My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 4

7:04 am on day four of construction. Yesterday went smoothly. The electrician moved wires in the wall so they could remove the studs, insert the header and then build the new "closet" for the refrigerator and the inset cabinetry.

The electrician also ran new wiring for overhead lights where the new range will be located. We are moving the range space over several inches from its former location to center it on that wall.

It's great to be able to walk into this space and see straight out the back door. Ever since we moved here the position of the back door/refrigerator has bothered me. I guess that's the basis of Feng Shui.

I placed the order for the appliances, but the salesman at Clark Appliances has not sent me the order form to sign. I'll be giving him a call today to get that going. He said that it would take about a week and a half to get the appliances to Bloomington, so that process needs to start today to have them in by the end of next week.

I also forgot to tell Brent, the contractor that I wanted an electrical outlet in the back of one of the new cabinets so I can keep a microwave inside the cabinet to save counter space. A little added expense to get the electrician out here again, but well worth it for the convenience.

Today they start the drywall work, so I'm hanging up additional plastic in the doorways to keep the dust from filling every room. Brent is trying to be nice by keeping the kitchen in tact as much as possible so I can use it, but the dust in the air already makes me not want to do anything in there. So dinner last night was at Truffles. Why is it always so expensive to go there even when you order from the bar menu and it's half price wine night? But we've built in a 'dining out' line item into our remodeling budget, thought I think it's time to go back to the Pizza X game plan.

And luckily my mood is better this morning. It just takes me a little while to adjust to major changes.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 3

It's 7:30 in the morning of day two. Yesterday went well with only a few surprises. As I said before, I cleared out the rooms adjacent to the kitchen to help keep dust and debris under control. Brent, the contractor, said "Oh, you didn't have to do that."

Well, sometime yesterday afternoon, while they were removing the soffit above the refrigerator (see hole above the back door), an enormous amount of blown in insulation came pouring down and blowing everywhere. In addition, somewhere around this time they broke the water line to the fridge. I came home around 3:30 to find wet insulation on the floor and dust everywhere.

Kudos to these guys, because by the end of the day they had the place cleaned up and in good order. And the space has been readied for the electrician to come in and move wires out of the way so they can build the bulkhead and remove the wall.

The only other update from yesterday is that I picked out our new sink faucet. It's really cool looking!

Other than that, I'm experiencing the first phase of feeling depressed. This always happens for me during a reconstruction job. The thrill of the design, the thrill of whats-about-to-happen is over and the fact that my house is being torn up and I'm now committed to spending a lot of money is driving my mood right down the drain. Luckily I know from past experience that my mood will improve, just as the condition of my house will improve.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 2

Day One. It was 7 am when I took this photo. One day there will be sunlight at 7 am again. My job was to clean out the cabinets which took me well into last night. Since I've gone through this before, I know that remodeling can create a huge amount of dust, so I cleared out the entire room. This should make clean up easier every day and keep dust from penetrating into artwork, rugs and furniture.

Appliances were ordered this afternoon from Clark Appliances in Indy (www.clarkappliance.com). The show room on 82nd street is really great. They have a super selection of name brand appliances including Viking, Wolfe, Dacor and Thermadore. We're going with a built-in refrigerator, gas range and a very cool two drawer dishwasher. The old appliances will be donated.

So the work has begun now. The wall that we are removing has been taken down to the studs. The cabinetry on that wall has been removed. We were able to reuse a large pantry cabinet in the basement. The other cabinets that are reusable will go to ReStore here in Bloomington.

It's both exciting and scary to see your house torn apart. Luckily the work should progress quickly so I'll start to be able to see the beginnings of the finished product within a day...with a little imagination.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 1

Finally we bit the bullet and decided to remodel our kitchen, so I thought it would make great copy for this web log. We decided to do this for a few reasons:

1. The cabinetry was original circa 1960's though someone had refaced the cabinets with more oak


2. The floor plan of the kitchen was a bit odd with the refrigerator and cabinetry sticking out into the kitchen blocking full view of the back door


3. I hate the floor which is tile with huge and rough grout lines that are impossible to keep clean.

The look we are going for is "Ina Garten Comes to Bloomington". The new floor plan was created to achieve more space in the kitchen and make the back door more accessible. We chose to cut into another room for the additional space. I opted to cut into the room that we use as a music room, so the bare wall in the photo above will be removed and the refrigerator and some additional cabinetry will be set into the space.

