Apple Sucks

I'm really annoyed with Apple right now. I bought a 20GB ipod last month to replace my original 5GB model. Not that I really needed much more space for my music. As Rachelle said, 1985 isn't going anywhere, but I like new toys. I contemplated getting the 40GB ipod photo, but I couldn't justify the $499 price tag. Imagine my suprise when I turn on the news this morning and their talking about the new 30GB ipod photo for $349. $50 more than I had paid for the plain 20GB model less than a month ago. Needless to say, Apple got a nasty e-mail. They don't seem to care, though. And I still like my new ipod. It plays all of the 80's hit (and misses) with beautiful sound. I can't wait until that new Love and Rockets CD comes out.

Finished Kitchen, Part 2

The other side of the kitchen. The refrigerator is the only thing left that we started with, and we would have gotten rid of that if a new one weren't so friggin' expensive. Besides, the ice-cube maker is finally hooked up. Only three and a half years after we bought it. The gas range rocks. I turned each of the 5 burners on multiple times last night. And the oven. Both get hot. Sweet! Haven't used the microwave yet, but the fan and light seem to work, and having it above the range frees up a ton o' counter space. Now that it's all done, I just have to wait for Rachelle to come home Friday so we can start putting stuff away.

Finished Kitchen, Part 1

The remodel is done. For now. We still have things we want to do, but I think we need a little break. Sure, Kevin did all the hard work, but he had a working bathroom and kitchen to go home to every night. Bo and I went to Trader Joe's to get wine for the wine rack, but I managed to stay away from the Two-Buck Chuck. Every bottle in the rack cost at least $2.99, and some as much as $5.99. Purchased for looks, not necessarily for taste. The new ultra-quiet dishwasher is running as I write this and I can actually hear the keyboard clicking. The old dishwasher sounded like a cross between a weed-whacker and a leaf blower. And a fire hose. This one isn't quite silent, but it's very nice.

Almost Finished Kitchen

It's soooo close to being done. The cabinets finally came in the day I originally expected them. They were actually delivered yesterday, but there were cracks on the edges so they had to fabricate new ones. The only things left to finish are the dishwasher, faucet and plumbing. Then, finito. I will be able to use my kitchen again. I'd love to actually make something for dinner tonight, but I don't want to get the new range dirty. At least until Rachelle gets a chance to see it looking pretty and new. I think we are done with major projects for now. Too much stress. Of course, the remaining projects we have won't leave us without a bathroom or kitchen. I can live without being able to use the living room for a while. As long as the TV in the front room works.

Rachelle's Company Car

Rachelle's got to go out of town next week for a training class, so her company sent her home on Friday in a stylin' Ford Taurus with "SureWest" on the doors. Looks really good parked in front of the house. Unfortunately, Medicare doesn't offer company cars.

Finished Floor

The floor is finally in. Kevin is installing the half-bath toilet and putting the washer/dryer back in as I type this. Things are moving right along. The finish work on the cabinets should be done on Monday, counter tops on Tuesday and the sink and appliances are all done by Wednesday. I've actually gotten kind of used to having the refrigerator right behind my La-Z-Boy, though. A lot further to walk for a cold beer. Oh, well. At least the kitchen will be pretty. UPDATE: Kevin just told me the counter tops should be in Monday instead of Tuesday. Sweet!

Kitchen Floor: No Grout

My kitchen floor is mostly in. They got a late start on laying the tile today because they had to pull up the tile I had put down in the laundry room. The tile guy said those type of tiles usually come up really easily, but it took the contractor several hours to pry them loose. Probably had something to do with the half-ass way they were put down in the first place. They really need to be specific when they say "apply a thin layer of adhesive". It really would have been better if I had actually known what they meant by "thin". Considering it took several weeks to properly dry, I'm guessing I used too much. Anyway, most of the tile is in and the grout should be in tomorrow. Looking almost like a kitchen again.

And They're Done

Almost. The cabinets are now installed and have been measured for counter tops. The contractor still needs to adjust the doors, put up the skins (no freakin' clue, but he keeps talking about them) and put on the final trim. I've been assured that the cabinets will look much better with tops. Much more functional, too. I keep posting pictures of this side because it's easier to get good pictures over there, but the other side looks good, too. I'll post a picture of that side tomorrow.

Cabinets Going In...

The kitchen cabinets are starting to move out of my living room and garage and into the kitchen. There was a slight scare when we thought they had delivered some of the wrong cabinets, but everything seems to be working out. The rest of the cabinets and breakfast bar should go in tomorrow, followed by the tile guy on Thursday. After that, it's just a matter of waiting until the counter tops get in so Kevin can install the appliances. Not a minute too soon. I'm getting really sick of frozen dinners eaten on TV trays with plastic forks.

Recessed Lighting

I would love to post some pictures of my kitchen, but there is a big plastic tarp blocking the view. Something about keeping the dust and crap out of the rest of the house. We had asked the contractor to give us a bid on some recessed lighting in the living room, but didn't expect him to have time to do it during this job. Seems he had a job that he was going to work on while the mud was drying in the kitchen, but it fell through and he had time this week. Six new lights on a dimmer in the living room and a regular light over the entry way. Nice and bright. Kitchen should be done in another week and a half. Soon. I'll post more pictures as they become available.

Finished Bathroom: Part 2

Second part of the finished bathroom. It's awfully hard to get a picture of a mirror without a wicked glare, but I tried. The best part about this medicine cabinet is the size (monstrous) and the fact that it has 2 more mirrors inside. Apparently, that's a good thing. The light is also a tricky picture, but I actually like the fixture. We still have 2 other fixtures that we need to take back to Lowe's, but third time's the charm.

