to install, so we schedule a sit down with a Lowe's designer to get it all planned out and the cabinets on order.

Where to start? For most of this, I'm trying to capture the "drama" as the story unfolds, so the details are fairly fresh in my mind. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to jump in and start doing and demolishing things before I remember to take before pictures, as is the case here. My before picture is one of Nick wearing a gas mask while preparing jalapeño poppers, with the view of the kitchen before in the background. Note how how small it feels, and if not for the nine foot ceiling, would feel closed in as well. Captured by this picture is how much wasted space there would be had the old, now somewhat covered over, doorway into the hallway behind the refrigerator not been closed off. We'll get to that later in the demolition section though. Another item captured from this photo back then, Ann says the black refridgerator has to go!

The kitchen is tiny, only a little over 9' wide by a little under 9½' long, so basically a box the size of a small bedroom. What can I say? The issues of downsizing and moving into a bungalow surely show here in the kitchen. Ann and I pretty much know what we want and what will fit. We've been back and forth with getting smaller, more narrow appliances, where to fit the pantry, what we have room for, how to arrange things. We think we can fit a 15" pantry, with the new 33" wide refrigerator and 24" wide range, and still have room for two 21" cabinets, one on either side of the range, for a grand total of 114", or 9'-6". We're excited about fitting in the pantry and getting such a great deal on our new appliances, but when they are delivered, well, let's just say Ann is heartbroken...

(23 December 2017)
Heartbroken because the appliances are broken. Well, half of them anyway. The online shop Ann ordered them from warns buyers to have the carrier open all the packaging and inspect the mechandise before accepting delivary and signing off. While we've never really run into a problem before, I guess they must run into this a lot, and judging from the damage, it's a good thing we did have them open everything up. The microwave looks like someone slammed the glass in the door with a sledge hammer. The range looks like it was dropped upside down or crushed by something being dropped onto it. Thankfully the refrigerator and the dishwasher look to be in good condition. We try to get the shop on the phone, but it's the weekend, so not going to happen I guess. We have to refuse delivery of the broken and smashed items and I write an email the next morning just to be sure the shop is aware and informed of it.

Not quite the way we wanted to start our remodel. But now we're busy getting the old new refrigerator out and the new new one installed because we're giving the old new one to the kids, along with the new range and microwave we got them for Christmas. The kids being our daughter, Courtney, and her hubby. They are renting our house in Wekiva, but the appliances there have seen better days, considering we remodelled the kitchen there not quite a decade ago. Remember that old old black refrigerator that had to go? Well, it did and was replaced by a huge side by side white one. That's the one they're getting. We even rented a U-Haul to deliver and install them on Christmas Day! They knew they were getting the refrigerator, but had no idea about the rest and were very surprised. Then so were we when we realized the water hookup for the refrigerator was too short by about 4'... And no home improvement stores are open on Christmas day. No matter, I pick up a water line kit the next day and get them hooked right up.

So last we heard, the new range is on back order and should be in by 21 January 2018, and they will call to schedule delivery of it and the microwave when it comes in. But I'm getting ahead of myself and I need to get back to our design experience. We have appliances, both here and on back order, but no cabinets on order yet! As we are unable to get the actual dimensions of the cabinets online, we'll need to meet with a Lowe's designer with the software that has all the dimensions to get everything planned out and the cabinets ordered. I've tried to layout the new kitchen using nominal sizes to get a rough idea of what will fit where, and we've batted a few ideas back and forth, but we always end up right back where we started from. The only saving grace is the smaller appliances that allow us to fit a pantry in and move the refrigerator away from the wall so we're not always banging the door into the wall.

So just before New Year we have an appointment with the guy at Lowe's to do our planning and finally get the cabinets on order. As we are leaving I re-measure just to be sure and it's a good thing... One of my measurements is over by an inch. Thankfully I am able to at least print out the rough in dimensions for the overall kitchen plan with the door and window openings specified. When we get there and sit down with the guy, Ann describes what she wants to him and off we go. I hand him the print outs with the dimensions, telling him what we had just discovered on the way out the door. He starts out with an 18" pantry, but finds that forces us into uneven cabinets surrounding the stove? We explain the layout we figured out with the 15" pantry and the two 21" cabinets surrounding the stove. So he goes back and tries it again with the 15" pantry. This time at least we have symmetric cabinets around the stove, but they're only 18", not the 21" we figured.

Now we're worried we've overlooked something. Did we look at something wrong? What is stopping us? Well, two things are stopping us. First, when we re-measured before leaving and found we only had 113", it dawns on me that 114" figure was me hoping we could get back an extra inch by reworking the wall, but I'll get to that on the demolition page. Second, and more importantly, our designer reminds us that because walls aren't truly staight and flat, we're going to have to leave room for filler (scribe) strips, regardless of whether I can get that inch back or not. So 18" cabinets surrounding the range it is. Eventually we end up with an entire wall of cabinets, with the enclosure around the refrigerator and glass doored cabinets in a row along the ceiling. My first impression is that's too many cabinets, but I don't say anything because Ann is happy with it.

