Stage 3.2 The Bases Go In!

I didn't think the day would come that the base cabinets would go in.  Cassandra and I had finished all of the upper cabinets with the help of her Dad to heave up the last set.  Thanks Dad!

Friday night the uppers are in...
   On the bases it is time to begin...
      The in-laws are here, oh what do I do...
         I have to entertain no cabinets boo hoo...
            So off to the city with family in tow...
               I have to take a break, but it isn't something I know...
                  The cabinets will wait a day or two...
                      I guess I can wait, couldn't you?
                          So today or tomorrow I know it'll get done...
                             No matter when I know I'll have fun!

So with a day of rest I was able to begin healing up all of the bruises and bumps from all of the days of flooring and cabinets.  It looked as though a herd of junior soccer players had had their way with my shins!  On Friday evening Cassandra and her Dad helped get all of the base cabinets into the house.  The corner cabinets had to be pulled out of the boxes on the porch and carefully maneuvered into the doorway as they were too big to fit through the door in the box.  We got the bases all in place and it instantly started to look like a kitchen.  I jumped right in and placed the bases for the butler's pantry and secured them to the wall.  It was nice to have that done.

On Saturday we got up and went downtown and ran a bunch of errands with the girls and the grandparents.  It was a good day even though the rain was on and off all day.  Saturday evening I got started shimming and adjusting the base cabinets and getting them level. Getting them level is so important as the counter top company will not measure for cabinets until the cabinets are secure, squared and leveled.  I got them all leveled and secured and verified that they were square.  I then began cutting out the bracing on the cabinet base that would hold the stove top so it would fit in the enclosure.  Finally!  done with the cabinets!  Installed, leveled, secured, square...all is good!

I contacted the counter company, Kitchens by Rutenschroer who scheduled a technician to come out and measure.  The guy showed up and made some drawings and took measurements from every angle.  He then pulled out a laser contraption and proceeded to set up little targets for the laser to reflect off of.  These were set along the edges of the base cabinets and walls.  He then turned on the laser and with a hand held used a stylus to take shots of the laser hitting each of the targets.  This sent precise measurements to the computer that will be used to layout and cut the stone.  It was really interesting to watch him do his work.  When he finished he said they should be calling us to schedule our trip to the stone yard to pick out our specific counter top stone.  This will be exciting and the topic of our next update.

Stage 3.1 The Upper Cabinets

The upper cabinets, not to be confused with the upper room where they broke bread, were anything but a spiritual experience.  What a pain!  I am always learning, but this whole experience has taken it to a level that I never dreamed of or wanted!  Enough already. 

I began this process, with a coaching session from Jonathan, who has a vast amount of knowledge in all things home construction.  He said things like "find the highest point along your floors where the cabinets will go in", and "strike lines"...huh?!? After a lot of stupid questions like "uh, how do I find the highest point on the floor?" I am sure Jonathan had no hope of me being successful, but with the greatest of patience he informed me that it was as simple as using my level to find the highest point.  Duh!  I knew that!  I guess it was simple to see that I had become intimidated by the thought of damaging these expensive cabinets.  I knew what I was doing, but my confidence was in shambles.  You would think it would be high after the floors went in so well.  I think it is because everyone will be focused on the cabinets.  The floor is cool, but it is only window dressing compared to the cabinets.

