Building a Banquette (a.k.a. a Window Seat)

Like many people, we have a bay window in the eating area of our kitchen. We watch the sunrise every morning from that window and eat dinner there every evening. When we got our hardwoods installed, we didn't install the baseboards right away. Our bay window looked like this.

 

After awhile, I started getting annoyed at dinnertime when the demolition crew would knock their chairs into those windows. So, a few weeks ago, I took an inventory of my scrap wood and decided it was time to get the power tools out again. First, I framed it out.

 

 

Notice the heating vent. I used the original vent cover and just framed out a box to fit into the banquette. It's much better this way. We don't have to vacuum it out anymore to remove food and Legos :).

 

 

I then measured for my luan pieces that would cover the sides. I bought a 4'x8' piece at the Home Depot for around $15 and had them cut it to size. So all I had to do when I got home was jigsaw out the hole for the heating vent. I had some MDF left over from another project, so I just cut out three pieces to fit the top and hinged the middle piece for some hidden storage.

 



 

The final step was trim. I trimmed it out with cheap 1'x4's and used a decorative trim around the top. And that's a wrap. I'm going to paint it when I paint the rest of the trim. The angles were a little tricky, but not too bad. The project took about three hours and only cost $50, since I had almost half of the supplies on hand.

 

 

 

I will eventually cover it with cushions, but it serves the purpose for now. The kiddos love it and no more chairs banging into the windows. You will see it again all pretty and painted when I finish the rest of the kitchen. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

Nicole



 









I Am An Island

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and all the shopping you could stand, if that's your thing. We stayed home and decorated for Christmas, then went downtown and saw the coolest boat parade ever! I really love Chattanooga.

So, I've been a total slacker in the blogging department because I've been so busy trying to finish up. Well, TRYING is the key word here! My sister and I have also kicked off our sign-making business and we need to stock up for some upcoming events.

  

...and then there was that screw through the thumb incident (sorry, no pics). So that's almost healed and I'm on a roll again! Backsplash tile is almost complete, drywall is getting patched, baseboards are going in, and my banquette will be finished after another visit to the lumber yard. But what I really want to show you this time is my kitchen island. I decided to paint it, and I'm very pleased with the results. Here are some 'Before' pictures. It's such a great piece. Rachael and Josh from Backyard Wonders are amazing! They custom-built this piece for me and delivered it to my kitchen for $660. Please consider finding a local craftsman before ordering from Pottery Barn. You will get great quality, help support a local family, AND save money!

 

 

I was considering leaving the island the dark color, but then I was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, of course, and decided to go for it. After a few hours, I was finished...

 

 

Painting is an interesting thing. I know some people gasp every time I talk about putting paint to wood. But it's really about personal preference. I needed a little contrast. I dry brushed with a latex flat paint then sanded a few spots the next day. Mr. Skeptic (a.k.a. my husband) asked me when I was going to put on the second coat. That's it, folks! No second coat here...he thought I was joking. I may sand a few more spots eventually, but I think it looks pretty awesome the way it is!

 

Thanks Rachael and Josh for an amazing piece that I am sure will withstand the test of time AND my little demolition crew, and be the center of our kitchen for years to come!

 

Lots more to come! I will hopefully be tying up a bunch of loose ends before Christmas.

Nicole







Farmhouse Sink Installation

So, have you seen all of the beautiful pictures of farmhouse sinks on Pinterest lately? They are everywhere! I knew I wanted one, but didn't want to pay a fortune. Ikea came to the rescue, of course. I spotted their DOMSJO Double Farmhouse Sink for only $313 and knew this was it.

 

It seems a little intimidating, right? It's BIG, which is one of the many things I love about it. And plumbing scares people for some reason. So, first I did my research. I found some good info At The Picket Fence about how to use a 36" sink base for this sink.

 

Let me start by saying that MY sink was only $100. As most of you know, I am a Craig's List junkie. The day before I drove to Atlanta to buy the sink, I checked Craig's List. What are the chances, right? But I checked anyway, and to my amazement, my sink was there! A couple bought it and decided not to use it. They didn't want to drive back to Atlanta to return it, so I scooped it up for $100. WOOHOO!

 

My sink base ended up being 33" instead of the 36" base I needed. So, off to Home Depot I went. I found a 36" base in stock that just about matched my cabinets. You won't even be able to tell the difference once I paint them. At 20% off, because I just happened to hit a sale, it was only $160. So, after a fairly painless process, this is what I ended up with. I installed my faucet before I placed the sink. Don't be jealous of my backsplash.

 

 

Aren't these cardboard countertops fantastic? Disposable countertops are the next new fad, I'm sure. If you have a solid surface countertop that you would want to reuse, you would have to find someone that could cut it for you onsite. If you have laminate or butcher block, you can definitely make the cuts yourself. Again, check out At The Picket Fence for a step-by-step on cutting the laminate countertops. This project is definitely easier if you are in the middle of updating countertops.

 

 

There is a gap from the false drawer that I removed that will be covered with a piece of trim. So, that was easy enough, but what about the plumbing? Really, It's not as bad as you think. Don't be scared. You will need to look at where your drain comes out of the wall to decide on the right setup. (By the way, when you pull out your old sink and plumbing, you will need to stuff an old rag in your drain pipe and then cover it with a plastic bag or you will be overwhelmed by the sewage gases filling up your kitchen!) The plastic bag you see in this picture is covering the opening for my dishwasher drain which will be installed later.

 

 

My drain comes out of the wall by the left sink, so my right drain ties into the left. If your drain is more in the middle, you would use a T configuration. The piece that looks like a U is called a trap. You need it because it stays full of water and traps the sewer gases from leaking out of your drains. They have all the supplies and a nice employee that can help you figure it out at your local hardware store. Snap a few pics with your phone to help you in the purchasing process. And save your receipts in case you didn't quite get the right configuration. (Not that it ever happens to me...only three times...duh.) All of the plumbing pieces that you see, including both sink drains, cost about $25. First, you need to set your sink drains. Make sure you buy some Plumber's Putty and apply it to your sink.

 

 

Then set your drain making sure it is centered well.

 

 

Follow the instructions that came with the drain and place the rubber gasket and ring below and hand tighten. DO NOT overdo it! Don't try to use a wrench to get it super tight or you could actually cause it to leak.

 

 

Remove any excess putty from the sink.

 

 

 

Then add your plumbing pieces. Be sure to add all of the rubber gaskets that are supplied with the pipes. You may need to trim the pipes a bit to fit. If you don't have a small saw, be sure to buy one. You can get a small hand saw that cuts this pipe for about $5.

 

 

Now, you need to see how well you did. Place some kind of basin below the pipes and turn on the water, one side at a time. If you see any drips, tighten that specific area, wipe with a dry cloth, and run the water again until you have no leak. Still leaking? Did you make sure to add all of the rubber gaskets?

 

 

That's it. Not so bad, right? You can do it! I have been loving my farmhouse sink and I can't wait to get the rest of my kitchen completed. Here it is with my new countertops.

 

 

I know what you're thinking! The reflection of that beautiful backsplash is amazing in the Steel Grey granite. Yep, I still have a long way to go. Thanks for joining me on this journey.

 

Nicole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Half Time and Budget Check

Well, it's been two entire months since I started tearing up our house and a month since my last post. We have been consumed by the huge task of ripping up all of the existing floors so we could finally get our new beautiful hardwoods installed. I am pleased to announce that as of yesterday, we can walk barefoot anywhere in our house without threat of nail, splinter or shards of tile!

 

I also finished the reconfiguration of the kitchen. We went 6 days with out a sink and 3 weeks with cardboard countertops (very trendy, I know). I hung the last of the wall cabinets this morning! So here are a few pictures at half time. I am reposting the before pictures for comparison.

Before

 

Half Time

 

Before

 

Half Time

 

Before

 

Half Time

 

 

I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but it's mostly cosmetic. The layout is fantastic! I can now dust off my beloved paint brush! (Literally, it's been sooo dusty in here!) Everything looks very dark right now, but the cabinets are going white. My original plan was to leave the top of my awesome custom-built island dark and go light on the rest, but I'm having second thoughts. The barstools will be painted first, then I will decide. So, what's left besides a LOT of paint? Backsplash tile, lighting, and drywall repair. I will eventually plank the ceiling and wrap the beams as well.

 

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

 

We've been doing well on the budget, although we are over because Mr. Skeptic was kind enough to hire someone to install the floors. We found some great deals on appliances that we weren't originally going to replace, so these are now listed in the budget. My sister talked me out of wooden countertops because they wouldn't be as durable as granite. Also, my dad blessed us with an unexpected gift of $1000.

 

Tile Removal  $200

Flooring          $2900

Padding           $200

Installation      $1200

Granite            $798

Ikea Sink         $100 (found it on Craig's List)

Sink Cabinet   $160

Electrical         $285

Structural        $1950

Backsplash      $430

Spindle Wall   $62

Paint                $150

Stove               $600

Dishwasher     $410

                       ($1000) for items sold on Craig's List

TOTAL          $8445

 

Not too shabby for a kitchen, living room, dining room makeover! I will be sharing some tutorials soon, I promise. Until then, happy DIYing.

 

Nicole

 



 

 

Wide Open Spaces

We have been very busy these last few weeks! My big boy turned five and we had a fun Pump It Up party! Look, it's SKEPTIC MAN! HA! Love them both!

The littlest of our demolition crew started preschool (I'm losing my entire work force) last Tuesday. She had a great week.

On the home front, we hired a great guy, Clayton Hulgan, who can do just about anything! It took him three days to transform our house into wide open spaces.  Look at the transformation! Mr. Skeptic kept coming home from work each day with a big smile on his face. Finally he said, "I can see your vision." WOOHOO!

 

That refrigerator is only there temporarily. And I already junked up the beautiful bookcase with stuff from my cabinets. Again, temporary.

My original plan was to open it up like this, then I got a little scarred. So we were going to settle for a six foot opening between the living/dining area. But Clayton is a mind reader and he told me he could place another LVL (laminated veneer lumber) and open up that space. Sign me up! So glad we did. We are doing great on our budget. Clayton's total bill, you ask? $1950! No joke! Contact Clayton for any kind of home improvement. He does it all! Let me know if you need his number.

 

Now, I'm far from done, but we've come a long way. See what's hiding on the other side of the house? We've been ripping out hardwoods and cabinets.

 

For all you animal lovers who think your hardwoods are a safe place to train your pets...see this? It's dog pee (not Bailey's) that seeped through to the subfloor. As soon as we pulled up the boards, the smell was crazy bad. Be thankful you don't have smellovision! A friend of mine told me to seal it with Kilz primer to get rid of the odor, so that's what I'll be doing.

 

 

We have big plans for the weekend! My nephew turned one this week and we are celebrating! Of course, I will have to fit in a trip to The Home Depot for more drywall and maybe a jack hammer to remove the kitchen tile. We'll see. First I need to get the rest of the hardwoods up so I can get the Kilz down. Pee-you! 

 

Happy Friday to all!

 

Nicole

 

Tearing Down Walls

Let's talk about structure. How do you know if a wall is load bearing? All exterior walls are load bearing, but what about interior walls? First, take a look at your roof. Which way is your roof line running?  Then take a trip to the attic. This is my attic.

 

 The roof trusses, or joists, are what make up the structure of your roof. Your roof ridge line is the highest point of your roof. Most of the time, load bearing walls run parallel to the roof ridge line and perpendicular to your joists.

 

 

 So, in my case, my load bearing wall runs between the living and dining rooms and the kitchen and office.

 

My non-load bearing walls are between the dining room and office and between the living room and kitchen. Mr. Skeptic stood scratching his chin and staring at this non-load bearing wall one night. He said, "That looks like a load bearing wall to me." I said, "Really? Why?" And his reply was something like it looked really sturdy and well-built. Well, of course it is, but it's not load bearing. You can see a big difference between the beams used above the doorways in these two different walls.

 

Non-Load Bearing

 

Load Bearing

So, although we have been busy tearing drywall off just about every interior wall in the house, we haven't taken down any of the framing yet. Before taking the drywall down, be sure to turn the power off to that area at the breaker box and always wear proper safety gear.

 

 

I have the best demolition crew! One of our non-load bearing walls is in an area where the exterior walls come together at a 90 degree angle.

 

 

And the other has several electrical lines running through it...light switches, a 220 line for the stove, and the water line for the refrigerator.

 







So, we have hired a professional to be sure the structural integrity of the house remains intact. If you are ever in doubt, ask for help. You can start with your local building authority. They will often be able to answer questions for you or steer you in the right direction. Check with them about any permits that you may need as well. You may need the help of an architect or a structural engineer depending on the scope of your plans. My walls will be coming down this week and I can't wait! Big changes are coming.

 

Nicole