Finished Bathroom: Part 1

It's awfully hard to show my finished bathroom because it's so tiny, but here's the first installment. An actual sink and toilet. Water-efficient, single piece toilet. That actually stops flushing without having to jiggle the handle. And a new sink. Not that the old sink wasn't beautiful in it's day, but... Actually, the old sink was ugly going back to the days before sinks. Nasty. And it leaked. It leaked even worse after I "fixed" the clog by running a plumbers snake right through the bottom of the "P" trap. The sink drained great after that. Right onto the bathroom floor. Anyway, today was the first day of showering at home again. Once again, the only fat, naked guy I have to see in the morning is me.

Kitchen Cabinet

I had the contractor pull one of my kitchen cabinets out of the box so I could see what they looked like. Pretty much like they did in the showroom. One day soon, my kitchen cabinets will be in the kitchen and not in the living room. I currently have a kitchen sink, kitchen cabinet, towel rack, bathroom light, medicine cabinet and refrigerator in my living room. And a variety of faucets and accessories. I don't like any of them in the living room. They should all be in the kitchen and/or bathroom. Soon.

Bathroom Floor (grout)

OK, looks much like the "no grout" picture, but this one has grout. Done. Except for the washing and placement of the rest of the fixtures, like the toilet, sink, shower doors, etc. Almost done.

Bathroom Floor (no grout)

Bathroom Floor (no grout)
Originally uploaded by klycolllins.

Since I've been working at home this afternoon, I've got an early post today; the tile's in the bathroom and we're (me and Bo) just waiting for the tile guy to come back this afternoon and grout. That round black spot is the hole where the toilet will go. I guess. I don't think we signed up for the outhouse remodel, but I'd better check the contract. Check back later for the floor (with grout) picture.

Kitchen Lights

Let there be light! After 3 and a half years of complaining about how much the lighting sucks in our house, we finally have just what I wanted. Plenty of light over the general kitchen area and a separate light over the "sink". My understanding is that we will eventually get walls, too. The bathroom's almost done, but it's so small it doesn't photograph well. Tile should go in tomorrow and Rachelle finally found a lighting fixture we can live with. We still have 2 that we need to take back to Lowe's, so we're keeping this one regardless. After almost 2 weeks of remodel, I am about ready to snap. Too much stress and too much crap to pick out. I thought we were finally done with trips to Lowe's and Home Depot when I was reminded that we need to pick out hardware for the cabinets. And I just found out today that we need to pick out a grout for the tile. How many colors of grout could there be?, you might ask. I've got 46 different colors to wade through. I'm thinking grout-colored grout works for me. I'll post pictures of the floor tomorrow.

Bathroom Progress

Week 2 of the bathroom remodel and we now have paint. Cork Bark. I'm not sure how it's going to look when it's all done, but I like it so far. Marble and mirror tomorrow, tile on Friday. Then we're done. It will be nice to shower at home again. I'm sick of the cold showers at the gym.

Kitchen: Day 2

There were some complaints about the quality of the pictures coming from my phone, so I will be sending pictures from an actual digital camera. One that doesn't also make phone calls. Day 2 of the kitchen demolition looks much better than day 1. At least all of the really nasty stuff is gone. We do have some original flooring now exposed under where the breakfast bar once was. Pink and black asphalt tiles. Very pretty. I'm going to try to pry one up once the contractor leaves. Save it for posterity. I haven't posted a bathroom picture for several days because it looks exactly the same as it did last week. I'm sure it is different, but it sure looks the same to me. Something about "mud" and "sanding". Whatever. I have high hopes that I will be able to take a shower sometime within the next week. Hopefully.

Kitchen Demolition, Part I

Man, I live in a crap-hole. I'm saying "I" because Rachelle is still at work and hasn't seen the nastiness behind the original 1958 cabinets, and it's entirely possible Bo and I will be living alone until the re-model is done. We are actually still ahead of schedule. The bathroom is just a couple of days from being completely finished, and the new kitchen cabinets were delivered today. The tough part seems to be the wiring and plumbing, and our contractor is doing a great job. He's already found several problems that he plans on fixing as part of the original plan and estimate. If anybody in the Sacramento area is looking for a contractor, I'd be happy to give you a referral. Sometime after February 23rd. I want my house done first. One of the best parts about getting the kitchen done is I was able to explain to Rachelle why we needed a new stainless steel gas grill with a separate side burner. I wasn't able to justify the $800 one, but I still got a nice new toy. Nothing but meat and beans until the new range is installed. Sweet! Did I mention Bo and I might be living alone until the remodel is done? I hope to have some really good demo pictures tomorrow. Should be a big, empty hole. And I think he has to pull some of the drywall. Looking forward to it.

Walls

I have walls again. Not pretty walls yet, but walls. At least I can't see the plumbing and wiring. Tub is fully operational, as are the light and ceiling vent. Nothing else. Kitchen cabinets were supposed to come today and didn't, but not a problem. Demo isn't starting in the kitchen until Monday. And for all of you looking to join a gym in the Sacramento area, California Family Fitness seems to have a problem with their water heater. Cold shower for the second time in 3 days. I'm beginning to dislike the gym. And my arms hurt. Those weights are heavy. It's sad when you get to a machine after an elderly woman has just finished her workout and you have to lower the weights. Very sad. She looked spry for her age, though. Probably no updates over the weekend unless something non-remodel related happens, but it won't hurt you to check.