Today I started what is one of the biggest jobs I have taken on as of yet….I know for a lot of you, this will be small potatoes, but I’m rather excited to have only my name on this job rather than being a small part (as a sub). I thought I’d make a meager attempt to keep a running journal of progress we make for your viewing pleasure…
here is where the new 8×14 mud room will go…
this is the view of the existing kitchen from the dining room…
the wall by the existing desk will completely disappear…the door you see in the background is where the mud room will go (it is the garage service door)…the wall with the picture will be angled on the left side in order to have a better traffic flow to/from the mudroom…
here is another shot of the desk area that will be demo’d…the doorway to the left goes to the laundry room/garage service door and the hall on the right leads to the formal dining room (that will be framed in and closed off)
a shot from the kitchen through the dining area, out to the living room…we’re going to frame up some half walls to separate the areas a bit more (you can see the transition strip in the hardwood floor)…the fireplace brick is to be removed and a new stone will go in it’s place…the cabs on either side will be re done, and a 2×4 fixed window will go above each cabinet to allow more natural light…
the french doors going out into the “sitting room” will be removed, the header will be raised and the entire opening will be framed much bigger…the idea is to make the living room and sitting room feel more open…
it’s ok to think you’re as old as you once were…just so long as you don’t try to prove it…
Replies
Good luck with it. I myself will be heading out on my own shortly and would be thrilled with a job of that size. Can't wait to see the progress.
I really like the way it is..
DAY 1:
here is how we found the new mud room area...
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my brother, drilling some holes in the garage pad for new footings...
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was cold here in central Minnesota today...-12...and we found a layer of frost...so we put a charcoal fire in each hole to aid in the digging tomorrow.....
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a shot from the rear of the house...the door will be moved to the left and a double casement window will be framed to allow light into the mudroom...
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the existing garden window at the kitchen sink...this will disappear and a rather large bay window will take it's place...
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it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Did you do any sketches/plans for this project, to show how everything will fit together afterward? Or do I just need to read more carefully?
Careful with that charcoal fire inside.
Thanks for doing the photo-blog thing.zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
I do have a CAD layout, I'll see if I can get it scanned later on
amen about the charcoal...we babysat it for a couple of hours while the coals turned into a nice baking temp...we then covered the top of the pit with the demo rubble...it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Very cool Charlie. Congrats on landing your first big one. BTW, there's more small taters here than you think. I know 'cause I'm one of 'em.
Keep us posted.
David
DAY 2:
Snowed today...a 35 minute drive to the job site took 2hrs 14min....
...Brad and Dan had to go set and shim a cast iron tub at another job we're on...so I was solo for the first 3 hours. I got to it by ripping out the desk/closet area by the laundry room...here is the before:
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and here I am at lunch....
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...and by 2:30, I was at this point...the pocket door to the right will be framed in, and a pocket door will be added to the left as an access to the laundry room...
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Here is a shot from the front of the house with a secondary service door leading into the laundry room. The door is never used, so it is to be closed off and an awning window will go in it's place...the stoop will disappear and the landscaping will be continued from the left to the garage corner (on the right)...
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Meanwhile, they guys showed up and started their exploratory surgery on this area...the header is to be raised and widened as much as possible...
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here is their diagnosis...no cancer, but the heating vent run on the right will need to be removed in order to give them the opening they desire (it feeds the master bedroom closet)...sorry for the quality of the pic...
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here's Dan...removing the fireplace cabs:
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it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Good progress Charlie. Isn't it nice to have a HO who doesn't go ballistic over every speck of dust. BTW, I hope that casework you're remving is getting a 2nd life somewhere else. Your shop maybe???
b warm.
David
I'm re-using a lot of the window and door casing for the new windows and door I'm putting in. I'm keeping a few of the cabinets, but the rest are going in a lake cabin of one of their neighbors.it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Looks like fun. I'm especially curious about how it goes with the brick removal and new stone on the fireplace, and wheat you've got planned for the new cabinets on the side. I'm going to tackle the very same project in my house sometime this year.
