Kitchen Floor and a Big Day Ahead

The marmoleum is down in the kitchen, service porch, diner, entry and closets. It is lovely and almost makes me want to postpone the rest of the work so I can revel in the expanse of it. Almost.

Tomorrow is going to be huge: diner and kitchen windows, kitchen cabinets, new bathroom vanity, range hood maybe. And the kitchen sink. Oh, and maybe the toilet will come back!

In a State of Readiness

This picture shows the service porch and kitchen in the state of readiness.  The floor is ready for marmoleum and once the marmoleum is down the kitchen cabinets can go in. The window frames are ready for the new windows. The range hood structure is up. The plumbing and gas have been stubbed in. Everything is clean and prepped. It is ready for finish.

Is this where construction leaves off and finish work begins?  Seems like we have a long way to go before we are finished, but finish is a process.

Light switches

It was paint and electrical work today and JDC brought out the steady hands to cut the ceiling corners.

So, when I came home tonight, I walked in the backdoor, flicked a switch and, behold, the service porch. Then, the fresh walls of the kitchen were illuminated.
Cool.

Bathroom Stone

I had planned to install Caesarstone on the bathroom vanity but they don't make the right color. So I switched to stone. John and I shopped today and I found two that are very different but both are nice with my tiles.

Have you ever heard of wood onynx? That's what you see above, but the colors are not very accurate on my monitor.
Below, you see a sort of rosy-colored granite.

The Light and the Maquette

I don't know which is more impressive - the light in my new kitchen or the cool maquette that John constructed to determine the perfect height for the bathroom vanity. He sent these gorgeous photos in an email message to me at work. I wanted to drop everything and race home to stand in that room.

That soft gray floor is the linoleum-ready surface installed by the floor guys. Nathan's crew leveled the plywood floor and the gray stuff was floated on top. I dropped a marble in several spots and it didn't go anywhere.

The wraps are coming down and cabinetry is arriving

When I arrived home from work tonight, the plastic barricade between the kitchen and the hallway had been removed. I have not had kitchen access from the living room since September 1. This means that the dirtiest parts are done. Finish work from here on out, Baby!
Paul, the cabinent guy, installed the giant pull-out linen closet columns. They are beautiful! They are huge! (How long will it take me to fill them up?) They roll with ease like gentle giants. You will be jealous when you see them.
I've been dragging my feet on pulls and handles for both the kitchen and bathroom. Now that the cabinets are trickling in, I need to get going on that detail.

Paul also delivered the bathroom vanity. It is beautiful - an original design that will accommodate the Kohler basin and provide handy storage beneath. It is magic because the basin bottom nests below the cabinet top and Paul has figured out the geometry to maximize the drawers.
Unfortunately, the piece is too tall. It stands 36 inches high without the stone top and the basin stands about 3 inches above that. It is too tall for the wall-mounted spout.  I know it will work out in the end. Paul will fix it and it will be beautiful.

Tiled Bathroom

I could have sworn I made an overview of the newly tiled bathroom but I can't find it. Now that the bathroom is "dressed" for drywall and paint, I can't get that image, so here are some details.

The lead picture is the shower corner where the travertine meets the subway tile. It doesn't show well the subtle color of the grout, but see below for more grout views.

Next, you see the alcove in the shower for shampoo and soap. It is generously sized for lots more bottles than I usually use. I may have to decant my Aussie Mega shampoo from its garish purple bottle into something more in keeping.

I love the new floor. we went through a huge variety of floor ideas before we found this variegated and textured porcelain. I think it will be comfortable underfoot, provide sure footing in the shower and look charming.

Above right is a spot where you can see examples of most of our tiles: subway wall, pencil line travertine edge, porcelain floor and porcelain baseboard with a rounded top edge.

Saturday Status

I am away from home for a few days in Santa Barbara and John is on site again.   He says the tiles are in and grouted and they are quite beautiful. The kitchen and diner are painted.
He has a glass sample for the bathroom/service porch insert that looks promising with 5/8" cross-reeds.

Today's Window Shot

The Bath Transformation

These pictures give you a hint about all the great work going on in the bathroom. The floor has been sealed and a layer of cement is carefully sculpted to approach the drain. That light square in the shadow is a floor tile next to the drain.

The subway tiles are going up on the walls on sheets for the most part. But around the plumbing, they are precision trimmed to fit perfectly.