Once we're home, Ann is looking at the print out he gave us and looking at the wall, like she's having second thoughts. She asks what I think. I tell her I think that's an awful lot of cabinets for one wall - we're going to have an entire wall of cabinets. Then as we look at it more, Ann is questioning whether we should have so many glass door cabinets, and I realize that as high up as they are all we're going to see through all those glass doors is the inside tops of all of those the cabinets, not what's in them. Not to mention that even I would not be able to reach them without a step stool. Ann decides we need to axe the row of cabinets along the top and just put glass doors on the cabinets on either side above the stove. We'll need to go back to Lowe's to do that. We have until the day after New Year's Day to cancel. We aren't able to schedule a time to change it until the day after that, but we don't want to cancel the order, just change it.

(2 January 2018)
In the meantime, Lowe's calls to let us know that our order will be ready to ship to us by 2 February 2018. Wow! That's quick. Ann explains that we need to change the order, and they remind us we only have until today to cancel, and she tells them we don't want to cancel, just change the order. The next day, back to Lowe's we go. We get everything squared away and it turns out we do have to cancel the order and create a new one because of the way their system works. In the end we're glad we decided to and the cost savings isn't bad either! So we're happy to finally have our cabinets on order and a fairly good idea of what we'll have once we're finished. So time for some demolition!

A Timeline...

(14 January 2018)
This next section will be a brief timeline of the entire kitchen remodel (hopefully). It's my birthday today, and Ann wants to take down the cabinet on the wall over the dishwasher, between the side door and the window. I'm reluctant at first because first of all, it's my birthday, adn second, I can already tell her what we'll run into behind it without lifting a finger. Not wanting to disappoint, I grab my battery drill and take off the door first. Then I remove the screws securing it to the wall and rip it free of the "molding" still stuck to it and the door trim. While I didn't really want to deal with this right now, I'm glad we did because now I'm curious as to what that masonite layer is behind the layer of drywall that covers the original plaster and lathe wall.

My curiosity gets the better of me and I start tearing out some of the drywall that's already somewhat loose behind the door to have a look... Wow! I was right, it is panelling. But not just any panelling, it's that vinyl covered, decorative panelling that was real popular back in the '70s. So I took pictures of it as the demolition progressed and posted on Facebook, "The Seventies Called, And They Want Their Panelling Back"! It was a more pleasant and comical way to approach the uphill climb ahead of us to restore the plaster rather than rip it all out and replace it like we had to do in the bathroom. I some uphill climb because when they installed that panelling, they secured it with construction adhesive right to the original plaster. It broke my heart as we tore each 4x8 sheet loose, bringing large portions of the plaster topcoat with them. We're left with a wall that needs an entire new coat of plaster. More than one as it turns out...

(3 February 2018 - Happy Birthday Krystal!)
The next step is to remove the wall cabinets from over and around the stove. Those all come off and go straight out to the curb. They are absolutely disgusting! And so is the wall behind them. I'm not even going to try to describe what we found. Ann has to wash down that wall before we can even think about doing anything else. I size up what left of the plaster top coat just falling off the wall in many places there too. The problem seems to be the second coat of plaster between the base and the top coats being too "sandy". I know they added sand as a sort of small aggregate, but it seems like there is way too much, to where just brushing it with your fingers rubs it right off. I'm not an expert, and although I'm sure there may be a few still around, I think they would tell me the plaster wasn't done correctly.

(9 February 2018)
Cabinets arrived today. What a joke. You'll have to go read all about it on the plaster page because it's too long a story to tell here. Let's just say Ann told them not to deliver the cabinet, they didn't listen, and she went ballistic on them! I just shook my head and told the one guy, "she's not happy". Understatement of the year! Anyway, now that they're here, it's time to start restoring all of that damaged and missing plaster. We had done a lot of research into different commercially available products used to secure loose plaster to the unlderlying lathe structure. All are very expensive and don't cover much area. Others detail how they've used adhesive caulk to secure the loose plaster to the base structure, some even using "plaster buttons", small circles of metal screwed into the base material to secure it then covered over by new plaster.

I had ordered some of the "Loctite Powergrab" caulking just in case, but it looks like our problem is not the plaster "keys" breaking loose from the lathe, but rather the bonding coat between the base and top coats. Of course it didn't help that the panelling was glued to the plaster, and every place it was disturbed with a screw or nail or other fastener, it came loose too. So the retoration begins using just "hot mix" drywall mud, putty knives, and long "screed boards". It takes the entire weekend, and a 50# bag of mud, but that '70s wall is still only half covered. Having to remove the rest of the loose plaster that didn't come off with the panelling really didn't leave much of the top coat, and now that all has to be replaced.

(12 February 2018)
The replacement appliances arrive here a little before noon. Looks like they managed to make it here safely this time. At least, at first glance they did. Guess I should have taken the microwave all the way out of the box and gone over it with a fine toothed comb... Because when Nick did, it didn't take long to find out it was damaged and bent, but hidden until all the way out of the box and the door opened. So now we're pretty sure this company we ordered the appliances from, Goedecker's, is just a racket of getting rid of damaged goods, at the customer's expense. It costs us $200 to have the damned thing shipped back for a "refund". We don't give them any more of our money, "fool me once..." as they say. We just go to Lowe's and buy the same microwave, but at least we can verify it's in pristine condition before walking out of the store with it.

