I just have to share something.
I just got my BG&E power bill.
This is the first time I've ever produced more electricity than I used with my solar panels.

I think in other summers, the A/C usage made the difference, where I always pulled something from the grid. This time? NADA. wooWOO! It's cool enough inside my house that I haven't needed the A/C, and it's been nice and sunny.

Today I was going to mow the lawn. I work at 4:00, so if the dew dries out with enough time, I will.

In the meanwhile, Who's the coolest? I AM.

- - - - - - - -
Edited to add: I did mow the long side yard and the back yard. Next dry day soon will be the front and longer side yard. That's about a 3 hour gig, so might be Thursday. I hate to wait 2 weeks, but I think it's worse to mow a wet lawn.

What'cha doing this father's day?

This post was edited by CEFreeman on Sun, Jun 15, 14 at 14:21

Slowly finishing up some mulching in side and rear yard; cut back some shrubs and some weeding. Cleaned up rear deck for small-time grilling.

We had three ppl working in our small, 1 butt kitchen; it worked out great.

Plans for the week: Getting hooked up! Dishwasher (no more basement sink), faucets, plug molds on island and I'll have to take up the 'can you pretty please add 4 more outlets here...flutter the eyes...pretty please'. Continue to debate if I want to oil countertops or let them continue to dry out.

MG-nice registers; I like the flooring - what is it?

This Father's Day:
Spent with DD2 and family on the west side of the state. Went to the last (of 8!!!) performance of ''Seussical Jr.'' at the local youth arts academy where our grandson was performing - we also went on Friday night. Really fun production.
Tomorrow: Take a hike (if it isn't pouring down rain).

For the week after we get back home:
Start the process of finding a new remnant or half slab for our MBR remodel. We found out Thursday on our way over here that we probably won't get the one we thought we had, so all our tile choices may be moot (long story).

Start new greens in the garden. Plant the rest of the planters on the deck with the flowers I bought last week but got too tired to finish.

Hope the deer aren't too hungry yet.

The grates look cool!

Today I ran a short section of low voltage wire, just in case someday we want toe kick lighting on the family room side of the peninsula too. Then cut the grass before it turns back into Costa Rica here and later I'll fill some old nail holes in the drywall that will get covered up by cabinets. I think the place is not air sealed very well in general so this is sort of the last chance to take care of these.

I had a busy day outside again; got those 2 hawthorns and the dead trunks of the chasteberry cut down. I'll still need to clean up the mulch where the hawthorns were; I want to put new trees there and want to minimize the risk of rust.

Also pulled/dug out some of my early gardening mistakes that still haunt me ( chameleon plant, mountain bluet, mint), trimmed a dogwood bush back, stacked bricks for a low wall around my compost pile, repotted 3 blueberries;planted some annuals out front, pulled more weeds and over enthusiastic aster; watered and fertilized my citrus; put up some temporary fencing around my fruit trees.... and a few more things.

At this rate I won't get the painting done in the kitchen and basement stairs until next winter.

CEFreeman, what a wonderful way to get a beautiful peony garden! You are so lucky. And deer don't like them either so you'll get to enjoy the blooms. Post some pictures next year when they are in bloom.

Yesterday I went to the farmers market and saw the first strawberries! Yippee-so after I got my produce, I went strawberry picking! Unless it gets really hot, we should have strawberries until around the 4th of July. In my limited temporary kitchen, find some containers to store them in is a challenge, but the berries won't be around too long. Then I'll go pick more!

Today DH and I went out to breakfast, then went and looked at a cool Mid-century house down the street. Sigh! If only it had come on the market a year ago before we started our addition. The property is quite beautiful and not terribly close to neighbors. Then we came home and primed another 102 boards for our exterior siding, these were 6 - 8ft boards. Only another 130 to go, those are 10ft and 12ft . Thank heaven for the dumpster in the drive. We lay the boards across the top to dry to touch, then move them into the garage to finish drying.

CEFreeman- do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your solar panels? What kind do you have (make and model) and how much did they cost?
I've been wanting to switch to solar power for a while now but most of the ones I've seen in my (albeit extremely limited) research seem so expensive.

