Easy as subway tile

Subway tile makes a fine backsplash in a kitchen for a few reasons.  First, it’s a classic American look that is as timeless as a Rolex watch (but much cheaper).  Second, it is white, so it complements pretty much any color scheme.  Finally, it’s so easy to install that even a moron like me can do it.  And did.

I ordered my tile from Andy at Magnolia Home and had Dave help me install it.  Dave kept insisting that it was easy enough for me to install by myself, but with no knowledge of how to run a wet saw or spread mastic or anything else related to installing tile, I insisted that he help me.

Between the two of us, we knocked it out in a matter of hours.  I even learned how to use the saw and only almost cut my finger off once!

As you can see from the photos above, the finished product turned out real nice, especially once Dave came back and grouted it this past weekend.  It especially looks nice with the addition of the under cabinet lighting that Dave and his wife Veronica installed as a housewarming gift to me.  They truly are the nicest people on earth.  With the exception of you, of course.

Now to test the backsplash.  Any of you have a recommendation for a kitchen project messy enough to ensure that the subway tile gets splattered?

School days, school days…

While I wait for my new countertops to be installed in my kitchen, I will show you a little project that I just completed in my bedroom.  The ceiling fan light fixture. The existing light was a three globe chandelier-type thing that just wasn’t my style.  So I had Dave replace it with an old school schoolhouse globe.  I think the new fixture not only looks better, but also casts a more even distribution of light.  What do you think?

Allis, not Alice

I just found out that I had been spelling the name of Dave’s dog Allis wrong the whole time I’ve been writing this blog.  It’s Allis, not Alice.  Come to think of it, I’ve been thinking of Allis as an Alice the whole time I’ve known her too. Turns out she is named after Dave’s Allis Chalmers WD45 tractor.  Great name.  I’ve since corrected it on the blog.

Incidentally, the spelling and pronunciation of a name go a long way in helping me associate and remember a person and their personality.  In other words, I think of people (and animals) in terms of how their names are spelled and pronounced.  For example Katie is completely different from Katy or Kady, just as Zach is different from Zac or Zak. Even though those sets of names are technically pronounced the same, they’re just not the same to me.

Which is why my Alice mistake is such a bummer.  It’s almost as if I’ll need to spend more time with Allis so I can get to know her as an Allis and not an Alice.  I guess I’ll have to find something else for Dave to do at my house once those donations to the “Tile Thomas’ Kitchen and Den Fund” come rolling in.

Be gone, carpet

Right before Dave left, he pulled up the last of the carpet in the house.  Although there weren’t hardwood floors underneath the carpet in the den, it had gotten extremely dusty during all the construction and simply had to go.

Being the clean freak she is, my mom offered to buy me an area rug if I’d just consent to ripping the dusty carpet out (which at first I was opposed to).  With this offer in place, I couldn’t say no.  So out went the carpet.

Underneath the carpet lived a long-hidden gem of a linoleum tile floor that resembles terrazzo.  See for yourself:

While the long range plan is to eventually lay ceramic tile in the kitchen and den, I am out of money in the short run, so I’m going to be living with my linoleum floors for now.

All contributions to the “Tile Thomas’ Kitchen and Den Fund” can be mailed to 402 East Monroe.  Donations are not tax-deductible but will be appreciated all the same.

At last, the angled bookshelf

Dave finally completed his work today and the finished product is just great!  He left me with a lot of neat things to show you over the next few days, but I’ll start by showing you the project that he completed last (today).

Now, I’m kind of partial to the angled kitchen bookshelf, in part because I came up with the idea for it and designed it on my own (with some help from the good folks at the Not So Big House), and in part because it turned out so well.  If you forgot how the idea came about, read my earlier post.  Once you’ve refreshed your memory, check out the finished product:

Once my countertops arrive, they will extend to cover the top of the bookshelf.  This will add additional square footage to my overall counter space, but also (and perhaps more importantly) to the counter height bar that will be to the left of the bookshelf in the photos.

As previously discussed, I think the bookshelf will be both functional and will be a nice added design detail to the kitchen.  Of course, all of this will look much better once I get it caulked and painted.  All in due time.  Nice work, Dave!

Take them out; open it up

The picture on the left is the kitchen that I started with.  At first, I thought that the cabinets suspended from the ceiling over the counter on the left were fine, but the more I looked at them, the more I realized that something just wasn’t all right.

The first time co-worker and building inspector Victor Stokes came to look at the house, he immediately suggested that I take those cabinets out and hang some pendant lights over the counter, opening the kitchen up to the breakfast area that lies just beyond.  I told him I just didn’t think I wanted to do all that.

The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized he was right.  Taking the cabinets out between the kitchen and the breakfast area would really open things up and I wouldn’t be losing too much cabinet space.  Especially considering that it’s just me, and I don’t cook all that often anyway.  At least not yet.

So, I told Dave to take them out and open it up.

Boy, I’m glad I did.  Looking at the photo on the right, you can see how removing those cabinets took down the visual barrier between the kitchen and breakfast area.  In doing so, I was able to work in a counter-height bar on the breakfast area side of the counter, as well as the nice angled bookshelf addition to the end of the counter (see three posts down). Photos yet to come.

What you don’t see in the “during” photo on the right is the mirror image bookshelf that Dave constructed opposite the one to the left of the sink. It will really balance out the weight of the cabinets visually along that wall.  Dave did a really nice job tying the new cabinets into the existing cabinetry (you’ll have to wait to see photos).

What you might notice in the “before” photo that you don’t see in the “during” photo is the wood grain Formica wainscot along the walls of the kitchen.  I had Dave take that out, only to reveal a thick layer of textured glue that simply could not be sanded down and worked with (see “during” photo).  So we ripped the sheetrock out from there down and replaced it with new rock.

The sheetrock work was the first unsuspected expense, but it needed to happen and it looks really nice now that it is floated out and blends with the existing wall seamlessly.  It will really look nice with a coat of paint on it!

Patience.

Allis in Wonderland

My contractor, Dave Pritchard, has a Weimaraner named Allis.  She is the prettiest dog and a joy to have around the house.  She is so obedient, and mostly hangs out under the construction trailer in the driveway.  She is also very protective.  Even though it’s my house, she still barks when I come up the driveway.  I guess that is because she has spent more time there than I have.  It’s no wonder she feels a sense of ownership of the property.

Yesterday when I went over to visit with Dave, I took Allis a rawhide bone.  I did this to thank Allis for guarding my house during the day, but also as a way of saying thanks to Dave for all the great work he has been doing. I figured by making his dog happy, I’d make Dave happy too. Allis sure did appreciate the bone.  She immediately took it in her mouth, made a loop through the house, and then ran outside to begin working on it.

Above are a few photos I took of Allis and her bone.  She doesn’t know it yet, but I have another one in the car to give to her the next time I see her.

Work to be done

I’m a very detailed person. And so, naturally, when it came time to select a carpenter for my simple project, I asked around, checked references, did my due diligence, all in an effort to find someone who was honest, fair, and skilled at what they do. At the end of the day, I selected Dave Pritchard from Black Hawk to be my contractor.

Dave was recommended by my friend Andy Hackleman, has worked for several trusted people in town, and has a reputation for quality work. Above is a list of work that I gave to Dave on his first day on the job. Although there have been a couple of unsuspected events to come up in the process of tearing out walls, he and his Weimaraner, Allis, have been a joy to work with thus far.

The list will serve as a sort of “Table of Contents” for this blog. It lists most of the projects I will be undertaking on the front-end and provides a sense of the types of changes being made to the house.