I devised a plan!  I would first start with the oven wall as it had two freestanding cabinets that would be the base for all of the other cabinets.  There was a cabinet that housed a very heavy oven and microwave, than a new cabinet that was a tall pantry.  But before I could implement my master plan, I would need to get the cabinets into the house.  I wish each of you could have been there to see the comedy that transpired.  It was like some Charlie Chaplin skit from the silent movie days!  I got the brainy idea to strap the tall cabinet to a hand truck that my neighbor Dave let me borrow (thanks Dave!).  The box was so big that I had to string two smaller straps together to get them to fit around and attach to the hand truck.  The box was over 9 foot tall, so reaching the top of it to gain leverage was almost impossible.  I finally jumped high enough (hey baby, 2 in vertical leap) to grab the box and get it tilted back toward me. Ugh! This thing weighed a ton!  I maneuvered the box out of the garage and onto the side walk.  For any of you that have been to the house, you will know that he sidewalk and drive way are steep!  You need lamas to go get the mail!  I was to the first set of steps when gravity decided to take over and the box, hand truck and all took a dump on Cassandra's rose bushes (the red ones, not the yellow...sorry Honey).  In the impending struggle to get the beast off of the roses, the straps came off...I took some thorns for the team...and I just hoped that the people that were passing in their cars weren't laughing too much.  I finally wrestled the box into the house, and went back for more.  Thankfully the rest were a breeze!

I spent the next day off and on installing that first set of cabinets.  The plans called for 3 inch spacers between the oven cabinet, the upper cabinets, and the pantry cabinet.  I didn't want to install them because it would change the footprint of the original cabinets and get too close to the hallway wall.  So like the intelligent person that I am (mainly a stubborn man child) I eliminated them from the plan and off I went.  I installed the one spacer that was staying in the plan the upper cabinet, and then to the pantry cabinet.  I got Cassandra to help me lift off the floor as one unit to install.  Well, I think lift might be a little off.  We grunted, and cried, and with sheer will we heaved those cabinets into the air and not so gently slid them into place.  I love it when an well oiled plan comes together.  It was only after we slid them into place that I realized that the cabinets came out further than the wall to the built in pantry, so I had to take off the 3 in spacer and reinstall it.  What?!?  No, that was absolutely a part of the plan all along!   I verified the level and plum of the cabinets and attached them to the studs in the wall.  I was able to attach them to the studs because I had paid attention during my coaching session and had struck a line along each of the studs.  It was a simple as measuring from the edge of the cabinet to the line and then transferring that measurement to the inside to pre drill and attach the screws.

Over the next day I installed the oven cabinet.  I thought it would be a good idea to install the oven before attaching it to the wall as I could get easier access to the wiring.  I stood there and looked at the oven when I realized that the hole in the cabinet seemed smaller.  Uh Oh.  I grabbed my trusty tape measure and confirmed my suspicions by measuring the old oven cabinet that now resides in the laundry room. I would need to cut the cabinet! I measured and marked the lines for the hole in the new cabinet, and re-measured at least 5 times before putting masking tape along the lines to prevent any scratches.  I then had Cassandra come down and confirm my measurements.  It wasn't that I didn't trust myself, I just wanted someone else culpable in the destruction if it all went bad!  I am such a giving and good husband!  I pulled out the saber saw and cut out the hole.  It was now time to install the beast of an oven.  I put it on my furniture dolly and rolled it over by the hole.  There was no way we were going to be able to lift this bad boy with any precision.  It was then that I hatched a scheme.  We would use the floor jack to hoist it into position.  I do live in Kentucky, so this of course seems like a reasonable strategy.  Plan made...action taken!  We lifted the stove on the jack and Cassandra pumped the jack while I guided it into place.  It was about 3 inches too low so I used brute force to get the oven into the cabinet.  One huge challenge down!  I secured the cabinet to the wall and viola!  We could at least bake again!

The only part left to do on that wall was to install the two base cabinets and one small upper that spanned the space between the oven cabinet and the pantry cabinet.  It went in very easily...a little too easily!  I secured the base cabinets and was getting ready to secure the upper when I realized that there wasn't enough clearance for the doors to open. Now I understand why they wanted me to stick in those spacers I had previously deleted from the plan.  I had to take down the upper; remove the base cabinets; and then take out the screws holding the oven cabinet.  I attached the spacers to the upper and base cabinets, only instead of laying them with the 3 inch width exposed, I laid them on their side so the space was only 1/2 inch.  This would ensure the cabinets didn't expand beyond the corner.  Problem averted!  I got it all put back together with only a couple of small hiccups.  The last thing to do was to install and wire the under cabinet lighting.  Very simple wiring system, but very challenging to work in that small area.  I would pre wire the rest of the lighting before I put the cabinets up. 

