Just popping in to share an Underdog update…and to take a much needed break from packing and moving…

After moving a load of stuff to the apartment this past weekend, we stopped by the Underdog to take a peek at the work going on to once and for all vault the ceilings.

The custom engineered wood ridge beam had been installed to provide structural support for the roof.  I could finally really feel what our open kitchen/living space is going to look like.

Removing a few walls and opening up the original 8′ ceilings makes the entire space look and feel so much bigger.  And we haven’t changed the footprint of the house at all.

It’s a little lodge-esque right now with all the wood showing.  At one point, I was worried that the living room mantel was overpowering the space because it’s so massive, but opening up vertical space above it has helped to tame it don’t you think?

That’s the view looking in from the dining room/mudroom for a different perspective.  While Handy Hubby and I knew that vaulting the ceiling would help to make our new space feel airier, we’re both a little shocked at the overall effect when we stand in the great room.  It’s like a totally different space!

Things are looking up.

images:  Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Have I mentioned yet that the all exterior Underdog walls are cinder block?  Yep, behind the original plaster is cement block on all the perimeter walls.  Should the Big Bad Wolf come knocking on our door, we’re good.  All the huffing and puffing and ‘blow your house down’ won’t scare us. Structurally speaking, those block walls are a positive thing.  But when it comes to insulation and upgrading the electric, those walls pose a problem.

For one, there is no insulation in or on the cinder block walls.  We’re looking to improve the exterior wall insulation without compromising square footage…i.e., we don’t want to build out the walls to add a bunch of insulation if it means losing a bunch of floor space.  Even a few inches would qualify as a ‘bunch of floor space’ here.  Second, just for kicks, Handy Hubby tried fishing a new electrical wire between the block wall and its plaster overlay.  He worked at it for 15 minutes and got nowhere. And that was just one wire.  This house needs, like, a trillion new electrical wires run throughout. {The electric is original to the 1950′s home.}  To give you an idea, there is just the shallow depth of a single furring strip separating the plaster from the block.  Not exactly the optimal situation for blindly fishing a wire through.  It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘stuck between a rock and a hard place.’  So, after running through our options, thinking it over and trying to avoid the inevitable, we agreed that the plaster on the exterior walls would need to come down in order to upgrade the electric efficiently and properly.

Can you see where I’m going here?  I’m not one for excuses but this is why I haven’t posted for nearly 5 days.  My apologies.

Handy Hubby rented a dumpster last Friday for the long weekend and spent the holiday ripping out plaster walls with his dad.  God love those men.  I know a 20-yard dumpster full of plaster {albeit not asbestos…we had it professionally tested} and furring strips isn’t the greenest solution in the world but hopefully the improved insulation and electric will help to negate some of the dumpster effects.  With all the exterior cinder block walls exposed, the Underdog is really a clean slate. Take a look…

{view from the front door looking towards the kitchen}

You may have noticed that the laundry closet is non-existant.

Well, once HH started tearing down the plaster in the kitchen he discovered that the framing and header of the laundry closet had been badly destroyed by a previous termite infestation.  He decided to just tear it out and start from scratch since we were planning on opening up the door frame of the laundry nook anyway.  We’re also in talks about how to disguise the future radon mitigation system that will also live in the laundry closet.  It’s kind of crazy how open the house feels with that closet gone.  But as much as we like open spaces, we need a laundry area and I prefer one in the house as opposed to the garage.  The house sits on a slab, so there’s no basement to relocate the washer/dryer to.  So, even though we like the open feel, the laundry area will be reframed and remain in the same location.

Let us not forget that we need the laundry closet wall to act as a room barrier between the kitchen and dining room/mudroom and to house the future fridge, microwave and cabinetry.  If you look above, you’ll notice that we’ll still have a nice, wide walk-through that leads from the kitchen/living room to the dining room.  It should help to keep things feeling open and easy.

This is what the rest of the naked house is looking like:

{dining room/mudroom}

{living room}

{Everett’s bedroom}

{Layne’s bedroom}

{master bedroom}

Note:  Even though the bathrooms are both located on exterior walls, we’re leaving them alone for now.  They’ll get their own complete overhaul when the time is right!

How happy are you right now that you aren’t Handy Hubby and me?!  As bare-boned and raw as the Underdog looks, we actually feel great about having a clean slate to work with.  One of the big turn-offs when we were looking at cheap houses in the spring was seeing that some upgrades had been done on the houses but not knowing to what extent or what kind of quality work had been done because we couldn’t see through the walls.  We’re happy we decided to buy an untouched Underdog so we can oversee all DIY’d and hired out projects.  Speaking of DIY, HH is busy framing those cinder block walls this week so the new electric install can start soon.  We’re also looking at insulation options in the form of thin foam board and getting quotes on drywall and mudding.  And HH told me last night that I need to start contemplating flooring.  It’s funny.  I’ve been so excited to get my design lovin’ hands on the Underdog and now that it’s time to choose a design element, I’m feeling a little pressured.  I need to pick something that’s right for the house, our family, our budget and our aesthetic.  So many things to consider!

Well, that’s where our Underdog is as of now.  Our brick house.

She’s a brick.  Houuuuse.  She’s mighty, mighty.  Just lettin’ all hang out. Yes.  That’s our new reno anthem.

