Our kitchen appliances are all officially out of service for the next 25-45 days. Cathe would be perfectly happy (maybe even happier than normal) if we just ate things like cold bread spread with cold bbq sauce and cold slices of cheese on it for dinner every night. I on the other hand am looking at this period of time as an excellent opportunity to do two things: 1, catch up with as many friends as possible and 2, try out as many different places to eat as possible. If we can combine the two all the better!
If anyone is interested in meeting us out for dinner let us know and we'll schedule something as soon as possible. Also, if anyone has any recommendations for places to try let us know and we'll add it to the list we are starting to put together. Anyone want to meet us? Got any good dinner/brunch recommendations?
--Jeff
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Last Supper
August 28, 2011
Tomorrow is the big day - the start of the renovation project. We spent today packing and prepping the kitchen for its final farewell. In total we have 28 boxes and various piles of items strewn about the condo. Crazy, totally crazy. But I think we're ready.
In tribute to the kitchen and all it has offered in the past 20 years, we hosted our final sports pregame event on Saturday before the Sounders soccer match. Barb, Cliff, Jerry and Kathy joined us for a few beers, chips/salsa and grapes (really, we had nothing in the house left to eat!). Good times with good friends.
This Sunday evening, Jeff opted for one last cooking session. This proved eventful as most of the items (spoons, pots, knives, cutting boards) had been packed. In MacGuyver fashion, Jeff created a masterpiece. A wonderful pasta dish with sweet italian sausage, fresh mushroom, ricotta and a marinara sauce, paired with from-scratch garlic toast with parmesan cheese. OMG, so good. Gotta love the little skillet pan he used to saute the garlic.
Jeff says "LET'S EAT!"
Tomorrow is the big day - the start of the renovation project. We spent today packing and prepping the kitchen for its final farewell. In total we have 28 boxes and various piles of items strewn about the condo. Crazy, totally crazy. But I think we're ready.
In tribute to the kitchen and all it has offered in the past 20 years, we hosted our final sports pregame event on Saturday before the Sounders soccer match. Barb, Cliff, Jerry and Kathy joined us for a few beers, chips/salsa and grapes (really, we had nothing in the house left to eat!). Good times with good friends.
This Sunday evening, Jeff opted for one last cooking session. This proved eventful as most of the items (spoons, pots, knives, cutting boards) had been packed. In MacGuyver fashion, Jeff created a masterpiece. A wonderful pasta dish with sweet italian sausage, fresh mushroom, ricotta and a marinara sauce, paired with from-scratch garlic toast with parmesan cheese. OMG, so good. Gotta love the little skillet pan he used to saute the garlic.
Jeff says "LET'S EAT!"
Lumens, Trim Kits, Watts vs Volts...OMG
August 26, 2011
This day was spent running around to various Lighting stores to finally select our can/recessed lighting and undermount lighting. Again, overwhelmed with the vast amount of options. We held true to staying local yet again and purchased lights from Seattle Lighting, a mere 3 blocks from our condo. Andy, the sales guy, was great. Super helpful and frank about what is/isn't necessary. Cathe stopped by in the AM to design a quote, then Jeff stopped by after work to audit the recommendations. Within 45 minutes, we finalized the order and then headed off to dinner at El Puerco Lloron at Pike Place Market. Yum!
We still need to solve for the pendant lights (at Rejuvenation in SODO), but that can wait for another day.
This day was spent running around to various Lighting stores to finally select our can/recessed lighting and undermount lighting. Again, overwhelmed with the vast amount of options. We held true to staying local yet again and purchased lights from Seattle Lighting, a mere 3 blocks from our condo. Andy, the sales guy, was great. Super helpful and frank about what is/isn't necessary. Cathe stopped by in the AM to design a quote, then Jeff stopped by after work to audit the recommendations. Within 45 minutes, we finalized the order and then headed off to dinner at El Puerco Lloron at Pike Place Market. Yum!
We still need to solve for the pendant lights (at Rejuvenation in SODO), but that can wait for another day.
Ding, dong, the mold is dead!
August 25, 2011
Over the past week, Cathe has focused on killing the mold in the dead space behind the kitchen sink wall. The catch was she could only cut out a portion of the dry wall since cabinets would be inserted into the wall. So...she cut a rectangular opening 10 inches wide by 36 inches long/high. That's not very big.
Good news, all the mold was removed via a good hand-scrubbing of 5 parts water, 1 part bleach. Once dry, that was followed up by two coats of mold-resistant paint (whatever the Sherwin-Williams guy told her to buy)...by the way, she carried the gallon of paint in her backpack and walked all the way from SODO to the condo (about a mile). This hoofing element may prove to be the most humorous part of the entire experience. Great memories!