Having lived through kitchen remodels several times, I am not looking forward to washing dished in the bathtub and eating delivery pizza several times a week. Our contractor, Brent Thompson of ABC Contracting has given us this timeline:

1. Start tomorrow, Monday, by tearing down the wall and starting work on building the new wall and inset for cabinetry
2. Next Monday, tear out the old cabinetry and install the new cabinetry
3. Three days after the new cabinetry is in place, the new counter tops will be installed.

This total project timeline is to take only three weeks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and memorizing the phone number for Pizza X.

Deal of the Day!

Right now at Restoration Hardware in Indianapolis, this great side chair is reduced to only $179.00. It's a great design with wonderful details. They have a very limited inventory of these chairs so they'll go fast.

BTW, they also had one leather arm chair on sale for $799.00, reduced from just under $2000.00. Cool distressed leather in a not over sized style and it was very comfortable.

Check 'em out at www.restorationhardware.com, though the chairs mentioned above are on sale only at the Indy location.

Before and After Photos of a Recent Bloomington Staging Job

Here are some before and after photographs of a recent Bloomington Staging job. The house was on the market, vacant and not showing with great success. With the addition of furniture we were able to dress up the space and make it more appealing.

The top two photos were taken yesterday morning. The home owner had left a large piece of furniture in the dining room that did not enhance the space. Otherwise this house was totally unfurnished.

The second two photos were taken today. We removed the large piece of furniture in the dining room and replaced it with a contemporary table and chairs that still maintain classic lines. We also added bar stools at the kitchen counter. The table is set with dishes, glassware and linens that add color and texture without being distracting.

For the living room, we chose upholstered furniture that easily filled the space. We kept the colors warm but alive to add visual interest. The artwork was then added throughout the home to compliment the furnishings.

This home is now inviting and pleasing to the eye. You just want to sit down, pour a glass of wine

and enjoy the afternoon...and hopefully write an offer.

Giving Green Plastic Furniture a Quick Makeover

BEFORE

AFTER

Waiting for the spring outdoor furniture to arrive in stores seems like it would be an easy task, but i have had trouble finding wicker furniture in Bloomington...at a good price. And I had a job that was in need of this furniture ASAP.

I had noticed the furniture in the photo at top of the page in our local east side Marsh grocery store for several weeks and I was always turned off by the green and cream color scheme. But need brought about creativity and a trip to Marsh with my truck to pick up the furniture.

While I was in the check out line a woman in front of me said "I was looking at that wicker for my grandmother. I wouldn't like it, but I think she would". Luckily I already had my plan in the works.

I loaded up the four pieces of wicker, priced at only $285.00 including cushions and headed straight to the hardware store. I purchased five cans of Krylon Fusion satin white spray paint and went to work.

Thirty minutes later I had a new and improved set of wicker furniture ready to be used in a client's sun room. The cost of the paint was about $25.00 making the total purchase of my fine white faux wicker furniture right at $310.00 which included two arm chairs, sofa, coffee table and cushions.

When Is It OK To Paint My Dark Stained Trim?

When is it OK to paint the stained trim in my home? The answer is anytime you want to (almost). In Bloomington there are so many homes built in the 20's and 30's that have dark stained trim. So often you hear that you must leave your stained trim as is, or re-stain it, to protect the historical integrity of your home. As I always say, "Own your house, don't let your house own you."

Dark stained trim can make any room look old and depressing. Often these homes built in the 20's and 30's do not have high ceilings and large rooms and many do not have a tremendous amount of natural light. Painting the trim can brighten and enlarge the look of the room. It can add a freshness that is very appealing.

When should you not paint your stained trim? There are homes that I have seen with gorgeous trim in beautifully grained oak. The trim is a work of art in itself. Often used in higher end homes built during this period, the home builder used the finest wood and stained it to show off the quality of the product. Also, if you happen to live in a true bungalow style home as shown int the photo and the house has been preserved in it's original style, then you might want to consider if your interest is in preservation.

The bottom line is that if you are planning on living in the home and your taste lends itself to brighter spaces with painted trim, then go ahead and make your house a home...your home.