Lars, I can hardly wait to see what you have chosen, but good luck on that clutter. My clutter just seems to have a life of its own....

Five days without a kitchen in your area? I think the sushi is a very good idea, as is some meals out, as that is a treat for you and you have plenty of good choices. It could get old fast, though, especially if you do that for every meal, so some grilling is a very good idea, and so are the frozen meals. It's always nice to have something fast to grab from the freezer anyway, when you're in a pinch for time or just tired.

Good luck on that kitchen!

Annie

Very exciting to have a new counter in the kitchen.

Engineered quartz stone is great. Beautiful and durable. Some manufacturers also combine antibacterial substances in the mixture.

dcarch

Lars,

Congrats on the new counters. From a long time Kitchens Forum habitue' re how to cope, a big one is to multiply the amount of time it's supposed to take by two and a half and prepare for that. Seriously. It might all go swimmingly, but then there's the dry rot that couldn't be seen until the tile was removed, or whatever, and you're stuck in limbo with no kitchen and no hope. If you overload the freezer, and everything comes out perfect and a day early, congrats, then it's an option to not heat up the kitchen during the Summer, or to donate prepared meals to the ill, or whatever, just don't say, "It's only 5 days. We can make it through five days without X, Y and Z, not to mention Q."

Do you camp? If so, try to organize a (luxurious car camping) camp kitchen, or outdoor kitchen. Not so much the backpacker supplies. That is, some basic cooking necessities--a pot or two, knives and cutting board, cooking spoon, strainer, etc.--and a dishpan or available sink that is not a bathroom vanity, something that cooks which is not a mere microwave, and refrigeration. I'm assuming the last stays the same since it's not involved in counters, unless you'll be locked out of the kitchen completely. But if you have something outside of the kitchen, that's good too.

Do all of that. Get it set up. Then buy some interesting sausages and rolls, and made up salads, and other easy not to cook stuff, and peruse Urban Spoon or Zagat for some restaurants to investigate, and eat your frozen meals. That way, once a week or more has gone by and you're over it and just want a chicken, you'll have the ability to cook one and wash up without having to rely on the rotisserie at Whole Foods.

All the best for an easy install.

I am so happy for you. You will love the new countertops. And the opportunity to purge and organize.

I bought a portable induction cooktop during reno and loved it. Great and fast for cooking on the deck. I still use it when the weather gets hot and something needs loooong cooking. Also when I am grilling and want to cook something that needs frequent attention. I can just pull up a deck chair, open a book, and keep an eye on both.

The induction cooktop, my old electric tea kettle, and the Breville toaster oven and I have a mini-kitchen ready to go anywhere!

Here is a link that might be useful: Induction cooktop

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Sun, Apr 20, 14 at 9:17

I did my first de-clutter 3/4 years ago and have done it yearly since. I also didn't re-clutter (golf claps/whistles). I am doing another extra one this week now that I read this post.
I hope you post a picture once the reno is finished.

Who needs a kitchen and a sink?

Two cheap plastic bins and a hose are all you need to cook in the garden. :-)

dcarch

Here's a picture of the stone sample we chose - it looks much better in person than in the photo, but that does not concern me. We had both thought that we wanted something light, but none of the light colored samples looked good in the kitchen, and we are content with the other finishes that we have. The stone has already been ordered.

We will not have a kitchen sink during that week, but we do have a garden hose and plastic bins. I had forgotten about not having a sink, and so I think I will try to minimize what clean-up will be necessary. We can always store dirty dishes in the DW. I do have a portable induction cooktop, and I can take that out to the patio/pergola, along with the toaster oven and electric kettle. We have four barbeques, and one of them is propane (in case of earthquakes), and we also have plenty of camping supplies in the garage. Since we are prepared for earthquakes, we should be okay, although this disruption will last much longer.

It might also be nice to have a vacation from cooking. We have a new stand-up freezer in the garage as well as an additional refrigerator, and so we really do not need to use the kitchen for quite an extended time, if necessary. I think I will start freezing leftovers as I make meals for the next three weeks, and that should be plenty. Besides that, there are plenty of really good neighborhood restaurants, offering a huge variety of cuisines from Ethiopian to Japanese, Indian, Lebanese, Thai, Persian, Jamaican, Burmese, etc all within 5 minutes of us. If we want to go 10 minutes away, there are more options than I can count.

I am sort of looking forward to the decluttering aspect!

Thanks for your suggestions - they are very helpful.

Lars

I forgot to mention that our counter tops will have the antibacterial finish and will not require resealing the way granite does. That was a major factor for me.

