Repair-It

Random updates:

1. Just in case anyone thought I was crazy for the casement window, here are some shots illustrating how bad it is. Here is me standing at the center of the sink. I mean you can see the outside obviously. What if I lean to the left? And to the right. Sort of a relevant view there...

2. Check out the nice light around noon. Probably my first shot with the lights off.

Appliances were delivered. Not really counting this as a day of work. Next week KCCNE will, I think, complete most of the remaining electrical and plumbing, install the appliances, and I guess we will have a working kitchen. Then it's just a matter of waiting for the window and cabinets before the final stuff can be done. I think they would have been done exactly when they said had it not been for the window and cabinet fiasco.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqNUGDlsFdcJqd_rbAg

Muchos hornos! Finally got to submit for my induction cookware set rebate since I now have a serial number.

Day 17:

Surprise. Got a note that the plumber and electrician will be there this afternoon to hopefully give us full appliances and the sink.

I wonder if these guys are specifically planning to avoid my being there...

https://1drv.ms/f/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqNUhGKCx5AGqrkni7g

I wasn't here but it sounded like a full afternoon with the plumber and electrician. The following things seem to have gotten done:
- Range outlet installed and wired - I set the clock
- Range installed though the side rails still need to be installed
- Dishwasher is in the hole but not secured and I don't know about the water, drain or electrical - they probably installed the new breaker for its outlet
- Microwave still in the box, probably installed the new breaker for that outlet
- Fridge outlet (new circuit) connected in breaker box
- Fridge moved back into place but not leveled
- Fridge water hooked up
- Sink faucet installed, new shutoffs, etc.
- Sink drain hooked up

So tonight I cleaned out the water filter housing (in the new sink of course) and installed a new filter. It works! First place I've ever lived with fridge water (the ice dispenser is disabled and we are keeping it that way).

I think the plumber is coming back tomorrow to do the microwave (includes the duct connection) and I would assume the dishwasher. Not sure if the electrician is coming back as there is work left yet, like all convenience outlets, lights, the fan and my generator breaker lockout plate.

Day 18:
Plumber came Thursday afternoon. He finished the dishwasher and fridge. The fridge was easy - he just leveled it (after I insisted - and he seemed grumpy about it even though it took 2 minutes and a screwdriver). Looks good now and the doors still auto close. He did not install the microwave as that is apparently the finish carpenter's job (the mounting bracket stuff, and I guess tying into the duct is more his gig).

However I am not satisfied with the dishwasher installation. I find the guy pretty lazy actually. He installed it too low and claimed it couldn't be raised. I think the legs are actually all the way down (unless he snapped one off trying to install it and then lied to me - he told me they were all the way up). Another reason I think the legs are all the way down is because the Bosch manual states that all the way down is 33-7/8" total height. Guess what - that is exactly the height from the floor the dishwasher is at right now.

There is a full 1-1/2" gap between the top of the dishwasher and the bottom of the countertop. It looks ridiculous. It is, however, plumb and level. It is running now. It is extremely quiet as promised. I would not sacrifice cleaning power for quietness though so we will see how it does. It is doing the first load now, on auto. All you really hear is a little water dripping sound and most of that is actually coming up from behind the counter in the gap between the counter and wall (no backsplash yet).

EDIT: Looked this morning at the dishes. Did not fully unload but from what I saw it did an extremely good job. It heats the water up to 162F (depending on mode/option settings) which is hotter than older dishwashers that, from memory, are probably around 140F. That is good for sanitizing. There is definitely some German complexity to the way this thing works. Like auto mode claims to sense the dirtiness of the dishes, which must be some kind of IR or laser light shined through some water. It also says when the rinse aid is low, it automatically extends the drying time to compensate.

Here is their PR on how the auto mode works for water usage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMUUPH-TAm8

The good news is, if it doesn't work, you just press a different mode (like Normal or Heavy). We will try auto for a while and see how it does.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqNV9Yw_KSRif9AvWfw

Leveled fridge. Dishwasher gap. It is about 1-1/2" too low. I believe it is sitting completely on the floor. The controls are not supposed to be visible when the door is closed. They don't even light up when closed, which proves my point. Now, can the finish carpenter cut a piece of the cabinet trim and continue the cabinet box across? Sure. But it will be set back where the base cabinet box is, and the gap will still be visible. Controls with door open. You set what you want, press start, and close the door within 4 seconds to activate what you just set. Pretty simple. I like the time display. Again, it is blank when the door is closed because you are not supposed to be able to see it. That is the whole point of top controls. Downside to the modern quiet energy saving dishwashers: very long runtimes. In this pic it says 2:20. I did not time the actual runtime as it was in auto so perhaps it can vary. Since it is not making a racket, it doesn't matter much. Now all it has to do is work flawlessly for 15 years.....yeah, I know, tall order. Front cover at the lowest position. Which also confirms the unit is sitting on the floor. It can go up a max of around 1-1/4" which would leave a 1/4" gap. They could easily throw some plywood down and set it on that, then do fine leveling with the feet. Plumber was being lazy. And if he snapped a leg off, they are going to fix it. The gap. It is monstrous. There is one excuse that I can't wait to hear, which may happen: the reason the leg snapped off (if that is what happened) is because I insisted on tiling the entire floor. The leg could have caught on the edge of a tile (grout line) when pushing back. I will go through the roof on them if I hear that.

At the very least, the plumber stood in my kitchen and lied to me that the legs were all the way up, when they are in fact all the way down. Worst case, he broke a leg trying to raise it, said screw this, and lowered it to the floor. What's funny about that (not in a good way) is that while explaining why it can't be raised any further, he actually said breaking a leg is a concern when the adjustment starts to get toward the end. Sure, that makes sense. The funny part is, maybe he actually did that and neglected to tell me.