My normal electric bill runs between 125-250 depending on the time of year and we are in the process of building a mother in laws apartment on our property which I am certain will drive our costs even higher.

Any tips or words of wisdom?

As for me, I made no progress on the reno, still haven't had the energy to get back into it. But I did help the kids make stepping stones with their handprints for fathers day, let my husband sleep in until 11 am (a rarity with 4 kids six years old and younger) made him breakfast, lunch and dinner and generally enjoyed the day swimming in the pool with my girls.

Good luck to everyone, celebrate every accomplishment, regardless of size.

Yesterday I cleaned the kitchen, emptied the litter box, took a nap, watched the World Cup, drove by our property to see the progress and then went to a bar/restaurant for dinner and drinks and watched the Spurs win! I live outside of San Antonio, so it was a big deal for us!

Mags, the flooring is from Home Depot Canada (I'm sure they have the same stuff in the US), and it is TrafficMaster Allure click vinyl tiles. Delft Stone is the colour. They don't usually have it at the store I was at so I snapped it up when they had it. One of the few things I did not get on sale. But I did have two extra boxes, so got some money back!

Have a good day, everyone!

Saturday went and visited the Miele design center and decided on Speed Oven and DW. Planned a trip to San Francisco later this month, before the real chaos starts with the kitchen. When FIL asked DH what we'll do in SF, he said 'Buy a wok.' He's ultra excited to go to Chinatown there and buy a wok and I think knives. He's the cook and is getting very antsy for the new range. Our SF trips usually revolve around food in one way or another. Eating/ shopping for food related things.

Yesterday I bought a couple houseplants for our newly floored areas. Still need to find pots, but want to pot up a few older ones so I'll see what sizes I'll need then.

I also FINALLY picked paint colors for my dressing/sewing room. I switched from Dunn Edwards (local, I think) to Sherwin Williams and I am so much happier with how the colors look compared to the chips. I also bit the bullet and asked the painter to come do that room and the hallway. I'm working this extra week so I can have those things done that I'd normally try to do myself (and never quite finish.) He'll paint next week. If we can decide on a color, I'm hoping we'll have him do the master as well.

Today I need to follow up with our window/door company. We had new windows installed in February and ordered a new front, kitchen, and patio door. We opted to have them sent out to a finisher, but we hadn't picked colors, so they've been on hold. I told the finisher the colors we picked a couple weeks ago and he said the bid was for one color only. What? So I ignored it for a couple weeks. Now I'm glad I did since we're switching paint companies. So I need to call the window people and ask what the heck on the one-color price, find out what to do about it, and also re-pick exterior colors so I can give him the exterior color.

Oh! And I went to settle up on the recent floor install and confirm they ordered the rest of our flooring for my office and DH's office. I explained the whole debacle from the last install. I also said I have 2+boxes left and wanted to make sure they took that into consideration with new order. I said I wanted to make sure I wasn't paying labor on flooring I'll have left for later patches. (LVT). Rather than charging me more for labor like I thought he might, he said the original labor charge for removal and prep was just about what they've paid out, so we're even there and he gave me credit for the install labor on the equivalent of two boxes of flooring. Sweet! He also lowered the new order by a box. THEN, when I got home and moved the extra flooring out of the entry hall, I found that one of the three boxes in the stack was empty! So today I need to call and say re-order or don't cancel that one box. Ugh.

I need to take/find pics of the front of the house and post on whichever forum gives landscape advice. I need to make some decisions before we have the exterior painted. We have some planters that I think should come out and DH doesn't. I also may call a local designer to come out for a consult if I don't get bites on the forum.

aktillary, what VIEW! It must calm your shoulders every time you look out there. :)

Texas_Gem, my first advise would be to look at a water system, vs. solar panels. Hot water is the largest energy expense for a family of 4. Solar water uses no electricity to heat, so you're removing a huge element from your bill.

Your bills don't sound like a lot to start with, so you'd have to look at the time and amount it would take you to pay off your panels. If you were paying more than that each month, but you'd own them in xx number of years it could be worth it. I'd rather pay on my panels and own something, than continue to pay the blood sucking, ever-increasing power company every month for the rest of my life.

