# As long as we are here, we might as well....



## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

10 years ago, I had our current home built. We loved everything about the floor-plan except the kitchen, but I figured it will suffice until I had the time and money to rip it all out, and by then I'll know exactly what I want.

Our schedule was greatly accelerated by having the refrigerator's water & ice supply line spring a leak while I was over in Afghanistan. My wife got the fridge pulled out and water shut off and mopped up the mess. What she _didn't_ get was the water that seeped under the base cabinets on that side of the kitchen and wicked up into the wood, causing them to swell, delaminate and mold. She is HIGHLY allergic to mold. It also got under the edge of the vinyl flooring which started to peel up. We were very lucky the walls and insulation stayed dry.

So, the floor needs to come up and we need to replace the base cabinets on each side of the stove. OK, I can do that. 
Pull the old range out, pull the cabinets out, pull the fridge out and start scraping up the old sheet vinyl.





  








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sandsquid


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Mar 16, 2014








About half way through scraping, my wife and I head down to pick up new base cabinets to match our old ones, luckily the exact model and color are still being made. and we see the most perfectly beautiful cabinets. 
She asks: Since we have to replace two, couldn't we just replace all the base cabinets at once so they match?
Yes, dear.
And as long as we are replacing the base cabinets, could we go ahead and cut off that stupid "L" shaped peninsula that sticks out across from the fridge and chokes off the kitchen?
Why yes, I would like that very much.
After over 100 hours of scraping, I decided there is no way my knees are going to hold out for the entire job. I did some calling around and found a great tile guy who would come in and level the underlayment, and lay the tile for a very fair price. I jumped at the offer! Besides the base cabinets were due in Monday. Floor gets finished Sunday night!





  








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Mar 16, 2014








Monday afternoon the cabinet place calls me : Sir, we have a problem. Your cabinets came in wrong, do you want them anyway? Hell no I want what I ordered and paid for!
OK, run out to the curb and haul all the old cabinets back inside the house, so we actually have a functioning kitchen for the next month while waiting for the correct cabinets to come in...




  








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sandsquid


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Mar 16, 2014







You can see where I used my circular-saw to rip off the stupid "L" shaped peninsula off.

Oh, yeah, I get a call that the new induction cook-top and double (convection) oven I ordered, showed up 3 weeks EARLY!

To be continued...


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Since we need new counter-tops to go on top of the new cabinets, and I've always wanted butcher-block everywhere I order up a bunch of John Boos maple tops. One for each side of the stove and a gigantic 200#, 30"x96" slab for the sink side. About this time my (most wise) wife suggested that we invite over an architect friend (that owed me a huge favor) and ask him for his opinion. He came over and saw where I was headed:




  








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sandsquid


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Mar 16, 2014








Yeah, that's great. However, I really don't like the idea of the butcher-block and under-mount sink let me do some drawings and show you some options.

A few days later he calls and say's "I just emailed you some drawings, you are doing granite over the dishwasher and sink, butcher-block everywhere else. If you are going to to do it do it right!"
But I already took delivery of the 30"x96" slab, it's sitting in my friends warehouse right now!





  








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Mar 16, 2014








So you are a woodworker, cut it in half!
But, do you know how much that thing cost?
Yeah I do, you should have called me _before_ you ordered anything!
Oh dear, my head is starting to hurt!
By the way,you are going to owe me one hell of a gourmet dinner when your kitchen is finished!


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

So, Friday he takes my wife and I to a stone-yard, and after much searching he and my wife find the "perfect" granite remnant, so the price is nice, and my wife loves it so that is all really matters.





  








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Mar 16, 2014








So, until the cabinets show up Monday, and hopefully they are correct this time, everything is on hold until I get them set in place, then the granite fabricator can come in and make his template.


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

Looking nice!


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

SandSquid said:


> ... Yes, dear....
> 
> ... Why yes, I would like that very much...
> 
> To be continued...


@SandSquid

I love it!

This is the first piece of advice my Father gave to my Husband when he asked him if he could 'have my hand'... just say "Yes Dear" to everything she says!

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

You're a good man

(and BTW, *thank you* for your service to our country, I KNOW that freedom isn't FREE!)


