I mentioned in the "networking" thread that I had a lot of stuff going on at the moment. This is one of them:

A couple of years ago, Joyce and I decided to bring in a plumber to replace everything in the house from the meter in. Three weeks ago we decided to do it, and two weeks ago the drain pipe in our kitchen sink opened up, leaving us without use of a kitchen sink. We're being very un-green with lots of throwaway plates, cups, bowls and silverware, and doing the necessary dishes in our bathtub!

Anyway, The plumber is coming in about a week so I started doing some demolition today. I started a couple of photo galleries (one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom) to show progress to our families who are out of state. Since there are some here that know about and enjoy such things, so I figured I'd post the links here.

I have no idea what I'm doing, so I'm open to any and all suggestions!

We LOVE demolition! Sawzall, sledge, bring it! I'll be right over!

Good luck, Mark. I'm with Tom--the demolition part is fun. Putting things back together is another story. . .

Alright men.... Chant it with me!

DEMO
DEMO
DEMO
DEMO...


Yea, that pink has got to go!

I don't envy you and the slat/plaster walls, but I am sure that it will look great and be worth the effort. Redoing our kitchen, master bath, and guest bath are "on our list" too. Basement first, then a nice big deck, and then some time off from home improvements, and then tearing out counter tops, putting in new tile, vanity, lights, etc in the bath. Mayeb a few new appliances for the kitchen and even the proverbial kitchen sink.

Be sure to keep us update with photos of the progress.

I think what makes these projects more difficult is the idea of doing them "halfway". If you just decide that you're going to take everything out down to the studs and then build from there, it's much more straightforward, and you'll typically get a more elegant look in the end. It can be more expensive, though.

I love that sink in the kitchen.

I know it's pretty easy to spend other people's money, but did you every consider in-floor radiant heat for the kitchen?

What is Joyce's vision for the bathroom and the kitchen?

Seems like Bob's your uncle, er, best advisor on this deal.

Bob IS my best friend now. Forgive me for modifying this from an email I sent him this morning. There's just no point in re-typing the same sentiment.

I may not have been clear enough in my post or on the photo galleries (since I originally set them up for family members....who likely started off with a good idea of the direction and scope of the project).

This is not a kitchen or bath rebuild as much as it is a plumbing replacement. The real thing that we're doing is replacing every bit of the plumbing from the street meter "in". It's old, leaky, freezes in the winter, etc. Incidental to that is replacing / updating the bathroom fixtures and replacing the kitchen sink.

The bath is kind of a given: Replacing the tub with a real tub / shower, a new toilet and new vanity / sink necessitate new flooring and that we get rid of the old pink tile (which I'm going to start removing in a few hours. You guys that like to demo stuff haven't shown up yet!!). The kitchen sink replacement is a little more complex, but basically seems to come down to: replacing the sink requires a countertop rebuild and a re-do of the backsplash / tile. We are planning on redoing the floor, but keeping the cabinets. (though it looks like Joyce likes the idea of painting the cabinets now).

Really, we're doing this without a solid plan because we don't have the finances nor time to make this into a total kitchen renovation. We came home three weeks ago to a kitchen sink drain that was leaking like a sieve, and we haven't had a kitchen sink since. We had planned on doing this whole-house re-plumb for a couple of years now, but it suddenly became a matter of "we're sick of this; let's just get this done!".

So really, what we're doing in the kitchen is not much more than what's necessitated by replacing the sink.

The counters in there are a couple of inches lower than standard, so I didn't want to pull out the existing counters; the current plan is that I'm going to build them up with a couple of new layers of MDF topped by Formica. (Stone takes too long and stretches the budget too much). We think we've settled on an in-stock laminate at Lowes, and this weekend I plan on getting the MDF and Laminate so I have the counters ready for the plumber this coming week. We haven't decided on the backsplash yet, but again, planning on something that will cover the sins of whatever mess I'm going to find behind the existing tile.

This just may not be our dream kitchen, but it's all we're going to be able to do. If it gets pulled out in 10 years for a "real" re-do, so be it.

That's the part that kills you. "As long as we're doing this, we might as well do that".

I completely understand your project scope. It took YEARS for us to do the same operation, because if you're going to replace the faucet, you might as well replace the sink. If you're going to replace the sink, you probably have to re-do the countertops. Etc. We still haven't done the floor.

Well, I was going to try to talk you into granite tile, but I guess that's out, eh? I'm really against MDF/laminate because - on a basic level - MDF hates water and laminate hates heat. I have a lot of both in MY kitchen. Tile and CBU don't care about water or heat.

I don't know what to tell you about the backsplash. It kind of depends upon how many plane changes you have and how flat the walls are.

Do you guys have a second bathroom?

