Mikey Didn't Like It Either

The expression on Mike the Contractor's face when he walked into the kitchen today was priceless. Very seriously, he says, "The new pine has to be stained." He was also unhappy that the boards were too perfect. He had rejected the first batch of flooring that was delivered because it had too many knots. This batch did not have enough. So all was well in renovation land until the cabinets installers arrived with a truckload of cabinets.

Mike had suggested that the wiring for the puck lights in the upper cabinets be done so that they would plug into receptacles in the ceiling above the cabinets. Oops! There were bare wires to hard-wire them in. Bob the Swiss Woodcraft Guy called Mike and they worked it out but it was not an auspicious beginning to his and Dan's day.

When we returned from finalizing the order for the sinks, toilets, and faucets, we learned that the chimney wall was out of square three quarters of an inch. Bad news because it is the left edge of the stainless steel sink so one cannot fudge it as one could do with quartz. Quickly they came up with a solution but the old girl is not making anything easy.

First cabinets installed


Meanwhile this morning the two Daves, the HVAC Guys, connected the toe-kick heaters to our hot-water heating system. The older Dave guarantees that we will be warm in the kitchen without an auxiliary electric heater. This will be a first. For 24 years we have had to use one so as not to have frost-bite while eating breakfast. The new heaters are also on their own zone so my early-rising Sweetie can bump up the heat if need be.


Toe-kick heater not installed

And how lovely that one cannot even see it unless you lie on the floor as I did to take the picture. (Note that the decorative grill plate is not installed yet.) It is amazing the advances in HVAC.

Toe-kick heater installed under the cabinet

So there are a lot of cabinets to be installed. I wonder how many more bumps there will be on the road to a new kitchen.