First half of September

A backsplash looks better once it’s grouted.

I also found the time to get the car back on the road again. It was great moving it out of the garage but it still has issues.

The projects at home keep getting smaller as we push towards the end. I ordered slate from a small company in Vermont that was recommended by Retro Renovation and it turned out perfectly. We wanted something that fit both the new and old parts of the house, but at the same time looks like it’s been there since the place was new. It was an easy weekend project.

The interior doors arrived and I installed one per evening. It’s great having something there again and the next step is to finish them, paint the jamb and order/install hardware. I'll post pictures once they're worth looking at.

One month past the roofing accident at the other house, and the supplier’s insurance company has completely failed to do anything. Their local adjuster promised that they would be done by Labor Day but they did not deliver. In the mean time the city wants the building to be stabilized (insurance on the other hand, suggested without stating that they did not want that to happen and that it would be unnecessary). A tarp over a house with no roof, or even rafters will only last for so long and it finally gave out. Let’s just say it’s not pretty. Maybe I should do some before/afters.

Second half of August

I’m not one to waste time, so while everyone’s insurance is (supposedly) doing what they should be doing I get back to work at home. I have a car that’s been parked in the garage since around November that there hasn't been time to deal with, and we need a backsplash. I put tiles on order and within a couple of afternoons this was up.

Backsplashes are quick and easy to do, but they take a lot of planning. It was tough to figure out how to get the outlets to line up with this row of tile. It's glass instead of something opaque so cuts were a lot more time consuming. I couldn't just flip it over and cut from behind because the blade marks would show.

Maybe I'll be able to get done this year...

First half of August

I’m forced to take a break from working on the house we live in because the people in the President St rental moved out. That place desperately needs a new kitchen so that’s the top priority here. It’s also a good time to redo the roof since it’s getting old. The kitchen is basically 10x10 so it’s hard to get good pictures of.

Unfortunately there was a huge accident when the company delivering roofing material to the house did not follow instructions and put the materials on top of the roof instead of on the ground. This caused the roof to collapse and put everything at a complete standstill over there.

Before that happened I was moving along pretty well with stripping the nasty old paint from one of the doors. I think it's cypress along with the rest of the trim.

Second half of July

If I had to pick one thing that I’ve missed the most it would probably be this. It's been ages since we had a working kitchen sink.

The dishwasher has a panel so now the cabinets are complete.

Along with the ceiling…

The wife’s family came by to visit. While they were here I put up the wallpaper in the entry hall and formal living room, then the baseboards. This room has never looked better but there’s still more to come.

First half of July

The ceiling is here! This is the sort of thing that you paint before installing it or you risk making a huge mess.

But wait, there’s more!

I’m also working on putting in the cooktop vent. I had to build a support structure to attach the thing to, and protect adjacent cabinets from being scratched up. This was easier said than done. It’s way too hot to put in the ductwork in the attic so I’ll do that this fall when it’s cooler.

The kitchen project started a year ago by the way. I can't do a before/after yet because I'm not finished but these shots are from the same angle as the pictures I took before the project.

Once the ceiling was painted it was time to start putting it in. It required a lot of careful measuring and moving each of the recessed lights slightly to make them line up perfectly. Errors would be obvious here. I installed it with only a little help. Every bit as fun as it sounds…

Countertops came in while I was still putting up the ceiling. Yet another thing we’ve gone without forever now.

While all that was going on the new wall oven and combi-steam oven arrived and on top of that, the gas guy came by and extended the line into the kitchen so we now have a cooktop.

I was able to somehow lift the smaller of the two ovens into the cabinet but the other one weighs 100lbs more than I do and it required a bit of help.

Finally at the middle of the month, the rest of the countertops arrived. This period was one of the hugest ones of the entire project.

Second half of June

Cabinet Day!!!

On the second day they finished it all up.

Now it’s my turn to do a few things. Undercabinet lighting and toe kick lighting. The wiring and LED strips are integrated into a cavity in the cabinets, and the transformers are hidden up above the ovens.

In the meantime life is starting to return to normal. While we’re waiting on countertops to come in I hooked up the dishwasher to a drain so we finally have one again for the first time in ages now.