Remodeling the Kitchen

Completely remodeling our Kitchen. Project started in earnest last weekend. As if I didn't already have enough to do, I am the General Contractor, eletrical contractor and plumbing contractor...along with carpenter and cabinet guy. Basically, we're not subbing out anything except for the gas-line work which requires a special license I don't have.

Pretty major project, tearing out all the counters, including the island. Putting in new counters, rearranging all the plumbing, putting in a new commercial stove. New appliances, new sink(s), the whole gamit.

This is the wife's present. She's wanted it for a long while. I gave up a barn and out-building to do it. Aw heck, she's worth it.

Spent last weekend tearing out a wall, re-doing about half the electrical in the kitchen and dining area (which involved re-doing a bunch of electrical down in the basement too). Re-framed the wall, sheet rocked, taped and textured. Finish taped and textured again this weekend, trimmed out the electrical and set the first 10 cabinets (of 35). New island will be huge, it's a combo prep island and dining room table (15' long by 9' wide). I'll demo out the old island and start the framing on the new island this week. Most of the new island will be custom cabinets, but there's still a bunch of framing to do.

Heh, when I saw cut the sheet rock in the hallway and kitchen the wife said..."Wow, you're making a huge mess! Is this whole job going to be messy like this???" I just laughed and told her she hasn't seen nothin' yet!! Got it cleaned up pretty well though...for the first phase. Wait till I start demolishing the existing island and yanking out all the existing cabinets! It's okay though, she got into it after a while and I even got her into doing some drywall work, including taping and texturing (and she did really, really, well for a first timer!)

Tired pup tonight.

All good though. Looks great so far.

I have a double natural convection oven commercial electric six burner range with a two foot griddle on it in the garage and I never got it installed yet. I got it from a friend, but a five foot stove is not that easy to put in our kitchen. It was in good shape, but now it needs a cleaning again, sometimes it is damp in the garage. I should put it in. Hooking up the vent system is the main drawback with it, I wish I just had the backsplash instead of the upvent . It is nice, it sucks the smoke from the grill back so it doesn't get into the air. It worked great, kind of expensive, six hundred bucks when I bought it. It is similar to this vulcan stove, same burners and griddle but a different back going up. It was in nice shape, now I have to polish it up again. Can't seem to put a link, it is the Vulcan EV60SS-6FP24G240 Endurance Series 60" Electric Range with 6 French Plates, 24" Griddle, 1 Standard Oven, and 1 Oversized Oven - 240V, 28.8 kW. Mine is an older model, it is actually close to the same but mine has a different drip tray for the griddle on the side.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Heh, when I saw cut the sheet rock

Razor knife my friend. Score the front and snap it. I have been remodeling/repairing a large house pretty much top to bottom since last July. Plus working full time.

New roof, new drywall, carpet, bathrooms, floors, paint...drywall ceilings suck by yourself. The last 3 weeks

been laid off the last 3 weeks so making big gains. Down to some finish work and then kitchen counter tops. Hopefully done this week before I go back to work again.

5 brm 3 bath 2 story house built in the late 1800's. Want to get it on the market.

Your project sounds much more fun. Good luck and have fun. It is nice working with the wife too. Just can't get her to do any drywall though

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk

Tired pup tonight.

All good though. Looks great so far.

Pics or it didn't happen.

U just finished mine. So while I read of all your hard work, I just look around at mine and think "I sure am glad I'm done with this".

originally posted by: network dude
Pics or it didn't happen.

Starting mine in April, goodbye easy bake oven, hello 48" range with double ovens.

a reply to: tinner07

Razor knife my friend. Score the front and snap it. ...

Yes, I know...but that's pretty tough to do when the drywall is in-place on an existing finished wall (screwed in place, taped, mudded, textured and painted). I was cutting into a wall cavity to fish a new electrical circuit and control some wiring for a thermostat into the basement. I had to move the thermostat for the house into the main hallway to make way for some cabinets in the kitchen/dining area (which is a bad location for a thermostat anyway).

For new drywall, that's the way to do it.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Heh, when I saw cut the sheet rock in the hallway and kitchen the wife said..."Wow, you're making a huge mess! Is this whole job going to be messy like this???" I just laughed and told her she hasn't seen nothin' yet!!

