Kitchen krunch

Vacation = sporadic posting. Sorry.

My wife and I both enjoy cooking, so it's no surprise that one of the things that has migrated to the top of the home improvement list is an update of our 1940's-era kitchen. They layout is terrible, the linoleum is not only ugly but also gouged beyond recognition, and the cooktop – well, I'd rather cook on a camp stove than try to regulate the heat on that sucker. So when the harvest-gold Fridgidaire that came with the place finally gave up the ghost last month, well, we decided it was time to consider an update

When we first moved in I had entertained the notion that perhaps I'd be able to handle a kitchen renovation, but having very little faith in my skills and plenty of other projects to chase, we decided to visit a few professionals. After receiving our first quote, all I can really say is ouch. I figured my estimate of what it would cost would be low, but I didn't realize I'd be that low. I'd rather not do the kithchen half-assed, either, since that's where we spend the majority of our time. I'm not talking kitchen porn here -- restaurant-level appliances and the like -- but I'd like to do it right the first time.

So, any tips on how to approach a kitchen renovation? What are safe projects for do-it-yourselfers and what is best left for the professionals?

Apricot Blossoms

Apricot Blossoms - April 2006

My aching back

Part of the problem with a farm is that there are so many things to do it's tough to know where to begin. Since we moved we've been talking about a garden and, well, since warm weather has arrived we've been out playing in the dirt. Besides, if you have a farm how can you not garden? Sunday was all outdoors: Skies were clear, sun was out, and since the house is filled with plants waiting for somewhere to go, we spent the day digging.

Gina had one plot complete, but we figure we'll need at least a total of four. After years of growth the grass in the meadow is unbelievably thick, so the first step was to remove the sod: loosen with pitchfork, hack a section out, pick it up and whack at it to remove excess dirt. Needless to say, it's time consuming. After a few hours, we had two more plots (4' x 10') complete. Last night (Wednesday) we finished the fourth. We'll need to dig them again before planting, but we're almost there. This weekend the planting begins.

I also built a big compost bin, which we've been filling slowly and steadily. I have no experience here, but I'm trying to get the balance right so that at some point we have some good, healthy compost for the garden. Next up: painting one of the six outbuildings. Hoo, boy. Anyone have any experience with paint sprayers?

A room with a view, part deux

Finally finished the window rebuild that I began a few weeks ago. The project was twice as difficult as I had expected -- shocker! -- but it was a great learning experience. The fit inside needs some adjustment, but otherwise it looks pretty good:

The trim has since been painted. The top span is actually a pressure treated 4 x 4 that had once been the post for a basketball net. I ran out of wood but stumbled on it sitting in a corner of the barn. Nothing like recycling! The glass in both panes had to be replaced; in the process of removing old glazing I cracked both pieces. Like I said, a good learning experience.

Ground breaking

Last week, while the weather was warmer, I got a chance to dig up the first plot of our garden.

On the left is the spot before I dug up the turf; on the right is the finished project, around four hours later. It measures around four feet by 10 feet.

I planted some shallots and beets. That part of the project took me about 10 minutes.

Floors

After we bought the farmhouse, one of my first missions was to pull up the carpet and see what was underneath. Thankfully, most of it was salvageable random-width pine flooring but it definitely needed some work. Before we made the move, I decided to rent a drum sander and an edger for a week and see what damage I could do. While clearly not to the level of a professional, the floors turned out pretty decent. I used oil-based polyurethane for the finish -- the stuff stinks to high heaven and takes forever to dry, but it gives a really nice warm glow to the floor.

So, about that drum sander. If you've never used one, be prepared: they are a beast to control and require constant attention in order to do a half-decent job. It's easy to gouge the floor and do some serious damage, so it's vital to keep the sander moving steadily as soon as it makes contact with the floor. We had some added work since carpet glue around the edges of several rooms just gunked up the sander on first pass. What a total pain in the ass. We had to use some heavy-duty (and unbelievably noxious) chemical stripper to first remove the glue. After that painstaking process I countersank each nail before sanding, and then resank any shiny heads after changing to a new grit sandpaper (I went 36-60-80-100). With that in mind, I still ripped a number of rolls of paper on nail heads, which is a costly mistake - the stuff ain't cheap. At the left is an image of the bedroom floor after it was sanded.

The dust will get absolutely everywhere -- luckily we had no furniture in the house, so I cracked the windows and went to town while wearing a HEPA filter. After a week I had the floors done and started with the polyurethane. I had read that an lambswool applicator pad was the best method to apply the poly, but when I went to the store to pick up the stuff I was told a short-nap roller would do just fine. Total nonsense. The roller left a series of small bubbles in a few layers of the polyurethane, but I only realized it after the poly was all down -- a total of four layers. It's not noticeable unless you look, but it's still annoying.