Home improvement

[Geoff]

I bought a cottage in my home town in early December. The kitchen has been completely gutted. The ceilings are down in the living room and study.

Here's step #1:
The ceilings were 7 feet. The living room and most of the kitchen are getting vaulted to 8 1/2 feet.

The new collar ties looking towards the fireplace:

The new collar ties looking in the other direction:

The kitchen was a disaster. That is a washing machine next to the fridge. No dishwasher.

Between the range and the outside wall, some of the valuable space was stolen to run a cast iron vent to the roof. That's all coming out and being replaced with PVC.

Here's the new kitchen layout. A U-shaped kitchen layout is supposed to be 8 feet wide. The distance between the bathroom wall and living room wall is only 7'5" so I had to get creative. To make to work, I had to sneak a countertop-depth fridge and dishwasher into the kitchen/living room wall. I also had to cheat a foot into the study to have enough space to fit a real table in the room. I removed a load bearing wall between the kitchen and living room so there are LVL beams going in next week to support things.

 

[TheBEast]

Cool.....so will this be the primary residence? Or a get-away type thing?

 

[WWF-VT]

The kitchen was a disaster. That is a washing machine next to the fridge. No dishwasher.

Disaster ? I thought everyone has a washing machine next to the fridge. That's the most efficient way to wash fresh vegetables.

 

[TheBEast]

Disaster ? I thought everyone has a washing machine next to the fridge. That's the most efficient way to wash fresh vegetables.

Nice! LOL!

 

[wa-loaf]

So where's the washing machine going?

 

[drjeff]

What's going to be done first Geoff, your cottage renovation or or powerboat renovation??

 

[Geoff]

Cool.....so will this be the primary residence? Or a get-away type thing?

Since I telecommute, this will be the summer 6 months.

So where's the washing machine going?

Stacked with the dryer. The dryer is in a deep closet in the foyer at the front of the house next to the fireplace. There's a utility room behind the fireplace with the hot water heater & furnace so I have hot & cold available a foot away. It's a matter of running a PVC drain and installing washing machine hot & cold service in that closet.

You can just see a slice of the closet with the dryer to the left of the fireplace in this shot:

I'm putting an LG stackable set with a gas dryer here:

What's going to be done first Geoff, your cottage renovation or or powerboat renovation??

Cruel!

The cottage should be done for May 1. I don't have high hopes for the boat and I'm doing both projects out of cash flow. The boat will probably be between the 4th of July and Labor Day. I may reconsider and just toss a used J-24 in my slip. There are tons of those kicking around.

 

[drjeff]

Since I telecommute, this will be the summer 6 months.



Stacked with the dryer. The dryer is in a deep closet in the foyer at the front of the house next to the fireplace. There's a utility room behind the fireplace with the hot water heater & furnace so I have hot & cold available a foot away. It's a matter of running a PVC drain and installing washing machine hot & cold service in that closet.

You can just see a slice of the closet with the dryer to the left of the fireplace in this shot:

I'm putting an LG stackable set with a gas dryer here:

Cruel!

The cottage should be done for May 1. I don't have high hopes for the boat and I'm doing both projects out of cash flow. The boat will probably be between the 4th of July and Labor Day. I may reconsider and just toss a used J-24 in my slip. There are tons of those kicking around.

There a definitely worse things to tool around on the water in than a J-24!

 

[Geoff]

There a definitely worse things to tool around on the water in than a J-24!

Yep. I have a slip sitting there. There's a J/24 for sale in Mattapoisett for $6,500. You know that price is negotiable. I'd probably beg a sailmaker friend to take a quick look at it with me. When my powerboat gets going, I can just toss the J/24 on a mooring. Since I have a really big dingy, I don't have to be too fussy about location in the harbor. I really don't care if the keel sits in the mud at moon low, either. I can play ownership games with friends who own waterfront land if the harbormaster gives me a hard time about sneaking in a shallow water mooring. My deceased boyhood best friend had one that's probably abandonded that I can take over.

 

[drjeff]

Yep. I have a slip sitting there. There's a J/24 for sale in Mattapoisett for $6,500. You know that price is negotiable. I'd probably beg a sailmaker friend to take a quick look at it with me. When my powerboat gets going, I can just toss the J/24 on a mooring. Since I have a really big dingy, I don't have to be too fussy about location in the harbor. I really don't care if the keel sits in the mud at moon low, either. I can play ownership games with friends who own waterfront land if the harbormaster gives me a hard time about sneaking in a shallow water mooring. My deceased boyhood best friend had one that's probably abandonded that I can take over.

That keel definitely wouldn't be the 1st one in the harbor at Padanarum that sits in the mud at low tide :lol:

 

[Geoff]

That keel definitely wouldn't be the 1st one in the harbor at Padanarum that sits in the mud at low tide :lol:

The nice thing about a J/24 as a daysailor is that it's really easy to get dirt cheap parts from all the race junkies. $500 for a main that has 10 races on it. As long as the hull and deck are intact and the trailer isn't falling apart, you can keep the thing going as things break for cheap.

 

[wa-loaf]

Stacked with the dryer. The dryer is in a deep closet in the foyer at the front of the house next to the fireplace. There's a utility room behind the fireplace with the hot water heater & furnace so I have hot & cold available a foot away. It's a matter of running a PVC drain and installing washing machine hot & cold service in that closet.

lol, I was just joking, but very nice!

 

[Geoff]

lol, I was just joking, but very nice!

I did the 1 month online subscription to Consumer Reports to pick appliances. Turned out that LG has the best reliability ratings so I bought a stacking LG washer & gas dryer. The guy who services my Kenmore stuff in Killington always tells me the new stuff is junk and to just keep the old stuff. My stuff is from 1986 and I doubt I have more than $150 in repairs since I bought my condo in 1993.

