Major kitchen remodel

For making food and making...
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by kevm14 »

Tomorrow we actually go back to KCCNE to make the decision on the granite slab layout for the counter. The main ideas are:
- See if we really love an area and want to try to feature it in a specific area
- See if we really hate an area (like a big vein) and don't want it at all
- Possibly seam discussions (possible location options)
- Generally there is a flow to granite and I am hoping that Dave will help us through
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by kevm14 »

Sigh. Fabricator not working this morning so can't have the appointment. Would have been good to know yesterday. Now it has to be like Monday. How do people pay for a kitchen remodel if they don't work?
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by kevm14 »

kevm14 wrote:Unfortunately, some of the imperfections in the plaster job would normally be the job of the painter to prep the final surface. The painter is me. So that kind of sucks but I just can't afford to have this all painted, though I admit I don't actually have a price. But I can say if it is more than like $300, then forget it. It will probably be over $500 and maybe closer to $800.
Try $1050 plus paint. And that was from the guy who the finish carpenter said would be cheaper. That's for:
- Kitchen ceiling
- Window casing
- Kitchen walls
- Dining room wall up to ceiling
- Wall below stairs which is part of dining room
- Hallway where basement door is just to have some continuity (most of that is 3 doorways)

Looking at like 4 different paints for this:
- Flat ceiling paint
- semi-gloss for window casings and probably small baseboards that wrap into kitchen
- Whatever color for kitchen walls
- Match the off-white/cream for dining room area (he took a sample already)
bill25
Posts: 2583
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:20 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by bill25 »

That is the best 1000 bucks spent. I would totally let them do that. Paint is like 30 - 45 a can and you are paying that either way.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by kevm14 »

kevm14 wrote:
kevm14 wrote: Also of interest was a 4" designed filler at the end of the run. He was like...why did Nate do that? I have no idea. Overly conservative with his measurements. Because if in reality that came to under 3", well, the cabinet would be in the wall. Well, in reality, I actually have MORE than 4" at the end of the run. Paul said the best bet would be to enlarge the upper cabinet to 39" and the lower to 36". I was like...man, I dunno if they will go for that, and I would think I will have to pay. He made a phone call and it was done. I am still not sure if I am going to face a change order but they may just eat this. If so, that is another example of why I went with these guys.
I was too optimistic. They want to write it up as a change order, since they'd have to obviously order new cabinets. $800, which is apparently their cost. Paul was here to show me the base trim options for the crown area and I talked to him again about it. He is actually pissed at them, and said this is the first time he's seen something like this and is going to talk to the owner, though I don't think he is going to get very far. I wrote a nastygram and the owner is now on CC so we will see. Worst case I live with the gap and filler and will be annoyed about it. It's not the end of the world but it does detract from the quality image, since people will see my kitchen and that gap is something that would normally be the result of shoving stock cabinets together. These semi-custom cabinets were available in a width to make that gap more like 1". And according to Paul, 1" is more than enough margin to cover measurement issues so in his opinion this is BS. We will see what happens.

This is the first real issue, and compared to some, it is minor. But it isn't right, and I have extremely high expectations not just for the money (which is a lot) but the company itself which differentiated themselves from others. I do have some good news to report next.
Owner called me tonight. We discussed this. The short of it is, he defends his measurement conservatism though I still think it's hokey. However, he did agree to split the cost which honestly is pretty fair. That said, I am still tight with my budget and he is going to talk to the Diamond rep to see if they can work out some kind of deal. So, half is $400. If that was like $250, I think I'd do it. It will add time to my job, to the tune of 3 weeks. But it will look better and give us that much more space. We'll see how it goes. Joe is good to work with all things considered.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by kevm14 »

Went to KCCNE on Monday to pick the final granite layout.
Here is their showroom by the way. It is really nice. That kitchen straight ahead on the left is fully functional, down to the 48" gas range and pot filler. There is more to the right and left. And a large number of granite slabs in the back lot outside.
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Here is the first slab that will be used. Marked one spot as avoid.
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Here is the other slab that will be used.
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You can make out the paint pen markup of how he will cut these into the pieces required, and where the seams will be.
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First avoid spot at my direction.
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I don't totally mind these looking at the pictures but in the high contrast of the midday sun they just looked link ink blot stains. It actually comes off as kind of cool in the picture....oh well, I think they are avoid spots also.
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I think this was supposed to illustrate the iridescent areas but it didn't really come out in the shot.
WP_20180827_10_18_19_Pro.jpg
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by kevm14 »

kevm14 wrote:
kevm14 wrote:
kevm14 wrote: Also of interest was a 4" designed filler at the end of the run. He was like...why did Nate do that? I have no idea. Overly conservative with his measurements. Because if in reality that came to under 3", well, the cabinet would be in the wall. Well, in reality, I actually have MORE than 4" at the end of the run. Paul said the best bet would be to enlarge the upper cabinet to 39" and the lower to 36". I was like...man, I dunno if they will go for that, and I would think I will have to pay. He made a phone call and it was done. I am still not sure if I am going to face a change order but they may just eat this. If so, that is another example of why I went with these guys.
I was too optimistic. They want to write it up as a change order, since they'd have to obviously order new cabinets. $800, which is apparently their cost. Paul was here to show me the base trim options for the crown area and I talked to him again about it. He is actually pissed at them, and said this is the first time he's seen something like this and is going to talk to the owner, though I don't think he is going to get very far. I wrote a nastygram and the owner is now on CC so we will see. Worst case I live with the gap and filler and will be annoyed about it. It's not the end of the world but it does detract from the quality image, since people will see my kitchen and that gap is something that would normally be the result of shoving stock cabinets together. These semi-custom cabinets were available in a width to make that gap more like 1". And according to Paul, 1" is more than enough margin to cover measurement issues so in his opinion this is BS. We will see what happens.