I have BP solar panels. They were the top of the line in 2006 when they were installed. 2 years later BP left that market, sold everything, including a huge, acres' large installation at their Frederick, MD location, and left it to the less expensive producers in China.

That said, the technology has improved so much that even the racks mine are on, flush to my roof, aren't used anymore. They've actually failed in places, causing 4 panels to crush. They also no longer need to be daisy chained, so replacements will work individually with my inverter. The inverter is the expensive part. I am looking into the costs and grants for replacing those panels. As I said, it's worth it to me.

In 2006 my 32 panels + my water system were $56K. Minus $13K in grants, - Home Equity interest. I bemoaned the expense, living alone now, but then I became the first, licensed and registered, residential solar power plant in Maryland. Not only does my meter run backwards when I'm not using anything and the sun is out (Netmetering) but I receive Residential Energy Credits (Recs) every year for about $1500.00. So, my panels are paying for themselves.

Because my house remains full of holes, my winter bills are substantial. However, in months like this last, I use little to nothing, so I average my power bill. I actually haven't had to pay anything in several years because of this.

I can say this has been an incredible investment, simply not having to hand over $1000s of $$ to the power company. I might have done things differently had I know more in 2006, but maybe not. At that time, too, in the DC area, there were only 3 companies. One didn't return my calls, one insisted on an energy audit of my burned out house (and I ended up telling her stuff she didn't know) and the other came out and were ready to go to work.

It turned out we were their first installation and a very big one at that. I did, however, have to remind the guy (and my idiot now-ex DH) that all the wife jokes, the getting high, good old boy's crap was wasting my time. The wife who was writing the check. Still annoys me. Reminded me of the adage, "Nothing good starts with 'Here! hold my beer.'" Or, "Watch this!"

Anyway. My company, who has treated me well over these years, is Standard Solar in Maryland. I think they call themselves Standard Energy Services now. I can offer the number. They're large now, but might not out there. I'm sure they'd answer questions.

- - - - -
I got the gardens watered.
I work at 2, so I'm not moving around much in this humidity.
Am worried about my old girl doggie, Morgan. She's getting old and I think these masses are impeding her lungs. She looks preggy. We're on a course of steroids, pain killers and bronchial meds, but I can never tell. I can tell you she's dining on lots of prime rib fat I use to stick her pills into.

Everyone have a fabulous day!

I love peonies but don't grow them My neighbour does however. We've had some wicked thunder showers (which we very seldom get) over the last couple of days and when I drove by this morning I noticed that he has his peony clumps all individually staked and 2 big patio umbrellas standing over them!

Cabinets are going in right now. What I am personally doing is no much aside from watching. I put in the joists, framing, flooring, plumbing and electrical so it's been interesting to hear comments about levelness and whatnot.

Pictures...

wow, those are pretty!
What lovely grain. I also really like the contrast with your flooring. I'm one who loves to mix wood, grain, texture and metals. All great eye candy!

I look forward to seeing them set.
And I hope the comments are complimentary, given how hard you've worked. :)

Thanks! They're good - only one issue came up that I didn't even notice. The wall running at a 90 degree angle to the peninsula next to the round table used to be an exterior wall and between the brick and studs there was some kind of sheeting 1/2 inch thick. It is still in place at the corner. but was removed everywhere else on the wall when the previous owners had an addition made. The wall bows outward slightly; the cabinet guys missed it when they were here earlier and I've never noticed before. A matching filer was made and life moves on. Otherwise just a lot of talk about how the floor is already level so there hasn't been the need to shim anything.

We haven't had cabinets since September so it will be a big adjustment to have something in the room besides tools once again.

CEF- thanks for all the tips! My husband actually built 2 solar water panels which we use to heat our pool so I know how well that works.

Our hot water heater is actually gas but still, that could be helpful. Thanks for all the info

CEF - I'm STILL thinkin' about that soup you described. I love ginger, and Asian style foods.

This Bad Self is getting a lotta mileage from your threads, forcing Self to do projects.