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I left you hanging a few weeks ago after I shared the ceiling tear-out progress at the Underdog.  At that time, Handy Hubby had ripped out the ceiling over the kitchen half of the great room that will eventually be vaulted.  Here’s the living room/kitchen now after removing the rest of the ceiling.

I know.  It still doesn’t look like much but I have a good feeling about what the future vaulted ceiling is going to do for the space.  Can you see it?  Imagine the ceiling joists gone.  Yeah, those wide, flat boards at the original ceiling height that are running parallel to the floor…those, gone.  {Along with the vertical supports in the middle of the room.}  Look beyond them to the rafters…the skinnier boards running along the roof structure.  The future ceiling will live just below those rafters.  Now, can you see it?  Raising the ceiling is going to give this modest, multifunctional space more breathing room and an airier feel.

But the big question is, how exactly do we plan to vault the ceiling?  Handy Hubby spoke with several contractors and even a lumber yard discussing the dimensions of the room and roof and our desire to open up the ceiling.  Originally, the thought was that we could just add some collar ties one-third of the way down the rafters – which HH started to DIY himself.

But after more extensive research {because HH is a mechanical engineer after all}, it looks like we’ll need to have a steel support beam put in place that runs along the peak of the vaulted ceiling. We’ll still frame in the beam with some collar ties to disguise it and also to run duct work and electrical through the peak.  So the vaulted ceiling will look more like this…

{notice the flat peak…not the aesthetics}

…and less like this…

{once again this picture is for demonstrating a vaulted peak…not aesthetics}

Of course, we’d prefer to have a ‘sharp’ peak versus a flat one but we really need space to hide duct work and to place recessed lighting {since we’re having a hard time finding can lights for slanted ceilings that don’t have a lot of wiggle room between them and the rafters}.  Even though we were assured by multiple contractors that collar ties alone would be structurally sound, we’re going the better-safe-than-sorry route and adding in a steel beam for extra support.  We will be hiring out for the beam since it’s beyond the scope and manpower of our DIY skills.  Once the beam is in place, we can start installing the new ceiling.  The jury is still out on what the ceiling material will be.  We love the look of a painted plank ceiling but due to cost we may end up with budget-friendly drywall instead.  I’ll let you know what happens!

images:  1-4) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking  5) InterNACHI 6) Custom MMIC Design Services, Inc. 7) Benjamin Benschneider for The Seattle Times

I showed you how I sealed my granite countertops recently.  Surprisingly, many people commented asking about the care of the kitchen island’s butcher block countertop.  So, today while I was giving the island its routine rub down, I documented it all for you to see.  Before we get started, please know that there are many different recommendations on the care of wood countertops.  This is just how I take care of mine if you’re curious.  It works well for me.  You should do whatever is most comfortable for you.

Okay, so our kitchen island is topped with IKEA’s NUMERÄR oak countertop.  It is not sealed with polyurethane or any other permanent sealer.  I simply used the method I’m about to show you 2-3 times per week for the first month after installation to get a good moisture/stain barrier in place. Since then, I just re-oil the butcher block when needed.  Which is usually every 1-3 months depending on its usage and the humidity in the house.  Typically, I can go longer between oilings in the summer when the wood doesn’t dry out as easily.  Here are the only products I use:

A – A clean, damp rag.

B – A fine sanding block.  Fine as in not so coarse.  Not as in NKOTB fine.  You could easily substitute the block with fine sandpaper.

C – Mineral oil.  Home improvement stores sell versions specifically marketed towards wood countertops but I buy my mineral oil in the laxative aisle of the grocery store.  It’s a lot cheaper, works great and is safe.  Plus, we eat directly off the countertop to keep our family regular, if you know what I mean.  Just kidding.  Not really.

D – Oiling rags.  These are just old rags that I’ve dedicated to the sole purpose of oiling the butcher block.  I don’t wash them for fear of messing up my washer {they get very saturated!} but instead keep them in a plastic Ziploc bag under the sink just for this purpose.  No, they don’t stink. Mineral oil has no odor.

To routinely oil the countertops I…

1 – Wipe all dirt, dust, crumbs and stickiness from the butcher block with my damp rag.  I let it air dry for a few minutes.

2  - Drizzle some mineral oil on the butcher block.  I don’t measure it but if I had to guess I’d say I use about 1/3 cup.

3 – Rub oil into the countertop with my oiling rag, following the wood grain.  Don’t forget the vertical edges!

4 – Let the oil penetrate and soak in for 24-48 hours.  I try to remind my kids that the island is greasy to keep them from getting into it, but they sometimes forget.  No biggie.  The oil won’t hurt them.  If I’m impatient, I’ll wipe away excess oil with a dry cloth but I really like to let it sit for a day or two to really soak in.  The wood drinks it up and loves it.  I’m always amazed by how revitalized it looks after each oiling.  Like new!

With two little kids in the house, the wood countertop frequently gets stained.  I’ve had juice, markers, crayons and wet colored tissue paper stains so far but they are easily removed.  Let me demonstrate.  A la Billy Mays style.  Minus the alleged cocaine use.

Say I find a Sharpie mark.  {For demonstrative purposes, yes, I made a mark with a Sharpie onto the countertop.  That’s how much I love you guys.}

I take my handy dandy, fine sanding block and sand away the mark.

I’m left with a slightly lighter area where the mark once was.

Nothing my trusty mineral oil can’t handle.