(17-19 February 2018)
Running wiring and putting up drywall to close off the old doorway into the hall. Need to move the water line to the refrigerator too. Ripping 2x4s to shim over 2x4s to fit the opening for the drywall. Landing outlets and done. Next day another 50# bag of mud and the '70s wall finally has its first coat of plaster. Swapping stoves. '70s wall second coated with plaster.

(24-25 February 2018)
Testing base stove cabinet fitment and sizing up wall "extension". Cabinet wall plaster removal demolition, this time with plastic sheeting draped over opening and covering table. THe more loose plaster I remove, the more I find needs removed. Even in the dining room where the cabinets used to hang from the opening along the wall. Cabinet wall now has its first coat of plaster. Still need to rip shims for drywall and drywall installed.

New refrigerator outlet needs installed and old one moved since it's now in the way of the surround panel. The idea is to hang the wall cabinets so we'll have a place to store all the stuff sittings in boxes in front of the fireplace in the living room. First we need to know exactly where we're hanging them, then we need a wall that's ready for them to hang on, as in plastered and painted. That will have to wait as I tape the drywall corner and opening using the last of the mud that I manage to stretch just enough to cover the old outlet opening.

(2-4 March 2018)
Figuring out how the pantry is supposed to work and the mix up in having / not having the separate base. Being too much of a perfectionist about the installation, "Just go and look at the models"... First coat the dining room plaster disaster. Second coat on top and midsection of the cabinet wall. Second coated corner and filled in large area of missing plaster along the baseboard. Time to go out to eat and drink.

Ann and Nick are off to the other house to repair the fence hurricane Irma knocked down going on six months ago now. That leaves me to agonize over the microwave outlet placement. More perfectionism. More making sure everything is absolutely correct and perfect. Once I have the existing stove feed wire pulled through the new box, I realize I can't wire it up yet, at least not if I don't want to have to take it all back apart when we hand the cabinet over it. The cabinet that will need a hole cut in the back of it to match the box location. The cabinet that will probably have the box moved to it from the wall once we hang it. Crisis averted. Perfection maintained.

Finished first coat on the dining room plaster disaster. Feather the corner and fill in more of the missing baseboard plaster. Then I try to blend and smooth the area that will show between the base and the wall cabinets. The whole time the plaster is setting up way sooner than expected, perhaps from constant contact with already cured plaster? Dunno. Finish the wall extension and screw in the last piece of drywall when they're home, and with supper from Tiajuana Flats no less! After supper I have just enough daylight to get the kitchen side corner mold cut and in place and first coat of mud on. The rest will wait until tomorrow.

Get the other corner mold on the dining room side in place and realize I haven't removed the rest of the baseboard yet. That start another dining room plaster disaster as the sandy middle layer is just crumbling. Plaster just keep falling off. The waster basket is full yet again. I vacuum up the mess for the third time and now the bag is full too. Way more plaster than I planned on having to replace, let alone today. But I do manage to get the first coat on everything, and even a second coat on the kitchen side along the top. Another outing to eat and drink. Doesn't look like we'll get the wall cabinets hung though, let alone get anything sanded.

(9-14 March 2018 - Time to "Spring Forward"...)
Sanding, sanding, and more sanding. Five hours of sanding, and that's getting a late start! So much sanding I let the bag in the vacuum get too full and it burst! Kind of a headache to clean up, but the choice was finish up so we could cook, or take the time to empty it and not be able to finish up. Can we be done yet? All that sanding pays off. All that's left is pockmarks and low spots to fill in.

Next day is filling in those voids and low spots. I put the second coat on the wall extension, then move on to finish coating all the areas I identified. I try to burnish the top of the cabinet wall, but just don't seem to have the strength left in my arms to finish. After taking a break to rest my arms, I decide I might as well finish sanding the rest of the wall so it can be painted. I really hadn't planned on it, but at least this way if I do decide to burnish, I can do it in the morning, with fresh arms. But wait, there's more! Ann tells me she plans on painting the ceiling too... One last task, fill in the exposed plaster on the ceiling.

Even starting with fresh arms the next morning isn't enough to keep me from digging in and gouging the plaster as I finish up the burnishing. It takes a conscious effort to make my brain tell my arms to lift all the way off the wall before making the next stroke. Even then, I'm still causing more damage and getting more frustrated with myself. Eventually I'm done, and the difference in finish is night and day. I'm glad I made the extra effort because now instead of that "chalky" feel of drywall mud, it feels smooth and solid like plaster.

With that all done, I prep for painting and the painting begins. Ann starts with the primer and before I know it she's done. Then the first coat. Then the second coat. Expecting a serious flaw to show up now that it's painted, I'm really surprised at how good it looks! Wow. I can't wait to set the base cabinets in place, so I drag them in from the front porch. I cut a couple of chunks of some leftover furniture grade plywood to use as temporary counters. Time to enjoy another outing to Applebee's for dinner to celebrate, but we're all so tired from all the work we've been doing, it shows.

The next night after work I dragged the pantry in and set it in place. Not the eastiest thing to do. It's large and heavy and hard to manage, but eventually I get it in place and set up on the base. I put the surround panel up too. The next night it's putting the electrical covers on. The night after that it's installing the handles on the cabinets that are already in the kitchen. Guess we just want the kitchen back to useful again. I just want to be done, period.

