Kerns Kitchen/Bath remodel

Monday, September 19, 2016

post 25: tile grout, medicine cabinet, closets, finish carpentry

Today's job site update consists of a lot of little things.

We ended up being about 24 (!!!!!) tiles short in the downstairs bathroom. Dmitry put in an order for one more box. So completion of that will probably end up waiting until flooring is installed (tile and flooring are the same crew.)

Reggie is still busting his butt over at the house. His work is so so so superb and he really gets what we are trying to do and the look we are going for.
Hopefully Reggie can finish up tomorrow. He still has some trim work to do and he needs to hang and install our barn doors. He's uncertain if Western Pacific will really deliver the doors tomorrow and if they do deliver them, when they will show up - he needs them in the morning.

In the upstairs bath, grout was completed AND my recessed medicine cabinet was installed. But it's not done yet - they are going to drill a hole into the back to bring an outlet through so we can store and charge our electric toothbrushes inside. All tucked away and no cords all over the place driving me bonkers.

Kitchen screen wall is ALMOST done. One final piece to be measured and nailed in.

Wow this looks SO much better than it did before!!!

More amazing work by Reggie! Garrett asked for Tongue and Groove flooring to be installed here. It looks so nice!!

Bed 2/Office closet: look! I can hang stuff in here now!

Upstairs bath: grout complete. *hearts in eyes*

Upstairs bath: shower pan up to bench with an infinity drain. *more heart emojis*

Look! My ONE bathroom requirement has been installed!!!!

Inside here will be an electrical outlet so we can plug in and hide away our toothbrushes.

Master bedroom: closet dowel.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

post 24: tile, finish carpentry, priming

As of Saturday afternoon, 90% of the tile has been placed. They just need to grout!

Finish carpentry also appears to have maybe one or two more days to complete.
Painters showed up and primed the walls!

This makes for good timing to Vlad to show up with the cabinets on Wednesday!
If you're keeping track, items to be completed are:
- complete tile (Monday/Tuesday)
- complete finish carpentry (Monday/Tuesday)
- cabinets (start Tuesday/Wednesday)
- doors installed (both closets and office/upstairs bathroom)
- flooring in master bedroom (patching with existing cork floor in closet and new entrance/hallway)
- flooring in kitchen (flooring arrives on Thursday, estimate that installation will begin on Friday)
- flooring in downstairs bath (flooring arrives on Thursday, estimate that installation will begin on Friday)
- Kitchen counter top (Monday 9/26??)
- Downstairs bathroom counter top (Monday 9/26??)
- Paint
- Install plumbing fixtures
- Finishes
- Move appliances/large furniture back in place
- Final clean up
- We move back in - all we need is one working toilet!!! - Friday 9/30

Progress pics:

Here's a picture of Garrett hanging out in our shower. We were both very excited about this moment!

OH MY GOD! Our new banister!!! It's so gorgeous! And functionally better than our last banister that hit at mid-thigh and would actually have made things a lot worse if you had taken a tumble. Safety first, beauty second.

Reggie is going to fix all of this. Garrett explained to me how - it went in one ear and out the other. Probably by Tuesday, this will look better!

More stuff Reggie is going to fix!

TADA! Kitchen screen wall!

Primed kitchen with screen wall.

Downstairs bath: tile and primed wall.

Master bedroom: primed walls

Master bedroom: Hey look! we have a door!!!!

Thursday, September 15, 2016

post 23: more tile, more finish carpentry

The crew is still busting their butts over at Chez Lee/Martin. I was there at 4, and it looks like they are aiming to have all tile laid and ready for grouting by tomorrow sometime. One guy was just finishing the east wall of the upstairs bath (shower pan + floor to be done) and the other guy had almost all of the walls covered downstairs (bench and around the tub to be done.)

Reggie, the finish carpenter, is working on the banister upstairs.
In coming attractions: Vlad the cabinet maker is schedule to show up next Tuesday/Wednesday to begin cabinet installation (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Upstairs bath: hard working tiler kneeling in shower pan

Downstairs bath: Walls almost completed covered in tile.

Reggie is working hard to finish this before the end of the day because it needs to be painted white tonight.

Kitchen screen: painted and ready for finish!

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

post 22: tile, finish carpentry

Whoa, you guys! So much happened today!!!!!! Lots more tile went up and finish carpentry started! Without further adieu, I give you pictures!

Upstairs bath: TILE!!!! <3

upstairs bath: east and west walls get the 2x8 "coast" treatment

Upstairs bath: the recess for the medicine cabinet I asked for, framed out!

Upstairs bath: a lovely lovely corner

Upstairs bath: I really do love this recess.

Upstairs bath: the tile guy was pounding some kind of sand into the shower pan.

Upstairs bedroom 2/office: closet!

Upstairs bedroom 2/office: door track

Master bedroom: dark photo (sorry) of closet door tracks

Downstairs bath: tile! 2x8 subway tiles in Arctic White

Reggie, the finish carpenter, has started work on the kitchen screen wall!

Reggie is laying things out!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

post 21: tile is going UP!

Not a lot of pictures to share today because the tile guys have only done two rooms: upper and lower bath. But it's exciting!!!!!!

Around the skylight, down the wall, over the bench: penny round all day.

This is the upstairs bathroom floor. You can see the radiant floor mat underneath. This will also get the penny round treatment.

Downstairs bath: They added this "red guard" waterproofing membrane to the tile backer board. It's really...red.

Monday, September 12, 2016

post 20: addendum to post 19

So I was over at the house around 4 but I guess I should have waited because Dmitry texted me at 6:30 and said the tile had been dropped off at the house. I did the only thing I could - I went back! I had to see it!!! It is beautiful!!!!!! And at around 7pm at night, there are Dmitry and Alex, working, along with 2 tile guys (one of whom is also named Dmitry.) they were installing backer board and applying a liquid (that turns solid) over the radiant floor mat called "self-leveling"

something or other. Very exciting progress!!!

The finish carpenter is coming on Wednesday to start the kitchen screen wall and the bannister.

Dmitry says Vlad (cabinet maker) is set to finish before the flooring arrives so they are going to install the cabinets first and then install the floor. He says he prefers to do it the other way around but it really doesn't matter.

Dmitry also says: right now, we appear to be on schedule. !!!!!!!!!!!

Here's a picture of a single kitchen backsplash tile:

post 19: finished drywall and tile backer board

Our little escape to Hood River was totally amazing. We slept a lot, had a lot of delicious food, saw a lot of gorgeous views, tasted some delectable wine, and even met a new friend.

While we were away, the drywall guys nearly finished. We stopped by the house on Sunday afternoon and it looked like they just needed one final sand. Dmitry said the tile guys would start today.

I just got back from the house and it looks like the final sand is done and Roman #2 (how many young, tall, handy Romans are there in Portland anyway???) is at the house installing tile backer board. I asked Roman #2 if the tile was on site but he said no, maybe tomorrow. Garrett and I are dying to see the tile!!

upstairs bathroom with tile backer board installed. Everything you see here (except the skylight and the little bit of ceiling) will be tile. TILE ALL DAY.