Week 3 of Kitchen Remodel

Or as I like to call it...How many things do you see wrong in these pictures?

Kitchen window--improper header

Kitchen door-NO header

Sink wall--original entrance into the basement/dungeon/cellar

Obviously  these will be corrected even though they have been like this for over fifty years. The old entry opening will be blocked with some studs to support the drywall . The door and window will require temporary supports be built and the header and king studs be tied in to the existing studs. This goes a long way to explaining the broken seal on the window and a warped door. The door frame has a bow in it from the unsupported weight settling over time. On the other side of the studs (exterior) there are some steel studs which is why the house didn't come crashing down after the addition in 1960's. But I feel since the walls are open we might as well do this right.

We had to plastic over the sink wall since it opened to the basement/ dungeon/ cellar. The smell is awful. It is a combination of mildew and  musty stagnant air. We have fans going  but it is killing my allergies. The odoban will go on this weekend. That should go a long way to get rid of the 132 years of funk...yuck!!

It has been slow going. Very little work was done Labor Day week because the hubbs was on call for his job and  I was overwhelmed with assignments for school. To be honest it took us this long to get rid of our debris from the 3 wall that have been demolished. We didn't have the money to rent a dumpster, so we have been setting the garbage out over the last 3 weeks so as to not go over our allowed pounds of trash and incur extra charges. We have all the lath strips we have accumulated so far in a burn pile in the back yard.

After careful inspection we decided not to pull the ceiling down. There is a layer of insulating acoustical tiles glued onto the what we are assuming is plaster. We have checked the integrity and everything is solid.  Of course there is also the possibility those tiles contain asbestos. Not something we want to mess with...ever!

The hubbs and my step-dad did a little exploration to located the ceiling studs and marked them. The glued tiles will be wiped down with TSP and then some bleach, allowed to dry before installing the drywall over the existing ceiling. 3-31/2 in screws will hold everything nice and tight.

Of course this blew my lighting plan to install recessed lights. Instead we will go with a track light system. The trick is for me to find something not ugly, not expensive and not overly modern. The existing junction box will remain in the current location. There will be a minimal of poking around to run a switch. It appears the beam run east-west and so does the existing wire. The switch will be located on the sink wall closest to the entry.

These are the 2 options I am considering for track lighting.

Lowe's Portfolio 6 light Bushed Nickel

 with this

Home Depot Hampton Bay Flex Steel

The good news is  1) my neighbor (who is a professional builder) came over to check our progress, told us everything is actually pretty solid and the original siding (which you can see on the exposed walls) is called hurricane siding. He said this house will probably make it another 100 years. That was actually a wonderful thing to hear...and 2) I found a new window ($118) and a slab solid core wood door ($63)-woot! The slab wood door is the best option. We can plane it if needed to accommodate for any imperfections. I will lose the window in the door but I am ok with that. We can always add it later if I choose, for now it will be drilled out with a peep hole.

Here's my list from my earlier kitchen remodel post with some additions/ modifications

• Finish tearing out the plaster and lathe on the North wall
• Cut out the wall boards in the sink area to remove mold. It appears to be contained in a few spots. Decided to do a complete tear out
• Patch/ repair the remaining 2 walls. Possibly skim coat. Decided to do a complete tear out
• Build temporary supports for new headers over door and window.
• Bleach and Odo-Ban the walls and ceiling, allow to dry. 
• Possibly Kilz the walls. 
• Cut out a  2 foot by 8 foot floor section (sink area)
• Sister the joist beams and shim where the floor slopes
• Determine if sill plate needs repaired  Damage is minimal-yay!
• Install a floor jack on North-East corner--where the the sill plate is water damaged
• Move the stove outlet from floor to the wall and update to a new receptacle
• Install necessary outlet for gas hookup (no connection to line, preparing in advance for stove replacement)--Maybe--checking on requirements
• Lay a new subfloor
• Replace, update and attach the outlet to a stud on east wall
• Add 1-2 new receptacle(s) to the east wall (window wall)
• Move junction box, update and wire in a wall switch for the ceiling fixture. Retain original location and use track lighting.
• Replace the window
• Attach furring strips to the exterior walls (North and East) to bump out the depth
• Insulate and seal. minimize any possible cracks, leaks or vermin/bug/ draft entry points
• Drywall, mud, tape, prime and paint