Over the next two evenings Cassandra and I put up the other kitchen upper cabinets.  Now all that remains are the bases, and the butler's pantry cabinets (upper and lower) to be complete.  Cassandra's parents are in town so that will have to be a part of the next update.

Stage 3.0 So Now the Work Begins!

As of today, September 19, 2011 it has been 3 1/2 months that we have been without a kitchen.  What an experience!  I haven't blogged in a while, because not much has been going on. Things have been quiet since the big problems with the flooring and cabinet guy.  We did go pick out and purchase some Centurion Stone for the back splash behind the range hood.  We patiently waited for our flooring and cabinets to arrive.  Right after we submitted our online order for the flooring at Lumber Liquidators, I received an email informing me that the flooring was back ordered and wasn't scheduled to be shipped until no earlier that the 3rd of September.  KraftMaid had also called to confirm that they would be delivering the cabinets to the house on the 14th. 

I kept getting this sinking feeling that the cabinets would get here before the flooring.  This was going to be a major problem as I would need to keep the cabinets in the garage, and put everything that normally lives in the garage along the side of the house.  This was a great concern because my baby (2009 Harley Davidson, Rocker C) would have to be kept outside. What a travesty!  Oh yes, the lawn mower and snow blower would also need to spend some time in the rain, but the Rocker?  Say it isn't so!  With this thought in mind I kept checking the Lumber Liquidator site for the status of my order willing the status to change from Back Order to Shipped!  I checked in the morning...I checked at noon...I checked in the evening...no change!  

I was scheduled to leave for Chicago on the morning of the 5th, and Cassandra and I would be in Boston over the weekend for a wedding.  It would be just my luck for the flooring to show up while I was out of town, leaving Cassandra to deal with a major problem again.  Of course, on the 3rd I received an email informing me that my flooring had shipped. OK, so now I need to plan on the flooring getting there sometime during the week.  What to do....what to do?  I have it!  I will call my buddy Casey!  I am always amazed at the true level of friendship that my friends display toward me!  They are absolutely the best!  Casey didn't even blink, he said no problem even though he thought he would have to drive way up into Cincinnati to pick up the flooring. He was pleasantly surprised to learn there is now a Lumber Liquidators in Florence, KY.  On Sunday night the 4th, I received another email saying the flooring had arrived at the local store and was ready for pickup.   Cassandra was working all week and couldn't get to the store before Thursday.  She was also flying out to Boston that day, so this was a lot for her to coordinate.  Casey met her up at the store early and helped get the flooring home.  It took two loads on his trailer to get the flooring home...In the rain!  They had to carry the extremely heavy boxes into the house and stack them in two locations due to the extreme weight of the boxes.  Thank you Casey!  You are the man!  Cassandra then got on her flight, but had to have help getting her bag into the overhead compartment on the aircraft as her arms were completely shot!

We got back into town on September 11th (great day to fly! we felt very safe).  I would be working from home for the next couple of weeks so a great time to get started working on the floors.  The first couple of days during the week, Cassandra and I spent finishing removing some of the flooring that the water abatement company had left behind.  We both worked full days so we only had a short time in the evenings to focus on getting things ready.  It was a lot of work to hammer in all of the old staples left over from the old flooring.  I also knew that there was no way to put in new flooring without a precision saw.  I had a cheap saw that I had purchased 10 years before.  It was good enough to build a deck, but would not make precision angle cuts.  As with any big home improvement project, one must buy a new tool!  This was my chance!  I purchased a great Dewalt 12" compound miter with a work stand.  An absolutely essential tool for a successful installation of flooring.  I would also make a run to Harbor Freight Tools to pick up a flooring nail/staple gun.  It was actually cheaper to purchase to the tool than it would have been to rent the gun for the multiple days that it would take to get the flooring installed. Oh shucks! Another tool for me!

