Author Topic: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte  (Read 9812 times)

Offline Der Bugmeister

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Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« on: July 23, 2020, 04:43:22 PM »
When I renovated our house in the 08/09 timeframe, the kitchen was left mostly untouched except for some new flooring, wall paint and baseboards.  The house was built in 1971 and the kitchen hasn't seen much in the way of updates through the years.  Even the appliances are ancient...the dishwasher predates our occupancy, the range was bought when we moved in and the fridge is at least 15 years old.

Part of my retirement benefits included a generous severance cheque, which provided the impetus to finally start on this project.  Apart from knowing that we would replace all appliances, we hadn't determined how far we'd go with rest of the reno.  Considerations included whether or not to remove the closet by the range, which tended to make the space feel more cramped, and to remove the bulkheads above the cabinets.  The implications of doing either meant drywall patching/matching to the old popcorn texture ceiling and patching the flooring.

Some photos showing where we started.  Enlisted my youngest daughter to help with the "first blows" of demolition.

Offline goodfellow

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2020, 05:07:05 PM »
Good luck with that project Clay. It's a great learning experience ---- for both of you -- LOL.

My daughter and I re-modeled the master bath a few years ago. It was a great experience for both of us.

Offline Der Bugmeister

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2020, 05:13:24 PM »
The full room is about 22.5' x 9.5'.  A good friend of mine was chomping at the bit to help with the demo phase, and his help definitely sped the process.  The decision was made to remove the closet and the over-cabinet bulkheads in favour of 40" wall cabinets. 

One of the "joys" of renovation is the discovery of the unexpected.  The first (of several) in this particular adventure was that one of the closet walls was framed as part of a wall that ran the straight through to the front of the house and the two portions of the kitchen wall had been framed and install independently.  There turned out to be about a 3/8" alignment differential between the two.  As you'll see later, I minimized the transition by removing the stud (it was a cripple) and drywall to spread it over a longer area.  There's still a bow in the wall but that should be concealed by the cabinets and backsplash.  That's the theory, at least.

Offline slip knot

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2020, 05:16:00 PM »
Kitchen Reno, those words can be the scariest words a woman can say.  :lol_hitting:

It always amazing to see the transformation when completed. its just getting it done that hurts.

Offline Der Bugmeister

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2020, 05:23:14 PM »
Good luck with that project Clay. It's a great learning experience ---- for both of you -- LOL.

My daughter and I re-modeled the master bath a few years ago. It was a great experience for both of us.

Thanks, Ray.  She hasn't been overly involved due to her schedule, love life and camping but they'll all get their turns :-D  Still lots of work left to do.  Oddly enough, nobody was willing to accompany me into the crawlspace...

Kitchen Reno, those words can be the scariest words a woman can say.  :lol_hitting:

It always amazing to see the transformation when completed. its just getting it done that hurts.

True that!  I have a lot more progress photos to post yet but we're currently in the coming together stage where I almost feel like there might be hope.  Maybe :-D

Offline Der Bugmeister

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2020, 06:55:21 PM »
"It's gonna get worse before it gets better..."

Cabinets were built in place, with no backing, no glue and small finish nails.  The wall cabinets were removed intact but the base cabinets came out in pieces.  With the cabinets out of the way we had access to the wiring and plumbing.  And started removing drywall.  And more drywall.  And more drywall...way more than I had originall intended but it is what it is...

We also passed a QC check by one of my many supervisors.

Offline Der Bugmeister

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2020, 07:00:58 PM »
Did I mention more drywall removal? 

During the original renovations I removed the exterior stucco and paperfibre sheathing, replacing it with plywood sheathing and hardiplank...so I had already seen the inside of these exterior walls once.  Now I got a second look...

The original owners of the house decorated the kitchen with flowery wallpaper some time in the 70's.  We bought the house in '97 and I removed 99.99% of that wall paper within the first month.  This is (was) about the only remaining trace of it).