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

And Saturday, the glorious fridge showed up!





  








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Mar 17, 2014








And would not fit under the "above the fridge wall cabinet" by 1/4"!

My wife, knowing I'm just a wee-bit OCD was really perplexed by the fact it did not fit, since I obsessed over (literally) every 1/16" of the kitchen design.

Finally, it dawned on her and she asked me "When you measured the opening for the new fridge, did you take into account the thickness of the new mortar and floor tiles?

I just had to chuckle to maintain my sanity.

Now, if my measurements are correct, I'll have 1/4" to spare after I squeeze a 30" base cabinet between the stove and the fridge, instead of the 27" that is currently there.

It's not much, but in a 110 Sq.Ft. kitchen, every inch of cabinet and counter-space is precious. ( I'll just need to find someplace else to stash my full sheet pans.)


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

See if you can remove the rolling castors on the fridge... might drop it down 1/2" ... besides do you really need to clean back there?


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

yeah, ya'know @MichaelGA I was thinking along those lines, maybe the leveling feet could be the thing? I mean 1 quarter inch, geez for that matter maybe even plane the bottom edge of the upper cabinets a hair?


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

My wife decided that since we are going to need to move all the upper cabinets up an inch anyway because :
1)  The recently discovered new floor / fridge height issue.

2)  She just found out the lift-bowl stand mixer no longer fits on the countertop with the added height of the floor and the added thickness of the butcher-block countertops.
3)  We are still a few hundred _under_ budget, thanks to not having to rip out any dry-wall and insulation.
We should just go ahead and order the matching upper cabinets and get them installed now, instead of waiting until next year. 

Can't say that I disagree with her logic.  However with 6 to 8 week lead time on the custom cabinets, that will drag the project out to June possibly even July.  We had already planned to host a "May Day Grand Re-Opening Party" for all the folks that have helped us over the past few months with the project.  

Whats the point of being a life-long foodie, and a Culinary Arts Student, if you can't spoil your friends with a delicious home cooked meal...


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

I seriously considered cutting up the upper cabinet and shoving it under there, but the manufacturers installation spec sheet states: "To ensure proper ventilation for your refrigerator, allow for a 1⁄2" (1.25 cm) space on each side and at the top." And with the retail cost of a Kitchen Aid KFCP22EXMP sitting right at $3k, I'm not doing anything to potentially void the 10 year (parts and labor) extended warranty I got the salesman to throw in for no extra charge.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

good call @SandSquid ... and if Missus wants new uppers too, well who's to argue, a happy wife is a happy home


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Huge progress day today, at least four out of my five new base cabinets arrived, and they are correct!





  








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sandsquid


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Mar 18, 2014








Nobody knows where the fourth cabinet is. It left the factory, and according to the manifests never left the truck, but somehow was not on the truck when it got to the last stop. Somewhere on some cold, dusty, loading dock, there is a lonely 12" wide, 3-drawer base cabinet, in natural (unstained) maple with slab overlay doors...

At least I have enough to get the sink-base and dishwasher set in place, so I can get the granite fabricator in (hopefully tomorrow) and he can make his template.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Ironically, the only mold in any of the dry-wall, was where the coffee pot had over-flowed a few times and the coffee seeped under the side back-splash.





  








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sandsquid


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Mar 18, 2014








So, I got all the moldy stuff cut out, laid in a patch, and got it all mudded and taped and feathered out today.





  








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Mar 18, 2014


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

So, yesterday was another big-big-big day.

The monstrosity of a waste union is now gone!





  








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Mar 19, 2014












  








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The last if the John Boos butcher-block came in, and a test-fit shows that I can get a 30" base in between my stove and refrigerator, just barely, but it fits!





  








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Mar 19, 2014








I got my ledger boards set to bump the cabinets out an additional 1.5 inches.
Ready for our granite fabricator to come this morning and make his template!




  








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sandsquid


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Mar 19, 2014








The granite sample looks stellar next to the butcher-block




  








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Mar 19, 2014








Today after school, we pull the two base cabinets to the left and right of the stove and get the new ones set in place.
Secure the butcher-block, and I can work on fitting the butcher-block back-splashes.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Our granite guy came and made his template and we are in a holding pattern until his crew returns with the counter-top and under-mount sink combo.

