Search results for

#KitchenRemodel

#1 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/03/2018

#KitchenRemodel
Tracey started measuring the kitchen yesterday. She would like to get some estimates to remodel. This started when we discovered the alcove for the refrigerator was too small to get a better refrigerator. I agree it could be better designed to waste less space and provide more cabinets but I fear the cost may be too much. We shall see.

If we do decide to do this, I want a dishwasher and a garbage disposal.

MjL

#2 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/04/2018

#KitchenRemodel
So far Tracey has spoken to two kitchen cabinet places and they both say the same thing. They sell cabinets but don’t do the installation. I suspect we will have to figure out what to buy and where to put it and then hire somebody to install it all. I can see another big project in the making but it should work out if we go slow.

MjL

#3 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/12/2018

A #KitchenRemodel guy is scheduled to visit us this evening after Tracey gets home from work. We have been discussing what we would like to do for a while now. As always it will end up being a balance between what we really want and what we can really afford. The main consensus is that we want to open it up a bit so it isn’t so cramped.

MjL

#4 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/13/2018

George, the #KitchenRemodel guy, showed up around 4 p.m. just after Tracey got home from work. He was here a couple hours taking measurements and asking questions. He put all the info into his laptop and we saw a pretty good graphic display of the plans. I really liked it and so does Tracey. A much more open kitchen and more cabinets.

Of course there are no prices yet, so that may put the brakes on things.

One thing I wasn’t happy about was moving two light switches but I don’t see a way around it because the short wall needs to be removed for the remodel. I think I will look into wifi switches.

MjL

#5 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/10/2019

#KitchenRemodel
A bit past 11 a.m. another kitchen remodel guy showed up to take measurements. This one is Joe. He is just an installer. We would have to pick out all the cabinets, appliances, etc. and he will give us an estimate on how much $$ to make it happen.

I foresee a long, footsore trip to Menard’s or Lowe’s this weekend.

MjL

#6 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/11/2019

#KitchenRemodel
I spent a little time on the web sites of Menard’s and Lowe’s looking at kitchen cabinets. It is just too hard to really see what is available on those sites. They could do so much better.

MjL

#7 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/13/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We also plan to make a trip to look at kitchen cabinets. Hopefully most of the snowfall hysteria has worn off and the roads are reasonably plowed in the rest of the world.

MjL

#8 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/14/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We spent about an hour wandering about the cabinet section of Menard’s before returning home. Tracey had a pretty good idea what she wanted. Not the most expensive line of cabinets but definitely not the cheapest.

MjL

#9 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/14/2019

#KitchenRemodel
After about another hour of measuring walls and discussing our options Tracey returned to Menards. She spent a couple hours with the salesman at the computer putting together the cost estimate and building the layout. She hasn’t ordered anything yet and will get with Joe the installer to see what his cost would be to install them, do the plumbing and wiring, etc. Just another step in the process.

MjL

#10 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/17/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We have cost estimates from Joe the installer. Ouch! We have decided to move forward with the kitchen remodel but it will blow the budget for new stuff for the rest of the year. Maybe next year too.

MjL

#11 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/19/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Tracey left work early yesterday and went to Menard’s in Washington to initiate the kitchen cabinet order. She has everything picked out and ordered except the counter top and door / drawer handles.

I know this process makes her nervous. Fortunately she is not entirely comfortable with spending large amounts of money.

MjL

#12 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/20/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Tracey and I spent about an hour turning breakers on and off while checking switches and outlets to see which circuits powered the different parts of the house. Tracey used an old hair dryer to test the outlets. We now have a pretty good chart to make decisions about which circuits should power our new kitchen when we get it built.

All of this activity drove Louie crazy and he soon started barking and yipping enough to give me a headache and set my right ear to ringing.

MjL

#13 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/22/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Joe, the kitchen remodel guy, showed up a couple hours late yesterday but at least he showed up. He said his truck broke down.
I can relate to that.

Tracey did most of the talking. She got some things ironed out with him and paid him a deposit. The cabinets should arrive in 3 to 4 weeks and they plan to tear out the old a couple days before that. In the meantime she needs to decide on countertops and appliances.

We should also probably start moving stuff out of the kitchen so we don’t have to do it all at the last minute.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended up doing it at the last minute because that is how we usually roll.

MjL

#14 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/03/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We made another trip to Menard’s yesterday. We were going to order the countertops, sink and cabinet hardware but the guy working yesterday seemed fairly clueless about how to layout the cutout in the counter to center the sink to the window. The dimensions were there but I don’t think math is within his ability.