(16-19 March 2018)
I start to measure for the drywall strip that will fit beneath the opening over the pennisula cabinet. It's not very level and will need shimmed to make it lay "flat". The more I fuss with it, the more I need to take it all back apart and refit something else. I finally decide it will be a lot easier to do with the pennisula cabinet out of the way and turn my attention to getting the rest of those old cabinets on the sink wall out of the way.

After taking off the doors and taking out the drawers and brackets and finally the shelf I'm ready to remove the countertop, but it's going to need cut between this cabinet and the old sink base. First I try the dremel saw. Not deep enough. Next the circular saw, and it's doing pretty good until I see sparks fly and it kicks back on me. Damned staples! They put EVERYTHING together with those damned staples anymore! I finish the cut and chisel apart the rest by the wall where I can't get with any saw and off it comes (and stright to the curb it goes).

Now I can get to the screws holding the cabinet to the wall and the sink base, they come out, but the cabinet does not. Not sure if there's another fastener I missed or the two cabinets are still held together by the paint. A few whack on the catspaw and it's loose! I pull it away from the sink base to have a look under it and well, let's just say it's quite the curious mess. I set it on some of the cardboard left over from the new cabinets and drag it the rest on the way to the curb too. With that out of the way I make quick work of the drywall and corner molding and get a first coat of mud on and that's pretty much it until tomorrow.

So today it's time to get that sink base out of the way to have a look at the plumbing behind it. So I start by removing the dishwasher? That's right. The dishwasher, and all of the connections it makes under the sink to the plumbing. With that out of the way, I'm able to finish disconecting the sink and lift it and the rest of the counter all the way off. It's a lot easier to remove all of those sink clamps sitting in front of them instead of laying beneath them. I set the sink out of the way next to the dishwasher and that counter goes straight to the curb too.

That gives me easy access to the few remaining obstacles to removing the sink base. The CPVC water supplies come up through the floor, not out of the wall. Unfortunately, the old iron pipe supplies are still sticking out of the wall. I have to chisel out the particle board floor between the supplies and the back of the sink base. It's pretty badly water damaged already, but not so much that it isn't work. With that and the screws holding to the wall gone, it slides right out and away from the wall. There. The last of the old cabinets are out!

With the day only half over and what looks like a large area of plaster that had been patched at some point, I must know what lies behind it. I knock out the plaster from the drain line over to where it connects to the stack. Interesting that they cut totally through the wall stud on the left of the window rough in. That's enough plaster bashing for today. Let's see what these fasteners are along the front of the window sill. Screws! Not sure why a piece of aluminum was screwed into it, maybe past water damage? The entire piece has seen its share of weather, not just the front. Then I discover the sharp edge of the catspaw makes a really good paint scraper and start removing the old paint from the trim.

After a number of false starts and not looking forward to crawling around under the house and agonizing over plumbing codes and how to do the new drain right, I don't really get much done. After much more agonizing and research, I finally come to the conclusion we'll have to cut out the old section of the cast iron pipe and tie in a new section of PVC using no-hub clamps. The cast iron stack pipe will need supporting in the attic before cutting it, but it should be fairly easy with the correct chain style cutter to snap it with. That's the plan anyway. We'll need to rent the snapper though, considering they're nearly a thousand dollars apiece for a new one!

To make up for yesterday's lack of progress, I decide to bust out the plaster around the old iron pipe nipples. I'm able to get the first one out without too much work, but the next one is begging for the big @$$ pipe wrench. I can't seem to get the jaws to bite though, almost like they're in there backward or something. I'll have to look at that later. I manage to get the other one, fix the big wrench and try to bust the big drain pipe loose. Not budging. Penetrating oil does the trick, but raises the stick factor enough to have to open up and ventilate the house. Looking at all the crud and corrosion in there, it's a wonder the sink drained at all!

(22-26 March 2018)
I don't get much else done during the week, other than to bust out more plaster to fully expose the tee in the cast iron stack. On Friday, both Nick and I work from home. Around lunch time he asks if he can help get up in the attic and secure the stack. Some measurements and quick cuts later and he has it tackled. Time to rent that snapper wrench and get started. Well, not quite, but close.

I realize that we'll need to do something about those supplies coming out of the floor while we're in here, which means even more demolition, leaving a huge hole in the plaster pretty much the size of the previous patch. At least now I can get in there and see what's going on. I save the lathe for putting it all back together eventually. I make a list of pieces we'll need and off to Lowe's we go. Now we'll have what we need for tomorrow. The next morning Ann heads out to rent the wrench while Nick and I prepare for cutting the pipe. Too bad it isn't as easy as it sounds...

This chain wrench is a MONSTER and it's all I can do to get it around and behind the cast iron pipe. I have to smakc the shiplap loose from the studs to give me that extra bit of wiggle room while Nick tries to hold the wrench steady for me while I thread the chain. The first cut at the top goes fairly well, with just a bit of a crack and stray piece that may or may not need trimmed. The bottom, not so much. All I end up doing is cracking and collapsing the pipe... Great. Now I get to take out even more plaster to get the wrench in lower and hopefully not screw this up again.