I had little tabs of painter's tape on my doorway since last Christmas, while I had my eye on some corbels on ebay that I wanted but was too cheap to buy. They are about $50 each retail normally. Waited several months and the guy finally put them cheaper and "or best offer" so I tendered a ridiculously low best offer and they took it! Shipping was more than the corbels. Got two corbels plus ship for $35, that my Bad Cheap Self can handle.

Today, I installed and painted them. Here are the corbels during install. I'm in the process of changing trim color to a darker color, so this is the unpainted corbels and old trim color:

And here is the install with paint job (first coat, that is). You can see the old lighter trim color to the right.

These are 16 x 16 x 3 corbels, so pretty massive for an interior architectural detail.

I'm likin' them.

Tomorrow the railing arrives for the back porch.

This post was edited by beautybutdebtfree on Mon, Jun 16, 14 at 15:54

Wow, cool transformation!

Not much done so far, just coming off a 5 day stretch with a double shift so today is my first day off and I slept til 2 (night shift nurse here). Managed to water the raised beds (hugulculture) and then DH showed up with a truck and trailer load of stuff from the garage of the old house so we unloaded that. Ate some left over pork should and beans that DSS made for Father's day yesterday in his smoker. Pretty yummy.

We have a buyer for our old house and he put in an offer to purchase with an earnest $$ check on Saturday so yay! for that, right? I'll be so glad to get that place sold and gone leaving us ONE property instead of 4 when we started this journey 4 years ago.

Schicksal: love your cabs... it's looking great in there.

CE: nice on the peony deal! Love peonies! You should have fabulous bouquets May through June from now on.

CEF, love your countertop shown in the other thread! Like to see more of your space and love that you too like to mix it up.

Schicksal, beautiful cabs! Cant wait to see more of your kitchen.

I haven't posted since the DIY thread kicked off as I've been tremendously consumed with....DIY! In the past few weeks we've ordered and installed cellular shades, almost finished building staircases, installed knobs and pulls, installed under sink pull outs, fabricated walnut island countertop and applied many, many layers of finish, moved some furniture back, cleaned and moved most kitchen supplies back, installed plumbing waste line, disposal, dishwasher, and all sink fixtures, ordered island seating, cleaned, cleaned, cleaned again, and had DHs son and girlfriend here for Father's Day weekend. Took a break and did a fantastic zip line experience in the beautiful forest in our area. Absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend it! Oh, and we picked our puppy. Still have to figure out where to put the kennel and food. Didn't know we'd have a pup when I planned! He comes home very soon and I think he matches!

What I haven't done yet is any gardening, and that means no trimming! Yikes! I'm afraid to go out there, but tomorrow it will happen, or at least start. Two more layers on the countertop!

bbtrix - future cute pup pics I hope will be coming our way?

Absolutely! He is definitely an accomplishment!

Not much done so far, just coming off a 5 day stretch with a double shift so today is my first day off and I slept til 2 (night shift nurse here). Managed to water the raised beds (hugulculture) and then DH showed up with a truck and trailer load of stuff from the garage of the old house so we unloaded that. Ate some left over pork should and beans that DSS made for Father's day yesterday in his smoker. Pretty yummy.

We have a buyer for our old house and he put in an offer to purchase with an earnest $$ check on Saturday so yay! for that, right? I'll be so glad to get that place sold and gone leaving us ONE property instead of 4 when we started this journey 4 years ago.

Schicksal: love your cabs... it's looking great in there.

CE: nice on the peony deal! Love peonies! You should have fabulous bouquets May through June from now on.

bbtrix, could we please see some pictures of your counter fabrication process? I'd love to see that!

Wow, all y'all are working hard. This is a cool thread.

I also can't wait to see pictures of masses of peonies.

Another vote for puppy pictures. Below is one of mine, and the "Bubba Fence" that is getting replaced with commercial grade aluminum rail, arriving today! That Bubba fence was supposed to be a VERY temporary fix to get us an occupancy permit YEARS ago, as we thought we were going to build a back porch or Florida room, but ended up we never did! The green stuff was inherited from a friend from a goat pen he tore down! Time to upgrade that mess, long ago, actually!!