Pictures of the AFTER results.
Over the past week, Cathe has focused on killing the mold in the dead space behind the kitchen sink wall. The catch was she could only cut out a portion of the dry wall since cabinets would be inserted into the wall. So...she cut a rectangular opening 10 inches wide by 36 inches long/high. That's not very big.
Good news, all the mold was removed via a good hand-scrubbing of 5 parts water, 1 part bleach. Once dry, that was followed up by two coats of mold-resistant paint (whatever the Sherwin-Williams guy told her to buy)...by the way, she carried the gallon of paint in her backpack and walked all the way from SODO to the condo (about a mile). This hoofing element may prove to be the most humorous part of the entire experience. Great memories!
Pictures of the AFTER results.
Goodbye teal green tile!
August 15, 2011
Today we visited the New Face Kitchen showroom to select tile. Fortunately, this was a surprisingly easy event. Our designer, Debra, helped us refine the choices down to three tiles. All offered durability, stylistic compatibility and easy upkeep. Within 30 minutes, we had our choice made - a 12"x12" tile in a light brown/grey color with mild texture and a 1/8 inch grout line. No pictures as we totally forgot to snap a few. But trust us, it will look great!
Today we visited the New Face Kitchen showroom to select tile. Fortunately, this was a surprisingly easy event. Our designer, Debra, helped us refine the choices down to three tiles. All offered durability, stylistic compatibility and easy upkeep. Within 30 minutes, we had our choice made - a 12"x12" tile in a light brown/grey color with mild texture and a 1/8 inch grout line. No pictures as we totally forgot to snap a few. But trust us, it will look great!
IKEA...here we come.
August 11, 2011
After visiting the granite yard, we decided to continue the shopping adventure and headed to IKEA...via Bus.
Yep, we made it. With two transfers and a small fee of $2.75, we traveled from SODO to Renton, WA in about an hour. It was a fun trip which even include a scenic drive by the Boeing Airfield. Neat!
The mission at IKEA was focused on cabinet Handles and Pulls. Jeff, the excel guru, created an awesome excel spreadsheet outlining how many handles/pulls were needed, how much space each handle would consume on the 42 cabinets PLUS how much space would remain. And the best part, it had the price of each handle included so we can stay on budget. Cathe, the finance girl, was ecstatic!
We loitered in the IKEA cafeteria for 1.5 hours with the architect's drawings and a tape measure strewn about the table. Victory, we finally landed upon a design that rocked. We hustled to the checkout line. Then we realized, we had a 1.0mile walk to the bus stop...LOL.
The saga of the urbanite home renovators continue - game on!
Lansa Door hardware
IKEA was great for generating ideas of other styles and functional approaches.
What's best for rolling out pizza dough?
August 11, 2011
Yep, that is what Jeff asked the Granite sales agent. Classic!
The experience at the Granite Yard was crazy, but awesome! We visited Meta Marble and Granite in the lower SODO area. It was a large warehouse with hundreds of granite slabs. This was super helpful to transform our perspective of a little 12"x12" granite sample into a monster 10'x6' (that's feet, people) slab. We could see the movement, or flow of each granite style. The sample we thought we liked before entering the granite yard proved not to be what we finally chose - again we're so happy we had this opportunity to see the slabs in person and in full size.
Our granite aide, Brandy, was a bundle of energy. She knew so much about the process, the stones, everything. She was also moving a mile a minute. Jeff did a good job slowing her down a bit and used humor to get Brandy to support us. Before long, the little bobcat vehicles with huge claws drug out 3 slabs. Two were in the style of our initial sample - Tropic Gem. A third was one we had never considered before - Uba Tuba, a sleek black granite with flecks of grey and gold intertwined. Very quickly, we fell for this new selection.
What sealed the deal was the honed finish option. Most granite is polished, super shiny, almost glass-like. With Brandy's help, we learned the maintenance and daily upkeep of that crystal-like finish would be troublesome. A honed finish, such as silk or leather, has a softer, warmer texture that demands less upkeep. And yes, it works very well for rolling out pizza dough...
Here's what Tropic Gem looked like (honed - silk). On a larger scale, this slab wasn't the one for us.
Yep, that is what Jeff asked the Granite sales agent. Classic!