Decided to go with a medium single-bowl. Still large enough to fit a sheet-pan, but leaves plenty of room for a big wide reveal around the sink. Why pay for all that glorious granite, just to cut it all away for a monster sink? Perhaps it will encourage folks to put dirty dishes in the dishwasher instead of piling them up in the sink?

Got the new cabinet and counter-top set on the left side of the stove.





  








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sandsquid


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Mar 20, 2014








Just need to fabricate the side and back-splash, then we can work on tiling the walls.

Hopefully my wife can decide on door/drawer hardware soon.

I did mention I was a wee bit OCD, didn't I?





  








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Mar 20, 2014


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

New base-cabinet and counter-top installed for 38 minutes and already got my first cuts in the block, and it felt great!





  








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Mar 22, 2014


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

looking good, glad it's coming along


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Our granite fabricators came and installed the counter-top and sink.

Can't wait for my wife's shift to be over so she can see it.





  








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sandsquid


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Mar 24, 2014








At first I really had my doubts about going with a single-bowl sink, but our architect said it would "fit" very well in the small space and having the extra wide reveal front and back and especially on the left, it would really keep the water away from things that should not be getting wet.

And it fits a full sheet pan for washing just fine, which was my only real "must have".





  








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sandsquid


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Mar 24, 2014








I really could not be more pleased with how he project is coming along, even considering having to wait __another__ 6-8 weeks for the last two base cabinets and all the upper cabinets to arrive. But, we really do need to take a break from the project and get the house back in order and let the dust settle. It is especially important for marital harmony to get my wife into working with those 5 Kilo blocks of Callebaut Belgian Dark and Milk Chocolates

If anybody is in the market for a new residential garbage disposal I can only sing the highest praises for the Insinkerator Evolution Series "Excel" model. Granted, the price tag was a bit hard to swallow but after how much we already sank into the project, I figured why start compromising now? This thing is so silent, I thought the motor was jammed up when I first turned it on. The toughest thing I had to test it out on was some shanks from last nights Ossobuco, didn't even slow it down.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Fantastic post thanks for sharing!!! Your kitchen looks amazing and a wonderful place to cook. Where did you order the butcher block counter from and how much did that set you back?


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

This really has been a labor of love/hate.   We absolutely hated our old kitchen layout, and I tried to design in everything that I ever wanted into a compact, efficient logical workspace.  Previously one person lone felt boxed in and confined in the kitchen, and there was no way two people could be in there at the same time.  Last night I was making some flat bread in a skillet on the stove, while my wife was prepping some veggies at the sink, and my youngest daughter was raiding the fruit-drawer of the fridge.  My wife commented that we set a new record for most people in our kitchen at the same time, ever.

I ordered the Boos countertops through therdstore.com the equipment branch of Restaurant Depot, it was just shy of $100 each with shipping.  

As I mentioned earlier I also have a 96"x30" slab that was supposed to be over on the sink side, but my architect friend changed my mind to make it half granite and half butcher-block.  So I'll be using about 48" of it for countertop and then I'll have 48"x30" left-over.

My wife and I were at Restaurant Depot today and she saw a half-height bun pan rack and mused that she could really use that for cooling and storing her cakes and cookies, etc. and I could mount the "left over" butcher block to the top of it for her to have a place to decorate at.  I really need to stop bringing her there, she is getting as bad as me!


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

SandSquid said:


> I really need to stop bringing her there, she is getting as bad as me!


Well it could be worse... she could simply be the opposite and stare blankly at you when you pull out the 2' by 3' cutting boards to make carrot sticks for the kids!


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

MichaelGA said:


> pull out the 2' by 3' cutting boards to make carrot sticks for the kids!


I've never done that, ever. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

We hit another milestone today.

Of the five samples of cabinet pulls we ordered, she said she loved the Oil Rubbed Bronze handles.





  








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Mar 28, 2014








Figures, they were twice the cost of the next least expensive option.

"Yes dear."


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## lagom (Sep 5, 2012)

"Yes dear."

Wisest words a man ever says. Nice work on the kitchen. Are you available for hire? Lol


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Lagom said:


> Are you available for hire?


Yes, yes I am.

