Weekend Progress

It's the second weekend of the Moore/Sakai 2008 Kitchen Remodel and might I say the current state of limitation, dust and clutter is just beginning to get a bit trying. Sometimes I just want to use an oven and a few burners at one time and not have to wash the dishes in the bathtub. But it'll be over soon and worth it, I know... Progress? Yes, we have some of that. Over the weekend our floor guy removed not only the very ugly yellowed vinyl tiles but also the next layer, leaving us with just the sub floor. We don't get a new floor until the week of March 10th which is okay because in this coming week we are looking forward to plaster wall repair and painting. But now you dare not walk through the kitchen to the downstairs or vice versa without shoes. Since we are general contracting this project ourselves, the schedule is squarely our responsibility. What is interesting in a 12-15 step remodel like this is (a) how pivotal the order of the vendors is and (b) some of the tidbits of detailed knowledge that come to light at the last minute which save us from making major mistakes. Such as needing an electrical inspection so we don't have to back track and rip stuff out. Or having the electrician follow the plumber in the final installs so that the disposal & dishwasher can be tested once they are hooked up to power. Or that replacing the floor means not just the vinyl tiles but the 1" layer of wood it's attached to. My greatest fear is that possibly, perhaps, maybe in the week of the 10th, the cabinets will not be delivered when they've been promised. The manufacturer and distributor have said nothing of the sort but almost everyone we've talked to bemoans the cruelty of not getting cabinets when they were promised. And we've based the timing of all the other vendors upon this delivery date. So we are thinking really positive thoughts right now that all will be well.

"Seriously, what is all this noise and mess about?"

"I got your snips right here..." Ken shows his HVAC handwork by sealing off a heat vent which will soon be blocked by cabinets.

The kitchen now minus the floor.

Demolition Time

Behold the long, narrow (now) empty room we call the kitchen...

And this is how we cook.

Demolition actually happened yesterday and today the electricians were here. They did a bunch of things including installing recessed lighting and bringing our electric stuff up to code. Tomorrow the electric inspector will be here to sign off (hopefully) so we can move on to patching up the ceiling where we have a few cracks and holes (ahem) from the electricians.

Kitchen Remodel: And we're off...

As I mentioned earlier, we are remodeling our kitchen and finally the day of reckoning is upon us. While we've been gearing up for the occasion by accumulating materials & appliances and making arrangements for cabinets and such, it was not until last night and today that we began to significantly alter our lifestyle and household for this event. Behold the living room aka storage...

Even with both the fridge doors and the dining room door removed, the fridge -barely- fit through the doorway. At first, Ken and I attempted to slide that monstrosity of a fridge through but it was so slanted and even a fraction of an inch made it hit the door jam. This caused one of our more heated & spirited conversations. So I suggested that we 1) use a dolly to tilt it on a diagonal and 2) call Ian from across the street who would be much better able (read: strong enough) to help Ken guide this huge thing through a narrow doorway on a dolly. Lucky for us, Ian & the dolly were a tremendous help and all was well again in the Moore/Sakai household.

(Temp kitchen--isn't it sweet?)

Demolition of these cabinets begins on Tuesday and believe me I cannot wait to be rid of them and that gawd-awful tile counter. However tomorrow, Ken will need to spend some quality time disconnecting the disposal & faucet and then unseal the sink from the counter and lift it out.

Oliver has been traumatized all day by the packing, moving of appliances and sopping up of water that squirted all over the floor from the waterline formerly attached to the fridge. I'm guessing he thinks we're all moving again. (Oh no, this is much worse.) We aren't exactly sure how he's going to deal with this. I think we may have to keep him sequestered down in the basement while workers are here which effectively denies him access to the outside via the cat door. Poor guy. Below he helps me illustrate the shocking truth about the color the floor used to be back in the 30's (yeah the 1930's when this house was built). Also the horror of what had been lurking beneath the fridge was so disgusting. Let's just say it was a demon spawn of cat hair, dust bunnies, nutshells and general filth. I did not take a picture of it because an image of it is already burned onto my soul.

Cats Can't Caucus

Oliver was very disappointed that he couldn't attend yesterday's Democratic caucuses with us. He wanted to support the candidate much like himself: black & white with hope for the future. This was my first time going to a caucus and I have to admit it was a little chaotic but an inspiring demonstration of taking responsibility for making things better. Many of our neighbors showed up as we stood/sat in our designated presinct areas. Our presinct along with most others in Washington voted heavily in favor of Obama. We were even able to sway enough undecideds to the Obama camp that we earned an extra deligate between initial and final vote counts. It's not that I doubt Hillary could do the job but I feel like we are at a very important time in history where our country is weak, splintered and resented by the rest of the world. I want to see something different, inspiring and focused. So that's why I/we caucused for Obama. And for the first time, it feels like our state's vote will count and the nominee will not be decided by just an early, involved few. I think the Republicans would like nothing better than to run against a Clinton because she's an "easy" target. And I know alot of the boomer women feel slighted that many younger women aren't supporting Hillary. Sure, she's the first viable female candidate we've ever had but really, she's a Clinton first. Her decisions are not informed or improved by her feminitiy. They are informed by a dynastic philosophy of power and influence she and her husband have built. Sad but true.