Cue the ‘APPLAUSE’, ‘CHEESY SMILING’ and ‘DISBELIEF HEAD SHAKING’ cards.  The once marked, now slightly lighter area will continue to fade away as time and more routine oiling go on.

Sound like too much maintenance for you?  Then don’t get butcher block countertops.  Like the idea of saving money with inexpensive butcher block even if it means a little more elbow grease? Then I’ll see you in the laxative aisle.  Happy weekend!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Remember what the Underdog’s garage looked like a month ago?  {For all the details on the numbered items, click here.}

Well, a month later, the garage itself doesn’t look any different but its contents have changed.  The stuff that was in the attic is gone along with the original carpet and padding.  Here’s what’s goin’ on in the garage now…

1 – The electric box now has power. Yippee!  Handy Hubby and a family friend upgraded and moved the original screw-in fuse box {from the laundry closet to the garage}.

{original fuse box}

{upgraded and relocated breaker box}

HH also buried the overhead service line and ran a new service line to the location of a future heat pump.  That’s a hint at what #3 is.

{freshly buried overhead service line and new line to future heat pump}

We had my Dad and Grandpa out to see the Underdog recently {they’re house men} and were surprised to learn that our heat pump will one day be living in a bed of rhubarb.  That is, if I can’t successfully transplant it elsewhere.

We’re still working to nail down lighting, switch plate and outlet placements.  Originally, we wanted to light the kitchen/living room area with lots of can lights but the future vaulted ceiling is posing a problem.  We’re having trouble finding can lights that will fit in the narrow space between the new ceiling and roof.  The new plan is to place can lights only along the recessed, flat section at the apex of the vaulted ceiling {the two slanted ceilings won’t meet each other at a sharp point to allow for a structural support, ductwork, and lighting} and have pendants above the island and sink.  We hope to add under/overhead cabinet lights as task lighting.

2 – Handy Hubby has a new-ish nose. Last Wednesday, HH had surgery to correct a severely deviated septum.  He took Thursday and Friday off of work ‘to heal’ but was truly thinking he’d use that time to work on the Underdog.  Well, shame on us.  Septoplasty is nothing to sneeze at.  HH was pretty much in bed until Friday and took pain pills until Sunday.  Thanks to everyone who left him words of encouragement on the blog last week.  I know he felt better hearing from people who had gone through the same thing.  His splints were removed yesterday and he happily started breathing through his nose and tasting food again.  Still, doctor’s orders are to avoid exercise and heavy lifting.  That means projects at the Underdog are on hold until HH is fully recovered.  It’s slow going over here.  Nothing like life getting in the way of a good reno!

3 – Before Handy Hubby went under the knife, he scored this heat pump on Craigslist. The Underdog has no central air and we’ve had a few people come out to give us quotes on adding A/C. The quotes were coming in at right around the $3,000 mark.  After talking to a co-worker {HH is an engineer and works with other engineers who know a lot about house stuff so he likes to bounce ideas off them}, HH decided that a DIY installation of a heat pump would work just as well and cost $1,000′s less than having central air installed by a professional.  He says it doesn’t sound all that difficult.  I’ll believe it when I see it!  I keep telling him he doesn’t have to DIY everything but he insists on cutting costs wherever possible.

The heat pump cost us $500 off Craigslist.  From what I understand {after asking HH a bunch of annoying questions}, the biggest difference between a heat pump versus a central A/C unit is that the heat pump can actually move heat into AND out of the house…essentially acting as A/C and heat in one unit.  We plan on keeping the existing furnace for backup during the winters.  While I’m thinking of it, do any of you heat/cool your home with a heat pump?

4 – This is our IKEA kitchen-in-a-box minus the dishwasher and hood. I can’t believe it all fits into this small pile of boxes.  We haven’t sorted through everything yet.  We have 90 days from the date of purchase to make returns/changes.

{IKEA kitchen in boxes}

{disregard the old microwave and camping grill on the floor to the left of the fridge}

The dishwasher and hood were the two items that weren’t available from the warehouse to ship, so we picked them up at our local IKEA store ourselves and for now they’re living quietly in our current basement.  The few other miscellaneous items {a couple of drawer fronts in various sizes} that weren’t available at the warehouse or our local store finally got restocked last week, so I quickly picked them up before they sold ‘em all.  {They are included in the kitchen pile above.} Apparently, the black-brown RAMSJÖ base cabinets with drawers are all the rage!

5 – The boys have their own workshop in the garage to keep them occupied. Thanks to Black & Decker, Layne and Everett have something safe to play with at the Underdog.  Although the real stuff will always be tempting.

So that’s where things stand with the Underdog so far.  Progress is slow and probably will be over the next few weeks while Handy Hubby continues to heal and travels overseas for his real job.  I’ll be sharing some pictures of the entire ceiling in the kitchen/living room removed a little later on.  I can already tell that vaulting the ceiling is going to make such a difference in the small space!