The experience at the Granite Yard was crazy, but awesome! We visited Meta Marble and Granite in the lower SODO area. It was a large warehouse with hundreds of granite slabs. This was super helpful to transform our perspective of a little 12"x12" granite sample into a monster 10'x6' (that's feet, people) slab. We could see the movement, or flow of each granite style. The sample we thought we liked before entering the granite yard proved not to be what we finally chose - again we're so happy we had this opportunity to see the slabs in person and in full size.
Our granite aide, Brandy, was a bundle of energy. She knew so much about the process, the stones, everything. She was also moving a mile a minute. Jeff did a good job slowing her down a bit and used humor to get Brandy to support us. Before long, the little bobcat vehicles with huge claws drug out 3 slabs. Two were in the style of our initial sample - Tropic Gem. A third was one we had never considered before - Uba Tuba, a sleek black granite with flecks of grey and gold intertwined. Very quickly, we fell for this new selection.
What sealed the deal was the honed finish option. Most granite is polished, super shiny, almost glass-like. With Brandy's help, we learned the maintenance and daily upkeep of that crystal-like finish would be troublesome. A honed finish, such as silk or leather, has a softer, warmer texture that demands less upkeep. And yes, it works very well for rolling out pizza dough...
Here's what Tropic Gem looked like (honed - silk). On a larger scale, this slab wasn't the one for us.
Cabinets...decision time!
July 25, 2011
Who knew so many cabinet options existed?! The volume of choices were overwhelming. Fortunately, we quickly agreed on a style - Bamboo. It's simple. It's earthy. It's contemporary, yet warm. It's perfect.
After choosing the type of bamboo layout (we selected flat pressed), we had to choose a stain color - caramelized, burnt, cinnamon, bare, etc! We opted for the light natural finish of no stain. Let the bamboo shine on its own. The color is great and will help create a bright, airy atmosphere.
Who knew so many cabinet options existed?! The volume of choices were overwhelming. Fortunately, we quickly agreed on a style - Bamboo. It's simple. It's earthy. It's contemporary, yet warm. It's perfect.
After choosing the type of bamboo layout (we selected flat pressed), we had to choose a stain color - caramelized, burnt, cinnamon, bare, etc! We opted for the light natural finish of no stain. Let the bamboo shine on its own. The color is great and will help create a bright, airy atmosphere.
Uh oh...MOLD
July 25, 2011
That's right, we found mold about 1 month before the project was to start.
Behind our kitchen sink wall, there is a dead space about 18" deep where the upper condo units plumbing runs down to the underground sewer lines. Well, about 16 months ago, our upstairs neighbor clogged his pipes with rice which ultimately burst his plumbing. All that gook flowed down into our unit. Most of the noticeable water flowed out of our can lights in the main kitchen area. We thought all was taken care of until we cut the drywall and found the dead space behind the kitchen sink. And we found a 7' tall x 5' wide patch of mold. Gross! Since we're installing new cabinets into this wall space, it's time to CLEAN!
That's right, we found mold about 1 month before the project was to start.
Behind our kitchen sink wall, there is a dead space about 18" deep where the upper condo units plumbing runs down to the underground sewer lines. Well, about 16 months ago, our upstairs neighbor clogged his pipes with rice which ultimately burst his plumbing. All that gook flowed down into our unit. Most of the noticeable water flowed out of our can lights in the main kitchen area. We thought all was taken care of until we cut the drywall and found the dead space behind the kitchen sink. And we found a 7' tall x 5' wide patch of mold. Gross! Since we're installing new cabinets into this wall space, it's time to CLEAN!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Engineer's Final Drawings!
Nate, our architect/engineer, met with us in late July and early August. He fine-tuned the designer's sketch into something with precise measurements and structure. The final drawings looked great.
We (or really Cathe) had a minor heartache when she realized that Nate's drawings expanded the footprint out into the living/dining room by another 8 inches. Doesn't sound like much, but in a city condo, every inch counts. All in all, the layout works to create a "great room" that's open and warm.
Key elements added or changed were:
*Removal of the blind corner pullout (saved $890)
*Addition of soft-close feature for 16 cabinets
*Addition of a vertical cookie sheet storage cabinet - 13" wide - Super Functional!!
See final drawing below.
We (or really Cathe) had a minor heartache when she realized that Nate's drawings expanded the footprint out into the living/dining room by another 8 inches. Doesn't sound like much, but in a city condo, every inch counts. All in all, the layout works to create a "great room" that's open and warm.
Key elements added or changed were:
*Removal of the blind corner pullout (saved $890)
*Addition of soft-close feature for 16 cabinets
*Addition of a vertical cookie sheet storage cabinet - 13" wide - Super Functional!!
See final drawing below.
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