Demolition Time!

This looks like fun doesn't it?  It doesn't?  Well I'm here to tell you it is!..... for just about 30 minutes.  But nothing puts money in your pocket like doing the unskilled HARD work yourself.  If you haven't done physically hard work sometime in your life days at a time, hire this done. For inquiring minds the demolition debris went to a pile outside for accumulation into one BIG truckload for the dump. You can also rent a big bin. We saved a bundle and then invested in Ibuprophen. By the way we cancelled many of our holiday obligations in advance for "the project".  Wonder what we will remodel this Christmas.

Out comes the pantry in the corner.  Repeat for all the other cupboards and cabinets.

 

Repeat for all the other cupboards and cabinets, except the one supporting your working sink.

 

 

Next attack the doors, framing and door molding to help get flooring up.

 

 

First of three layers of linoleum circa 2012, 197X, 1952.

 

 

 

Now to get the rest up down to the subflooring...  Just set your skill saw to 1/4", cut through it at about 2 feet from wall and get out the digging bar from the tool shed to pry up the old layers.

 

 

Two old linoleum layers, 1/4 " plywood and 500 flooring nails later....

 

 

I'm tired just looking at the pictures again.  Yes, my t-shirt is soaked.  TMI?  Sorry about that.

Remove the cabinets supporting your working sink LAST!  Yep, you gonna do dishes in the family room bathroom with a dish drainer to one side. Note plastic sheeting to keep the rest of the house relatively dust free.

 

 

 

The Dining Room Becomes the Kitchen

Contrary to what you see in the home make over shows, you don't have the luxury of moving out for the renovation.  This is especially true if you are doing it yourself with contracted help for selected professional skills.  So here is how we set up a temporary kitchen to survive about 4 months "in exile".  First you move the refrigerator.  No bid deal except removing the doors, and freezer drawer to get it out of the 30" door. Then most of the food comes out.  Then you slide it into the living room on those plastic slider discs you buy at Home Depot.  OK, it WAS a big deal.

 

Then move the electric mini oven, microwave and bins or the cupboard food to dining room.  A little like camping, but mostly very disorienting when you try to prepare a meal.

For now, leave the stove in place and continue to use through the demolition (sneak preview). You just have to cover it for dust etc.

Eventually the stove also migrates out of the "war zone" and is inoperative of course. For relief we did take out a little more often, especially after a hard day on the "project".  Be careful to plan some fun time away or the "project" can kill a marriage you are intending to enhance.

Jeanne is a real trooper and we "made do" for the many weeks by "keeping our eyes on the prize set before us" (to borrow a phrase).  Happy camping!!

The Before Kitchen.

Last year I promised my sweet wife a new kitchen for Christmas. It was way overdue, and I wanted it for my Christmas as well to be honest.  Our home was built in 1952 and the evidence shown in these "before" pictures may bring a smile to your face.

 

Jeanne has a bite while I look toward the living room and the closed door to a bedroom.  We seldom actually used that entrance once the kids were grown.

The only upgrade from the original was some linoleum tile out of desperation.  Family room door is beyond cabinets and was originally the back door to the house before addition in about 1974.

Does this take you back?  I must have replaced "O" rings and seats just about every year we lived here, and the whole fixture twice.

Well at least the cupboards and cabinets where in "great shape".

Long Time Coming

As you can see from the date of the last blog it has been a LONG time since I used this space to communicate.  Much has happened to displace the time I used for blogging, most of it good I'm pleased to report.  About that later time allowing.  Hope you will enjoy my new posts however sparse.  Thank you all!

The little girl in the previous post has grown and is one of our most precious and anticipated guests from time to time.  Daylin recently spent some time to see SD Zoo.  Elementary grandparenting.

Guess where we are going!

 

On the way to see elephants and giraffes.