Ben does the Robot

end of week 3 and so much progress has been made.

the cabinet doors are all on, the microwave is usable, the refrigerator is back in, the stove and dishwasher are in (but not connected), and the floor is sealed. We are at a standstill now, waiting for the counter top to come in. It can take 2-4 weeks, so we'll see. Once that's in, they can complete the back splash (you can see the scoring on the far wall where it will wrap around). The rest of the walls where the back splash will be added, had to be built up with a type of composite board to even out the walls. I don't think rulers were invented in the 1950's considering the odd and uneven measurements of our kitchen.

The under the cabinet lights purchased from Lowe's look amazing. They turn on and off with a "tap" button that you touch, concealed under the cabinets on both sides. They dim too, which creates a nice warm light at night. On the right side, they were able to put two of the lights inside the cabinets, so now I'll have to put some really nice things in there to "highlight!" The lights come with 6 hockey puck-like lights that can be strung together, all working on the same tap feature. We only used four on each side though. We kept the same overhead light fixture that we bought when we moved in. We toyed with the idea of recessed lighting, but it proved too expensive and unnecessary. who looks up anyways?

Love the floor! Porcelain is definitely the way to go. the cats like it too--I think because it's cool.

Yesterday, we picked out drawer pulls and knobs from IKEA. we didn't particularly like the ones we saw at Lowe's. they are a brushed nickel/silver whatever--slim for the handles and small oval knobs for the small drawers.

In the meantime, we're able to start putting stuff back in the cupboards and we're beginning to see the rest of our apartment come back to normal, though it still looks like we are a candidate for the show, "Hoarders."

And for food--a Cuisinart double hot sandwich maker (or as I call them, "Mountain Pies,") has come in very handy this week. I'm not sure I want to take on real cooking or use real plates when this is done afterall!

day 11--Presidents Day

Some major progress was made today, Presidents Day. The upper cabinets are anchored into place, the microwave (or "Microhood" as it's actually called) is installed. Under the cabinet lights (Xenon, connectable, touch on/off/dimmer) are installed under the cabinets and inside the window paned wall cabinets (I'm excited about that!), and the back wall is being prepped to start the subway tile backsplash.

I think we can call in the countertop people to draw out the template tomorrow.

There were a couple of minor problems--mostly due to the walls or floor not being level--consequences of an old building. An extra piece of panel had to be installed between the dishwasher and the stove so that it could support the heavy countertops. The walls have to be built out with a piece of panel to even out the surface where the subway tile backsplash will be.

Everything in our apartment is covered in a layer of dust--cleaning seems futile, but we do it every weekend anyways. That said, the progress is very exciting--we can really see the kitchen coming together.

Thank you to Sarah and Griffin and Steff and Shawn for feeding us over the last 2 weeks!

floors are in! yeah. And on a snow day at that!

day #7

Urban express delivered the missing cabinet (unannounced). our order is finally complete!
now, back to the superbowl!

Day #6

Saturday--a perfect day to run errands. Fortunately, the "snowstorm" didn't crush our plans. We didn't get too much of the white stuff.

First order of the day (after bagels and coffee and "The Soup") was IKEA. We returned one damaged cabinet and rather painlessly exchanged it for a new one. No time for meatballs or lingonberry juice today.

On to Lowes with all the gift certificates we got for birthdays and Christmas! Picked up floor tile (porcelaine "Canyon Slate" by Venitian Stone). It has a slate look--sort of silver/grey with a very subtle oil-slick effect with reds and blues--note, VERY subtle. Porcelaine requires no treating or sealing! For the backspash, we got $.27 white subway tiles. I have been waiting to do something with subway tiles for years. Now the decision to do a white or black/brown grout. Don't want to go too crazy, it is only a co-op!!! TILES ARE HEAVY!!!!

We also managed to pick out under-the-cabinet lighting. I feel guilty not going for the LED lighting but there were several factors that led us to pick out the Xenon small circular lights. a) they can connect to each other so we only need to plug in to one outlet, b) there was more than one box in stock c) they were a little less expensive, d) there's a dimmer option and they can be turned on by tapping this little circular thing that can be hidden under the counter. Regardless, I think that all of the under cabinet lights were tacky, but wiring in the walls is not really an option for us.

Urban Express (IKEA's delivery service) was supposed to call today to set up a delivery time for the missing cabinet for tmorrow. They did call, but to ask me if I was having a pick up scheduled! Really, um, aren't you supposed to know that I"m getting a DELIVERY!? Once again, the canned response was, "We'll look into this and get back to you Ms. Banks." Go figure. They suck, yet again.

Now back to the "Dexter" marathon. It saves my sanity in some small way!

Day #5

Another day, another hour on hold with IKEA (actually, I logged in about 3 hours today and killed my cell phone battery!).

Managed to accomplish keeping one person on the line for more than a minute and may have accomplished getting our missing cabinet delivered on Sunday (we'll see...)