This post was edited by publickman on Sun, Apr 20, 14 at 14:39

It looks pretty great in the picture, so it must be really stunning in person! Great choice with the cabinets and floor.

Your plan is sound and sounds survivable for as long as it takes -- though may it fly swiftly!

The hardest part of being without a kitchen for us was clean-up. Do you have a utility sink to use while your sink is out of commission. We have one but it's very deep. I used one bus tub upside down to raise the bottom to a more usable height. Then put the dishes in another bus tub which acted as the sink for washing. We had a dish rack on the counter for drying the dishes.

You can do a lot of cooking on a grill - if it has a cover to hold the heat in you can even use it as an oven. A thermometer to help keep an eye on the cooking temp is helpful too. I baked a cake in ours during the remodel, though playing human thermostat gets tiresome after a while.

A hot water pot, a hot plate, a microwave are all helpful - we were without a kitchen for about 3 months.

Is that a toaster oven in the corner of your kitchen? - that's also good for cooking some things for two.

Yes, that is a toaster oven in the first picture. I do plan to use that outdoors for that week. It is one of my most used appliances. The blender that you see in the photo has been in the garage for several years now, as I tend to use the hand held blender for most things now, as it is much easier to clean. I do not keep my food processor on the counter either, as it also seldom gets used.

I am also thinking now that clean-up will be the biggest problem, but since it is only counter tops, I think it should go fairly quickly. The cabinets are from 1996, and so they are not ancient and appear to be in decent shape. I haven't looked much under the sink, however, and will need to clear out everything that is in there. Kevin is worried about where everything will be put temporarily, but we have a lot of room in the dining room and art studio. I think we may take the two leaves out of the dining table to make even more room in the dining room.

Lars

Stone sample from another site:

[Contemporary Kitchen Countertops[(https://www.houzz.com/products/contemporary-kitchen-countertops-prbr1-br~t_439~s_2103) by Yonkers Tile, Stone & Countertops Adria Marble and Granite

This post was edited by publickman on Mon, Apr 21, 14 at 12:26

Yes, it is not the cooking or eating but the clean-up. So get a stack of paper plates, an extra roll of paper towels( about a buck) to wipe off the grease and food and wash in the bathroom. Extra plastic trash bags for the paper towel mess.

We didnt mind cold food, sandwiches, carryout for the 6 weeks of our reno. We had our fridge in the living room and a microwave and it was truly fine.

There are or were several threads in the kitchens forum about feeding a family and maintaining sanity during a reno. Granted, elaborate hot meals are more important to some.

Important- Cover up the glides and drawer contents so construction dust doesn't get in. Use boxes to store things. While decluttering, it is a good time to rethink where you store things. It is your chance to put stuff back in better functioning places.

Yes, it is not the cooking or eating but the clean-up. So get a stack of paper plates, an extra roll of paper towels( about a buck) to wipe off the grease and food and wash in the bathroom. Extra plastic trash bags for the paper towel mess.

We didnt mind cold food, sandwiches, carryout for the 6 weeks of our reno. We had our fridge in the living room and a microwave and it was truly fine.

There are or were several threads in the kitchens forum about feeding a family and maintaining sanity during a reno. Granted, elaborate hot meals are more important to some.

Important- Cover up the glides and drawer contents so construction dust doesn't get in. Use boxes to store things. While decluttering, it is a good time to rethink where you store things. It is your chance to put stuff back in better functioning places.

I do remember another valuable bit-be brutal about tossing of tupperware stuff- the cottage cheese, deli containers, etc. Brutal was the keyword! It will be wonderful. You will smile when you walk into your new kitchen.

We have already started packing things away for the counter tops. We don't have to have it done until next week-end, but we decided to get a head start. In addition to that, Kevin will be in Wisconsin Mon-Wed on business, and so I will not need to cook for both of us those days. I'm looking forward to eating out, but I have also set up a mini kitchen in the dining room. We took two leaves out of the dining table, and then there was enough room to put the butcher block table (with the electric meat slicer) plus three tray tables, holding the toaster oven, the induction burner with pressure cooker, and the Foodsaver, which may not have been necessary, but it had to go somewhere. The other things from the counters are on Kevin's drafting table in the art studio, and and got a lot of plastic bins for storing pans and cooking utensils. We took down everything from the hanging rack, and that filled up the extra large huge bin that we got. I sorted out the bare essentials that I will need for two weeks and put them in separate bins that will remain handy.

Next we plan to re-organize the refrigerator, but I'm not sure that I am up to that today. We got a lot done today, and I think it will be an easy matter to have everything ready next week-end.