I had to laugh at the fence! Bubba fence. :)
I had mine torn out when I poured my back porch in November. I had a wooden slat side, a green chain link side, a chicken wire part, and a regular chain link part that was from a smaller dog area. Talk about Bubba. The very second they pulled the fence out to replace it, All the jaws there, including mine, dropped. The fabulous vista looking back over the field and to the barn was breathtaking.

I have no fence now, but Morgan doesn't care. She just wanders around the yard to the front door and back again. Looking to eat any poop she can find. Rabbit, raccoon, deer, and cat. She started on the droppings from the barn swallows that have built up under my front porch ceiling for the 4th year. OMG, I live in fear of her licking me.

Beautybutdebtfree, those corbels are impressive! They look nicely simple and give you an archway without the process of tearing out your door and making one!

I am considering some I had made by a craftsman on Etsy vendor for a section in my kitchen. Originally, I planned them for my bookshelves in the LR, but with the conglomeration of cabinets I have in the kitchen and the furniture-like section, I actually might need them for support. I think they're lovely. Oak, with cherry centers (I immediately stripped the varnish off the little oak sides, leaving the cherry center finished. I'm debating whether to paint or weather the oak sides.) :

Today it's going to be a million degrees out. Ok, maybe mid 90s. Wayyyyy too muggy to do much. I am very, very slowly piling up the trees I cut down, but dragging one to the back has me drenched. My peony lady will be using them for Hugoculture. I am thrilled.

I should work on that cabinet I have to frame, or something productive, but so far I'm sitting here typing. Maybe I'll just start with my espresso and Reese's cups. Got a few of the peanut butter lovers type in the freezer. I'm spoiled now and don't like the tiny, soft regular ones. Ok, start small.

My accomplishment is to get up and feed Morgan, make espresso and sit on the front porch and drink it. I think I can handle that.

Work at 2:00.

They would look awesome weathered, but it depends on the context where you put them, what else is near that space, visually. I love the layered victorian corbels. My kitchen facelift is eclectic "back in time" and is mostly based on 20s, but has elements back to victorian up to mid-century diner! I'm like you, if I like it, I go for it.

I was trying to tie in these elements using these massive corbels. Here are some other of my corbels that they tie into. I have one more bit of corbels not yet built that also uses a plain coved corbel, craftsman style that isn't shown, too.

Here's a wider shot. Coved, mission style corbels on my bar (ebay seconds) reflected in the massive doorway corbels:

Had some leftover of the mission corbels, and too much clutter on my counter for efficient wiping, so I went to the Habitat restore and found me a $2 maple shelf plank and made an under-cabinet shelf for little stuff. The corbels aren't technically scaled correctly here, but, hey,the project cost me about $5 and solved a problem. In case you're wondering, those are peanut oil and olive oil in the syrup dispensers, coffee beans in the stainless. Stuff I reach for all the time and am not willing to have to open a cabinet for, usually with dirty hands to boot.

And here, another version of coved corbel (VanDykes restorers) that is victorian in flavor, elsewhere in my space.

This post was edited by beautybutdebtfree on Tue, Jun 17, 14 at 10:32

Wow! How clean and fresh your blue and white scheme is.
That wider shot gives the door corbels a completely different look. Very nice.

I also like how you hooked the shelf under the corbels, vs. it supporting it. That takes it in enough of a different direction that at least from the pic, I think it's very cool. Plus the corbels are nice.

Van Dyke's. OMG. Talk about eye candy and the Wish Book. For me, it's right up there with Restoration Hardware, Lee Valley, and another one whose name escapes me right now. LOVE their stuff I'll never probably afford myself.

Hey deedless! I forgot to congratulate you on the house offer. That seemed to have happened fast!

I just accomplished moving one pile of trees back to the Hugoculture pile. I also cleaned up some things on my front porch. If I'm not potting something, all the equipment shouldn't sit there waiting for fall's potting, should it? Plus, I picked up just a bunch of construction junk.

Morgan's having a hard time breathing in the heat, so we came inside to cool off. I am dripping, so I can only imagine her hot little Self.