We also had a bit of a leak under the sink.  I had written it off to a leaky faucet and poor seal on the top.  It looks like some may have been leaking through the corroded drain downpipes.  One broke during removal, the other came apart easily in my hands.

Offline Der Bugmeister

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2020, 07:10:43 PM »
Round 2 in the unexpected challenges department...I was elected to investigate a questionable wire in the crawlspace.  Why is it always me?   :'(

Apart from discovering that the wire (which led from an outlet box we wanted to relocate) didn't actually go anywhere - it had been cut and capped, presumably by our electrician during the renos) I also found a bit of a lake down there.  Water was leaking from a questionable connection used to permanently install a portable dishwasher (again, by the original owners).

More on that issue later...

Offline pep

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2020, 08:34:00 PM »
Big job, and good excuse to eat out ..... As long as the water did not get into the wood, repair should go smoothly. (famous last words)

Yeah going in behind other is alway scary. The outlet to no where will that actually make  relocation easier ?

Helpers are aways good...

Pep
1776 ................... what happened!

Offline Der Bugmeister

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2020, 08:44:53 PM »
Big job, and good excuse to eat out ..... As long as the water did not get into the wood, repair should go smoothly. (famous last words)

Yeah going in behind other is alway scary. The outlet to no where will that actually make  relocation easier ?

Helpers are aways good...

Pep

Lesson number one:  Doing this in the summer makes the outdoor kitchen more practical.  The BBQ and patio are earning their keep this year!

The water did get into the wood, and there's some fungus/etc in there.  I'm going to give it all time to dry out then will assess the condition of it all later.

The wire to nowhere was a relief as the outlet had a line in from the top and a line out from the bottom (the mystery one).  Eliminating the wire gave us room to breath, as you'll see in upcoming photos!

Offline john k

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2020, 05:39:57 AM »
You are making progress.  Interesting how things like the wallpaper come and go so quickly.  Seeing that crawl space makes me all the more glad I have a full basement with full access to plumbing.   Even a relatively new house as yours has gone through changes,  mine was built in 1905, with electricity installed in 1948, has added to the adventure of our ongoing bedroom and bath renovation.  Good pics, print them off and keep them as a reminder of all the work and money spent.

Offline pep

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2020, 06:24:36 AM »
Outdoor kitchen, BBQ and patio, man I'm all for that, best meals... right there !!

Want to kill the mold, house hold bleach is your friend, will knock it down real fast. No need to soak the wood,  spray/misting it on. It could take a couple of times .........Wetting it too much, bleach will attract the wood.
The growth is on top of the wood. Do not want the bleach to soak down into or onto the surface of the wood.

You will really like a new kitchen ....... a great upgrade ...

Pep

Lesson number one:  Doing this in the summer makes the outdoor kitchen more practical.  The BBQ and patio are earning their keep this year!

The water did get into the wood, and there's some fungus/etc in there.  I'm going to give it all time to dry out then will assess the condition of it all later.

The wire to nowhere was a relief as the outlet had a line in from the top and a line out from the bottom (the mystery one).  Eliminating the wire gave us room to breath, as you'll see in upcoming photos!
[/quote]
1776 ................... what happened!

Offline Heiny57

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2020, 07:23:38 AM »
  :bravo_2:   Great thread
MAGA

If you can’t fix it with a hammer, it must be electrical.

Offline Lookin4_67GalaxieConv

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2020, 10:56:05 AM »
The original owners of the house decorated the kitchen with flowery wallpaper some time in the 70's.  We bought the house in '97 and I removed 99.99% of that wall paper within the first month.  This is (was) about the only remaining trace of it).

It's time for that wallpaper to make a comeback!   :)) :)) :))
boop/bop/beep

Offline DeadNutz

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Re: Kitchen Reno - The Full Monte
« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2020, 01:01:51 PM »
Great story and pictures so far and keep them coming. Nothing will get my heart pounding like seeing the wife holding a tape measure while uttering those tragic words, "I've been thinking and have an idea." :c002: