plumbing fiesta

i know it's probably hard to get too excited about plumbing, but i will give it a shot here. oh gosh! plumbing is happening here and now! just look at that gleaming copper! like a mystical treasure appearing in my kitchen! but seriously, it was a very good plumbing day. what was supposed to take  4 hours only took  1 1/2 hours. good crew! everyone seems quite determined to get the work done and get right to the next phase.  pretty impressive. 

here you see my very own gas shut off valve. another thing i've paid for. all mine.  who knew i would ever want one? but i 'm glad i have it now. 

while plumbers did their thing, nathan started work on the new wall, getting ready for electricians to come in wednesday.  things are really happening around here! are you as excited as me? apparently, the original construction crew did some wacky things. chicken wire in odd places, hidden under plaster.  probably to deter errant chickens. maybe that used to be a real problem here in berkeley.

i will get a new back doorbell. i think this is a related wire. when the new kitchen is finished, i will ring it in using this very wire and some other items that all connect up together to make some pretty magical noises. 

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progress

well, nate continues to make solid progress. today, he removed the soffits, which must have taken a bit of effort.  i wonder if it has been noisey and bothering the neighbors. no complaints yet. they will be rebuilt (the soffits, not the neighbors)  to fit properly with the new cabinetry. the funky old fan was removed and lumber has been brought in. plumbing will start monday, which again will test my neighbors patience.  my strategy is to give them tons of warning, and maybe a bundt cake, if necessary. 

see? no soffits!

some lumber moved in.  the fan is getting ready to go to the great fan heaven. or maybe it will meet up with stove somewhere...

this is just weird. what were they thinking?  looks like they just punched a hole in the wood and drove the pipes through. it was the 50's when they did this, so it is just plain hard to understand. i'm sure elvis had something to do with it. at any rate, i own it. 

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all in the details

to the untrained eye, it would appear that nothing much happened today. but actually, nate is meticulously mapping out everything, talking to all the contractors about exactly what will be needed and helping me through making some major decisions. costs of making the door wider are prohibitive, despite the obvious spiritual metaphores. so one decision is made: no.  i hope other decisions will be more positive in the future. 

in the meantime, here are some center lines, for your visual approval. do they seem centered to you?  

oh, how perfect!

the only other addition today: more wood. 

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decision day

today, possibilities were offered, decisions had to be made, the largest of them being this door. i was told that if i was thinking of expanding the doorway, this is the day to decide. but just look at this thing! how do you begin? and who's to say the building won't collapse from one wrong move??? it's got me a bit unnerved, but their confidence, combined with my desire to open up the kitchen a bit more has me leaning towards doing it. this could be seen as symbolic of something, i suppose. open doorways, fear of total collapse. i guess now that i've said this, i'm obligated to go through with it....

the other surprise was coming home to have this wall further destroyed.  seems it was necessary for installing the proper electrical thingies and stuff. the wall now will have to be bumped out a few inches and rebuilt. jeez. it seemed like such a simple thing originally....all i wanted was a new bathroom and a date for the prom!

nothing happened related to this fan today. i just like it and thought i should post it before it is demolished and gone for good. i like funky old mechanical things.

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demo day

well, it happened. they took out the kitchen. fortunately they didn't accidently take out the wrong kitchen. that would have been embarrassing, and difficult to explain. i was around as they set up and began removing items. then it was off to work. by the time i returned, it was over. this is what i found, all nicely cleaned up and ready for the next phase. these guys are good. they have some kind of suction machine that keeps all the dust and debris from flying around as they remove all the plaster and cabinetry.

stove seems a little lost out in the parking lot, as it waits for a new assignment. hopefully with someone who can cook...

nathan removing the "pit." turns out, it was never really meant for barbecues.

came home to a nice tidy little corner. now, what to put in it??

one small step for man...?? no, it's not the moon, just the view through a hole in the kitchen floor....

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day 1

day 1 is prep work. not too exciting. set up mini kitchen? check. boxes scattered everywhere? check. plastic covering everything? check. warned the neighbors of impending loud and obnoxious bursts of noise? check. tomorrow is the big demo day. not only will they remove the kitchen, but men in hazmat suits will come to remove the "barbecue pit." the end of an era.

good bye, little kitchen!

good bye, barbecue pit! (byron and manni perform sacred good bye ritual dance to appease bbq pit gods...)

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it's coming...

The new kitchen is coming. I will keep you posted as to the progress. For now, all I have to show are a lot of empty shelves...

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