You guys are very talented and very productive. I can tell you what my handyman should accomplish today - install shelves in new linen closet, hang gigantic and enormously heavy poster, install hand-towel rings in two bathrooms, install/replace several outlets and outlet covers, hang TV on master bedroom wall, install floating shelves in DD's room (one under TV, one along wall for tchotkes), hang broom holder in laundry, install under-cabinet light strips in kitchen, install grab bar in one bathroom, maybe raise the pendant lights in the island. Presumably this will take all day, and cost me about $250. Worth every single penny!!

Shicksal your cabinets are beautiful, and beauty the snippets of your kitchen are wonderful. Thanks for sharing. I'm learning lots of new things and getting plenty of new ideas for household projects!
Today it was too hot for yard work, gotta love the weather, it went from too chilly to too humid in just a matter of days. Finally started installing LED strip lights in the kitchen. Laid out and installed the ones in the corner cabinet. They are a fairy inexpensive set from Menards. This one was pretty simple because it had enough connectors and all the other parts in one package. I have a set of the armacost from home depot for the undercabinets that I will have to figure out and then probably order more connectors . But at least now my "fancy" glasses finally have a home.

Kewl. That LED lighting looks ethereal with the fog effect on the textured glass and the crystal surfaces behind it! I feel like any minute there will be moving around of sparkling surfaces behind the veil, followed by a shadow puppet show a la Indonesia.

Yesterday was a busy day. Cabinet installation is finished, countertops are picked out (Zodiaq / Snow White), templating is tomorrow, and I picked out and ordered pulls so we aren't stuck in bluetapeland.

I also put the fridge back in the fridge hole. That's going to be a tough one to figure out. In order to future-proof things I had a "hole" built for a 48" cabinet depth model like a Subzero or Thermador, but currently have one about 38 inches wide. The gaps on the sides aren't that big a deal, but what we have is a lot shorter than what we're able to install so I'll have to get creative. It was a difficult spot to be in since the fridge we have is nearly new and quite nice, but not the type we want to use in the long term.

Here's how it looked when the cabinet people left...

Yesterday was fun. I went to HD to get the 10" to 8" transition duct for the cooktop vent.

**Caution to anyone ordering a Prestige vent - ours said a transition duct was required and had to be ordered separately, but ours came with one installed***

Then I dropped off the sink and let the countertop place know our final color selection. Came back home, someone came over and we moved the sectional back into the family room. BBQ time, then I spent some time figuring out how I'm going to mount the first undercabinet LED transformer in the cabinet.

Not a bad day...

schicksal, it's really moving along now! Looks great!

I'm back to work today. I had two days off. I went to the US to return my extra backsplash tile and leftover Ikea stuff. I forgot the receipt for the tile on the fridge, realized it just after I passed customs, and I wasn't paying toll to go back just for that! I'll go again, another time. I paid cash, so they can't look it up.

The Ikea girl gave me a full price refund, even though I reminded her it was a 10% off deal. She said to consider it a nice bonus, so I do!

I bought the click laminate floor tile for my sunroom, furnace and laundry rooms as well. That was more than I thought but the buggers charge tax on the full price, then take off the sale amount ($8/box). Still a good deal, but I was a bit pissed!

Wednesday brought big rainstorms so I finished the caulking in my kitchen, which is now officially complete! I washed AND folded three loads of laundry and cleaned the floors throughout and the bathroom. I folded laundry while watching Orange is the new Black. Love that show!

I seem to be less productive with 3 days of a 2-8pm schedule. I'm pooped when I get home, and in the morning I don't want to get into anything, because I'll just need to stop to go to work. Gotta think about this.

Yesterday I did manage to set up my watering timer. Seems it quit last year because the batteries were low. Duh. Of course I decided it was the timer itself. It's nice now, though, because it starts at 5:00 am. It'll dry up before the sun can burn my Japanese maple leaves.

Today I'm off and got up very Late: 10 am. My day is half gone and I haven't accomplished a stinkin' thing. I'm going to put my shoes on and go mow the lawn. Seems like I just did this.