A few of you have asked about our reno timeline.  I’m sorry to disappoint, but we really don’t have that much of a timeline in mind.  Ideally, I’d like for our current home to sell and for the Underdog to be livable by September so Layne can start the school year at his new school.  However, realistically, I can totally see that not happening.  Even though we’ve had a lot of traffic through our home, many potential buyers who are interested in our home are in a situation where they need their current homes to sell first before they can make an offer on our home.  For their sake and ours, I’m hoping things start to pick up.  It’s definitely not easy living in a ready-to-show house with two kids day in and day out.  Luckily, the weather is nice enough that we’re able to spend a lot of time outside.  And I do wake up nearly every morning wondering, “Will today be the day?”  It’s not healthy, so I’m trying very hard to focus my attention elsewhere.  Like on Pinterest.  Now, that’s healthy stuff right there.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I live less than 15 minutes from our local IKEA.  Most times, it’s convenient.  Other times, I probably don’t need to be there spending money but, well, it’s just so darn close!  Tonight was one of those convenient times.  I think.  The few items from our IKEA kitchen in the making that weren’t available at the time we purchased the rest of our kitchen were finally back in stock today.  I called IKEA ahead of time to make sure they were in stock and had them hold them for me until close. After dinner, while Handy Hubby was busy working on the Underdog, the boys and I made an IKEA run.  I remembered to grab my camera although I did have to turn around at the end of our street to come back and get it.  At least I was still close to home when I remembered it.  Anyhow, I thought I’d snap some pics of the cabinets we’ll be using in our future kitchen and go into a little more detail about how we ended up choosing mix-and-match lower and upper cabinets.

First up is this kitchen display.  I’d already been eyeing inspiration photos of kitchens with contrasting cabinetry when Handy Hubby saw this display in real life and loved it.  The decision to use the black-brown RAMSJÖ cabinets as our lower cabinets was an easy one.

I also liked the idea of open shelving that was used in the display kitchen.  We haven’t purchased any shelving yet but I could see some stainless steel shelves like those ending up in our kitchen. We did purchase the same hood as shown above.  I haven’t made up my mind on the contrasting grout lines in the backsplash.  They feel a little bathroom-ish and busy to me.  But that’s just me. Anyway, this black and white kitchen got our wheels turning and we definitely wanted to use the dark base cabinets.  Next, we headed off to find the white version of the RAMSJÖ cabinets to use on the walls.  Easy enough, right?

The only problem was I didn’t like them.  The picture doesn’t do it justice but the ‘white’ finish is more of a whitewash.  The wood grain shows through the paint.  From a distance, they almost had a pink or beige tint to them.  It obviously wasn’t a bad paint job…that’s how they were supposed to look and they would look great in a kitchen with a cottage or country feel.  They just weren’t what we were looking for. We quickly moved onto the white {actually listed as off-white}  ÄDEL wall cabinets.

They were the right color and very similar in style to the RAMSJÖ but…but…but I didn’t like the seeded glass fronts.  And I knew I reeeeeeally wanted glass-front cabinetry on the wall where the kitchen desk would go to bounce light around and keep things feeling open on top.  {I wanted the uppers on the wall opposite the desk – where the fridge and microwave will go – to have solid fronts so the only area affected by the glass-front issue was the desk area.} The seeded glass just wasn’t doing it for me.  I know it hides clutter better but I’m not a cluttery person to begin with and the effect felt {dare I say it?} cheap to me.  Gulp.

I asked about the glass-fronts and the white ÄDEL glass-front cabinets only come with seeded glass inserts.  So, onto the next white, glass-front wall cabinet candidate.  The LIDINGÖ.

It was the right color and had the smooth glass fronts that I wanted.  However, it was a different style than the RAMSJÖ which we had already decided on for our base cabinets.  The frame of the door was slightly narrower and the added framing on top of the glass pane mimiced that of a window.  I did like it though.  For comparison, here’s a picture of the RAMSJÖ vs LIDINGÖ wall cabinets. Again, from the picture you can’t really tell a huge difference but I assure you, that RAMSJÖ one is beige-y.

I asked the IKEA kitchen designer on duty her feelings on mixing the two different styles in one kitchen and she actually liked the idea.  And the more I thought about it, I did too.  Maybe the mixed styles would give the kitchen a more custom look as opposed to being matchy-matchy?  So, we selected the LIDINGÖ cabinets as our upper cabinetry.  That’s how we ended up with two different styles of cabinetry in our future kitchen.  Were you able to follow all that past tense mixed with present tense chaos?

As a bonus, I snapped this desk area within a kitchen display at IKEA while I was there, too. It’s a little smaller {and a different color} than the one we’ll be implementing in the Underdog’s kitchen but you get the idea.

I like how the handles on the upper cabinets run horizontally on the doors.  I think that’s how we’re going to install ours as well.  I’m also up for DIYing a chalkboard above the desk.  I could just tape off a rectangle of wall and paint it with chalkboard paint then frame it up with some store bought trim.  Now, there’s an idea.

After I played the unpopular role of crazy-lady-with-a-camera-and-two-Matrix-reenacting-kids, I paid for the remaining kitchen items that were missing from our original order.  FYI:  I still got the 20% off discount that we were awarded in April for purchasing at least three appliances along with our kitchen order.  I just had to show the original purchase receipt from April along with our order number.  IKEA gives you a folder to keep all your order related papers in, so I just brought the entire thing with me when I picked up the missing items. I had to pay in the kitchen design department then pick up my pieces from the special order desk in the warehouse.  By the time me and the boys got down to the carryout desk, the items were already pulled and waiting for us.

