Urgent kitchen advice needed
View walking in from dining room/front of house
(View from keeping area)
12th hour of a year-long addition/renovation to a 110 year old home. We are a family of 6 and made some concessions for function over beauty along the way and had to work with the quirks of an old house. But now, when we are ready to do crown mounding and floating shelves decisions, my husband has cold feet. Be warned— this is not a perfectly symmetrical kitchen. And a little less so than we planned. My biggest question is this—if I do a clean white 4x12 subway tile from counter to ceiling (with floating walnut shelves to match lowers) will the awkward corner cabinet/appliance garage look less awkward? That is what my husband is struggling with the most. It looks worse from one entry point more so than other vantage points.
view from back stairs
view from mudroom/breakfast nook
Comments (25)
lqmjjj16
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Urgent advice needed: electric baseboard to replace forced hotair
Comments (5)Thanks for the post! I walked through the house with the HVAC guys this morning to figure out alternatives. Unfortunately, there aren't many... I looked for alternative routes for the duct work but it really only works by going across the basement ceiling - up behind the fridge - through an already small closet, up the attic and then popping in from the ceiling. Asked about setting up a small furnace up in the attic to feed the second floor bedrooms independently of the basement and first floor but that would cost at least as much (and likely more) than the duct work. With the temperatures that we are comfortable with at night (60's), I'm hoping the baseboard electric does the trick. We recently insulated the attic and, even with the vents closed in the rooms, there is adequate heat up there now. I'm now thinking that when the furnace gives out, I may look into converting the house to hot water heating instead which should solve all these problems. Thanks again, E...See MoreUrgent advice needed on Furnace and A/C
Comments (7)"So, my questions are: - Is it common to have the furnace broken/to replace the igniter so often especially for a new furnace? What could have been wrong with the unit to cause this? Could we have gotten a faulty furnace unit?" * Yes, you could have gotten a bad batch from the mfr. They are warranted for 5 or 10 years, part only. Installation labor is typically 1 to 2 years as you know. - Is there anything we could do to to protect ourselves from having this happen and end up having to pay for the cost of repairing it on our own expenses in the near future if this keeps happening? * Yes, you could get a 10 year parts and labor warranty from the mfr for additional $$. Should cover everything (ask what it doesn't). - Also found that our Gibson a/c unit is making a loud noise/humming sound when it is running (i.e. air is blowing). Is that normal? It is bothering me because the units are on our deck right above our master bedroom. * The location of the units is the problem. Gibson units are basic, builder's grade. You'll hear even the quietest condensers when they run at night where they are located. " - When the a/c kicks in, I can hear a "sparks" like sound at the thermostat and also at the a/c unit at the start of the cycle - is that normal? I asked the contractor and the technician, they said it's normal but I have doubts." - You are hearing the 24 volt contacts in the thermostat energize to turn your system on. You may here several clicks: 1 for the fan, 1 for the furnace or air conditioning. "Anyway, I doubt we could get the developer to warrant or guarantee anything beyond 1 year given the "unusual" problems we have given a new furnace and a/c....I am sure the developer will not do much if anything because they will of course try not to incur more cost than they have to." - You are dead wrong on this. You sound like you already lost. You need to get the developer, a/c contractor, and system manufacturer (all 3) to get involved and solve your problem. Anything less and your problem will never be solved, and you'll complain about it as long as you're in the house. It's a new home and needs to be right. "I also just found out that our furnace units were not registered by the installer within 60 days after installation so we default to only 5 year manufacturer's warranty instead of 10 year warranty. Very very frustrated and upset about this!" - Call the mfr and fight it. Happens all the time in new construction. It's up to you to get that warranty. "Any advices will be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!" - Start getting things done. - Complain a lot less. Good luck....See MoreUrgent washing machine purchase advice needed
Comments (8)As Asolo adverted to when purchasing a model that has an internal heater, purchase one where the internal heater can be used for several cycles. Samsung does have a model with an internal heater, but its sole use is for its Sanitize cycle. Larsi makes a good point about service in that Miele does have its own service techs, but MieleâÂÂs business model is such that it needs said service under its purview. Reason: MieleâÂÂs proprietary software/firmware is serviced via their service techsâ laptops. Miele business model is aligning along AppleâÂÂs: user experience. ASKOâÂÂs Designer and Family Size Laundry models (not their XXL Laundry) are made in Sweden and provide true 220V, up to 205 degree Fahrenheit water via their heating element. However, their capacity is not the standard US indoctrination and water source is only through your cold water tap only--where the heating element does the heating afterwards. The boutique brands (Miele, ASKO) have a hidden a prerequisite related to proximity based service. If you do not reside near one of their service centers/providers then no matter how good the washer or dryer, you will pay the price when servicing is required. Read all the manufacturerâÂÂs warranty fine-print and do not purchase any third-party warranties when purchasing boutique brands. I highly recommend the purchase of the manufacturer's extended warranty for these brands. There are means of better using models without internal heaters such as installing a dedicated pump-driven recalculation loop to your laundry room that can be activated through several means these days as to not waste energy when not required. There is also point-of-use water heaters (the future of heated water systems)....See Moregranite seam, urgent advice needed how do I hide it?