Tracey is going to call and find out when the guy she originally worked with is going to be working and try again.

So far we have had to do all the planning and figuring. Neither the guy at Menards’s or Joe the installer seem to be much interested in working out the details before we get this job started.

I don’t like surprises.

MjL

#15 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/05/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Tracey went to Menard’s over her lunch hour and ordered our new kitchen countertops. She also got the new sink. They are supposed to send us a template to approve before they actually make them.

She managed to catch the original salesman she had been working with and he had no problem sorting out the dimensions and the placement of the sink so it will be centered on the window. At least she said he sounded confident. We will know when we get the template.

MjL

#16 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/08/2019

#KitchenRemodel
I ordered a garbage disposal online. We used to have one thirty years ago when we lived in the house in Marq. Hts. It was nice but jammed up a lot. I’ve read the technology is much better now and we don’t have a septic system to worry about anymore. We shall see.

MjL

#17 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/10/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We started yesterday with a trip to Bob Evan’s in E. Peoria for breakfast and then to Lowe’s so Tracey could check out new appliances.

She has done a ton of comparison shopping online but she still needed to actually see them to see features and colors. She had narrowed her search down to Best Buy and Lowe’s as they seem to be the only places locally that carry the GE brand she has settled on.

As the dates get closer for the delivery of the new, the tear-out of the old and installation —— we are getting a bit nervous. It will be chaos around here soon and we just hope it doesn’t take forever.

MjL

#18 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/15/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Tracey stopped at Lowe’s on her way home from work yesterday and bought our new appliances. It will be nice to have a new refrigerator (one that isn’t so small) and a dishwasher.

I never really thought I would miss our dishwasher with just the two of us but, I am so spoiled.

MjL

#19 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/16/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Our schedule for the kitchen is beginning to come together. Joe the kitchen contractor will be here this coming Thursday to start removing cabinets and counters.

The new cabinets are supposed to arrive on Friday. And the appliances the middle of the next week.

We will be spending this three-day weekend taking as much stuff out of the cabinets as we can so all will be ready by Thursday. I have already been depleting the stuff in the refrigerator and using up most of the canned goods etc. Grocery shopping has been pretty light lately.

MjL

#20 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/17/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We spent a couple hours yesterday boxing kitchen stuff up and hauling it to the front bedroom to store until the kitchen remodel chaos is over. We got about half the stuff out of there. We should get some more of it done today and then it will be a gradual process while we are still using it until Thursday morning.

In the process we found the small electric heater I used to have under my desk before we moved. We “put it away” in a safe place. Wish I’d had it during the polar vortex cold wave.

MjL

#21 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/18/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We went to Lowe’s again yesterday. Tracey bought a new faucet (which she now thinks she may return for another) and some LED lights to put under the cabinets above a counter.

She also wanted to get some drawer knobs and cabinet door pulls but couldn’t find any to meet her exacting standards. We may be going to Menard’s today.

MjL

#22 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/19/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Yesterday we went to Jack’s for breakfast and then to the Menard’s in Pekin for Tracey to sort through bins of knobs and pulls to get the cabinet hardware. She ended up sitting on the floor trying to separate them all out so they matched. It was a mess.

She also got another faucet and I think we both like this one better. So the other one will have to be returned to Lowe’s in E. Peoria.

Another chance for me to get lost in the nightmare streets there.

I screwed up by not getting our trash bin out to the middle of the road. The garbage truck usually gets around just past noon but they had already been by when we got home at 11. So now we will have a trash pile in the house while the kitchen is being destroyed remodeled.

MjL

#23 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/20/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Worked a while yesterday boxing up kitchen stuff and moving it to the front bedroom. The installer guy said he was going to be here tomorrow.

He sent an email late last night saying it would be today. I didn’t see it until this morning and it is too early to call the guy. We have told him several times it is supposed to be TOMORROW. Thursday the 21st.

That’s not going to work very well. Tracey made plans to take Louie to the kennel TOMORROW as well as taking TOMORROW off work. I don’t know what is going to happen but I’m sure Tracey is going to be pissed. I know I am.

I will wake her up an hour early this morning and we shall see what happens from there. It is always something.

MjL

#24 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/21/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We had a hectic start to the day yesterday. Joe the installer guy decided to show up a day early and we weren’t ready for that. Luckily Tracey had her computer so she could work from home.

There was a whirlwind of activity to get things hauled out of the kitchen and Tracey managed to get a spot for Louie to spend the day at the vet’s office. He would have gone crazy with all the activity in the house.

