Friday

 

The template fabricators and our designer came by just before noon. I was only able to get the one picture (above) of the bar. You can just barely see the template hanging out 12 inches from the knee wall. (I didn't want to get in their way or take their picture, so I didn't get the other side.) 

We had lots of decisions to make:

1) bar overhang in the living room: we decided on 8 inches from the wall, 12 inches from the back edge of the cooktop. Of the 8 inch overhang, 4 inches are where the post juts out, so it only goes 4 inches beyond that. It's not deep enough to sit at comfortably, but it's deep enough to invite you to linger. It visually connects the kitchen to the living room. A 4 inch overhang to the edge of the columns, while framing the opening nicely, wasn't enough to feel comfortable hanging out there. Any more than 8 inches made it look like a bar and looked intrusive. 

2) radius of all the corners: we decided on a minimal radius (about 3/4 inch) for the ends of the bar overhangs and corners. A square end could be dangerous if someone walked into it, but we like the chunky look. The 3/4 inch decision will take the point off, but still look squarish.

3) edges: we decided on an eased edge, minimal. It will look chunky with a soft edge to prevent chipping.

4) seams: a necessary seam will go beside the dishwasher, just before the corner. The range side may work without seams, but the fabricators may have to add a seam to one side of the stove. The worry is that the 12 inches behind the cooktop may be too narrow for the large piece to be transported and handled without breaking. 

5) The range side of the countertop will have a 4-inch backsplash made out of the same quartz as the countertop. This was a surprise to us. We thought there would be nothing there. The template guy explained that the backsplash will hide any imperfections in the wall and columns that the counter will be up against. It's like shoe molding on a baseboard. We had discussed putting our blue backsplash on that side of the kitchen, but decided it would be too garish wrapping around the column bases, and there wasn't enough of a wall to justify it. Moreover, one side has only a column and no wall. We think the quartz backsplash will look fine. There will only be less than two feet of it on the side wall and around the base of the columns on two sides where the countertop will be.

6) Our designer approved of the Snowbound trim in the laundry room. In fact, she thought it was still painted the bright white and was going to say to leave it, that it didn't look as bad as it did in the picture. 

7) The cabinet pulls in the laundry room crash into the wall when fully opened in that tight space. She's going to replace the hinges with 90 degree hinges that will stop and not open any further, preventing the pull on the door from hitting the wall.

8) She noticed some imperfections on the finish of three of the upper pulls (that are mounted upside down). The polished chrome coating was thin and rough. She suggested Ottoson swapping them out with some of the upper pulls that are mounted higher up where the imperfection can't be seen. I don't think I would ever have noticed. It’s not on the edge of the pull where your eyes land but in the hidden crevice where your fingers land.

9) The rubber bumpers that give the self-closing cabinets a soft "thunk" are about the same thickness as the wrap around pulls, so some of the doors close with a "clank." She says Ottoson can fix that. (Most pulls are typically on the outside of the door, but ours wrap over the tops or bottoms of the door so they are in the same spot where the bumpers need to go.)

10) Our designer thought the bright white trim looked fine in the rest of the house and didn't clash with the kitchen cabinets. That's what we thought, too, but it was good to get her opinion.

11) We had to return the laundry room sink for a slightly smaller one to fit the depth of the cabinet. It was a little disappointing because the one the designer chose had the same tight radius in the corners as our kitchen sink. The replacement is more traditional with rounded corners. John said it beats the white plastic one we had before that had stains in it, making it look perpetually dirty.

12) Our designer forgot to bring the countertop sample, so we didn't get to see everything together. 

13) Ottoson construction crew will need to come out and level the height of the knee walls to match the countertop height.

It sounds like a long list, but things went pretty smoothly. I’m glad our designer was here to troubleshoot and advise. She says she does not normally attend the countertop measurement. She left after a hour and a half and many stories. The fabricators took about 2 1/2 hours. The bad news is that it will take 2-3 weeks to make the countertops and install them. I think we will be into February before the kitchen is finished.

After the countertop is installed, they will need to do plumbing for sink drains, refrigerator lines, dishwasher lines, disposal; electrical, install ceiling fans, undercounter lights, remove fluorescent accent lights and install LED accent lights, switches, and hook up all the appliances. Those things will go faster if they can be scheduled in a timely manner.

We asked our designer about hooking up our washer and dryer so we could at least get back to normal with washing clothes and linens. She thought they could do that. I told her Lucy would appreciate it. (She's of the generation that has seen the "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy and Ethel traipse around in a tub full of grapes to make wine, so I told her of John walking around in the tub washing our clothes.)

She sent us this later.

After everyone left, we were both excited and exhausted. So we drove out to the causeway to walk for the first time in a week or so. The workers and bad weather have kept us away. 

It was 73 degrees and partly sunny. It felt good to get outside and move.

Toby napped in my lap this morning in the sun.

Up next: touch up paint the remaining baseboards in the kitchen. Our designer said we would probably meet next week to see her plans for the bathroom renovation. It will be good to have something to do during the kitchen lull.