CHEZERBEY

the cork test: results

Three months ago we purchased a box of Vida cork flooring and installed a test piece in our bedroom. We soon moved the test area (3′ wide by 5′ long) to the kitchen to be sure it received not only paw traffic but foot traffic as well.

The results? We’re sold! It’s hard to tell from the photograph, but the cork has held up really well. Plus, it’s easy to clean and feels great underfoot.

The current plan is to install it in the future kitchen/dining area, but there has also been discussion of putting it over the oak floors in the future living/bedroom area as well. Because we will be opening up the floor plan quite a bit, we’re worried about transitions of materials between spaces. Would it look better if the flooring was the same throughout the “great room” area or should we try to keep a bit of the history of the house by keeping the oak floors (but maybe staining them a tad darker to better match the cork?). These are the type of quandaries that we still have to figure out and we may not make a decision until demo is complete and we can get a better sense of the new spaces.

But for now, we’re excited that the cork has passed the 3 month indurance test with flying colors and can’t wait to rid ourselves of the linoleum.*

[ * note – we love linoleum and think it’s a great green product, but ours was not maintained properly over the years and is now a dry and brittle dirt sponge.]

winter exterior photos

Despite our cloudy winter skies, I went ahead and took a few more exterior shots to add to our “after” pile. [You can also find them on the exterior page as part of the overall start to finish process.]

 

And a few new detail shots…

I never thought I’d love the aesthetics of a dryer vent so much.

Another detail that we never really showed is the porch hatch. Realizing that we would need some type of access under the porch, Kyle came up with a design that would blend in with the rest of the assembly. The door is constructed of a frame of 5/4 ipe [with a tension cable along the diagonal for extra rigidity] with cedar slats attached. A simple bolt latch keeps the door in place.

The opening is just big enough for a person to crawl through. The space also doubles as a good dog kennel, though Bailey did not agree.

the dilemma of open shelving

While our style is certainly modern, we’re not crazy about uber minimalistic kitchens that look like they’ve never been used. To us, there is a balance between simplicity and the use of light, color, texture and layers to make a space feel comfortable and inviting. For the kitchen, I have always been drawn to the idea of selective open shelving. But I’m also hesitant. How will it stay looking nice? Will those pretty exposed dishes become a victim of dust, food splatter, or worse…dog hair? (You’d be surprised where it drifts to.) Swayed by caution and the ease of adding a couple extra IKEA units to our list, our previous kitchen iteration showed a bank of mostly white-doored upper cabinets. But then, a few weeks ago on our lighting furniture shopping adventure, we stopped in the Henrybuilt showroom. Just to look. Just to drool. Just to change my mind that indeed open shelving is worth the risk.

 

What do you think? We actually have a solid collection of white dishes and simple glasses that I wouldn’t mind showing off…and a colored back panel would really give a nice punch.  Of course, this adds two more pieces to the “to build” list but we think it will be worth it.  We also nixed the mustard yellow [for now] and changed the countertop color to something more neutral to represent the fact that we haven’t really decided on anything yet. We’re also still debating whether or not to extend the backsplash up the wall on the range side. [This is when the push/pull command in sketchup comes in handy. Up? Down? Up? Down.]

In other news, we decided that our big-bowl-little-bowl sink that we bought on clearance a few years ago will be going the way of Craigslist. We just don’t see a use for the small sink part (since we won’t have a garbage disposal) and would prefer one single basin.  We’ve also had a few discussions about faucets, but have yet to do any real shopping.

And it’s already February! One more month of planning and prepping and then it’s d-day!

crunching numbers

This week we have focused our energy on a few different things…

1. Finishing the bathroom art project (we’re getting there!)

2. Making progress on the porch (the ceiling is finally finished!) 

3. Creating a master budget spreadsheet for the 2010 project. We have used spreadsheets in the past to help determine quantities of materials and compare prices among different suppliers, but this is going to be the mother of all spreadsheets. That’s right…a comprehensive list of materials and supplies organized by CSI division (Construction Specifications Institute – the same format we use as architects). Given our big plans but very limited budget, it’s important to get a good grasp on all the associated costs so we know how to prioritize. We’re also hoping that some thorough pre-planning will help reduce frequent trips to the home improvement stores and save some valuable weekend hours! Kyle has already spent several hours researching materials, determining needed quantities of things like drywall, lumber, flooring, etc. and assigning a price per unit for everything we’ll need. It’s great to see all the info in one place and helps us identify the high cost areas.  Once we start construction, the spreadsheet will serve as a shopping list of sorts. In short, we think the spreadsheet is our new best friend.

counter culture

One of the things we are most excited about with the impending kitchen remodel is new countertops! One of the most embarrassing parts of our house is our laminate countertops. Now, laminate isn’t inherently bad. But ours…ours was meant to look like marble. I think.

Is there such a thing as yellow marble with gold veins?

It’s quite possible that it wasn’t always yellow. Or maybe it was more yellow. Or gold. Anyhow, it is scratched, stained, de-laminating and soon to be gone! But what to replace it with?  

In general, we like smooth surfaces that are not busy or shiny. This rules out most tile, granite, marble, and recycled glass products. Second, we want it to be extremely durable. Recycled content is also a plus. Oh, and it has to be affordable. In terms of color, we’re thinking something in the lighter hue to bounce more light and make the space feel brighter. [For the island, we’re planning on going with IKEA butcher block.] 

We started out with three choices: stainless steel, quartz, and a recycled bamboo/paper fiber product.  

Photo found here.  

With stainless steel, you get a durable, sterile material with the option to do an integrated stainless steel sink. Swoon! Sadly the quote was well over $3k (for counters, sink, a full height back splash and installation). Oh well.

The two remaining contenders are quartz and a recycled fiber product. Let’s see how they compare.