Got nothing planned.
Hope everyone has a great day. It is encouraging to hear the steps you're all getting done. Returning things is like getting free money, for example. :)

schicksal
i love your cabinets! are they custom?

yesterday i started with a visit from a cabinet guy. i was not expecting much and had considered canceling but my general contract had recommended him cuz he's good at accommodating custom requests. turn out to be a good meeting. he had a lot of ideas when he saw my space and talked to me. apparently the drawing i made don't make sense until you actually see the place. then i refilled a prescription and bought painting supplies on the way home. i spent the afternoon painting the laundry area where i recently had work done opening it up. i'm having fun with the painting, trying different special effects from a book i have. of course this means i will have to do it all over again as the first layer of effects is clearly practice.

Hauled ALL the rugs, artwork and cushions out so the plaster repair dust will be limited to dustable hard surfaces.

GOOD NEWS: Get to watch more repair guys working :)

BAD NEWS: I get to live in the mess of having walls busted open, plaster chipped out, adobe mud stuffed in the voids and plaster repaired.

That's my wall ... see the mud bricks?

schicksal, your cabinetry is gorgeous!

Personally I'm doing nothing much today, but the tile contractor is here putting in my backsplash! After this it's just a couple of checklist items and then I move on to the laundry room.

kaylarus
Yes, they are custom. They came from a local place but they have done work all up and down the east coast. The design took a long time to refine, with a few minor changes to what goes where to make it more functional after posting a layout here. I'd like to continue to work with them to turn an entertainment center idea I have into reality + cabinets for two other bathrooms and whatever else.

MGMum, Christina222 and others, thanks for the kind words! I'm really tired and scrolled quickly, and for some reason thought the tile + spacers was a new variety of 3D tile. It would have been interesting if it was but looks much better in flat form.

So far today the template work and paying people is done. The under cabinet lighting is also about to wrap up too after I solder a couple of wires. LED strips are easy.

AJM emailed about the new models that are coming out soon. 6-8 weeks ago I converted my order from the existing line to the new one, when it became obvious that the cabinets would be in about the same time they were released. They said that ours would be first in line from the ones AJM orders and ships. Can't wait to be able to cook and stop having so much Taco Bell.

This post was edited by schicksal on Thu, Jun 19, 14 at 20:36

Presumably this will take all day, and cost me about $250. Worth every single penny!!

All done with the exception of the linen closet shelves, and a few other items still on my list. It did cost quite a bit more than $250 (I had the hourly rate wrong - I thought he charged $30/hr but it was $50/hr) but I don't care --- it was worth every dime. At least he's very reliable and very efficient.

CEF - it took me several months of agonizing to fork over the bucks for those Van Dykes corbels. They weren't even expensive, either. I just COULD NOT find anything else so perfect for less (although I could easily find several options at five times their cost), so I finally bit the bullet, and have not been sorry. OMG, I paid full price! But sometimes, we do. I could live my life out of the Van Dykes, Restoration Hardware, Signature Hardware, etc. catalogues. I almost never buy anything from them, though!

On the way I suspended that little under-cabinet shelf from the corbels: the reason I did this (other than the aesthetic of using the corbel) was because I'm anal about making things reversible, and also I don't like to penetrate a tile job if I don't have to. So the shelf is suspended from the cabinet above, and doesn't penetrate the tile as under-shelf supports would need.

Shicksal - GORGEOUS wood. So pretty. I would go insane in that kitchen, trying to line up the grain lines; I have an overactive mind.

Christina - that is going to be a VERY pretty backsplash, and your tile guy is doing a great job.

Lazygardens - that totally messes with my mind, digging out a corner and finding historic mud bricks!

SJhockey - I was so hoping you'd post and say what your guy got done in a day, because ever since I read your list I thought, "That guy will be phenomenal if he can get all that done in one day."

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My railing arrived freight yesterday and here is the picture of the upgrade that my Bad Anal Self insisted upon. Shown is the standard concrete anchor, even for a commercial install (the smaller one). And THEN there is the 410 stainless monga anchor that I will be drilling holes for in my concrete, and using. My railing would never blow away into OZ in a tornado, after how it's getting installed.

Uh, yeah, try to ignore the German Shepherd hairs on my rug. This is the room they hang in all day.