There was a three-man crew demolishing the kitchen and they worked steadily (and noisily) throughout the day. It is very nerve wracking to watch kitchen counters and cabinets cut with circular saw and saws-all.

The cabinets appear to have been built right into the walls instead of separate pre-built cabinets bolted together. There were lots of nails and screws under different parts of the cabinetry. It soon became easier to cut them out. I think they had thoughts of re-selling the cabinets but there wasn’t much left of them.

They also managed to move some outlets and switches before quitting for the day. I know even more about what is on our circuits.

Since the new cabinets won’t get here until tomorrow the work crew won’t be back today. I never did get an explanation of why they started a day early. I think he thought we could get the cabinets delivered early but that is not the case.

MjL

#25 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/22/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Stayed up too late last night and running late this morning.

We made the mistake of taking measurements just before bedtime and discovered the countertops may not be the right size. Somehow the Menard’s guy hosed up the calculations.

Fortunately they haven’t had the final go-ahead and we can correct this, but it will cause more delay. I should know better than to look at numbers just before bedtime. I’m sure Tracey didn’t sleep well either.

It seems no matter what project we work on, something goes awry.

MjL

#26 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/22/2019

#KitchenRemodel
I think we are going to get very frustrated with having no kitchen or appliances for the next week or two. We went to Bob Evan’s in E. Peoria for supper. I can see eating out is going to get old.

We also made a quick trip to Lowe’s to return the faucet we didn’t want.

MjL

#27 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/23/2019

#KitchenRemodel
The new cabinets arrived yesterday just before noon. Two fellows with heavy Latino accents unloaded the truck with a lot of Latino talk between them. They were quick, efficient and polite. I kept saying, “Watch your head!” every time they came through the kitchen door because without the stove under the range hood it is easy to walk right into it.

The installers arrived within a few minutes of the delivery. They worked until about 3:30 or so and installed everything on the east side of the kitchen. It is going to look nice!

Our old cabinets are still sitting out on the drive and on the porch. We were told they should all be hauled away by noon today. I am getting a bit concerned about that stuff out there as our yard looks a bit like a junk yard right now.

We went and retrieved Louie from the kennel and picked up some Arby’s on the way home. I think the cat was glad to see the dog come home but she tried to remain dignified in her greeting.

MjL

#28 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/24/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Two guys showed up around 11 a.m. yesterday to load up all the old cabinets. It was pouring rain.

This was just one of many aggravations I have with our installer. He thought he could sell our old cabinets and even had people coming to look at them before they were all removed from the kitchen last Wed. He asked if he could leave them here and someone would get them Thursday. Nobody came Thursday.

When he came back again Friday he said he was going to get $200 for them and would split it with us. Later he said that hadn’t worked out and could he leave them until Monday. (Tomorrow)

We told him no, we wanted them gone and they are now. Finally.


We spent some time in our new kitchen admiring the new cabinets and making some plans about shelving etc. Tracey had bought a couple LED lights to put under the top cabinets to light the counter. We discovered they wouldn’t fit properly so had to take them back to Lowe’s and exchange them for a different size.

We ordered up some take-out from Texas Roadhouse and headed to E. Peoria. After exchanging the light fixtures we went to pick up our supper.

What a madhouse! There was nowhere to park at the restaurant and there were people packed inside and clear out into the parking lot. It would seem we could use another steak house in the area.

When we got home it was weird sorting out dishes and silverware from boxes on the floor so we could eat. It feels like we are camping out. We will be doing the dishes in the bathroom sink. This will likely make our new dishwasher all the more welcome when it is installed.

MjL

#29 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/25/2019

#KitchenRemodel
I’m afraid it is going to get on our nerves day by day having to do dishes in the bathroom sink and no counters to prepare food on.

The installers are supposed to be here again this morning. Tracey will take Louie to the kennel again for today and tomorrow. She calls it a “spa day” as they will cut his nails and shear off his shaggy hair. I’m not so sure he thinks that is any fun.

I really hope they get enough finished today so we can order the counter tops. It will likely take a couple weeks to get them done.

I also hope there aren’t any more major screw-ups. I could never recommend this crew to anyone else. I’m too fussy I guess.

MjL

#30 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/26/2019

#KitchenRemodel
The cabinet installers arrived again yesterday. The two helpers were there all morning without their boss and things went pretty smoothly. We were able to talk with them and make common sense adjustments to align the cabinets with the window and the range hood for the peninsula. Once the boss showed up around noon, things turned to crap.