This time I try twisting the rollers on the chain around the pipe while I tighten the chain with the ratchet, but it still end up cracking it raggedly and will need trimmed somehow. Nick suggests using a cutoff wheel in the angle grinder. I tell him I don't know if it will take a diamond blade or not. While I'm looking that up, he off to his house and back with the grinder. What the hell, let's try it and see what happens. It works great. Guess we don't need that diamond wheel after all. With that done, I'm able to measure and fit the tee and the new drain line. I use the roll up trick on the no-hub connectors and install the new tee in the stack where we just cut out the old cast iron. Some fab work to repair the missing stud and a hole saw cut for the new drain line later and I'm gluing it togther. There. Done.

Nick asks what's next. WE need to get those old iron pipes out of the way to try to see if we can fit the new copper with risers in their place. But first we'll need to cap off the existing CPVC supplies so they're not in the way of getting the iron pipes out. Nick turns off the water while I cut and cap them. Next we go after the iron pipes. One finally gives in to the pipe wrench, but the other snaps off at the elbow. At least it's clean enough to get them out of the way. At first I'm ready to call it quits for the day, but decide to fashion up the two new supply lines and solder on the risers. With Nick's help shining the flashlight down from above in the kitchen and me under the house carefully positioning them, he's able to grab them with the needlenose pliers and pull them through.

While one springs up over the foundation block to where I don't need to hold it, the other one doesn't because the old iron pipe is in the way, and will need cut. Nick heads under the side porch to get access to that end and is soon crawling out with the piece he just cut off. Last is the refrigerator supply line, but first we'll need to drill a new hole in the sill plate for it to push up through. Nick makes quick work of it and now we're done for the day. After work the next day I'm back down in the hole to take pictures to help plan how to cut in the new supply lines and get the kitchen back online.

(30-31 March 2018)
It's been another week without a working kitchen, time to get busy. Once I've finally spent enough time down in the hole to come up with a step by step plan and verify it will work, it's time to bite the bullet and turn off the water to the house. It takes more soldering on the copper and cutting out the old and gluing in new CPVC, and even more finagling things into place to make it al work, but when I finally yell for Ann to turn the water back on, not a single leak! I am ecstatic. Now I can get the new sink base installed, and by just cutting holes in the back and sliding it into place.

First I need to set the dishwasher in place along with the beauty panel before I can mark where to cut the holes in the back of the new cabinet. So now that everything is coming together, it's too bad it will all have ot come apart when we refinish the floor, but we'll worry about that when the time comes. The next morning I'm ready to finish plumbing in the old sink. Wait. What? That's right, the old sink. Ann doesn't want to use the new one or the new faucet until the new countertops are installed. It doesn't really matter though, we'll once again have an operational kitchen until then.

The dishwasher installation provides a few surprises, but at least not as big a deal as it would have been it the wall were already plastered shut. I need to move the electrical connection inside the cabinet with the existing disposal connection. It takes some extra doing, but once it's done, I'm able to turn back to the rest of the plumbing. I finish that in short order, but now the new drain line is leaking all around the connection to the old cast iron, right behind the dishwasher! Great! I knew it was too good to be true, no leaks until now. Now that everything is back together and working again!

Upon closer inspection, it appears that the no-hub connector is unable to seal around the casting lines and raised lettering on the outside wall of the pipe. Some quick work with a file smooths it all back flat and everything seals nicely. For now. THe kitchen is back online, complete with water filtration and everything connected. When we hear the ice maker drop the first batch of ice, we're satisfied the kitchen is back online.

(1-2 April 2018)
So the next day, Easter Sunday, it all has to come back apart so I can put together the jigsaw of lathe and finish the rest of the demolition that needs done before mudding that wall. It all comes together and I'm able to piece together the drywall to cover the lathe. I have just enough time before the big Easter dinner to get a first coat of mud on it. When I home from the most excellent feast at Nick's house, I'm able to get another coat of mud on to close out the new plumbing rough in. In hindsight, I shouldn't have been in such a hurry to get everything back together.

The plumbing rough in has become the plumbing nightmare. As I'm washing up my breakfast dishes, the water starts to back up into the sink. Running the disposal just whips the water up into a froth. Damn. Here we go again. I try the snake, but have no luck getting it any further down the drain line than a few feet. After three tries and no success, I try again from under the side porch and the clean out, but it goes in nearly as far as I can feed it, and I'm not hearing any rushing water. Not good, that means it's between the new drain and the cleanout, that new section of pipe. I get to thinking about it and it must be that a piece of the old cast iron pipe fell down in there when we crushed it and that's why the snake can't get past it.

Everything has to go... Including the new plaster that's barely even dry. I scrape away the mud from around the drywall, remove it, and then enough lathe to allow access to the lower no-hub connection. I peel the rubber back up and away from the cast iron. It immediately dumps all that water that wouldn't go down into the bottom of the wall. Wonderful. I manage to eventually move whatever it is out of the way and further down the pipe. I reconnect it and try one more time. Good! That's got it! But what a mess. And now I get to redo all the mud I was so happy to get on there.

