The Kitchen/Dining Areas Are Now Open

The contractor finished up his punch list items this
morning and we were all pleased on how it turned
out. Now Adrienne and I have to decide on the
finishes for the blank walls and choosing the
proper counter stool design and materials.




The temporary counter stools are for the grand kids.










The completed remodeling except for paint colors and trim staining

Contractor Finishes His Work

Today our contractor finished his work and the final village inspection is scheduled for Tuesday. The remaining items to be completed are on our end, namely the selection of the counter stools and the painting and staining. We will have the existing floors cleaned and waxed after we made sure that all the dust has been thoroughly removed.
This weekend the cabinets and drawers will begin to receive their contents. The construction time for the whole kitchen job, which included part of the living and dining room, started on June 10th with the delivery of the cabinets, finished today on July 29th some 50 days later. Having the materials and fixtures chosen along with good drawings before the job started resulted in this speedy construction period.



Custom colored electrical cover wall plates are
snapped into place on all the kitchen walls




The contractor from our sketch made a removable
silverware and utensil compartment within the
top drawers



The wall end cap trim is being measured and
then cut from the existing removed
trim and set in place in it's new location

All the nail holes are putty caulked to match the wood base






After the protective materials have be removed and
out the door, the floors are then vacuumed








The contractors finished product

What Do You Know-We're Almost Finished/Tile

Today our morning started out bright and early: the electrician finishing up his work and the tile installer beginning his. We had picked out Italian wall tiles from a local tile shop in Wilmette. The contractor picked up the tiles and grout and his installer started to lay out the pattern from the design I had drawn up. This really brings the whole space together very nicely and we are pleased with the end result. Tomorrow will probably be the last full day for the contractor doing minor carpentry and cleanup work before we say goodbye. Adrienne and I are very pleased with his skills and would certainly recommend him to anybody who is considering remodeling a kitchen or basement.




First thing the tile installer does is to make sure that
the designed pattern will work and no usual pieces
to cut will be occurring

Once the wall mastic is applied, the tile is applied
and pattern is starting to emerge

The tile pattern is forming. All the saw cutting is done outside


The last of the tiled areas to be filled in.

The walls will now be left to dry for an hour or more before the
grout is applied to the joints

The grout is applied with a grout float



Tile installation is now complete after
washing down the wall surfaces of loose
grout

Kitchen Light Installation

Today the main kitchen light fixture was installed. The electrician and the contractor worked together to lift and suspend the unit. The unit has a combination of high output fluorescent tubes and low voltage incandescent lighting which are separately switched.....the low voltage lights are controlled by a dimmer switch. Tomorrow the clear wiring chords of the unit as well as the dropped pendant light will be finished anchored to the beams above.



Temporary 2x4 wood supports are laid on top of the cabinets to
support the light fixture

Putting in the light bulbs and suspension clips

The fixture is raised up and set on the temporary supports

The electrician centers on the unit within the kitchen area




The support locations are determined from the laser
beam light unit on the floor


The ceiling cable supports are fastened to the
ceiling planks and the cabling attached to them



The temporary wood supports are removed and the fixture is now
suspended from the ceiling cables and then leveled



The light fixture is temporarily wired and the finished chord hanging
connections to the fixture will be finalized tomorrow



The low voltage incandescent are adjustable in both
directions

The fluorescent bulb lighting only