He is completely invested in the very wrong conviction that he knows what he is doing. He immediately makes assumptions and takes actions without forethought often leading to screwing things up. Thus far the mistakes have been reparable but it is time consuming and very frustrating.

We got six large lower cabinet shelves that pullout on ball bearing sliding rails. He completely frigged up three of them before listening to me about how to install them. I don’t know how or if the other three can be repaired. They were shoved in too far and are now locked up so tight you can’t pull them back out. He made almost no effort to align them square and level so they bind up. He left without fixing them.

The cabinets have been installed sufficiently to order the counter tops and we had to make some adjustments to that order to correct the errors of the Menard’s people who ordered them. I will give the installer credit for suggesting we get a counter template before we had the counters made. The template was an inch short on both the long length and the peninsula and the sink needed to be moved to the right.

We went to Menard’s late in the afternoon and it took Tracey two trips into the store to get that corrected. Part of the problem is that you never get to speak to the same part time employee whenever you go in.

MjL

#31 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/27/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Things seemed awfully quiet yesterday after all the chaos of cabinet installation Monday. It was good to sit back and relax.

Tracey didn’t get that option as her first day back to work but I wouldn’t be surprised if it still wasn’t less nerve wracking than having that wrecking crew in our kitchen.

I made a small grocery run but it was mostly soft drinks and snack food as we don’t have a kitchen to cook anything.

We had Culver’s for supper last evening. We will soon run out of variety for options and by the time our counters get installed we will be ready for a home cooked meal.

MjL

#32 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/28/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Tracey called Steve, the guy at Menard’s she has been working with, to ask some questions about those shelf rails. Now that the sale is done Steve is very much less than helpful. He gave her a 1-800 number to call the customer service people at the cabinet manufacturer. Always the way. Nice and helpful until the cash is in the till and then nothing.

MjL

#33 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/02/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Our appliances arrived at Lowe’s yesterday. Tracey has them scheduled to be delivered this coming Thursday. We need to check out the water line for the ice maker before they deliver and install the refrig.

Tracey got an email that our countertops should be in a week from this coming Monday and sent word to the installer so he could schedule a day to come over and screw them up too.

I have been compiling a list of runs, drips and errors from the installers and have found so many I got tired of taking pictures of them. Eventually most of them will get worked out.

The plan for today is to return the cover piece that was supposed to have been installed in the refrigerator opening. Besides the hassle of returning it there will be a 25% restocking fee. We will also have to order the corner trim to cover for that screw-up. Tracey will buy some sandpaper, steel wool and wood stain to fix the damage to our floor.

MjL

#34 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/03/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Yesterday was a good day. Nothing went wrong. We successfully returned the end piece to Menard’s for a refund and Tracey picked up some stain, corner trim and three-way switches.

We went to Jack’s for breakfast on the way home.

I managed to remove the cream colored switches and cover plate and replace them with the dark brown to match the cabinets. I also did this with a minimum of profanity and did not get electrocuted. It has been a very long time since I played at being an electrician.

After a short nap, Tracey worked a little bit at staining the gouges in the kitchen floor. She is getting pretty close to the right amount of sanding and stain. The damage will probably never be completely covered up but it will be far better than the installer would have done.

MjL

#35 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/03/2019

#KitchenRemodel
I meant to mention that the end piece we returned was seven feet long by two feet wide. It was a bit larger with the packaging and we barely got it into Tracey’s Ford Escape. It went clear to the dash between us and I had to rely on Tracey to look out the right window as I couldn’t see. She had to work the gear shift too. An adventure.

MjL

#36 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/04/2019

#KitchenRemodel
I spoke too soon about wiring the new switches. Tracey discovered one side of the three-way switch only worked when the other side was on. We took the switch out and managed to change the wires so it would work properly. Got my thumb in the way and drew blood. I always have to bleed a little on these projects before we get it right.

Tracey spent a good part of her yesterday with steel wool and staining the kitchen floor. She has gotten it down to just the right technique and did half the floor already. There were a lot of worn spots besides the nasty mess the installers caused.

MjL

#37 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/07/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Our appliances should be delivered today and by this evening we should have our new refrigerator installed and running.

The counter tops are supposed to be in next Monday and the installers should be here Tuesday to finish up. I just hope we don’t have anything to fix when they are done.

MjL

#38 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/08/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Our appliances were delivered yesterday just before noon and the refrigerator hooked up to water. It was a pleasure to watch a couple guys who knew what they were doing for a change instead of the bumbling installers we have been dealing with for everything else.