GRILL ALL THE FOODS!

source

We are certainly giving the grill a workout during our kitchen remodel. The grill has become my cook top and oven.   We have a  local place I can take the tank and get it filled for $10 on Tuesday's. We have a couple of extra tanks and this is a cheap way to make sure we have a couple of  back-up tanks.

I found this neat little diagram that explains the thermodynamics of how a grill works which actually helped to determine where to place items on the grill when cooking.

source

And while our situation is not an emergency, I came across some good tips for emergency grilling (when the power is out or maybe a kitchen remodel IS an emergency)

How about a handy dandy Gas Grill cooking chart?

Besides making the requisite burgers, hot dogs, chicken, steaks, chops and foil veggie packets, I have baked biscuits, griddle french toast, baked cornbread, baked chicken tenders with fries, cooked meatloaf, toasted garlic bread and baked a pizza-- all on the grill. The side burner has been great for making mashed potatoes, frying bacon, gravy (for sausage gravy) and making pots of spaghetti. It is almost like being on a camping trip  but without sleeping on the ground, lol.

Indirect heat, 350°F

Direct heat, low, 200°F

Meatloaf, Indirect heat, top rack, 350°F

The pizza was a little tricky when I tried to bake it on the grill. The first time I baked my pizza (from scratch), I used a disposable foil pan which was more heat reflective, the grill was a tad hot and I had too much direct heat.  It wasn't  horribly burnt but definitely more well done than I like, but the hubbs loved it. Go figure... 

The 2nd  time I cooked a pizza it was a semi-defrosted frozen pizza, I used my pizza stone and set the grill to medium-low heat. That kept the temperature around  300°F. And it worked  ok except it still was not perfect. The bottom of the crust was nicely browned, the cheese was hot but not quite toasted. And I forgot to take a picture anyway. It was still pretty tasty despite the flaws.  3rd time is a charm...right?

Actually the weather has been cooperative so I haven't minded all the grilling. It has also given me an opportunity to use my cast iron cookware which I don't use often with my electric stove. There is just something magic about cast iron skillets and a gas cook top. Although the hubbs did say, "Since you are so good at cooking on the grill, maybe we should get a gas stove." GASP! Did he just make a positive suggestion towards the remodel?! HA! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a dual fuel stove with gas cook top and electric oven. Alas, my budget can't stretch to accommodate new appliances. However, we are going to install the fittings without making a connection to the gas line for now, so we have it for the upgrade in the hopefully not so near future.

Then the hubbs dropped this little pearl of wisdom, "I bet since you are so good at cooking on the grill, you won't want to cook in the kitchen when it is finished." Shush up your mouth hubbs! I miss my kitchen and it's crappy stove. I will be glad to not grill for a while...like next summer just MIGHT be to soon...

And I broke down and bought a toaster oven

Grilled french fries are just not my thing!

My outdoor space looks like dookie

Another summer season has come to an end  but brought with it a list of things to do...

The hubbs took down the potable pool and now it looks like a spaceship landed in my yard

Drying the pool solar cover reminds of a prom dress gone so very wrong

I need to clean out and put away my portable greenhouse turned  pool storage

I need to mow down and rototil garden up because it is an overgrown and weedy mess

I need to trim the Weigela that is threatening to overtake the porch

I need toclean out and take down the flower boxes with their scraggly and crispy from the heat plant remains

The ONLY thing that looks remotely lush and lovely are my marigolds which exploded in size. No need to worry about insects in this bed next year or the one after that, haha.

How about you-Are you lamenting that summer is over or all the work it brings?