(Saturday - 7 April 2018)
Mud, mud, and more mud. And sanding. And sanding. And more sanding. Or rather screening in this case, trying to get that sink wall plaster finished and painted this weekend. I'm lucky to get the entire wall mudded with a second the next day. More of the same, sanding and filling and still needing more sanding and filling. Another week before we can close out this wall.

(13-15 April 2018)
Mud, mud, and more mud. The last bucket of mud! But it still isn't dry by the end of the day, so tomorrow the sanding begins. And sanding. And sanding. And more sanding. By lunch time, I'm done finish sanding everything that needs primer and paint. Before that, I finish the burnishing. It only takes around an hour, but it will take longer to dry. Where I started in the dining room feels great though. I start priming and when Ann gets back from helping Nick over at his place, she takes over. Good thing too, all that sanding and burnishing catches up with me quickly. She gets the first coat of paint on before she calls it quits.

I start the next day with cleaning the debris off the roof, mainly because we think it may be the reason why we got the mystery leak. Ann has the second coat of paint on by 9:30! So the question is can we get those wall cabinets over the stove installed yet today... Well, the answer is yes we can and they do get installed. Even the microwave and the shared outlet in the back of the center cabinet! I put the handles on and they're done, done, done! The rest will have to wait until the floor is refinished.

(20-22 April 2018)
Getting the beauty panel for the dishwasher better secured to the sink base and better support the temporary countertop over it. Other than that, we're on hold for refinishing the floor until next weekend. We finally get to ride the new train out to Tavares for the air and car show. We enjoy our "front row seats" sitting on the patio at O'Keefe's Irish Pub and several stouts. This is the first weekend we've taken off since starting the whole kitchen remodel.

Did I say take the weekend off? Not by a long shot. While I'm putting in new outlets on the front porch, Ann is busy taking up those self tick linoleum tiles she and Nick put down. But now she needs me to find something to get the self stick off with. Thankfully the odorless mineral spirits, that isn't really odorless, does the trick. It gets most of the "sticky" off the old floor boards. Later that evening, Ann decides to sand and test the different stains she got to try to match the existing color. Now the house smells like stain, even with it open and ventilating. The smell is still there the next morning.

(26-30 April 2018)
The new bar in the dining room... Really just moving all the cabinets and appliances out of the kitchen and off the floor in preparation for sanding this weekend. I'm busy the rest of the day and the next doing all those last minute things that need done before the floor is refinished, like finally fixing that light switch box on the '70s wall, installing the trim, etc. As everything gets moved out of the way I'm still scraping up what's left of the old linoleum as more and more is exposed by the moves. I finally manage to get all of the old linoleum scraped off and turn to the more than dozen holes that need plugged.

Starting at one corner, I work my way around the kitchen until they are all plugged. Some I'm able to use commercially made plugs, which after the fact seem to blend well with the old wood. Others needed the holes enlarged in order to fit. Some I needed to make my own plugs, either out of the correct sized large dowel, or using plug cutters from fresh pine. Those seem to stand out like a sore thumb and I should have used a piece of old flooring instead of new pine. Now we're set to go rent that drum sander.

We have Ann call and order a pizza when we're on our way back with the sander. It still takes quite awhile for the pizza to get here, but once we're done eating, Nick gets right to it with the 24 grit drum. Hitting nail after nail and staple after staple, I'm called to arms every time he finds another. Most of the time whatever is was is already ground down so far the only option is to use the nail set to drive it further down into the wood. I am able to get out some of the staples we tend to find in groupings along the edges by the wall and out further from the wall. It's getting late, but he just keeps going until all of the 24 grit drum sanding is done, around 10:30PM. The edge sanding can wait until tomorrow.

The next morning Nick take a final 24 grit pass with the drum sander then I take my turn with the edge sander. I still have yet to master this thing from the time I helped Nick refinish his floors. It's just the absolute worst machine to adjust, set up, and use. The worst part is the straps on the new knee pads are digging into the backs of my knees so bad it's painful by the time I'm done. We take turns going through progressively finer and finer grits until at long last we're done! Except for using the multitool for sanding into the corners anyway. Somehwere along the line I find another hole that needs plugged that I must have missed or the plug fell out during sanding.

The multitool is giving us fits, so I end up taking out most of the high spots with a chisel and Nick follows it up with the multitool to just blend the rest. It goes a lot better that way, but he still wants to try the minidrum sander thing from Horrible Freight. Well al it does is dig in and hop, hop, hop, leaving horrible gouges where the floor used to be almost perfect. He's very frustrated and I can tell he's feeling the pressure of needing to get this done in too short a time frame. I tried to convince Ann and him that we should plan to start earlier so we're not in a bind if we miss even one part of the schedule, but what do I know? I they should have listened to me...

After having a bit of a fit, he back to final prep for staining, then right into staining. If we thought those little patches of stain smelled strong, now the entire house is filled with the overpowering aroma of stain. Even with the exhaust fan in the window, the smell is still strong, but better than it was. It runs all night long but it seems like when the A/C kicks on, it just pulls all those fumes right back into the house. The next day there isn't really much we can do other than wait of the stain to dry.