They were in and out within a ½ hour and removed the old oven and refrigerator too. They removed all the packing from the new refrigerator and assembled all the handles, shelves, etc. Most importantly they were careful and thorough, paying attention to detail.

MjL

#39 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/12/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Today could prove to be a hectic day. Tracey will take Louie to the kennel for today and tomorrow as the installers are supposed to be here to finish trashing our kitchen.

The counters were supposed to be here yesterday (Tracey received two calls that said they would be) but we were told they should be here today. Not holding my breath.

Tracey has to go to work for a few hours this morning to do a big PowerPoint presentation to a bunch of bosses. She has been working on the damn thing for the past week while she was sick. They better like it.

MjL

#40 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/13/2019

#KitchenRemodel
I didn’t sleep well at all last night. Yesterday was as bad as I had feared and even worse. The installers take every shortcut you can imagine and invented some. I have never seen anything so lazy, cheap and shoddy. Most of it is functional, but I’m afraid some of it will not stand the test of time. The cabinets were not installed square and level so they used shims, etc. to put in the sliding shelves. There is still one that is not functional.

I could go on and probably will at some later date but I am disappointed to say the least. There is no reasoning with them. The only other option would be to fire them and do it myself or hire somebody else. This would create more grief, cost and delay. I think as much a anything I feel bad for not kicking them out because I don’t have the stomach for the conflict.

We will make it work.

MjL

#41 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/14/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Yesterday’s kitchen work wasn’t as nerve wracking. The plumbing is all finished with only one small drip left to fix. The stove top was installed but not the oven. The oven should be put in today. Everything should be done today if all goes well.

Tracey worked from home yesterday so she was here to straw boss. Her feminine wiles are much more effective at getting what she wants. And I am glad of that!

We are hoping for a home cooked meal either tomorrow or Saturday. We don’t have much food in the house or it would be sooner.

MjL

#42 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/15/2019

The #KitchenRemodel is finally done. Hopefully we won’t see any more of Joe and crew ever again. There are a number of things we have fixed along the way and a few more to go, but the bulk of the work is done.

Tracey started cleaning all the sawdust and debris they left all over the counters and in every draw and cabinet. They didn’t clean up any of that. We also still need to put all the outlet and switch covers back on. I don’t even know why they took those off.

MjL

#43 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/16/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Yesterday was my first lazy day in a long time.
Tracey had a good day at work too.

I spent about a ½ hour bolting the oven rack guides in place and installing the oven racks. I don’t know why I have such a time with those things. I seem to overthink sometimes.

Our first home cooked meal after the kitchen fiasco wasn’t much, just some chicken pot pies in the oven. It was still nice to have something other than take out food.

The plan for today is to finish cleaning the mess the installers left behind and start moving all our dishes, etc. back into the kitchen.

I’m sure we will have a devil of a time finding stuff for a while until we get it all sorted out. It was at least a couple months after we moved in the first time before I could find the right thing in the right cupboard or drawer and do it the first time.

MjL

#44 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/17/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We worked all day on the kitchen yesterday with two shopping trips to get food and shelf paper.

We discovered that the thoughtlessness of the installers is a gift that keeps on giving. We were installing the cupboard shelves when we found black lines all along the edge of a shelf. He used this shelf as a straight edge to draw the lines on the counter top for the stove top cut-out. He used a permanent marker. The finished edge of our new shelf is permanently scarred because he was too damn lazy to use a piece of scrap lumber. It just never ends.

We will also have to buy some cover plates for outlets because when they were removed the idiots evidently threw the screws away. Now we know why they didn’t put them back on.

Still, we are happy to have the new kitchen and can work through all the f-ups to get it finished. Hopefully we can have everything moved back in by the end of today.

MjL

#45 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/18/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Yesterday morning started with a trip to E. Peoria to get some new vent registers from Lowe’s. We stopped at Bob Evan’s for breakfast too.

The rest of our day was spent sorting and moving stuff into cabinets.

There was still a lot of cleaning to be done. The installers used our kitchen to do all the sawing, drilling, etc. and the house was full of sawdust which had migrated throughout the house.

They couldn’t be bothered to do it outside. The kitchen door is only six feet from where they made all that mess.

MjL

#46 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/19/2019

#KitchenRemodel
It seems the misdeeds of our installers just won’t quit. The outlet installed for the microwave went dead. Tracey took it apart yesterday and discovered they hadn’t removed enough insulation from one of the wires and it prevented a solid connection. It looked as if there had been some arcing between wire and screw. She can add electrician to her resume now I guess.