The good news is, if he did snap any feet off, the front two are $11.72/ea and the rear center one is $3.50. Still not my cost or trouble to bear though.

Nothing has happened. Except of course, that we received our rebate cookware! And somewhat surprisingly to me (for rebate cookware) it is actually really nice. It feels pretty high end to me, in fact.

The pamphlet we received said the following:

Chantal Corp. was founded in Houston, TX by Heida Thurlow in 1971. As a mechanical engineer, Heida has always been uncompromising in her quest for quality products and has been awarded over 50 patents. Chantal can be found in high-end retail stores worldwide.

I had never heard of them so I assumed the worst - that it would be some knock off, cheap crap. Does not appear to be the case at all.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqNcvxX2DxoiXhjnBUA

Griddle and big pot. Saute pan (I think) Crammed the rest here. The frying pans have some kind of ceramic non-stick coating. I guess that's better than eating Teflon... I also made a video of boiling a couple inches of water in the big pot.
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=9D52BC4A ... 43&o=OneUp

It is extremely responsive to changing settings. It also boiled quickly. I can actually do an experiment with a set amount of water and time it if anyone is interested.

Day 19:

This hardly even counts as a day. It was like 10 minutes of work. But the granite guys came back and drilled the hole for the soap dispenser and installed it. In other news, the window is in so the rough carpenter will come back on Tuesday and install that, and finish the shingle work outside to go along with that.

After that I believe the backsplash can go.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention something important. 10 days ago KCCNE contacted me that as of 9/19, my cabinet order was showing as to be shipped from the Diamond Vibe factory between 9/25 and 10/1. At least that was the current status in the system. See, it turns out the factory is in North Carolina, possibly eastern NC, and was part of the Florence damage. At least as of 9/19, I was told the factory was closed due to flooding and no power. I have not received an update. Suffice it to say many customers are in this position. This is beyond their control so I'm not mad. At least some parts of what's left can continue moving along. Still need:
- Window (next Tuesday)
- Backsplash (maybe next week also)
- Granite riser and window sill behind sink
- Window finish work (casing mainly)
- I think there is still some plaster stuff that needs to be done, per my request
- Finish electrical (most of the outlets and switches are not finished, and I still want them to install my generator lockout plate, plus ceiling lighting and the fan, plus the under cabinet lighting)
- Raise dishwasher up to bottom of counter
- Install microwave
- Finish the tie in for the HVAC vent. The return will have to wait for the new base cabinet, whenever the hell that comes in.
- Baseboard trim
- Crown
- All the paint work
- Cabinet door and drawer hardware install

We've kind of started creeping back into the kitchen as it is. I even cooked on the range (Jamie says she doesn't know how to use it yet, sigh). I did not find it difficult to adjust as long as I kept reminding myself that the heat is very responsive, so I had to kind of forget the learned behavior of trying to anticipate the needed heat by adjusting up or down before actually needed like with most electric ranges. Each burner area has a light to indicate hot surface and it stayed hot for quite a while after I was done, but I think that was because the frying pan was sitting on it. I bet if I put it in the sink or something it would have cooled quickly, because the only heat that transfers to the cooktop is from the pot/pan itself.

Day 20:
Window delivered 10/2.

I looked at it and was like....this looks way too wide. Then I measured. It is 36" just like the other one. I cannot get over how much more glass area there is with this one. So glad we switched. Should be going in today. Talked to Jamie today. She said it was totally worth it. I can't wait to see it in the daylight. Looks awesome. First thought was...this is Slimline but it looks the same as the other window. Surprise! The other window was a Slimline the entire time and I never noticed, and no one ever mentioned it. So now I have matching windows...by accident? Oy.

But anyway, so much glass! This is great.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqNdos6ZS-qLJhaBgbg

Some more pics. Look! You can see outside! Paul was here today. Apparently Mike installed the window too far to the left in the rough opening. It was supposed to be hard to the right. So it's off by 3/4" and he says we will see that when the casing is all finished. Sigh. Paul is going to redo it. He has a very good attention to detail, as he should being a finish carpenter.

I am also passing a note to KCCNE about this. I noticed this when the counter was put in. But they were going to send the tile guy to do the backsplash so I wanted to pass this along to make sure there is no need for additional plaster work on the wall. I am not sure how thick the tiles are, but this is like 3/8". I just checked a tile. 1/4". So if the thinset gives 1/8", then I guess that will just barely cover the gap and caulk at the bottom would presumably hide it. And I still never figured out why they cut away the wall here. Must have had something to do with putting the countertop in.

Day 21:
Paul was here today. I did not get to see him but Jamie told me some interesting stuff.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqNd8HjCW_wdQGe0v5A

First, the work that I think was completed:
- Moved window over the 3/4" or whatever.
- Cased all 3 sides (sill will be granite)
- Cased the other window
- RAISED DISHWASHER (I was right - the feet were completely at their lowest setting - Paul was quite unimpressed with the plumber for this, as was I)
- Installed all hardware except for the cabinets that will be replaced
- Installed microwave wall brackets

This was a full day's work. Get this - he told Mike about the window and Mike is coming tomorrow (that's right, Saturday) to re-side and re-trim the outside. There really isn't anything I've been dissatisfied with that hasn't been corrected.

Mike did not come today...not too surprised. As long as someone finishes the outside. I think it will need new shingles on the right side and the brick mold put back on.