Kitchen Reno (Alternate Title: “Bugs, Bugs, BUGSâ€)
Posted on 18. Mar, 2008 by Laura-Jane - Whimfield in House
For a variety of reasons we have left our plumbing project 90% complete but untested, and have moved on to working on the kitchen. As many-a-home-renovators have said, one project leads to another, and so it has been for us.
My well-intentioned plan to leave the kitchen untouched has been tossed out the window (along with the window itself, I might add).
In concept alone, I adore the kitchen’s style and decor; the teal paint, vintage wallpaper, brown linoleum, cookstove and porcelain sink.
Unfortunately, in reality, the kitchen was beyond repair: rotten linoleum, rusty cabinets, leaking windows, and at least forty years of accumulated scum—even the wall moulding had disintegrated into a crumbly mass. Yes, I am sure some brave soul could have taken some Ajax and a box of Q-Tips and saved this kitchen, but with our desire to insulate the walls and our need to make the house livable as soon as possible, we started to dismantle the room.
Carefully removing and saving what we could (most notably the moulding around the doors and windows), we began stripping the room down to its basic elements so that we could insulate the walls.
As the removal progressed, we kept noticing that integral pieces of wood—let’s say, for example, important beams that hold up the house–were missing and in the beams’ place was merely a pile of sawdust. Likewise, the original hardwood floors underneath the kitchen’s linoleum were disturbingly thin, sagging, and eaten. Note the hole in the floor!
Who has been eating the floors and structural supports, you ask? Why, the “powder post beetleâ€, that’s who! After much cursing and many calls to pest experts, we decided to remove the entire floor right down to its bare bones and lie down particle board in its place.
With the new and improved floor in place, we’ve moved on to insulating the walls.
Insulating has been pretty straight-forward and quick. We’re just waiting for our door and over-sized windows to come in from the manufacturer, and then we’ll install the vapour-barrier and cover it all up with fresh drywall.
In general, we’ve been spending all day at our house and sleeping in a nearby hotel. We haven’t quite figured out when we’ll give up the hotel and make the transition to living in the house full time, but we anticipate that once we can turn the water on that we’ll make the switch.
The days are long but things are good! We don’t have access to the Internet at our house or the hotel, so computer use is few and far between…
Thanks for all your positive comments!
Pssst: Since this entry was published, I later posted a sort-of “after” photo of the kitchen here.
LJ
Mar 18th, 2008
Are you actually trying to live in the house while you’re renovating? If this doesn’t test your relationship – nothing will. Kudo’s to you both.
Andrea >> Become a consultant
Mar 18th, 2008
You have my sympathy. As you may know, we are renovating our second place. It’s been a lot easier this time around.
How far behind your real life are the blog posts? You guys seem to be moving fast, although I suppose that is a bit easier when you don’t have to go to another job.
Marjorie
Mar 19th, 2008
Great to read your latest blog and see the photos! That blue of the old disintegrated kitchen is/was so entrancing and sweet! Hope you can recreate this ‘blue vibe’ if you want to in your new kitchen!
love, and ‘bon courage’ mom
ira
Mar 19th, 2008
pity for the beetles they have to leave such a adorable house. i am so inspired by this blog.
just bought myself 10 whimsfield blue buckets to put in front of my working space. just to enjoy your blue! pink isolation not bad either!
last week i saw a lecture about autarky. about how to make a self-supporting living environment. low energy loss etc. i’m looking for a book about. hopefully english.
zet ‘m op! warmth, ira
Mike
Mar 19th, 2008
I stumbled on your site from the houseblogs website. Looks like we are pretty much doingthe same thing.
I have been at it for 3 years….. My advice is it is a blast to renovate, but do yourself a favor and park a trailer next to the house or buy a yurt. That is the #1 think I wished I would have done. It is hard to live in and renovate as you have found out.
Good luck with the project and lifestyle!
Beverley
Mar 20th, 2008
Saying hello Laura-Jane. I’ve been following your adventures with great interest (and empathy). I think you have a book in you…could be a source of income. Hang in there!
David Scott
Mar 24th, 2008
Hey Laura Jane:
What a project. Been there and done that, so I’m really enjoying your blog.
David in China
Sal
Oct 10th, 2009
Need a shower to wash off that insulation nightly – that is important. So I support the money spent on the hotel!
This is very exciting – I hope that I get to bed tonight – I have a lot to catch up on.
;-)