The cabinets arrived right on schedule Wednesday morning.  I thought it was funny that one of the delivery crew made a comment that while they were driving in he was thinking about how nice and flat all of the driveways were.  Then when they came around the corner he saw our drive and could only ope that it wasn't the house that they had to deliver to. Oops! They were very quick getting all of the cabinets out and into the garage in less than 20 minutes.  

 

It was Thursday before I could start laying out the flooring.  The first thing I would like to say is...WOW, this was a ton of work!  Cassandra and I worked Thursday evening, Friday evening, and all day and late into the night on Saturday to install the floors in the kitchen, breakfast area, family room and entry area.  I could barely walk when we finished.  Up and down...up and down...I felt like someone had taken a hammer to my hips.  I looked like someone had taken a hammer to my shins!  Oh wait, that was me.  I missed a couple of big swings right into the leg. Ouch!  I was so proud of Cassandra!  She jumped in and did her part. She would lay out the boards so that our patterns and board lengths were random.  She would also jump in and take her turn driving the staples into the tongue of the boards.  She was a real trouper!  Peyton and Paige also helped carry flooring boards and picked the best looking pieces for the best areas of the floor.  I gave that new miter saw a real workout, as well as my small table saw where I needed to rip down pieces to fit along the walls and in the closets.  

We were able to recycle a few of the cabinets that weren't damaged.  Most went into the basement for possible future use as storage, but we were able to move three uppers and the oven cabinet into the laundry room to become storage for cleaning supplies.  I will be adding shelves to the cabinet where the oven was once I get everything else completed.  We are going to paint the cabinets white so they don't distract from the Kaffe color cabinets going into the kitchen.  It is good to reuse!

The second major point I would like to make is how important it is to start out straight.  I have installed flooring before so I knew this was extremely important to ensure that you have an excellent result.  I took my time and made sure that I had a very straight line to start my first course from. It was also beneficial that the paper had lines to help keep you straight. I measured and re-measured each piece of the first two courses to ensure that the floor was absolutely straight.  Once the first course was confirmed to be absolutely straight it was just an exercise in setting an individual piece straight and then repeating that about 1,000 times!  I was so happy when we arrived at the opposite wall and where the flooring me the tile to find out that after all of that flooring we were less than 1/8" off end to end.  That was a blessing and a relief!

 

We only ran into a couple of issues during the entire installation of that flooring.  The flooring nailer jammed once (my fault), which required me to break it down and get the pieces of staple that jammed out.  The second issue was one piece of flooring that wasn't aligned perfectly, and had a tiny gap. That gap was going to cause a problem with the subsequent courses of flooring.  Unfortunately, I had put the next course on and didn't notice until I was trying to place the next overlapping course.  I was able to fix it by trimming off the tongue and a portion of the offending flooring.  When I fit the next piece you couldn't even tell that we had done anything.  Whew!  I thank my wife for keeping me calm!  I was not a happy camper that I had made such an error.  She just kept telling me we were giving the floor character.  What a jem!

Sunday I only put the last couple of pieces of flooring in that section that required me to rip down some pieces, so we held off on Saturday night because we were tired and prone to error.  We cleaned up the sawdust and waste pieces from the cuts.  It was amazing how little waste we had.  We did a great job of utilizing the flooring.  We now have only the hall, bathroom, dining and living areas to do flooring on.  We will finish that after we put in the kitchen cabinets.  The next area of focus is to get the cabinets installed so we can have the counter people out to measure for the granite.  Cabinets will be the focus of our next blog.  I can't wait!  Oh wait! Yes I can...I am really nervous about installing them.  I don't want to mess them up...time to phone a friend...Oh Jonathan!