We received the new garbage disposal (plumber said ours was corroded), and I will get the new faucet and air gap at work tomorrow. The soap dispenser won't arrive until Wednesday, and so it was good that we ordered that first, since it took the longest for delivery. The sink should arrive tomorrow,and I have to check on the stone schedule Tuesday.

I'm getting work done on my bathroom while the kitchen counters are being removed, since I have to be at home anyway, and this means that I have to clear out my linen closet, so that the plumber can put in new controls for my tub/shower. I bought those and a new toilet months ago and never got around to scheduling the plumber for installation, but this seemed the right time to do it. The plumber has to come anyway to disconnect the kitchen sink, and so I thought he might as well stick around and do my bathroom while the kitchen counters are being destroyed.

Lars

I'll photograph my temporary kitchen when it is ready - it looks a bit comical!

Lars, I like those new countertops and I think it's beautiful in the picture. I absolutely trust your good taste, so I know it'll be lovely.

Wisconsin is right across The Lake from me, so I'll wave at Kevin over in that direction. It's supposed to be windy and rainy here, I hope he has better weather there.

Annie

How exciting! It sounds like you're thinking ahead and have planned well. One suggestion-- do you have an airswitch for your new garbage disposal? It's a button that's installed on the counter next to the sink. It replaces that annoying light switch type on the wall and can be installed by the stone fabricator and plumber on site. They're inexpensive readily available from Fergusson's or wherever and once you have one, you'll love it! I've had mine for 12 years, they're great!

Here is a link that might be useful: Air Switch

Annie, Kevin asked me if I had a collapsible umbrella to take with him, and I said, sure - I have two! But I could not find either one of them and cannot remember when I last saw them. Then Kevin went to CVS and three other stores, trying to find an umbrella, but no one had one for sale here! Not surprising, since the rainy season is almost over, and even when it does rain, an umbrella is hardly necessary. So he will buy one when he gets to Wisconsin! Rain is definitely in his forecast, as well as temps below what we ever get here in winter, but then he is going to northern Wisconsin.

Re: air switch - I just saw that on This Old House this week-end, as they happened to be talking about garbage disposals on the last episode! I thought - too late - I've already ordered the GD, but they did mention the air switches. I will ask the plumber about those - he can get one for me, if we need it. They sound great for people who use garbage disposals regularly, but we keep screens over our drains and put everything that catches in the screen into the garbage can. I have a huge fear of sewers backing up, and so I do not put anything through the garbage disposal that will not pass through a fine screen. We have to have the garbage disposal because of the dishwasher, however, but otherwise we almost never run it. I think I would rather not have another hole in the counter, if I don't need it. Our current sink has the hole for that, but it has a cap on it instead. It's a great idea for those who use their garbage disposals or who accidentally turn them on, which I do at times!

Lars

Great idea to have the plumber do the bathroom installs while he's there! :) You sound very organized and ready. The fridge can wait. :)

It's too late now, and I'm sure there are plenty in Wisconsin, but for a folding umbrella any time of year, try Magellan's. :)

If your disposal unit is hardwired to a junction box, you may need an electrician to convert the JB to a duplex outlet for the air switch, and to bypass the wall switch.

dcarch

Thanks for that tip about Magellan's - their store is right next door to the Santa Monica Seafood Company, which I love, except for their parking lot. Parking in Santa Monica is always somewhat traumatic, but I will want to go to Magellan's just to see their travel bags. They have a good selection of Baggallini shoulder bags, although I might end up ordering one from the mfg site, if I do not find one in the store that I like. At least I can get seafood, however, and that is my favorite place for it.

Not sure how the garbage disposal is wired currently, but the new one came with a power cord. The plumber should have no problem installing it, and I will not be adding the air switch. If I already had the hole for it, I would, and the old sink does have that hole.

Yesterday my back pain came back with a vengeance, and so I stayed home from work today so that I can go to the chiropractor at 2:00 PM. I had hoped that I would be able to do more housework and sort out debris that I want to get rid of, but I am unable to pick anything up from the floor without excruciating pain, even after taking hydrocodone (which I had left over from the last time I had back pain). I am hoping that the chiropractor can eliminate this pain the way he did last time, and I am wondering if I should schedule annual visits to him to keep my back aligned properly. Sunday, my back started hurting when I tried to help Kevin move a huge plant from our stoop (to make room for the stone delivery), and it got progressively worse on Monday so that by the end of the day, I had to start taking pain killers. I need to move a lot of stuff around in my bedroom so that the plumber can access the plumbing through my linen closet. I may have to get Kevin to help me when he gets back.