That’s because I ran into this on the way down…

I tried very hard not to look at anything on my way from the kitchen department to the checkouts but my will power was not strong enough for this sale price.  I’ve been coveting cowhide rugs for months now.  I love them.  I want one.  Call me cruel.  It won’t change my mind.  At the previously listed price of $250, I couldn’t talk myself into buying one.  But at $89, I couldn’t resist.  So I grabbed one up after I contemplated getting two.  I think it will look great layered on top of a jute rug in the Underdog’s living room someday.  Some.  Day.

UPDATE:  Apparently, the $89 price tag on the cowhide rugs isn’t the case at every IKEA store.  Please check with your local IKEA authorities before making a special trip!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

You can thank my boys for that title.  I don’t know if they heard the word somewhere or made it up themselves but they’ve been using it in every conversation for the past few days.  At any rate, it’s very fitting for what’s been going on over at the Underdog.  This past weekend Handy Hubby nixed the idea to move all the original loose insulation {Not asbestos!  Yay!  We had it tested.} from the future great room ceiling and transfer it to other areas of the attic that wouldn’t be affected by the vaulted ceiling that we’re planning for the kitchen/living room space.  {After having a few contractors out to give estimates on spraying foam insulation in the attic, he’s decided that’s the way to go.}  Instead, he went straight on to demo.  He removed the walls separating the kitchen, dining room and living room.  If you’ll remember, this is what it looked like before:

{view from the front door}

And as of last Saturday, this is what the Underdog was lookin’ like:

{view from the front door}

Looks a little different, huh?  Before you start wondering if Handy Hubby removed a load bearing wall, the remaining support is only holding up the ceiling.  And since we’re planning on tearing out the ceiling, the post will eventually come down too…without detrimental effects.  The original roof is what contractors call ‘stick built’ meaning there aren’t pre-fabricated trusses up there framing out the roof.  The plan is to vault the ceiling of the great room to the rafters.

The boys and I were checking in on the progress before Handy Hubby got the entire ceiling ripped out.  {No demo takes place with kids present!  At least, that’s the plan.}

Here you can see into the living room from the future kitchen.  All those hanging electrical wires look scary and dangerous but there was no power on at the time of these photos.  {Update: as of late yesterday afternoon, the Underdog’s power has been restored!}

And here’s the opposite view looking back from the picture window into the kitchen.

Everett found an old sweeper left by the previous owners and was helping to clean up.  That’s after he played with the Power Tool Workshop for well over an hour.  And one more shot of the living room with the walls removed…

We’re really happy with how the space feels now – minus the demolition dust, exposed wiring, and heaps of insulation.  We definitely prefer open floor plans versus confined rooms even if that means seeing the kitchen from the front door.  We knew opening the three rooms up into one space would give us more of that light, airy vibe we like.  Plus, the traffic pattern just makes more sense now too.  Before we’d have to walk all the way through the kitchen and dining room from the den or garage just to get to the living room.  Not anymore.  Which leads me to another minor issue.

I CHANGED MY MIND! Already.  And Handy Hubby never saw it coming.

Remember my conundrum with the extra dining space/surface?  While we’ll most likely eat at the kitchen island on a daily basis, we need more dining room for guests.  Originally, we had thought that once the walls in the great room were removed we’d have the space and freedom to toss a pedestal or drop leaf table somewhere into the living room to serve as dining space when needed. Alas, removing the walls did give us the feeling of more space but we didn’t really gain any space. Even with the walls down, it was pretty evident that putting a dining table of some kind into the living room was going to be a tight squeeze.  So, like a few of you have already suggested {really, you all are so smart!  Sometimes I wonder why you read anything I write.}, the ‘den’ will now serve as a dining room/storage room/mudroom with an on suite laundry nook.  I envision a round table with chairs and floor-to-ceiling storage along one wall.  I know I had said that we don’t have a dining room and don’t miss it…and that’s still true.  However, we do have a dining space that we would miss.  Don’t worry though, it’s not going to be a dining room that only gets used once or twice a year on special occasions.  Nope.  This room is going to have to hold its own and provide space for:  dining, storage, sewing, laundry, crafting, hanging up coats and taking off shoes.  The TV that we had thought would go in the den will now go in the living room above the fireplace.  I’m not usually a fan of televisions above fireplaces but in this case I’m going to make it work because I have to.  {Or I’ll just change my mind again.  Just kidding, Handy Hubby.  I think.}  There’s just no other good place to put it without losing the space for something else.  The woes of small space living!  Oh, and the reason we had planned on making the ‘den’ our TV room in the first place?  It was the perfect room and layout for our comfy sectional that we already own. We were mistakenly arranging our floor plan based on one {albeit large} piece of furniture.  It’s too large to fit functionally or aesthetically in the Underdog’s living room – not to mention the chaise is on the wrong side to work – so we immediately assumed it would go in the room off the garage and I coined that room the ‘den.’  Well, it looks like we may just have to sell our beloved sectional at some point and use the money to buy something just as comfy and stylish but with better proportions for our smaller living space.  Don’t mention a word to our sectional though.  We haven’t told him yet.

The lesson?

Don’t plan rooms’ functions around one piece of precious furniture that’s just not going to work. While the single piece of furniture may be awesome in its own right and out of context, it may not work well when you look at the bigger picture.  Or in this case, the smaller house.  I have a feeling our cozy leather sectional won’t be the only piece of furniture not making the move to the Underdog.  It’s kind of sad and exciting at the same time.  Sad to leave behind items we like but exciting to find more appropriate replacements.