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I'm especially curious about how it goes with the brick removal and new stone on the fireplace
uh...that makes 2 of us...:) they've picked out a nice cultured stone for a surround with a stone slab hearth. The cabs will be maple (although they are now leaning cherry) with a nice stain. The mantle will also be maple/cherry.
Where in the cities are you located? This project is in Eden Prairie.
btw...I LOVE your ceiling in your picture! and is that a tv on top of the firebox?it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
I'm in Mendota Heights. No TV in the picture above - just teal paint on the wall (right after we closed on the house). This is what it looks like now (with a TV hung in that space).
Looking forward to more of your pictures/experiences.
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More pictures! More pictures! Did you tear into that fireplace yet? I've started investigating mine - posted a question a couple days ago about how to deal with the soldier course that I need to take out.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=86958.1
Any advice would be appreciated. For what it's worth, I've decided not to demo all the brick veneer, and just put the cultured stone over the top of the existing brick. The stone up over the mantel will then be set back about 4" relative to the fireplace, but I saw a fireplace done like that at one of the local fireplace stores, and it looked fatastic.
Edited 3/12/2007 8:28 pm ET by MNMike
sorry for not responding...been busy!
I tore out the bricks on my fireplace (as you will see in subsequent pics) and am re-laying new stones. How did you decide to proceede with yours?
btw...wasn't today a fantastic day!!!! Spring has sprung!it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Yeah, today was great. Tomorrow's supposed to be even nicer. I'll take it. As for the fireplace, I'm going to try to take out just the soldier course around the opening, install the new gas insert, and then apply the cultured stone to the surface of the existing brick.
ok...Lots has happened in the past 3 weeks....got rock hung, old cottage cheese ceiling scraped and skimmed, drywall taped and mud...painted...kitchen cabs installed. Monday will bring granite and next week will have the majority of the big stuff complete.
Here is a recap of the kitchen before: (sorry for the repeat pics..I just find it easier to have them all on the same post for easier reference...)
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and during...
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View Imageit's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
here is the old desk area...removed...and how she now looks. Talk about Storage!!!
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View Imageit's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
as for the living room/fireplace surround....I'm sooooo glad I talked her into adding the arch between the rooms. you go back and look at the hood above the range, it mimics the arch we added between the rooms...
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View Imageit's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
I never really got a before picture of this area, but the homeowner wanted to add a "nook" to the dining area to have more room for her table...it was added at the last minute (we were painting the walls at the time) and is in the inspection phase, but we should have it ready (sans windows) by the end of the week....
you can just see the end of what is a bank of the old (and very poor performing) slider doors to the left of the old cabinet shown here...
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here is the new nook...at first, I thought they were going through a lot of expense to gain a little room...but in reality, it did vastly open up the area and allowed us the excuse to get rid of those horrid old slider doors...we went from a U value of .58 to .31!
View Imageit's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
after adding the arch between the dining/nook area and the living room, we got a little arch crazy... she wanted to create a more intimate setting in the existing front den...and here is what we did...
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aww nuts...I can't find the a picture of the finished product...however, next week my trimmer will be replacing this stair railing with a new system...homeowner never did like the old over the top railing with it's funky juts and turns...we will be adding a post at each transition/landing and replacing the spindles with wrought iron...the new posts will be painted white and will mimic the structural post seen below the upper landing.
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it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Edited 3/24/2007 4:08 am by Charlie the Singing Carpenter
Charlie,
Looks good. I like the transition by using the arches.
Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
Great progress. What's on the surface of the fireplace in the picture above - backer board? What are you planning to finish it with? What sort of mantel?
that's just the scratch coat the mason applied. Their will be a ledge stone going there,but the exact name is escaping me right now. They are coming in on Thursday to set the stone...I'll show some pics then.it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
DAY 3:
Today was only a half day of working...We got an emergency call to look at a broken toilet and found a MESS!!! but that is a different thread...
we got the 3 holes dug for the mudroom addition footings. It was nice and sandy digging all the way, so Brad didn't sweat too much while he dug them out (isn't being the boss great!)...you can see all the new appliances in the background along with the recycled casing...the company mascot, BEANS, is keeping close watch...