Comments (26)Hi Pedimom, Wondering if you have had any luck with the grantie seam problem? I am shopping for granite and started to think about your seams. They have been just terrible to you. I am so sorry you are going through this. While learning all I can about granite I found some links on my search. Maybe this will help you on your discussions with the granite people. Thinking of you and hoping the installers fix this for you. Good luck. Boxerpups ............ http://boards.hgtvpro.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5081053852/m/7061072093 Better place yet is in middle of sink. short seam on each side of sink easy to hide. Other then that pick the end which is not seen as easy from outside the room. The lower the angle you look the easier it can be seen. so when your farther away the seam will stand out more because of the reflective nature of the stone. But any good counter company worth their salt should be able to seam this with little effort and is should hide quite well. Black is a fairly easy color to seam. Its the lighter colors that oftemtimes is harder. ............ http://www.stoneadvice.com/forum/search.php?fid[]=1 ..... http://tomcordova.com/24/seams-in-granite/ Granite countertop seams should be smooth to the touch and no more than 1/16ÂÂ wide. There is no written rule about this but this is the quality standard in the industry. The joint should be filled flush with epoxy in a color that best matches the general granite color. If you are not happy with the color, ask the installer to redo it. This is not difficult. Sometimes the joint can be made smoother with the epoxy as well. If the joint is still rough, then you will need to have the seams professionally ground down and re-polished. This is not easy to do correctly and even impossible with some homogenous colors. Best wishes, Tom Cordova .................... Q. How can I get the smallest seam possible where two slab countertop panels meet? A. Well obviously a good fit and straight cuts are key. But here are a few other tricks of the trade. Get some large soft rubber suction cups of five or six inch diameter and some turnbuckles eight or ten inches long. Attach one cup to each end of the turnbuckle. After you butter the edge of the seam with the epoxy that you have tinted the color of the granite stone you are using set them in place and squeeze them together gently. Then take your assembly of turnbuckles and suction cups and straddle the seam placing one suction cup on each side. Then spin the turnbuckle to gently pull the two panels together. You don't want to apply too much force here or you will break the suction of the rubber cups to the granite. Wedges are also useful in achieving a tight seam by forcing the panel in the direction of the seam....See Morelqmjjj16
4 years ago
live_wire_oak
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoThe most used bit of counter in any kitchen is the bit between the sink and range. Good job with adding the second sink to increase the ability of having multiple workers. You then took away half of that prep space, on both the sides around the sink, and made a cramped space even more cramped. The to the counter bits need to go.
I’m also concerned from a fire safety point. This is designed as a fire danger to your family. You need the not optional backguard for the range against a wall, and those cabinet legs around the range need to be removed. And the upper hood shortened and raised. The range requires a 36” vertical clearance to any combustibles when using a wood hood.
lqmjjj16
4 years agoThank you to all of you who have taken the time to share your ideas—I’ve never posted a dilemma before. Many of you have commented against the hood surround—we did this in our last kitchen surround and loved it. (See comparison Photo below) I will agree that something was lost in this version. We will continue the veined counter quartz as the backsplash inside the hood surround which I hope will make it more a feature.
Live_wire_oak thank you for the safety concerns. There is a 36” clearance. We have 9.5’ ceilings so that maybe threw you off. (And my contractorvis also a professional firefighter 🙂) As far as counter space, the island is 10x4 and in close proximity to the sink and range so that wasn’t a concern. Those of you who have suggested an antique cabinet—I like the idea but I can’t quite picture this. Would it be hung on top of the tile? Also, would you still do that given that this my butler pantry that is right off that wall?
Thanks Houzz village!
lqmjjj16
4 years agolqmjjj16
4 years agolqmjjj16
4 years ago
scottie mom