Nalley Street - Kitchen Update

Time for a quick update.  Today the contractor finished all the carpentry work that I asked him to do.  The rest is up to me to finish.  All plumbing work has been completed.  The electrician is due back on Friday to set the air condition unit and finish any inside electrical jobs.

There is still tons to do.  Chalking, Base Board Moldings, Trim Paint, Laminate floor installation, Stair Trends install, Carpet.  I could get overwhelmed with everything that needs to be complete before final inspection. 

My initial completion date was Memorial Day weekend.  Looks like I'm going to miss that date by a couple of weeks.  Unforeseen things occurred that pushed that date out. 

Here's a few pictures of the new kitchen.  All the cabinets are up.  The counter tops attached.  Sink and hardware installed.  Now I need to paint the trim on the windows and door frames, install the light fixtures over the sink and dining space then lay the laminate floor to complete this room.  Plus buy some appliances (Stove, Microwave and Fridge) for the new owners.

I should make a checklist of projects that need to be completed for each room.  Maybe that would help me stay focused and get everything completed.  My niece would be so proud of me for list making. 

More pictures to come.  Keep watching for them.

Nalley Street - A Work in Progress: Kitchen

Let's take a look at another room in progress - The Kitchen

The Kitchen was a good size.  Part was being used for prep space with an island extension and the other portion was a dining space.  The sink wall had a double window that looked out into the neighbors side yard (not much of a view).  The stove wall had a door as well as a window that went out to the Laundry Room.  Four layers of flooring were on the floor that needed to be removed.

After stripping out all the flooring, wallpaper and paneling, I realized the room was large enough to accommodate the staircase to the upstairs.  With the assistance from my contractor, it was determine that the best placement would be to use the current door to the laundry room as the stair entrance and turn the window into a new doorway.

We tucked the refrigerator underneath the stairs and the stair wall will be used for additional cabinets.  The kitchen had a small pantry at one end that was being under utilized.  Drywall and shelves will add value to this small space. There is still plenty of room for a dining space as well as prep space.

Now with the addition of drywall, this room is really coming together.  The double window over the sink was changed to a single window so additional cabinets can be used in that corner.  The kitchen cabinets arrived today so they'll be installed as soon as the room is primed and painted.

The entire house needs to be painted so I started the priming process on Wednesday.  I hope to have everything painting by the middle of next week.  Maybe in the next progress report, I'll show a swatch of the colors I chose for the inside of the house.

Nalley Street - A Work in Progress: Laundry Room

Let's take a look at another room's progress - The Laundry Room

When I first entered the house, I found that some years ago the laundry room had been used by a homeless person.  A mattress had been brought in and signs of drug use were found.  The previous owner figured this out and put a more secure lock on the back door.

The walls and ceilings were stripped of the paneling and old insulation.  The carpet and all signs of the homeless shelter were removed.

The room was too large for a utility room so I decided to erect a wall in the middle and use half of the room for a master bedroom closet and the other half for the laundry room.  Two windows became door openings - 1 for a closet in the master bedroom and 1 for the new entrance into the kitchen.  A window was enclosed for the closet.

Now the drywall is up and a new laundry room emerges.

Nalley Street - A Work in Progress: Bonus Room

The past couple of weeks have been slow in the progress but finally things are picking back up with the hiring of a drywaller.  So the next couple of post will be progress pictures of several rooms.  Let's start with my favorite room and one that's adding the most value to the house: The Upstairs Bonus Room.

The Upstairs was split into 2 rooms.  It had 70's panel and blue carpet.  I thought I was apart of "That 70's Show" set.  The ceiling height was less then desirable.  My contractor's head almost went into the rafters.

The junk was removed, the paneling taken down and the wall between the two rooms removed.

New Stair access was created at the back of the room.  The ceiling was raised so taller individuals could enjoy the room.  The walls were re-studded to make drywall installation easier. 

The correct R30 Insulation was added in the ceiling.  The previous insulation was R13.  A far cry from the required insulation to pass inspection.  Note to everyone:  Hire someone else to do the insulation.  Removing all that R13 was the pits and my lungs are still coughing up fiberglass.

Now drywall is up and the room is taking on a life of its own.   Recessed lighting is being used so nothing can obstruct the room's height.  With the addition of window trim, paint and carpet, the room will be ready for living.