This post was edited by beautybutdebtfree on Thu, Jun 19, 14 at 16:56

Here's the actual list of what he did:

Hang poster
Install towel ring in hall bath
Install grab bar in hall bath
Install two separate IKEA floating shelves in DD's bedroom
Install contraption to hang MBR TV on wall, and hang it (I have no idea how he does this alone)
Bring power up through wall behind MBR TV
Hang broom holder in laundry
Install 14' of undercabinet LED strip lighting (transformer was already in place)
Adjust three separate pendant lights over island (move each up 6" to create wider beam spread)
Change out outlet in island from black one to grey one
On back of island, remove cover plate and install outlet and cover
Install towel ring in MBR

He billed us for 8 hours. I don't think he ever sits down.

Beautybutdebtfree said, "Lazygardens - that totally messes with my mind, digging out a corner and finding historic mud bricks! "

We bought an historic adobe house .,.. I was happy to find mud bricks. The worst case is where there have been long-term water leaks and water pooling around the foundations and the adobes revert back to mud and dissolve ... and you open up the wall and find NOTHING at the base.

Fortunately, although they really trashed that bedroom taking out the 1990s closet, and the ceiling has rotted lathe in one spot (covered by the closet, the walls are in good shape except for the layer of old mud plaster that's flaking off in some places. Yes, I have walls that were covered with local clay mixed with chopped horsehair, or hair from scalded hogs.

As long as the adobes haven't melted like the Wicked Witch of the West ... they are fixable.

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Yes, I'm taking LOTS of pictures: Before, during (if it's safe) and afters.

Here is a link that might be useful: Modern Adobe Construction

Just the TV mount can easily be a half day job. And stuff like the grab bar and floating shelves... that's a 5-10 minute job... IF you find the studs where they are supposed to be and they are in the right location. Otherwise... turns into a much longer job.

At any rate, that's great you have a very good project guy.

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Happy for you too Kaylarus that you were pleasantly surprised with the cabinet guy! That is always a nice thing when things exceed one's expectations.

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My hardwood floor restoration supplies have arrived.

A circular blade and drill bits for cutting aluminum on order, as are the masonry bits.

Assembled three rail segments today, for the porch railing.

Today was sort of a disappointment... I was able to recycle all of the appliance boxes and put up all the dishes and kitchen stuff that's clean, and get the family room furniture in place. But I really wanted to get the cooktop vent installed. I couldn't because it weighs a lot more than I can handle while trying to screw it in. So instead I cleaned up the white leather sectional that was filthy from a year's worth of demolition and construction dust before calling it a day.

Friday was kind of a bust for me.

I hauled my lazy butt out of bed to be 1/2 an hour away by 8:00 am. SafeLite Glen Burnie (MD) was coming to my friend's place to change both of our windshields. Between 8 - 12. They were kind to give us a group discount. While waiting we went out for a huge, diner breakfast. Is there any other diner breakfast type that HUGE?

By TWO O'CLOCK in the afternoon, they'd not shown. It's one thing to laze around my own home, procrastinating or dreaming. It's another to be in someone else's living room sans computer, sans purpose, stuffed to the gills from a HUGE diner breakfast.

Evidently the guy showed around 2:30. He did my friend's windshield, but I am going back to her house next Friday, because he's going to give us both another $50 off, plus isn't charging $34 for mileage. That makes my windshield about $180, + a wasted day.

So I met another friend at 3:00 for dinner. Yup. I did. Carrabba's is always, always delicious. At 7:00, I was home. Procrastinating.

I did take the stuff out of a wall cabinet I need to put a face frame on. I've got my stuff assembled now, in my workshop/MBR to attach that. Once that's up, I'll assemble two, CabinetJoint.com cabinets and get my uppers back up.

I guess my real accomplishment was to stuff more food into my body than one would think humanly possible. Now I know how beached whales must feel.

Hey, I finally have something to contribute! Yesterday I adjusted our new locksets and got two knobs and two deadbolts installed. One key. Fantastic! I also got a towel ring movd up in the guest bath, removed a damahed towel bar and re installed it in the laundry room to hold my husbands shirts after hanging, installed new towel bar in guest bath, switched out three shelving units and tried rearramging furniture in the dining roomto accommodate my mw and fish tank. Too bad that last one was not more successful.