I used to be a commission furniture maker, way back in the 90's. Specialized in "historically accurate restoration" of Shaker and Federal Period pieces.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Last step until the new base cabinets come in.

Just need to trim to fit, and fabricate the back-splash, but can't do that until the rest of the base cabinets arrive. I'm kind of "OCD" like that.





  








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Mar 30, 2014


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1







My wife came in just as I was taking the picture and said:
"Eww, don't take a picture with those nasty old cabinets underneath that pretty new counter."

(I had to re-appropriate the old cabinets' drawer pull screws to mount the new pulls on the new drawers.
must visit the hardware store, soon.)


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

SandSquid said:


> Yes, yes I am.
> 
> I used to be a commission furniture maker, way back in the 90's. Specialized in "historically accurate restoration" of Shaker and Federal Period pieces.


That sounds way expensive....not that I wouldn't like a few 'modern-replicas' myself... especially a spice cabinet, or even chest... with lots and lots of little drawers. Although I'd still use zip-top bags in them.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

MichaelGA said:


> That sounds way expensive....


Nah, I had a "self-supporting hobby", just enough to feed my tool habit...


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

'Squid...

Nice job, well narrated and illustrated.  Did that myself twelve years ago, and the kitchen is still going strong.  (Me, not quite so much.) My son owned a cabinet shop, so we did the cabinets, too.

A minor suggeston, which is a little late, but when you can, use ball valves for the water-supply stops. They mostly never wear out, which can't be said for the conventional angle valves.

Hope to see pix of the final product, and happy cooking!

Mike


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

single ball valve on teh cold side.

Double ball valve on the hot side for Dishwasher and Hot tap,


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Great--

You won't have to think about 'em for twenty years, at least. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

Mike


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## jake t buds (May 27, 2013)

Nice work sandsquid. 

Have you considered oiling your counter tops with mineral oil? I have a round maple end grain butcher block cutting board and it looks great oiled. Deep and gorgeous, but you know that being a woodworker.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Bottoms and sides and first few inches of the top closest to the sink, are finished with many coats the John Boos EZ-DO Wipe On Polyurethane Gel.

As I mentioned in my "review" of the countertops, the tops got a coat of Boos Block Mystery Oil whenever it started looking dry, and they soaked up a LOT the first few days.

Once this tube is gone I'll switch back to my personal "Board Oil" that I've been using for 20 years. It is a blend of mineral oil from the local drug-store, and brood comb wax from the local bee keeper I'm got my honey from at the time. Because it is darker than the regular wax, it's was free. When I first get that batch of wax I melted it down, strained it, and then poured it into old ice-cube tray(another yard-sale find). When they cool they tip out just like molded chocolates. Then I drop 2 or 3 cubes of per quart of mineral oil, in an dedicate old mini-crock-pot I got for $5.00 at a yard sale. When it's time to re-oil, just dig it out, plug it in and let it heat up and rub it in. I still have a small paper lunch bag full cubes from that original 2 pounds of bees wax.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

It's been a whirlwind few days again aboard the SS Never Sail.
Got a call last friday morning that the correct/unbroken cabinets were in, so I scrambled to get the trailer hooked up and get down there and get them before the torrential rains set upon us for the weekend.





  








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May 15, 2014








The four of us were literally unloading the last three cabinets off the trailer into the house as the skies opened up on us.
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This should pretty much map the progress around the room:





  








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May 15, 2014








Those batten strips I screwed to the wall under the old cabinets REALLY save your back.
Just screw the battens to the wall (make sure you are into at least 2 studs) snug up against the bottom of the cabinet, remove the mounting screws, flip the old cabinet down, set the new one up and screw it to the wall.
Or if you are OCD like me, take all the time you need to line it up perfectly with the base cabinets and get it absolutely plumb and square.

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So, as I freely admit, I tend to be a bit OCD, but it's my damned house, and especially my (err, "our") kitchen, and I want it perfect, dammit.





  








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sandsquid


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May 14, 2014








And I don't think you can get any more accurate than actually splitting the line of the laser-beam.

_*Why? because I can!*_





  








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sandsquid


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May 14, 2014








So,after much fussing, I'm almost there.





