Fixing the Frightful Subfloor

The original sub-floor

As you may remember from an earlier post, we found some unsettlingly poor construction when we uncovered this section of the kitchen sub-floor. Luckily, our plucky protagonists were able to get it fixed and supported as best they could. 

Justin strugles to pry up the tongue and grove "sub-floor" (porch flooring), revealing the joists

Brigitte (or at least her feet) and Justin discuss what needs to be done.  The false wall to the left is completely unsupported. 

Justin gathers strength before delving into the task at hand (we got issues here).

Hey guys, did you know there's a hole in the floor?!

Here it is, nearly complete. The left side had to have 2x6 stringers added (all on joist hangers).  It would have been nice to add another 2X8 joist just under the false wall, but it would have required a massive amount of electrical and plumbing re-work.  The stringers should be robust enough at 12" on center to support the wall and the floor beneath the cabinets.

Frightful things lie just beneath the kitchen floor

When we removed the old cabinets, we discovered that there were some funky things going on with the floor. So funky, in fact, that we decided we'd be better off redoing the entire floor. 

In the above photo, you will notice several things:

a) Discoloration from old vinyl backing 

b) Water damage from improperly sweat plumbing

c) Cuts in the floor along the cabinet edge, evidence that the floor has been patched

What you can't see is a slight rise in the middle of the floor right about where Justin is kneeling, which is the most worrisome of all.  Initially we considered just living with it. But the more we looked at it, the more Justin was concerned that this "lip" might indicate a more severe issue. He also suspected that part of the floor had been shimmed to level it.  And unfortunately, he was right on both counts.  

Justin removes flooring with a golf-club-sized pry bar

There's no way to know what lies beneath the floor without tearing it up, so that's what we did. We started at the wall, working our way back with pry bars. We discovered that there were two different kinds of maple flooring, one that was probably original, and one stamped with the year 1994. So that confirms that the floor was patched relatively recently.

Removal in progress, with an unused sledgehammer for dramatic effect

What we uncovered beneath layers of tar paper, shims, and scrap wood was evidence of a poorly done kitchen addition. Below is the area where the original kitchen floor meets the addition. Part of it was probably a mud room, and this square section looks to have been a porch (note the door threshold on the righthand side). This area of the floor is roughly 1/4" lower than the rest of the floor, which explains the "lip" we noticed earlier.

Once the shims and tar paper were removed, we got a good look at where the floor joists attach to the original framing. 

The floor joists in the former-porch section are just nailed to the old exterior without a proper outer plate. Because the joists were simply nailed through two layers of siding (cedar and tar shingle), they have begun to sag. This is the root of the problem. Unfortunately, properly supporting and securing the joists is no easy feat. But we are determined to make it happen! 

Justin removes scraps of tar shingle and other debris from the gap around the addition

In the gap, you can see the improperly-attached floor joists

And this, folks, is what we have to work with. The exposed sub floor in the picture below will need to be removed down to the floor joists and replaced with plywood. We have already purchased the needed supplies at Home Depot and are prepared to get started. Stayed tuned for our next episode: sub-floor demolition derby!

Kitchen Layout: the Moment of Truth!

To get a general idea of our new kitchen layout (and to make sure all our measurements were correct), we arranged our appliances and new cabinets on the now-vacant kitchen floor. Will they fit?!

Why yes, they will fit, and quite nicely at that. We did have to modify the design slightly, but it all worked out perfectly. 

As you can see above, we moved the fridge to a more convenient location, away from the back door. The window behind it will be coming out (it's a north-facing window, and we have enough other windows nearby that it's not a big loss). We will also have a spacious island with a handmade butcher block top (more on that later). 

Our cabinets are unfinished oak. We really wanted oak, and buying them unfinished made this an affordable option (it also means we have more stain colors to choose from!). 

We didn't bother moving in the sinktop cabinet or any of the upper cabinets, obviously. But this gives you a pretty good idea of how it will look. It's such a better use of the space than what we had before! 

Kitchen Demolition: Mission Accomplished

Kitchen: Demolished!

This is what it looked like just a few days ago

Kitchen demolition is complete! It went a lot quicker than I had anticipated. What took the longest was packing everything up and moving it out--either upstairs, out of the way, or in the basement, in our makeshift kitchen (that was my job). Ripping out cabinets and moving appliances was a fast process with three people working together (although, let's be honest, the other two did most of that job, while I took pictures and lugged things out to the dumpster).

Tearing out the countertop

The stove is gone; here go the cabinets!

Justin uses his trusty Makita drill to take down shelves

And the shelves come down!

Displaced dishwasher and stove where the breakfast nook used to be

There's no going back now!

We have a dumpster!

It's a BIG dumpster! 30 yards, to be exact. Justin assures me that we will have no problem filling this up. 

Justin hanging out inside the dumpster. 

Brigitte preparing for some good old-fashioned dumpster diving (or not). 

Adventures in Kitchen Remodeling, DIY-Style

I was in love with this house from the first time we walked through it. But even then, I knew that the kitchen was too small. You can see here how tiny it is, constrained by the U-shaped counter. It's really difficult for two people to work in the kitchen at the same time (something that happens frequently around here).

Luckily for us, if you take the kitchen and breakfast nook together, you actually have a pretty big space. We already have a large dining room, so we don't need eating space here. Our plan is to take out the cabinets, remove the nook window, and wrap cabinets along all three walls.

Here's Justin's rough plan for the space. We are also going to build an island with a butcher block top.

I drew this sketch based on Justin's floor plan and a couple of his sketches. 

Another view, sketched by Justin.

And of course, we are going to do everything ourselves (except installing the granite countertops).

Did someone say "granite countertops?" I'll drink to that! 

New Garden Beds

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden, prepping the new beds and then, finally, planting them! This new bed right by the house has been especially successful. I planted perennials that I had dug up from my last place, some from the UW-Arboretum's Native Plant Sale, and others from the fabulous Flower Factory.* For comparison, see these "before" and "after" shots:

Before digging...

...after digging (but before cleaning up)!

I also planted along the front walk and front wall, where there had been either lawn, pampas grass, or old, overgrown perennials:

Tomatoes in a row near the top left; the rest are perennials

*Note: I have not been asked to promote nor do I receive any compensation for mentioning either The Flower Factory or the UW-Arboretum. I do so of own free will, simply because I love both of them and the plants they offer.