Also, finally got a "case number." Now I really exist and my problems are real and valid! I'm starting to understand the system now!

On the flip side, the elves were busy while I was at work--much was accomplished today in apartment no. 5F. Several more cabinets were assembled, the kitchen ceiling (and where the soffits were removed) were dry-walled and spackled. A tile-like floor piece was installed to even out the floor (I had no idea we had a 3" slope from one side to the other!). Every chair I own is piled in the living room, but space is opening up in the second bedroom where the IKEA boxes have been stored. As usual, dust and dirt is almost non-existent. Our contractor is extra careful to leave our apartment clean and organized at the end of the day. (He is here with his guys from 9am-5pm; These are the co-op rules).

Tomorrow, Ben and I are off to Lowes for backsplash subway tiles and Porcelain floor tiles as well as to IKEA to return a defective wall cabinet and pick up missing screws. Hopefully the looming "snow storm" won't keep us from our mission!!! I might need one of those IKEA cinnamon rolls!

1970's kitchen reno day #4

1970's kitchen reno

Day 4 of the renovation and much progress is being made. We paid a little extra to have our contractor put together the IKEA cabinets, which is well worth the frustration and fights that my spouse and I would most definitely experience (based on prior IKEA project experiences). Our contractor is Zurita contractors (I believe they are listed on the Ditmas Park blog) and we feel amazingly confident with them. we interviewed 3 contractors and this was our favorite. I've decided that it's better to be happy with our contractor than our cabinet supplier, which leads me to my next rant...
I have contacted yet the 10th person at IKEA in the last week in regards to a missing cabinet, a short-changed credit on a pick-up, and now a damaged cabinet that was realized yesterday and yet NO ONE has returned my calls. I have not asked for Randy yet (thank you for that tip), but was told that KEVIN is the Kitchen post sale contact. How many people actually work for IKEA? Based on the number o people I've been directed to, I'm guessing they are not affected by the current unemployment spike; Must be something in meatballs. I'm beyond frustrated. Good thing my cats think that my living room is one big romper room--at least someone is happy in this chaotic situation!

kitchen reno week #1

February 2, 2010
1970's Kitchen Reno
We just started a kitchen renovation. We recently bought a 2br 1950’s co-op in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn and were blessed with a 1970’s era kitchen. The doors wouldn’t shut and the drawers would fall out unless you put your knee under whilst accessing them. Our demo /reno started yesterday, but as anyone who’s ever done a renovation knows, the planning started months ago. We decided on IKEA cabinets—the Liljestadt dark brown oak cabinets—and the IKEA whirlpool dishwasher, in order to do the integrated front panel (we looked into Bosch and other European models, but they were too expensive). We purchased a Fridgidaire Gallery stove and micro-hood (they don’t call them microwave ovens if it’s above the stove—when did that happen?!) to match the Fridgidaire refrigerator we had to buy when we moved in. (The previous owner graciously left us with a faulty fridge that crapped out about 10 days after we moved in). We bought it at the Sears in Flatbush—GREAT SERVICE. Anyways, it was our favorite model (the “de rigueur” convection option, bottom rack attached to the door for easy access, and middle 5th burner for those Sunday morning pancakes on the griddle I never make).We are very happy with our contractor, Zurita Contractors based in Ditmas. It’s only day 2, but I have a good feeling about them.If only I had the same feeling about IKEA (specifically in Red Hook, Brooklyn). I did the web-design option, which I found challenging in a good way, but frustrating when it came time for fruition. The sales person, William, I worked with, was not amenable or willing to take me seriously until I convinced him I was willing to plop down $10,000 that night on everything. Inevitably it seems, he entered in one wrong cabinet which I didn’t realize until day two of receiving the delivery—it’s not easy going through 100 boxes with 8 digit numbers on each one that doesn’t correspond to the receipt (while taking a day off of work for the whole mess). When we returned to IKEA the following weekend to explain the problem, we were treated royally—Steven, in the kitchen center, admitted IKEA’s mistake and proceeded to personally guide us through reordering the correct cabinet, escorting us to the check out, and personally taking care of the pick up/drop off in a private room outfitted with IKEA couches and lamps. Upon pick up/delivery day, one week later, two guys from “Urban Express” arrived to pick up the incorrect cabinet. However, they didn’t have the “delivery” part of the deal. 4 days, later, I can’t get anyone on the phone to help me or confirm my purchase or re-delivery. To add insult to injury¸ when IKEA called to credit my card for the returned merchandise today, they seemed to be missing a $232.00 door to the cabinet they picked up. Strike two! So now I’m out $232?! I’m obviously not having a good experience with IKEA. I want a lifetime supply of Lingonberry juice!
All in all, the renovation is good so far and we hope that someone out there can benefit from our experience. I hope to post photos and accounts of this adventure.
Posted by bandan at 10:38 PM Comments (2) Categories: Renovation