This is the first real issue, and compared to some, it is minor. But it isn't right, and I have extremely high expectations not just for the money (which is a lot) but the company itself which differentiated themselves from others. I do have some good news to report next.
Owner called me tonight. We discussed this. The short of it is, he defends his measurement conservatism though I still think it's hokey. However, he did agree to split the cost which honestly is pretty fair. That said, I am still tight with my budget and he is going to talk to the Diamond rep to see if they can work out some kind of deal. So, half is $400. If that was like $250, I think I'd do it. It will add time to my job, to the tune of 3 weeks. But it will look better and give us that much more space. We'll see how it goes. Joe is good to work with all things considered.
Some more shots of the big gap. And the other side for comparison.
This is 4 to like 4-1/2" depending on at what height you measure it.
WP_20180827_09_20_59_Pro.jpg
WP_20180827_09_21_02_Pro.jpg
WP_20180827_09_21_13_Pro.jpg
The gap on the opposite side (pantry) is only 1-1/4" by comparison, which is a reasonable filler width. Interesting how that didn't need a 4" gap but the other side did.
WP_20180828_20_19_49_Pro.jpg
No word from Joe yet.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by kevm14 »

Day 14:
Productivity check-in: 20 available work days (M-F) and of those there have been 14 full or partial days of activity at my house. So we'll call that of 4 calendar weeks, there have been 3 weeks of work. I think that is decent considering how many individual trades have been through here already, though the pace is slowing down, and will slow down dramatically if these cabinets do end up getting ordered.

Mike came back to install the windows today. Here are some outside shots. He will do the siding tomorrow so excuse the rough appearance.
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In fact here are the siding supplies. Guess he didn't think it was going to rain (it probably isn't).
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Cedar is good stuff. I understand I can just leave this untreated until I decide what I am doing with the rest of the house paint.
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Brick mold, which matches the rest of the house. I can always change later to a wider flat stock which is much more modern. I should have asked if the brick mold is PVC just in case it stays.
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Cedar shakes and special nails.
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Onedrive link for dSLR shots: https://1drv.ms/f/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqNQ-alXDUaxn3STwMg

Now this is looking more like a real kitchen.
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Double hung for the rear wall.
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Casement double crank out for over sink.
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Now is the time when I admit that I may regret my casement window selection though my selection was not visually based. I cannot believe how much non-glass area is on this window. Yeah, modern windows and all that but still. I could have done double hung which would have had a thinner horizontal bar across the middle rather than a thick vertical one. Or, I wonder if they had single crank out windows to fill that opening with more glass. Well, windows can be changed. I will say the screens do remove and that may open up just a bit around the perimeter but that middle frame part is so ridiculously thick. It is 6 inches. Not rounded. Actually 6 inches.

Specs. I don't know what any of this means.
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Outside in progress.
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by kevm14 »

Day 15:
Siding and trim is on for the back wall window! Looks great. I think the brick molding is PVC which I forgot to ask about but that is great of course.

Onedrive link: https://1drv.ms/f/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqNRJqxjnDX2_vcfdJg
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Also had some correspondence with the company.

1) Windows are not returnable. Ok so I eat this but I guess I will keep it and maybe try to sell it and recoup something. It is brand new.
2) I will buy a new window, most likely going with double hung like the other one. I may go with a Slimline offering because it makes the frames even thinner for more glass. It won't technically match but I think maximizing outside viewing in front of the sink is more important in lieu of a nice bay window or something.
3) Joe will cover labor for swapping windows. That is great.
4) Slimline window is $230 (wish I just went with that originally as it is cheaper, too) which I will cover. It will take 1-2 weeks which does hold the job up.

I also got a quick note that Joe is taking care of the cabinet thing but I am not sure what that means. Does it mean he is buying both?? I hate to press them but I should probably understand what is happening. Anyway, if that is all true, in the end, I would still say they came through with high marks in customer service. I may send a quick note how important it is that they handle things this way - it should be obvious to anyone who has talked to me for 5 minutes that if something goes above expectations, I am going to walk someone through it detail by detail and that paints KCCNE in a positive light. And the likewise is true if I feel like I am being wronged or if I am otherwise dissatisfied. This is all logical to me as a consumer. Spending an extra thousand on his end to keep a high rating and lead to other lucrative jobs only makes sense to me.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Major kitchen remodel

Post by kevm14 »

Day 16:
Countertops were installed today. Final height seems to be around 36.5". They bridged the gap where the base cabinet is that will be replaced. Seems fine. They also put this plastic stuff on the counters I guess to protect them for the rest of the job (including painting I would guess). Horrible smell when I walked into the basement. It is already dissipating but Jamie said it was so strong earlier that she had to go outside. That sounds terrible but not much we can do about it I guess.

Onedrive link: https://1drv.ms/f/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqNRSTbcq95FRTk7j4A

Check this out. Looks awesome.
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I only see two seams which is also pretty awesome.
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They also ordered the Harvey Slimline double hung window today for over the sink. It was under $250 with tax. I think at this point the job is held up due to the two cabinets and that window, however long they take to come in. 16/22 days worked and that will drop off starting tomorrow for however many weeks I would assume.
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