  








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May 14, 2014








The half-heigh, half-sheet, bun pan rack explains the giant void under the left side of the countertop.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

Everything's  looking great, Sand. I'm actually looking into new kitchen counters myself. Yesterday I stopped by a bath and kitchen place after work to get some estimates on quartz, corian, and even Eco.

Love your block, need to look into those for my center island.. must feel good indeed.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Pollopicu said:


> I'm actually looking into new kitchen counters myself.


Once I got the name of a true local stone guy, I found out that real, natural Granite is quite reasonable, especially if you can find what you want in a remnant from left-over stock from a previous job.

My architect strongly advised against using any "synthetic stone" anywhere near heat as it can burn/scorch form hot pans set on it.

In retrospect, I'm glad he stopped me form under-mounting the sink in the butcher block.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

Yeah, we learned that the hard way in the last rental we had. They had corian counter tops, very nice I might add, and my husband put the teakettle on top, and it left a ghostly whitish mark. We called a few people to repair it, and thank goodness it wasn't deep enough, the counter repair guy used a special kind of grade buffing sponge, and it made it disappear, but again, we were very lucky because had the pot been hotter, or had he left it there longer we would've damaged it permanently and we would've been mortified.


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## dcarch (Jun 28, 2010)

Great work! Very professional. Very impressive.

Is the electric outlet near the sink GFP outlet?

dcarch


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

> Is the electric outlet near the sink GFP outlet?


The entire kitchen is GFCI, even the hot side.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

So close to being done, so very very close!

0'Dark:25 a fewnights ago found me putting the finishing touches on installing the vent-hood.

The hood is a Bosch DUH30252UC which I feel is a good compromise between the ability to move enough air ( 400 Cubic Feet per Minute ) and not be so overly large as waste a bunch of overhead cabinet space.

Since the project is running longer than anticipated and my wife wants it wrapped up, I decided to run it in "recirculation" mode until I'm ready to cut an 8" diameter hole in our outside brick wall to vent it outside. So far I have been very impressed, even without the activated carbon filters installed, very little cooking aroma escapes into the rest of the house. The filters were ordered at the same time as the hood three months ago form my Navy Exchange (Military PX), great prices and no tax, but "custom orders" can take a while to fulfill.

Even with 50 Watt 50 Deg. angle halogen floods the lighting was rather paltry an quite "yellow" (left photo) so I replaced them with some 7 Watt (35 Watt halogen equivalent), 40-degree LED lamps and the amount of light a quality is much, much better (right photo) 




  








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May 21, 2014











  








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May 21, 2014








Now, my wife want's to replace all our halogen track lighting bulbs with LED's and I can't say I'm at all opposed to the idea, except for the initial cost. She does complain that the lights over the kitchen table throw too much heat, especially when she is working with chocolate or fondant and gum paste.

To try and tie it all together with the dining area, and gain some more useable storage, where we had a lame old side-board, I ordered two custom 3-drawer bases. A little lower and not as deep as the kitchen cabinets, but in the same material, with full-extension soft-close glides. This turned out to be a perfect place for my wife to store all her chocolate molds, cake baking and decorating stuff. (Our "deal is; if I don't count her cake pans, spatulas, pallet knives, and decorating tips, she won't count my knives and micro planes ;-)





  








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May 21, 2014








Right now, two full sheet pans are our countertop, but our stone guy is cutting us a top to match the granite in the sink area. Since our entry-hall leads right into our dining area, this spot is the "catch-all" for the items in our hands walking in and for the things we'll be needing to walk out with. (Doesn't everybody have their own 23 Liter, Hungarian Oak Barrel for finishing their home-made "big reds" and mead?-)

Really the ONLY things left:


For her to decide on the walls & back-splashes, and then I can install it.
Get some under-cabinet task lighting picked out and installed.
Seriously considering going with LED.

Install the toe-kick facias.
Figure out a way to organize my spice collection.
Spiced _had_ been in the cabinet above the stove. I tried moving them to keep them away from the heat and humidity, and I've already had a few glass jars fall on my new ceramic induction cooktop, scared the crap out of me! This is likely going to be an issue going foreword. Suggestions welcome!