Joe, the installer boss, sent Tracey a text asking for a good review on Angie’s List. He is lucky we don’t give him a review at all.

MjL

#47 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/20/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We had another misadventure with the outlet for the microwave oven. It quit working again yesterday. Tracey took it apart, checked the connections, re-connected them, etc. No luck getting it to work.

Then I had a brain fart. The outlet is on the same breaker as the ceiling lights. I flipped the kitchen light on and the microwave had power. Our misfit installers connected the microwave outlet to the wire that feeds the kitchen ceiling light. Problem solved, but now we can’t set the clock on the microwave because it loses time when the kitchen light is turned off. It is ALWAYS something.

MjL

#48 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/21/2019

#KitchenRemodel
It seems like the problems created my those installers will never end. Tracey discovered two of the four hinges on the tall panty cabinet left side door were busted. I think when they were busy destroying the pull out shelves they opened the cabinet door too far and popped the screw heads off the top and bottom hinges. We found a couple small wood screws and repaired the damage.

MjL

#49 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/08/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We got our final rebate back from Menard’s for the kitchen counters and next we start measuring for the backsplash between counters and upper cabinets.

I’m sure I have already done my rant about rebates so I shall refrain, but we have been waiting to do this work because we knew we had almost $100 in rebates hanging out there. Menard’s doesn’t send a check to cash but a voucher to spend at Menard’s so they make sure they don’t really rebate it all back to you. You still have to buy their stuff.

I thought it might have gotten lost in the mail because I got an email Friday morning from the USPS that said we should have received it Friday but it didn’t show up until Saturday. At least it showed up.

MjL

#50 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/14/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We went to Jack’s yesterday for breakfast and to Menard’s in Pekin to cash in our rebate checks for vinyl tiles for the backsplash above the counters. After we got home and started measuring we discovered we were short enough tiles to finish. I miscalculated because I didn’t allow for the fact the tiles interlock.

It takes 6 tiles to span 5 feet across. I was a foot off. Oh well.

MjL

#51 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/15/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Tracey put up all the backsplash tiles above the five feet of counter on the east side of the kitchen. I helped a little with numbers and measuring, but very little. She did the most important work of fitting them together. She has far more patience and a better eye for that.

It was almost noon by the time she finished and we braved the blizzard to go to the Cracker Barrel for a very late breakfast. As usual, people forget how to park when it snows and it was hard to find a parking place with so many crooked cars parked helter skelter.

MjL

#52 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/21/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Yesterday we spent a couple hours putting up more backsplash above the kitchen counters. I say we but I didn’t do much but help measure a little and provide moral support. Now the tiles are up from the kitchen door to just a little past the kitchen window and it really looks good.

We discovered the nimrods installed the upper cabinets completely out of level. There was a half-inch difference from the bottom of the cabinets to the top of the counter in under five feet of length. Horrible.

MjL

#53 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/22/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We started yesterday with a run to the Menard’s in Washington to get more tile for the backsplash and stopped at the Bob Evan’s in E. Peoria for a late breakfast on the way home.

A mid-day nap was in order before doing some more work on installing the backsplash. Tracey finished the trimming and putting up the tiles underneath the kitchen window. She is doing a great job.

MjL

#54 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/27/2019

#KitchenRemodel
We just finished the backsplash in the kitchen.

(That would be the Royal We as Tracey did 99% of the work while I gave unsolicited advice and cheered her on.)

Next will be a short vinyl trim piece at the inside corner where the counter meets the backsplash on the wall. Maybe next weekend.

MjL

#55 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/05/2019

#KitchenRemodel
Tracey had to unload one of the sliding shelves yesterday and put it back together properly. The rail on one side had worked loose and the shelf was rubbing on the bottom of the cabinet and wouldn’t work.

It is at least once a week we find something messed up by those incompetent assholes who remodeled our kitchen.

MjL

#56 Click this link to see Cartoons page --> 07/07/2014 #35

Reminds me of the jerk who did our #KitchenRemodel. Terrible.

MjL

#57 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/10/2019

#KitchenRemodel
One year later and if I could time travel I would tell Joe the kitchen screw-up guy to get the hell out of my house and never darken my doorway again. He was a total disaster as was his crew of kids. Expensive mistake.

MjL

#58 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/02/2019

#KitchenRemodel
One year later and I am still furious at the incompetence of that installer and his crew. Hindsight is absolutely 20/20.

MjL