I've always had really good luck with Moen faucets. We REALLY like the Franke granite composite sink we got (this is not the exact same model). It's quiet and solid like cast iron, but lighter and unscratchable. Recommended.

Trying to figure out what my next project is in the house after putting up curtain rods and hanging pictures. Probably fixing the attic stairs so they don't break and kill me the next time I have to go up there.

Mark, it seems to me you're missing the most important part of the planning effort. We need a floor plan so we can help you decide which other rooms to sacrifice in order to achieve an optimal (or at least not so square) set of dimensions for your listening room.


What he said.

One other thing -- re: kitchen sink, I'm really glad I went with what most people think is an odd choice, a dual sink with one very large and one tiny side. It's great being able to put any sized pan in there, and the other sink is mostly for dumping your coffee while the first sink is full of water.

Next time I would probably go for one humongous sink and put a cheap plastic tub in the sink for day-to-day dish washing. Doesn't look classy but works better than anything else I have seen.

OK, another other thing. Pull-out sprayers are annoying. Pull-down sprayers are fantastic.

Edit. I like that "before" sink too. It would be nice to have less drain space and more sink space though.

As far as sinks go, there's a home improvement "Outlet" store near here that generally has good pricing, and occasionally amazing pricing on one-of-a-kind items.

I don't remember the brand, model, but we got a very large (two big bowl) double SS sink for $120 that was very highly rated on Amazon at $700. We ended up with Moens for both the kitchen and bath faucets.

We got a nice deal on the nicest tub/shower door that Lowes had. Their last one at the 35% off store closing price. It's a Kohler Sterling, which is the same brand as the tub.... recommended by our plumber for it's caulkless design.

What the...

Well, what CAN we make you buy, then?

Your life will be empty without in-floor radiant heat. Yeah, that's the ticket.

I can start a new thread where you can force-feed me a VP180, Maybe?

Good thinking. That should work.

::snicker::

That's what I want! Do you have any specific recommendations?

What type of pipin is going in as a replacement?

I uploaded some new photos to the galleries.

Today, we took down all the tile in the bathroom, and took down most of the ceiling in the pantry to allow the plumber an even better look at how to best do the plumbing for the bathroom above. I think we took 12-14 barrels of demo stuff to the dump.

Tomorrow, we remove the old kitchen sink, attempt to build new counters to hold the new sink, and apply laminate.

Monday, the plumber starts!

Bathroom Gallery

Kitchen Pantry Gallery

Barrels!?!? I'd have just pahked a dumpstah in the driveway.

Really enjoying this thread, Mark. I watch all that "This Old House" stuff on PBS and the "Holmes" stuff on HGTV. There is great irony here since I have never owned, and will never own, a home of my own. Adding to the irony if the fact that I am the least handy man in the world. I would find what you are doing much too daunting to even attempt. Thanks for the photos.

Jack, _I_ feel it's too daunting to attempt!

I just don't have much choice!

LOL! Understood. Just think of it as a learning experience.

You can't work in that room. You might disturb the cat!

Well, there hasn't been as much going on with this as I would have hoped. A very thorough walk through with the plumber lead to a longer and longer list of more and more involved tasks that I felt were beyond my comfort level or time schedule. So, we looked into a recommended carpenter/handyman. He came by last Sunday and is starting tomorrow.

We're now going to demo all the kitchen cabinets (Yeah, Tom, you called caused that one!) starting tomorrow. We're going to put in a dishwasher (never had one of those before!!) and even doing some can LED lights over the sink and LED under counter lights, etc.

We've also confirmed that underneath the old, dark green lino, we have the same maple floors we have in the rest of the house. Let's hope they're in good condition, because we're ripping out all the lino before we give up our borrowed truck over Thanksgiving.

It's gotten more involved and, of course, lots more expensive.

But Bob has made himself available for my questions. He has no idea what he's in for!

You're doing the right thing, Mark. It will be great when it's done.

Questions like: "So, when are you coming over to fix my cupboards Bob?"

Party at Marks when it's all done!!!!!

Bob's in the trade: He calls them "cabs". "Cabinets" takes too long....

You guys that wanted to demo have lost your chance. I would have paid you in pizza and beer and everything!

Linky to Messy

You're doing it right.

That didn't really scare me at all.

I'm having a great time watching this unfold.

Cool. So I can send you the bill?

"Cupboards" Pffffttthhhh! You ARE from Canada, huh? And old, too!

(You know, if this weren't Fred, I'd have to put over 30 smiley faces here, so the red light/siren combo on Amie's kitchen ceiling doesn't go off.)

And now that they've re-opened (today) the Natalie Wood case from 1981, may I recall one of my favorite jokes on the subject? C'mon, it's not like it's 30 years ago--YES, it IS 30 years ago!