For now, I'm just going to button the project up so I can concentrate on this semester, which in conjunction with a home-kitchen remodel, is really kicking my butt. Baking, Pastry, Confections, American Regional, and International... too much for one semester! But, next semester should be pretty light and groovy by comparison.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

A real bonus in this reconfiguration was the ability to add TWO half-heigh, half-sheet, rolling bun-pan racks.

One tucks neatly under the butcher-block countertop:





  








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sandsquid


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May 21, 2014








The second one fits rather nicely under a microwave table I cobbled together form some "spare parts" left over from dismantling the Boos butcher block workbench, and a hunk of the slab left over from when my architect friend talked me out of under-mounting the sink in a gigantic butcher block countertop. So all-in-all it worked out pretty darned well:





  








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May 21, 2014








Our stone guy is cutting and polishing a glorious black marble slab to replace the polly cutting board top of this rack for my wife's sugar & chocolate work.


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

Looking great!


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

I need a small speed rack just like that for my kitchen too. I agree with MichaelGA, looks great.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

My wife thought I was fscking crazy when I suggested it, but it really proved its worth in a single cake decorating marathon (two birthday commission cakes and a bachelors cake all due on the same day). The ovens totally handled the 9 (nine) cakes in one bake session, but those racks, as much as she hated to admit it, saved our butts and kitchen table!

They are the Channel HT-307/P 

Really really convenient.

And check this out, put a 1/2 sheet pan on the bottom rack, add an induction hob set to 140 with a pan of water, and load the rack up with any items that need proofing. Slip a rack cover over the top and you have a perfect temporary proofing cabinet.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

Awesome, thanks for sharing.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Do it right, and do it once.

Laying out the attachment of the butcher-block counter to the backsplash:





  








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May 29, 2014








After much deliberation: the knife layout is decided:





  








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May 29, 2014








Making sure everything lines up perfectly.





  








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sandsquid


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May 29, 2014








Done!




  








butcherblock_knives.jpg




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sandsquid


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May 29, 2014








Well, almost, I still need to bore the holes for the honing steels.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Another unexpected happy day, our stone guy called and asked if the base cabinets might be set yet, and if they were if he could squeeze in and install do our this week.
Umm, let me think.. hell yeah!





  








sideboard.jpg




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sandsquid


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Jun 1, 2014








You can just barely see where he bored a hole in the top to pass a electrical cord through, so my darling can have a lamp or a clock or whatever plugged in, since that righthand cabinet fell right on top of an electrical outlet. I was going to bore a hole through the side of the cabinet and mount a power strip but she likes this idea just fine.

And they did a fine job making a polished black marble top to replace the polly cutting board on top of the half-height rolling sheet pan rack.
He had a remnant that was "just big enough" so it only cost me $40.




  








Marble_cart-Top.jpg




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sandsquid


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Jun 1, 2014








I also mentioned earlier that the folks at http://coverallcovers.com/ were custom making me some covers for both my rolling racks.

3-ply, 4 zippers, $38.00 each, done deal!




  








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sandsquid


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Jun 1, 2014











  








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sandsquid


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Jun 1, 2014


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

Looking great!

You're better setup than 3/4 of the places I've worked over the last 30 years!

Beautiful.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

MichaelGA said:


> You're better setup than 3/4 of the places I've worked over the last 30 years!


That is exactly the point, maximum practical useable in a minimum space. I've worked in several commercial kitchens, and this is my second trip through culinary school (had to drop out of J&W back in 1988 for financial reasons). So I'm taking the summary of my 40(something) years knowledge, experience, likes and dislikes, and making it happen.

For now, my wife feeds her muse and makes a few extra dollars decorating cakes (that I bake) and doing candies and confections. I love to bake, bread primarily but anything really, helps find my inner peace, ( especially after too many trips to dry sandy combat zones) And being able to sell a loaf of bread here and there helps to satisfy my mortgage requirement while I'm in school.

When I get out of school who knows. We are trying to work out a business plan & core menu for a small bakery storefront. Some friends of ours have had an entire commercial doughnut shop ( that their parents ran for 15 years and lost their lease, so they retired) packed into a storage locker for 5 years. My wife has the MBA so she is dealing with all that business stuff, I know I should never be trusted to "manage money".


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