Oh, shoot.  I’m doing it again.  I’m getting ahead of myself.  We’ve got plenty of other projects to complete before we start picking out furniture.  But you really do have to look ahead somewhat when renovating, building or even just decorating a home.  You can’t go into the process blindly. There has to be a vision of which rooms will serve what purposes and what furniture will be needed in those rooms.  There’s a constant battle between looking ahead and looking at where you are.  I’m not gonna lie.  I’m already tired of this battle.  It’s just because I can see where it’s going and I’m so excited to get there.  Let me not forget that the process of getting there can be a just-as-rewarding experience as the end product…if not more so.

In the wise {and maybe raspy, cigarette smoke laden} words of Miley Cyrus, “It’s the climb.”  And right now this one is demolicious.  Yum.

images:  1 & 2)  Dana Miller  3) Home Building Answers  4-7) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I have a confession.

We’ve been planning the Underdog’s future kitchen layout since March!

I know, I know.  That’s not fair.  When we took ownership in the beginning of May, other more pertinent projects {tree removal, electrical upgrades, de-shuttering, etc.} took precedence.  So, today’s the day I spill the beans on the kitchen’s future.  Why are we starting with the kitchen reno first?  Well, because the kitchen is a space that we use lots on a daily basis.  We rarely eat out and instead prefer to make our own meals.  So when prioritizing room reno’s for the Underdog, putting the kitchen up there at #1 was pretty much a given.  We can stomach plain Jane bedrooms, outdated pink bathrooms and even no air conditioning for a while but we’d really like to have a functioning kitchen to prepare homemade meals in – for us and our kiddos.  It’s part of our daily routine and something that we do together as a family…sit down and enjoy a meal.  Or, at least, we try to.  More often than not, Handy Hubby and I end up making crazy, non-blinking eyes at each other because Layne can’t seem to keep his squirmy bottom in his chair and Everett chews most foods into a flavorless pulp then spits them out, refusing to swallow a morsel. Yeah, meal times can be a little stressful.  But it’s a family tradition that we’d like to keep going because we’re hoping this is just a phase.  So many things are going to be new when we do move – neighborhood, friends, schools, surroundings – that we’d like to keep some continuity.  Even if it does involve improper dining etiquette!

So, onto kitchen plans…

You already know that we plan to knock down the walls separating the kitchen from the dining and living areas.  We have plans to vault the ceilings as well.  We’re going for a more casual, open floor plan to help the modest space feel airier.  We’ve already removed and sold the original 1950′s kitchen cabinetry.  We’re all for painting cabinets but these were not worth keeping.  They were sagging, stained and in bad condition.  As you’ve probably guessed by now from the post title, we’re going with IKEA cabinets, appliances and hardware.  Why?  1) We read a lot of customer reviews touting IKEA kitchens for their budget-friendly and aesthetic appeal.  2) Our local IKEA is less than 15 minutes away.  3) IKEA was having a sale.  As in, 20% off your total kitchen purchase if you bought 3 appliances.  The sale ended May 1st and we closed on the Underdog May 2nd. Which means we planned for and bought a kitchen for a house we didn’t legally own yet.  Scary!! It’s definitely not a decision we’d push onto anyone else, but it ended up working out great for us so far.  That means in the weeks prior to closing on the Underdog, we spent a lot of time measuring, researching, asking questions, floor planning and designing.  We used IKEA’s Kitchen Planner which you can access at home on your personal computer and also at any IKEA store.  In fact, when we were on vacation in April we visited the Tampa, Florida IKEA to work on our kitchen design.  That’s the nice thing about the IKEA Kitchen Planner.  You can come up with an amateur design at home, save it and then pull it up at IKEA.  {FYI – The Tampa IKEA was having computer problems the day we visited but, thank goodness!, we were able to access our saved design.  It probably wouldn’t hurt to call ahead and make sure all systems are go before making a special trip to IKEA for kitchen planning purposes.}  We found the IKEA kitchen design employees {at both the OH and FL stores} to be extremely helpful in double checking our designs, answering questions, helping us fill in wasted space and placing our order.  I guess you can take that however you want considering we don’t have a finished kitchen yet!

Are you ready to see the Underdog’s kitchen plans?  Here goes…

That’s the kitchen/living room overhead view once the walls are removed.  The kitchen will remain at the back of the house and you’ll be able to see it from the front door.  {The front door is shown in the bottom right-hand corner.}  Since the kitchen will be in full view from the living room, I want it to have symmetry and balance along with a focal point.

{view from the living room}

The focal point will be the hood.  It will be positioned between the two windows {now the kitchen and dining room windows}.  The image above doesn’t portray it very well, but the window on the right is larger than the one on the left.  Eventually, I’d like to replace the right window with a glass door of some sort that leads out to the backyard.

The left side {I’ll refer to them as left/right for descriptive purposes} of the kitchen will house the refrigerator, microwave, trash pull-out and a lazy susan.  The doorway leads to the den and garage.  I think having the fridge close to the garage will be convenient for unloading groceries. The sink will remain below the left window.

The right side of the kitchen will act as an office.  The image doesn’t relay this but the countertop along the far right wall will extend the full length of the floor cabinets, covering the empty space in between them as well.  I’ll be able to slide a chair or stool under it into the empty spot for bill paying, making grocery lists, searching the web for recipes and, most importantly, blogging!  I plan to use the floor cabinets as storage for hanging folders, printer, paper, etc.  The doorway leads back to the bedrooms.