Nick takes the next day off to put down the three coats of finish on the floor. I knew we couldn't even open the door of the refrigeratorfor fear of moving the air enough to blow something onto the new finish, trapping it forever. But when I got home and even the living room ceiling fan was off, I knew something was up. Nick was agonizing over the floor finish the way I normally agonize over things. The only advice I can offer is the floor already looks better than I've ever seen it look and if it takes another coat or two and needs sanded between coats, so be it.

(Tuesday - 1 May 2018)
Nick came over before work this morning to put down the final coat of finish. When I get home today, I can actually go near the kitchen and open the refrigerator without worry. And the floor looks fantastic!

(Friday - 4 May 2018 - May the fourth be with you)
Now that I can get back in the kitchen, I need to fix the window glass I cracked before I install the sink and it's in the way. First I need to fashion a storm window or something to keep that warm, moist outside air outside. Then I remember we have the hurricane plywood on the screen hangers I made for hurricane Irma a while back. Good intentions, but it takes longer than just today to get it done. I want to take both sashes down to bare wood, if possible, and seal them with linseed oil before reglazing and painting them again.

Parting bead cracked and broken and I had totally forgotten about that. Need to fix that (again). Getting those things in and out of the frame is definitely an art. Next I get the dog crate blocking the "secret passage" disassembled while waiting on sync with the boss. Once that's done, I'm still waiting on Ann's new dresser to be delivered. While I'm waiting, I look up what type of wood to replace those parting beads with, just in case I can't get it to stay glued back together.

Turns out that breaking them is a common occurrence, but also those old wood frame sash windows are made from old growth wood are more rot resistant than anything today. Guess I'll be gluing it again. They finally deliver it. Then I'm back out to the garage to finish removing the old glazing compound and paint from the upper sash. I do manage to get it all done and sanded and oiled though. Nick picks up the replacement pane of glass for me while he's at Lowe's later that night.

(Saturday - 5 May 2018 - Cinco de Mayo)
Finally time to install the rest of the cabinets. Ann scheduled the countertop installers to come measure this Friday, so it has to be completed this weekend, or as close to it as possible. The cabinets on either side of the stove go in quickly. Now the surround panel, and how to attach it. After some fun with shims, I finally manage to figure out an acceptable approach. Trying to get those face frames aligned takes some doing, but I end up using the ¼" x ¾" trim piece as both the shim and exposed quarter round trim. Looks just like it was meant to be that way.

Fastening the pantry to that sill box frame base is next on the agneda. Nick helps me to set it down on the floor so I can size up the situation. A couple of 1x4 cleats to hold the two pieces firmly together should do the trick. Turns out all I have is 2x4s, so... Works great and we set it in position. He runs over to his house to grab a jacking post to hold up the over the refrigerator cabinet while I measure and mark where the studs are.

Back with the post, he spots me as I lift the cabinet into position. The face frames on the surround panel side line up perfectly, but the pantry side is hideously mismatched? Wow. Quality. We finally manage to get everything coerced together and it's time to mount those cabinets to the wall studs. Well, I thought I documented and measured and marked the stud locations correctly, but after missing one totally on both cabinets, I'm wondering what I did wrong. No matter, the remaining screws and face frame support should be more than adequate.

That much done, we can install the refrigerator, but it waits until after supper. The clip to hold the water line is giving us fits, but I finally manage to force it to bend enough to capture the ¼" copper supply line. Wow. That's that for that wall... Almost. I end up slicing my finger wide open on a hidden sharp edge under the stove trying to level the damned thing. Seems like no matter what we do, the damned thingstill wobbles.

After all that fuss I'm ready to call it quits for the night, but figure if Nick can help me get the dishwasher back in place, I can move the sink base myself later. Until he asks how I plan on keeping the dogs off of the still curing floor. Well, seeing as how you asked... I tell him the gate as I'm cleaning off the pennisula cabinet. He helps me move it in place and that's all the cabinets now back where they belong. By now Nick has had enough and heads home.

(Sunday - 6 May 2018 - Revenge of the Sixth)
Time to install the cabinets along the other wall. I find the beauty panel on the side of the dishwasher is the high point, and needs shimmed by ¼" in the front just to level it. So now the front of the sink base needs at least ¼" as well. The other end needs more! Wow. These things will be on stilts by the time I'm finished. After securing the sink base to the wall though, it seems to be nice and sturdy, but I'm waiting on the pennisula cabinet.

Now for all the stuff that needs done to reconnect the electrical under the sink. Next is the dishwasher and the remaining plumbing connections. Sink in place, disposal connected, and... It leaks? Why? With everything else we've had to deal with, this has never leaked! The culprit? A piece of "flash" on the plastic slip joint connection on the trap. Of all the things to have happen, and now of all times. Oh well, at least that's all together and working again. Too bad it has to come apart one more time when they install the new countertops.

So on to the levelling the last cabinet. This is going to take more than shims. I end up installing a 1x4 along the inside, at the proper height, all the way around the base of the pennisula cabinet. I even have to put a cleat in the beautiful new floor just to keep it from going places. Even after it's mounted to the sink base AND the wall. Ann is slowly moving things back into the kitchen, now that it's pretty much the way it's going to be. Even the dining room is back to "normal".