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here is all the progress we got done in a few hours. we framed up most of the floor and threw som ply on top so they can access the house from the garage. Its amazing how small a 3 car garage can get with a house full of appliances, lumber, storage from the yard, 2 cars, and a little dirt can get at the end of the day! I was in a hurry to get this framed up as I had another appointment to get to at 3, so I didn't get any framing progress shots...maybe next week when we get back out here.
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it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Looks like a super job. Nice pictures - surgical and neat work, I'm watching and learning - I like the charcoal in the footing hole!
Can't tell you how much I enjoy doing a complete, intensive reno of one area. More fun than a vacation.
Forrest - all I know about Minnesota I learned from Sinclair Lewis and A Prairie Home Companion
DAY 4:
didn't post last Thursday due to office work...was busy all weekend with "honey-do's", so I'm a few days behind..
last Thursday (day 4), we opened up the header between the living room and the sun room. Here is the header before:
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A picture of our staging and the temp support of the second floor above with the screw posts...
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and viola!~ she opened up real nice! we had to leave most of the left wall for the future TV cabinet that will be angled to the room for maximum viewing, but it is still quite an improvement...
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I wanted to get the half walls and dividing header up before the long weekend so the homeowners could live with it and try it out. the idea is to section off the living/sun room area from the dining/kitchen area a bit. a square, fluted column will sit atop each half wall to mimic the columns at the kitchen island. I fought hard to put even a small arch to the faux header, but lost...for now:)
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it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
been out sick with pneumonia and the flu...wow was that nasty! Here's what's happened in the last week.
DAYS 5-9:
We got the kitchen cabs and rock tore out where needed for the electrician to run his wires. There will be under cabinet lighting as well as some accent lights installed in the upper glass front cabs. Anywho, here is the before again:
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...and with the uppers gone...
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...and finally with all BUT the kitchen sink gone...
it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Tell me again about the kitchen ... are you putting in all new cabs? Similar layout?
You're lucky on the first day with the mudroom. Most of my clients would not have moved a thing out of the way. I showed up as scheduled to start tiling a laundry room floor, and the HO had just started washing a load of clothes."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
all new cabinets, different layout. Here is the floorplan (if I can figger out how to load them):it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
we got the new mud room framed up and, except for a few small things, ready for inspection...
again, the before:
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...and with the floor framed up...almost...
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...walls up and the fire rock hung with what we had onsite...we will finish up the missing pieces Monday morning before our 2:30 inspection.
View Imageit's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
I'm a little surprised you don't have some kind of landing outside the door, even just a flush top step."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
that was always my intention...however, I was shot down by the homeowner. She did not want to impede on the space already lost in the garage any more than possible. it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Days 10-14
Windows came in this week, we finished up misc framing and hung the rock...had some minor delays due to windows being a day late, drywall being 5 hours late and a little 20" snow storm...or as I like to call it, business as usual here in Minnesota.
ok, here is the new old garden window we are replacing over the sink:
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...the new window bay window ready to be installed:
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my man Dan tearing out the old window roof...
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...and PRESTO CHANGO....THE NEW WINDOW SUDDENLY APPEARS!!!! (along with a little sheetrock and a few tools)
View Imageit's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com
Looking good Charlie. After having been there nearly a month, how's the HO behaving? I get really aggrivated when their attitude goes south 30 days into a 90-day remodel.
DavidLive in the solution, not the problem.
been up to my ears in work lately...haven't had time to devote to keeping things up to date...
to answer your question about the homeowners, they have been absolutely wonderful through the entire project. I'm sure they are getting anxious to have things draw to an end and get their kitchen back...but have been nothing but supportive and understanding...
it's ok to think you're as old as you once were...just so long as you don't try to prove it...
http://www.cobrajem.com