Tell her thats not the best part. If / since you're working alone, it will take longer and be messier than if a whole crew was working on it.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

We'll be putting in a 60" range with the double (full sheet pan sized) ovens.

And I am not looking forward to moving that bad-boy inside the house and maneuvering it into place in the kitchen! Going to have to remove a section of railing off the front deck to get the tractor close enough to the house to set it down on the deck. It's that or take it up 6 steps and around a tight corner.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


Sadly I couldn't go with the 60" since it won't fit between the windows so 48" is the best I can get. I negotiated free delivery, install and haul away with the store that sold me the appliances so I have no intention of trying to move a 600lb fridge or range.

a reply to: intrptr

Oh, she figured it out real quick once she started doing some drywall work herself!

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: intrptr

Oh, she figured it out real quick once she started doing some drywall work herself!

That'll speed things up.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Yeah, didn't have that option available (move in as part of delivery) since the range is coming from out of state. Lift gate delivery was the best I could get...and ironically I don't really need that. I can get it off the truck just fine, it's getting it inside which is the hard part.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
Yeah, didn't have that option available (move in as part of delivery) since the range is coming from out of state. Lift gate delivery was the best I could get...and ironically I don't really need that. I can get it off the truck just fine, it's getting it inside which is the hard part.

Most of the appliance stores would cough up free delivery, it was the install that I really wanted, I had no intention of hanging a 48" hood and blower with make up air system even if I had the time.

a reply to: rickymouse

But doesn't the vented backsplash require additional depth for duct work behind the stove? That, or duct work inside the wall?

Ours will be vented from the top, but I can tell ya it's going to cost a heck of a lot more than $600 bucks to exhaust this bad-boy! Just the hood alone costs more than that (like nearly 3x more). I'll probably hire a mechanical to do that work. There's some tricky duct work, a roof curb and a roof penetration required...and I do not do roofing (I just refuse to). Plus, there will be some custom stainless work inside too and I don't have a brake.

I used to say I'd never do drywall work (again) too, but here I am...doing drywall work. Many moons ago when I was still building houses I swore I'd never do drywall work again. I talked myself into it this time just because I love the framing work and the drywall isn't enough to warrant hiring someone to do it. Just two new walls and some knee-wall framing at the island.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

As noted above, I'm not going to do the exhaust work either. I'm tooled up pretty well for most stuff, but heavy mechanical like that is best left to someone else.

You bring up an interesting point though, one I hadn't considered until just now...hmmmmm...I'll bet I could get my mechanical guy (who's doing the hood) to set the stove! Boy, that'd sure save me a headache! (and a backache)

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
You bring up an interesting point though, one I hadn't considered until just now...hmmmmm...I'll bet I could get my mechanical guy (who's doing the hood) to set the stove! Boy, that'd sure save me a headache! (and a backache)

Probably could since installing the hood is not a one man job and at that point he's going to have the equipment to move the stove.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: intrptr

Oh, she figured it out real quick once she started doing some drywall work herself!

The more she helps with, the better for her to realize the time and mess that is unavoidable....we've run into things that need fixing, behind the walls. My husband is good at everything, and his drywall work is perfect, except that he'll use a whole gallon or two of mud, and I'm the finisher/sander/painter....

I use way less mud, but I've noticed three wall studs (out of 12) that are noticeable because he's not allowed to mud anymore, unless we're getting ready to sell and need it to look professional.

Have fun! 🙂

a reply to: snowspirit

I'm a nut about drywall joints, they have to be perfect. I don't want to see anything through the texture and paint when I'm done. Otherwise it will scream at me every single time I look at the joint and make me crazy until I fix it properly. She knows this, finished has to be truly "finished".

With that in mind, I think she's really done a heck of a job so far, especially considering she doesn't have a lot of drywall experience. Had her drywall, tape texture and paint 4 large patches we had to do in existing walls yesterday (places where I needed to cut access openings to get at the base plate) and I can't even see them now (at all)! Considering she got all of them but one done with a single coat of mud and a light sand was pretty impressive. On one she had some scale she had to go back and fix where she got some drywall dust in her mud coat. Finishing like that, on an existing wall (with existing knock-down texture and paint) is not for the timid...and she did a hell of a job!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Pictures or it didn't happen.