Kevin said he would buy some special Wisconsin cheese while he is there. He bought some really good cheddar when he was in Seattle last year, and I imagine that he will find interesting cheddar in Wisconsin as well, even though he is not going to Milwaukee or even Madison or Green Bay, although the town is close to Green Bay and is on the lake. There must be good cheese stores everywhere in Wisconsin, however!

Lars

Lars, there are indeed good cheese stores everywhere in Wisconsin, they aren't called "cheese heads" for nothing.

I think Kevin will find cheeses that are very interesting, the last several years have brought some local artisan cheesemakers to the business.

It's been pouring rain here, I hope it's better there, and that he found an umbrella.

I do hope the chiropractor helped your back, it's just miserable when the pain keeps you from doing anything. Hugs to you.

Annie

Demo started this morning, and the plumber installed my new toilet and is finishing up on my shower controls. He had to go in through my linen closet, but that was easy enough.

This morning my boss called and wanted to know why I was not there, even though I had left a message on Friday. I guess she did not remember from back then, but I told her that it was essential that I be able to take showers and that I would be in this afternoon, and then she was okay. She said, "Yeah, I don't want to smell you!" She told me once that I smelled bad, but that was because someone had ordered stinky Thai food, and that was all anyone could smell. She chose to blame it on my body odor, however, even though I had taken a bath that morning and was wearing deodorant. She advised me to get some cologne! She hasn't complained since then, but I never know what to expect from her.

I made hummus on Friday, and we've gone through most of it already. I guess we will have to start eating out this evening - I am already in a bit of a mood.

The kitchen demo is almost complete at 11:00 AM, and so it is going faster than I expected. First the workmen went to the wrong house, and by the time I was able to tell them the correct address, the city water department had blocked off my driveway to do repairs on the sewer in front of my house! I did manage to get them to unblock my driveway long enough for the workmen to back their truck in.

This week I have to decide where I want my air gap and soap dispenser installed, which will happen on Friday. Kevin will be working at home on that day, and so I will not have to miss work again this week, unless my dentist reschedules my root canal.

Lars

Just what you need during reno...back problems. I know, especially in this group, that kitchen renovations are exciting enough to tolerate the inconveniences.

I'm eager to see the finished project.

Oh, Lars! I'm clinging to the good news. It sounds like the changes to the bathroom were proceeding well, and nothing has erupted in the kitchen, but first your back and now a root canal? And a forgetful, fussy boss?

I hope you and Kevin are having a lovely dinner out with a lot of laughs.

I hope this will make you laugh too: Your story about the boss and the Thai food reminded me of a game I sometimes play with my fridge. It has odor filters, but occasionally something stinks and it challenges me to find it. A few months back, I cleaned everything and found no mold, no rot, no spoilage whatsoever, but the smell was somewhere between compost and feet. Turned out to be a very fancy, very ripe, very French cheese! More recently it just smelled like vegetables breaking down in their own juices, but equally mystifying. Until I got to the meat drawer. Someone had left a small dish of soy sauce uncovered in there. Soy sauce defeated the Miele!! (Advice to the sane: If you think you'll actually come back and eat the leftover sushi, get a new dish of soy sauce!!)

Hang tight. It'll be over soon.

LOL, plllog, I've found lots of unusual stuff in the fridge, but never an open dish of soy sauce.

Lars, my dear, I do hope you're feeling better now. I have a dentist's appointment myself in the morning, I had the root canal a couple of weeks ago and will get the permanent crown tomorrow. I will say that a root canal is less painful now than they used to be, but a lot more pain is caused to my bank account, ugh.

I'm glad Kevin had a safe journey.

Annie

My dentist had put me on penicillin for my abscess, and I am supposed to take it four times a day. The tooth never gave me any pain, but I was taking pain killers for my back until this Sunday when I decided to stop taking them. Then on Wednesday morning, as I was trying to take my penicillin pin, I picked up the wrong bottle and accidentally took Vicodin instead. Later that morning I was feeling no pain in my back, and so I called my dentist to say that my back pain was gone and I was ready for my root canal, which she then scheduled for this Saturday. Later that day, when I took my next penicillin pill (and was fully awake), I noticed that I had a lot more penicillin pills in the bottle than I did that morning, and then I realized my mistake. I do think my back is okay enough now for me to be able to sit in the dentist chair for the root canal (She cancelled the previous appointment because of my back pain), and so I will find out in a couple of days.

Tomorrow the installers will install the counter tops, and I have given Kevin the appropriate instructions for where to put the holes for the faucet, air gap, and soap dispenser. I'm not sure how important those placements are, but I do want the sink to be oriented correctly, and since the drains are in the middle, it could be a left hand or right hand sink, depending on one's preference.