I replaced every appliance in the house. Washer, dryer, gas range (GE Profile), range hood (Broan), dishwasher (Bosch), garbage disposer (Waste King), French door countertop depth fridge (KitchenAid).

I still need to buy a microwave for the counter top above the dishwasher and a dehumidifier for the crawl space. The crawl space had venting and moisture problems. I made the seller rip out all the old insulation (installed upside-down, a mold factory), reinsulate, and install proper venting. Turns out LG also makes the dehumidifier you want to buy since they come with a 5 year warranty. They all fail but at least LG will repair or replace it.

I made a list on a spreadsheet and did the internet search to find the lowest price on each item. It was about 30% off MSRP. Turned out the local guys came within $100 of my cheapest internet price not counting the 6 1/2% sales tax. I had them mail me a sales invoice and read them a credit card number over the phone so I know for sure the appliances will be in their warehouse when I need them in 2 months.

 

[bigbog]

Nice home-rehab stoke Geoff! Hey, don't toss the water recreation by paddlecraft(ie canoe) out the window just yet!...canoeing saves a lot of $$$ and can be an aerobic workout..

 

[Geoff]

Nice home-rehab stoke Geoff! Hey, don't toss the water recreation by paddlecraft(ie canoe) out the window just yet!...canoeing saves a lot of $$$ and can be an aerobic workout..

I own a 12 foot Whitehall dinghy. I already paid for a float spot for it so it's not stored in the water. It's about 100 yards from my boat slip by water. It also gives me an alternate place to park if the parking at my boat slip is full.

This is what it looked like when it was in Portsmouth, NH

 

[WakeboardMom]

I still need to buy a microwave for the counter top above the dishwasher...

Have you looked at the Advantium? I love mine.

Are you taking reservations yet? :wink:

 

[Geoff]

Have you looked at the Advantium? I love mine.

Are you taking reservations yet? :wink:

I haven't physically looked at microwaves yet. Just read the Consumer Reports reviews. That is a May 1 purchase. For now, I'm just telling the electrician that it will need a separate breaker for that GFCI outlet. I don't want to go through the microwave + toaster + coffee maker popped circuit breaker problem.


Edited:
Just looked up Advantium. I just want a freestanding range. I have no extra space to stash a wall oven and I really don't feel like paying for features I don't use. My Killington GE Profile gas range has convection oven and warming drawer. I don't use either feature so I deleted them from the new gas range I'm buying. In a summer house, I doubt I'll be using the oven much. Bake/broil fish will be 90% of the use. I would get no use at all out of an oven/convection/microwave. I use a microwave to heat up coffee & tea and leftovers. I'd rather have that function at countertop level than in a lower cabinet below a cooktop and I have no space to put it elewhere.

 

[WakeboardMom]

I haven't physically looked at microwaves yet. Just read the Consumer Reports reviews. That is a May 1 purchase. For now, I'm just telling the electrician that it will need a separate breaker for that GFCI outlet. I don't want to go through the microwave + toaster + coffee maker popped circuit breaker problem.


Edited:
Just looked up Advantium. I just want a freestanding range. I have no extra space to stash a wall oven and I really don't feel like paying for features I don't use. My Killington GE Profile gas range has convection oven and warming drawer. I don't use either feature so I deleted them from the new gas range I'm buying. In a summer house, I doubt I'll be using the oven much. Bake/broil fish will be 90% of the use. I would get no use at all out of an oven/convection/microwave. I use a microwave to heat up coffee & tea and leftovers. I'd rather have that function at countertop level than in a lower cabinet below a cooktop and I have no space to put it elewhere.

Gotcha on the summer house thing. Probably why we haven't missed having it in the lake house.

I love my Advantium in the other house, though. I thought the same as you initially, "Why do I need that?" I love it.

I'm not sure you looked at the correct appliance though. Is this what you looked at?
http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/SCA2000.html?mv_pc=fr&utm_source=google&utm_medium=base
(NO remarks about ending a sentence with a preposition, wiseguy!! ; - )

 

[Geoff]

Gotcha on the summer house thing. Probably why we haven't missed having it in the lake house.

I love my Advantium in the other house, though. I thought the same as you initially, "Why do I need that?" I love it.

I'm not sure you looked at the correct appliance though. Is this what you looked at?
http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/SCA2000.html?mv_pc=fr&utm_source=google&utm_medium=base
(NO remarks about ending a sentence with a preposition, wiseguy!! ; - )

I opted out of over-the-range microwaves. In looking at exhaust performance, they're lousy compared to a range hood. I also didn't want to give up the 9" of cabinet space in a kitchen that's so shy on cabinet space. The range hood I'm installing only takes up 7". It moves 400 cfm, is quiet at 300 cfm, and is coated with teflon underneath so I can actually keep it clean. That GE Advantium microwave/range hood unit only moves 300 cmf and I'm sure it cavitates like crazy at the high 300 cfm fan setting. My range hood is also $1,000 cheaper than that microwave.

I just want a counter top microwave that can hold a 12" dinner plate or a 16 oz ceramic coffee mug.

 

[WakeboardMom]

I just want a counter top microwave that can hold a 12" dinner plate or a 16 oz ceramic coffee mug.

Nope. No cavitating. It's amazing what it can do. We don't have to shovel out the grill to cook steak. I was a doubting Thomas initially, but I've come around. You're right about giving up cabinet space for sure. Ours is properly vented, which meant the pipe had to go through two upper cabinets to get to an outside wall. The contractor thought we were crazy, but because we have tons of cabinet space, it wasn't an issue for us.