In the center of everything will be a ~ 9′ long island.  I love, love, LOVE the idea of a large farmhouse table standing in for a kitchen island, but Handy Hubby and I decided we’d need the extra storage provided by an island with base cabinets instead.  We’re torn between adding big chunky legs, a countertop overhang and 4 stools to the living room side of the island OR leaving it as-is and having a dining table on the living room side of the island that can be pulled away from the island to seat extra guests if necessary.  If we go with an eat-in island, I’ll have to come up with a clever way to add extra dining surface in a jiffy. Maybe a drop leaf or pedestal table in the living room that can act as a dining table when necessary?  Obviously, an island that seats 4 would be plenty for us on a daily basis, but we would need other dining options for guests.  The other problem I have with island eating {let’s just call it that} is that my legs always fall asleep when I sit on barstools.  I’m short.  Maybe I just need a padded cushion, footrest or something?? Aaaaah, so many decisions!  Good thing we’re quite a ways out from having to nail down the whole dining thing.  The back wall will house the gas stove, hood, dishwasher and sink.  I’m pretty excited about my dishwasher having a door panel that looks like cabinetry.  I think some open shelving and a tiled backsplash above the oven that extends all the way to the ceiling would emphasize the hood as a focal point even more.

You may have noticed that we chose contrasting upper and lower cabinetry which I hinted at here. Not only do the white uppers and black lowers differ in color, they are two different styles of cabinetry.  Mix-and-match cabinets, here we come!  The uppers are the AKURUM wall cabinets in white.  The uppers above the desk area will have glass fronts for a lighter feel.  The lowers are the RAMSJÖ base cabinets in black-brown.  We hadn’t originally intended on mixing styles but ran into issues with size and color for the upper wall cabinets.  {More on that next week.}  I think I’m really going to like the mix though.  It should make it feel a little less store bought-ish.

A few other things of interest about our future IKEA kitchen:

• This layout will require us to move the placement of the stove which means we’ll have to re-route/run a new gas line.  I thought about switching the positioning of the stove with the fridge but didn’t think a refrigerator made as good a focal point as a stove.  I also liked the idea of having the sink in the island but decided against it since the current sink placement gives us a wonderful view out to the backyard and Handy Hubby doesn’t want to move plumbing around if he doesn’t have to.
• We did not purchase a microwave, sink, faucet or countertops from IKEA.  While we did find a few options we loved, they were priced high compared to what we payed for our sink, faucet and granite installation last summer.  I’m keeping an eye out for a good deal on a microwave.  I’ll probably scour the web and Craigslist for a sink and faucet.  I’m thinking of mixing and matching the countertop surfaces too.  Some light-colored solid surfaces along with worn, salvaged wood are tops right now.
• We purchased a refrigerator, gas stove, hood and dishwasher along with our IKEA cabinetry. This got us the 20% off discount.  All IKEA appliances are made by Whirlpool even though they may/may not have the IKEA logo on them.
• We’re going with the VÄRDE hardware.
• The cabinetry, appliances and hardware came in right at ~ $8,000.  That’s with the 20% discount.  That’s not inexpensive by any means, but since we bought a house for well below $100,000 {yes, I said below 100K} we can afford to spend ~ 10K total on the kitchen reno.
• When we placed our final order, there were a few items that weren’t readily available for shipment due to the warehouse being out of stock.  Apparently, when you order an IKEA kitchen, it’s shipped from a warehouse NOT your local store.  We were able to buy a few missing items {dishwasher, hood and cabinet trim} directly from our local store but are still waiting for a few drawer fronts to come in.  The rest of the order was shipped to the Underdog about 2.5 weeks after we placed the order.  The delivery fee was $89.
• The cabinetry requires self assembly {like most IKEA stuff} which allows for smaller shipping packages and lower costs versus your local home improvement store.

So, it looks as though we have an IKEA kitchen in the making.  No, we haven’t even opened a box yet since it was delivered 2 weeks ago!  Remember, we still have the electrical upgrade and demo to do before we can even begin to think about a kitchen.  Even though we don’t have final results yet, we’ve been happy with IKEA’s service {thanks to Rob at IKEA West Chester who stayed after hours to place our order} and design help {especially the guy in Tampa who squeezed a trash pull-out into our design} and are stoked that we got to take advantage of the 20% off deal.  Don’t worry, I’ll share the rest of this IKEA kitchen story – assembly, installation, quality control, appliance integrity, etc. – as it unfolds.  Stay tuned!

I’m curious to know if any of you have had experiences with IKEA kitchens?  Ever installed one? Know somebody who has one?  Been eyeing one?  Does just the thought of one make you cringe? I don’t know anyone personally who has an IKEA kitchen, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad apprehensive.  But all the ones I’ve seen and read about online are fantastic.  Another reason why I love the www.

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I’m just sharing what we’re doing even if it involves a Swedish home furnishings superstore.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

We saved up the cash to have granite countertops installed around our kitchen perimeter last June. {We outfitted the island with butcher block to save money and add warmth.}  We’ve been living with the granite for a year now and absolutely love it.  So easy to clean daily, love the simple look and profile of it, and the durability is amazing.  I have set hot pans on it and cut directly on it without leaving any stains or scratches. When we had the granite installed, I asked a lot of questions about maintenance.  The installer, who also happened to be the company’s owner, told me the countertops would only need to be sealed once a year to protect against stains and moisture penetration.  He said to just ask for ‘granite sealer’ at Home Depot or Lowe’s and use it to seal the granite annually.  When I was at Home Depot a few weeks ago, I remembered we were coming up on our one year granite anniversary, so I picked up some Stone Care International Sealer which was recommended to me by the countertop salesperson.  It cost me $10.  I finally got around to sealing the granite myself this morning and it was surprisingly easy.