I skipped dinner today altogether, and I guess I have lost my appetite somewhat - possibly due to the penicillin pills, which seem to upset my stomach. I will be through with those on Saturday (along with my root canal), and then I will only need to schedule the plumber to come back to hook up the faucet on Monday. On Tuesday, I am scheduled for a colonoscopy, and so I have to start fasting on Monday afternoon or so - I haven't read all the instructions yet, but my doctor said that it will be easier this time. I think I will have to leave work on Monday a bit early, and so I can schedule the plumber for Monday afternoon, providing he will be available.

I am very much looking forward to a normal life by next Wednesday. We still will not have a working kitchen sink this week-end, and so we will probably have to eat out or wash dishes in the yard. I am thinking that I will be very inspired to cook, but Kevin may want to get out of the house.

Lars

Stone installation went through today without a hitch, and I got to see it when I went home for lunch. Tomorrow we will touch up the paint above the backsplash, and then I hope the plumber will come on Monday, but I won't be able to stay with him. Maybe he can come in the late afternoon. Tuesday I will be at St. John's, and Kevin is taking the day off to take me there and back.

I had a sandwich in the pergola for lunch - there were glue fumes in the house, but we had quite a few windows and a couple of doors open. I guess I won't really be cooking again until Wednesday!

Lars

Would love to see photos, if you are willing to brave the fumes! Are you feeling better?

Here is a photo of a view similar to the first one I posted. As you can see, we have not yet added the clutter back, and I am reluctant to do that, but I know that most of it will have to be put back into the kitchen. I did move a few things around, and so now the toaster oven is where the Kitchenaid used to be, and I will put the KA in the corner where the TO used to be - I think that will be a good switch. I sort of wish that I did not have to bring the induction burner back in, but I do use it a lot. It takes up a lot of counter space, however, and I did not mind that with the old counters, but now I want to see my new ones.

It's hard to capture the true colors in photos, and so I will post some more later, after the plumber has finished connecting everything. The sink faucet for now is just sitting in place - I wanted to make sure that it fit into the hole okay. Kevin and I installed the soap dispenser, and I had to adjust some of the putty from the sink in order to make room for it. I'm glad I did that before the putty got too hard. The other two holes look fine, but the hole for the soap dispenser was not made exactly right, although it will work. It was slightly too large, and so we had to use caulk to make a tight seal - the "O" ring was the same size as the hole and therefore would not make a snug fit.

All in all, I am very happy with my choice of materials and am really glad that I did not get a lighter stone.

Lars

Looks great!

Clutter? I see a bunch of tools. And Spidey. But surely he's not "clutter"?

The counters look great with your cabinets!

Lars, it looks wonderful, and it'll give you the chance to see if putting different appliances in other spaces is a better "fit", so that's always good too.

Good luck on your back, your root canal and your colonoscopy. Whew, you have more going on than I do!

Annie

Lars it really looks great. Great choice.

~Ann

Now the fun part!

You have the five essential elements in great harmony, i.e. metal. wood, water, fire, and stone. The five basic elements for concordance in feng shui discipline.

It is unavoidable that good health will come your way. :-)

dcarch

Hey Lars it looks terrific! I especially like the mix of colors and the way they come together on the valence. Use it in GOOD HEALTH!!

Everyone is invited to come to my house on June 21 for our 5th anniversary party!

Finished the colonoscopy this morning, and then learned that the plumber is still out of town and unavailable, and so we hired a different one, as we do not want to wait another week without a kitchen sink. Enough is enough! It is probably costing us a bit more for the new plumber (the first one never gave us a written quote or contract, but he's two doors down from us), but I feel that he is doing a competent job. After not having a sink for 10 days and then having a colonoscopy, my patience for waiting had run out! I will be very happy to be able to cook again this evening, even though we are having a terrible heat spell. I am not up for shopping, but I don't think we need anything, and I still have all the frozen leftovers that we never ate.

Saturday we installed my new bathroom faucet (to go with the new shower controls), and so we had to go to Bouget Brothers in Santa Monica to find a brass coupling (Afterwards we had lunch on Sawtelle at a new Vietnamese restaurant). We first went to B&B Hardware in Mar Vista, but they are going out of business and are not restocking and were out of what we wanted. I am sad to see B&B go - when I lived in Culver City and Venice (from 1989-2009) I went there a lot and seldom bothered to go to Home Depot. Now, we are only a mile from a HD and go there a lot, but they did not have brass couplings, and I would not settle for galvanized steel.

Here's a picture of the bathtub faucet: