The Good
I’ve read and watched enough about remodeling projects over the years that I knew the entire condo was going to be a real mess. In anticipation of what lay ahead, I sent Richard to Montana. Don’t feel sorry for him – he has business there and has lots to do. But he’s gone for three weeks. This is a good thing for him during the razing.
Here he is where he most loves to be, although he’d like to be there with him. He’s in Montana, surrounded by mountains and big blue skies in the spring just as the landscape is beginning to green up, sandwich in hand. This man loves a picnic. Richard has a few health issues that make it safer for him to be away for a bit. Besides, there’s nowhere for him to sit in the family room or at his desk. He will be happy he missed this part. Good. Very good.
Another Good
Cabinets and Flooring Arrive!
These are Decora cabinets finished in Sherwin Williams’ “Agreeable Gray.” Love this color. It’s a little lighter than my wall color. Not as stark a contrast as white cabinets, my first choice. It will be fabulous! These cabinets are about 2″ deeper than my old ones – didn’t expect that. The cabinet at the far end of the photo is baking sheet/cooling rack storage. I can’t get over the size of the upper storage cabinet. It’s separated into four healthy slots divided front to back by wooden dividers. Good. Very good.
I decided to use beaded board around three sides of the island. The color is Sherwin Williams’ “Sandy Ridge.” It’s just dark enough from the wall and cabinet color to stand out as a focal point for the room. Good. Very good.
The Bad
Our condo was built sometime in the mid to late 1980’s. During his evaluation, the flooring rep felt there was a noticeable dip in the floor between the dining room and living room. When the plumber went into the crawl space, he noticed the living room floor had been raised. Sure enough, looking at the original blueprints we learned the living room was originally a sunken living room.
The floor was raised utilizing a number of 2×4’s, and not so successfully so, at least not for installing a new floor. The carpet in the room effectively hid imperfections in floor height, but because I’m having a laminate floor installed, it is imperative the floor be as level as possible. Bad. Very bad.
A new plywood subfloor is being installed to level the flooring between the dining room and living room. The plywood areas definitely feel substantial compared with the old subfloor.
We also learned that the former owner made subtle adjustments as they installed the tile floor to keep the entire floor on the west side of the condo and into the kitchen and powder room even. Read: Not level. Obvious to all once the carpet and tile were removed. Some of the subfloor was in good shape. On the entryway-powder room side, however, the tile was glued differently onto the subfloor. Bad. Very bad.
The gray glue will have to be scraped or sanded down before the new plywood subfloor is installed. The idea is to keep everything as level as possible and to keep the dried glue from breaking off under the new floor as traffic will cause it to break down. Over time, the new floor would become uneven with noticeable high and low points. It’s just like wallpaper. If you think eventually you or someone will wish to easily remove it, install according to manufacturer’s directions. This is an obvious do-it-yourselfer mistake that makes the process more expensive and time-consuming.
The Ugly
Reader Caution: What you’re about to see is not for the weak of heart. Avert the eyes of small children. Avert the eyes of wives or husbands or partners who assert, “You want to do what?” No explanation needed. The photos speak for themselves.
Okay. Maybe this one needs explanation. Remember our “do-it-yourselfers?”
The back storm door in the kitchen is one-half inch shorter than standard. To get a standard storm door to fit and to avoid spending hundreds of dollars more for a custom storm, my friends cut off the outside threshold so it would fit. There was nothing for the storm to rest on and seal. Over time, the storm began to fail. Water from rain and melting snow seeped through into the subfloor causing this damage. Richard and I replaced the storm a year ago when our unit was repainted. Yes, we spent the hundreds of dollars to get the threshold rebuilt and for a proper fitting storm. But we did not know the subfloor was damaged. Ugly. Really ugly.
Sledgehammer damage. It happens.
From now on it’s “Beautiful. Really beautiful.” There’s so much to look forward to.
Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
Brian Tracy