Following the directions on the label, I cleaned the granite last night with my regular Mrs. Meyer’s/water cleaning solution and let it dry thoroughly overnight.  The sealer instructions said to allow for at least 6-12 hours of drying time.  Obviously, you don’t want to seal water into the granite. This morning I cleared the countertops, emptied the sink and wrapped the kitchen faucet and stovetop with plastic wrap to avoid getting the sealer on anything that I didn’t really want/need to be sealed.

I used the cover of one my kids’ coloring books as a splash guard of sorts to keep stray sprays from getting on the surrounding backsplash, appliances and cabinets.

The instructions are to shake the sealer bottle well, spray the granite thoroughly and evenly, wait 3-5 minutes for the first coat to penetrate then spray again and wait another 30 minutes.

Thirty minutes after the second coat had been sprayed, you are to wipe away any excess sealer.

I did all this and discovered that my granite seemed to have been sealed pretty well the first time {by the installer} because the sealer I was using wasn’t soaking in too much.  While there was definitely less wet sealer on the surface after waiting 30 minutes, there was still excess which I wiped away with a microfiber cloth.  Still, I did notice an improved luster in the granite.  It’s one of those things that I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t sealed it and seen the difference.

If you are thinking of having granite countertops installed or already have them in your kitchen and want to DIY the sealing of it, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Ask your installer how often they recommend sealing the granite.
• Seal granite countertops in the morning after they’ve had adequate time to dry after a routine cleaning.
• Granite sealer has a distinct odor.  It’s not strong but opening windows and running a fan {I used my oven hood vent} help to air things out.
• Use plastic wrap, thick paper or other barriers to protect non-granite surfaces from getting spritzed with sealer solution.  I found the spray bottle I used to have a concentrated spray stream, meaning it didn’t mist out all over the place which was nice.  The sealer can be used on other stone surfaces as well, including ceramic which is what our backsplash is made of. However, I really like the color of our backsplash the way it is, so I didn’t want to get any sealer on it and risk changing the look of it.  You can always test a small area before committing to sealing the entire surface.
• Let the granite cure for 24-48 hours after sealing.  There are no particulars about what to do during this curing time on the label, but I plan to avoid getting liquids and cleaners on the granite for at least 24 hours.

So, there you have it – Granite Sealing 101.  I have to admit that the idea of having to seal granite once a year seemed mid-maintenance {not high or low maintenance but somewhere in between} and a tad inconvenient to me at first.  But after sealing my granite countertops today, I’ll say it’s really not that bad at all.  It took me less than an hour start to finish, including wait time, and I’ll just be extra careful of spills and cleaners for the next 24 hours.  Oh, and I don’t think I used even 1/10th of the bottle of sealer, so that $10 is going far.

Do you have stone countertops that require special sealing maintenance?  Or has the thought of sealing granite annually turned you off from taking the granite plunge?  Do you prefer other surfaces for kitchen countertops that require less maintenance?

images:  Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

We’re revamping the kitchen in the Underdog.  That means scouring the internet for images of beautiful kitchens is no longer a time waster but my new part-time job.  And totally necessary.  I’ll even go as far to say it’s research.  My lab is the living room sectional and my equipment includes my MacBook, my fingertips and Google.  A few blankets, a cup of coffee and I’m set.  Life is good. Here’s what my research has turned up so far.

Jenna Lyons’ kitchen is just about my fave ever.  With dark base cabinets, concrete countertops, open shelving, industrial elements, rustic woods and a simple design it’s not hard to fall in love with this one.

Loving the large, contrasting island complete with open shelving.  The symmetry of the kitchen isn’t exact but it feels well balanced with the hood taking center stage.

Green cabinets + black island + lime pantry shelving + upholstered stools + open shelving + schoolhouse lighting + chevron rug + coffered ceiling + white walls = a great mixed-and-matched kitchen.

Hello, herringbone floor tile.  You and your friends – black door, black window & contrasting cabinets – are welcome over at my new place anytime.

My fondness for white and gray is still very much alive.

Dark cabinetry that looks anything but in this light and bright kitchen.

Can you say “holy woven pendants!?”  I especially like the cathedral ceiling, glossy white wall tile, striped rugs, and the view to the outside.

Did you happen to notice a common denominator that is present in each of my inspiration kitchens?  As much as I adore classic, timeless white kitchens {I still love my current one}, it seems I’m ready for a little more contrast in the kitchen. As long as most everything else is kept white and natural light is allowed to pour in, dark cabinetry can work in an airy and bright kitchen.  We may just give the whole contrasting kitchen thing a try in our Underdog.  Hmmm…

images:  1) Melania Acevedo for Livingetc  2) Jessica Helgerson Design  3) Roger Davies for Cottage Living  4) Michael Graydon for Tommy Smythe  5) Decor Pad 6) Gridley + Graves photography, Sandi Holland design  7) Jean Philippe Piter Photography for Coastal Living