(Monday - 7 May 2018)
That leaves brainstorming a means of attaching the large beauty panel to the back side of the pennisula cabinet that faces the dining room. Why on earth they didn't just make the cabinet with it already that way I'll never know, but it ships as a separate piece. And even if I do come up with a good way to mount that beauty panel, how do I hide the nearly inch tall gap along the bottom?

(Tuesday - 8 May 2018)
What a way to start the day... As I'm getting dressed to leave for work, I'm hearing an electronic beep, but I don't know what it is or where it's coming from. Nothing I can do about it until I'm dressed anyway. I walk into the kitchen, thinking I'll get my lunch together and hear the dishwasher "running", and the display on top of the door is flashing "E:15". Great. We have yet to use the damned thing half a dozen times and it's already fried! I'm really thinking we've been had by Goedeckers again.

I mess with it enough to know it's not an easy fix and just turn off the breaker and leave for work. Nick and I both looked up the error and it means water has leaked into the bottom pan. There's actually a float that actuates a switch to tell the "brains" of the thing to start pumping out water, even though the pump isn't connected to this drain pan underneath everything. Guess it's a last ditch effort to prevent flooding if there did happen to be water in the actual tub the pump is connected to. Nick helps me pull it back out and we empty the drain pan and put it back in.

Tonight is when I'm actually cutting and fitting those shims to measure and cut for those 1x4s for the pennisula cabinet. I end up using a digital caliper to measure the shim thicknesses, and make lots of trips to the garage and back to cut them to size, but those 1x4s will have to wait for tomorrow. Those and the 2x4s for securing the cabinet to the wall. Running out of time, but it's too late to do anything more tonight.

(Wednesday - 9 May 2018)
1x4s for sure... And more fine tuning of the shims to fit beneath the pennisula cabinet. And cutting and chiselling and cursing the baseboard. Attaching to the trim piece and 2x4s to permanently mount the pennisula cabinet. And cleats. Cleats for both the the pennisula cabinet and the beauty panel for the dishwasher. Everything is in place, and as permanent as it can be until the new counters are installed. There are a few odds and ends that need addressed, but overall I'm feeling better about what's left.

(Thursday - 10 May 2018)
Time's running out... They'll be here tomorrow to measure for the new counters. That leaves tonight to finish up, and maybe a little time tmorrow morning. Finishing up the cleats, both wall and floor. Dishwasher goes into flood mode again... So mop up that small amount of water with papers towels again and finally level and mount the damned thing to the cabinets.

(Friday - 11 May 2018)
Not enough time to get a cleat under the pennisula cabinet, but it needs one. Guy is here a little after 11:00, not guys. And he's using a laser, not making thin plywood templates. So after discussing the area around the stove and how there is something going behind it, cleats it is. Not only for the pennisula cabinet, but now I need one behind the stove as well. As soon as he's gone, those are next on my list.

(Saturday - 12 May 2018 - Happy Birthday Matt!)
Took a trip over to Palm Bay to visit with the folks, celebrate Mother's Day and my brother Matt's birthday since he and Cindy are down from Ohio.

(Sunday - 13 May 2018)
Fix the broken "lazy susan" slow return damper as best I can.

(Monday - 14 May 2018)
The beginning of the end... Let's just say now is not the time to discuss working from home more days a week, eventually leading to short timer's syndrome.

(Wednesday - 16 May 2018)
Nick finds the problem with the dishwwasher always going into flood mode and it's fixed, once and for all.

(Saturday - 19 May 2018)
Ann and I went to the flea market today. Taking the day off to rest my sore ankle.

(Sunday - 20 May 2018)
Not sure when I got the windows done. All from memory. Need to check the receipts...

(Friday - 1 June 2018)
Counters get installed today! Yay! I am busy doing all the last minute things I've been putting off all week, like attaching the beauty panel to the penninsula cabinet, removing the sink, installing the cleat behind the stove, etc. I decided to swap the disposal mount from the old sink to the new one, just in case they say it's okay to mount it on there when they install the sink.

I can tell they're having problems getting the tops for the cabinets on either side of the stove to fit right. At least it seems that way with all the pounding and manhanding they're doing. The one to the left of the stove gouged the wall paint in more than one place. I'm really scratching my head on this one. Sure enough, they measured wrong and they'll have to redo the counters around and behind the stove.The guy that came out to measure had all that "space age" laser and digital camera and computer magic and this is how bad the fit is? I'd rather have the old school plywood templates at this point.

They get everything else installed fine and caulked and drill the holes for the faucet and they're gone. I asked them before they left if they were going to install the faucet. Nope. Then they'd be responible if anything got broken. I asked if it would hurt anything if I did. Nope. So now I'm installing the faucet and really wishing I had someone here to help me, but manage. Ignoring the warning not to use the sink for 24 hours, I install the disposal and waste plumbing too. There. Sink works.

(Friday - 8 June 2018)
Managed to get the baseboards and moldings cut, at least for the long, straight sections on the '70s wall and the hallway.

(Friday - 15 June 2018)
Counters get installed today! Well, the rest of the counters anyway... Last night the ball bearings start falling out of one of the rollers on the top rack of the dishwasher. Great. One warranty claim coming up. As much BS as we went through with that damned appliance company, I'm getting this fixed on their dime if at all possible.