Unexpected Pleasures

15 years ago

I am remodeling my kitchen/dining space. It is very tiny. The kitchen is 10' x 7.5'; the dining space is 7 x 7.5'.

I'm determined to focus on the good, unexpected pleasures. Taking them in order,

First, my GC set up a kitchen for me in the basement. I had my fridge carried down there, and had them haul out the old non-functional freezer. I now have an extra fridge, and got rid of that piece of freezer junk. Score!

Second, my GC wanted me to do a walk-through with the electrician to determine the placement of the lights and outlets. I would have done this anyway, but I did appreciate that my GC put so much emphasis on it.

Anyway, through the walk through, the electrician wanted to discuss the impact of his wiring on the lights on the adjoining deck. I have no lights or outlet on the deck. The electrician said that, if I wanted some, now was the time to do it. After talking with my GC, I now will have lights and electrical outlets on the deck. Total additional cost: $500. Score and score again. This is huge for me, and I hadn't thought of it before.

Third, I smelled gas in my living room after moving back in after moving out during the demotion. The gas smell was no where near the renovation. I was being hyper-vigilant though. The gas company told me that I had a minor gas leak, and probably had for years. It's all fixed now, and so much the better.

Fourth and finally, I expanded a door in my kitchen by four inches. It was the most that I could widen the door, and I did it to make the kitchen appear more spacious. What I didn't realize is that those four inches would make such a difference in the rest of the house. By losing those four inches, there is now a clean sight line in the living room through the kitchen to the patio and the back yard. So these little four inches not only make my kitchen appear larger, which was the intended goal, but unexpectedly make my living room look bigger.

Score, score, score.

These are like little presents to me. I stress so much about things that could go wrong during the renovation that these things are even more valuable than had I set out to achieve them. I'm only at the drywall stage, and I hope there are more unexpected pleasures to come.

Did you have any unexpected pleasures?

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Comments (10)

sayde
15 years ago
I'd say you're on a rare and wonderful streak -- sounds like you have a great GC -- and I hope it lasts!

My unexpected list is the other kind

Hood arrived damaged and we had signed for it so SOL

Marble installation was a disaster and sink got ruined. (We did have the unexpected pleasure of the manufacturer standing behind it and ponying up a new one)

Different gumwood pieces did not match so the entire fronts had to be redone- - a veneer of old gumwood over the top so they would all have the old gumwood and would all match. My DH was a very sad guy for a long time but he has now forgotten much of the pain.

Marble is gorgeous but installation not so perfect especially margin around the sink.

The one pleasure in all of this is how my DH saved us time and time again -- fixed the hood, re-honed the marble, fixed the seam, redid plumbing and installed the new sink, and restored/remade all of our cabinets. I think he surprised us both that he could pull off this kitchen and overcome all the bad stuff that got thrown at us.
blfenton
15 years ago
Our unexpected pleasure was about a window. We had gutted the kitchen (well actually the whole house but this is kitchen stuff) and we were just talking to the GC in the empty gutted house. And I just said off the cuff - can we maybe add another window in that corner of the sitting area. And he said sure and I asked about making changes mid-reno and he just said until things go back into the house you can do what you want. We put in the extra window and I love it. The light, the view everything.
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dianalo
15 years ago
Ummm.... errr..... I guess when they broke our full wall mirror in the dining room, the mirror they put up for us in its place was nicer. We were glad to have it professionally installed as it is heavy and dh had been nervous about putting it up himself...

Other than that, the "unexpected stuff" has not been very positive, at all.

Just so I don't sound like a total crank:
We love the new kitchen's size and how it will look completed. We love all the base cabs being drawers. We love having moved the laundry room up to the main level. The new a/cs work great. Our new master is now spacious and the closet is so much better. Our new master bath is prettier. The skylights brighten up so much. The high ceilings are great. The dw actually cleans our dishes and is quiet. Our light fixtures are pretty. The new paint colors (not white any more!) are great. We love the look of our counters and how they feel, etc...
swimmer58
15 years ago
My unexpected pleasure was working with my DH. In 31 years of marriage he has never been interested in working on any of our houses. He has always left it to me. Somewhere along the way with this kitchen he began to be interested in the how and why of what was going on. For the last month (he teaches, so he has had the time) he has painted, helped the carpenters, and been actively involved with decision-making. We're starting to move in (oh-so-slowly) and I'll catch him looking at some little detail of the project and smiling quietly to himself. This is our forever home and I'm so glad it will truly be OURS!
remodelfla
15 years ago
every single appliance that i bought off of craigslist (new) and held onto for over a year works like a dream. I'd be a liar if I didn't admit I was quite nervous about that!
ae2ga
15 years ago
Remodelfla -

I am shocked! As a great admirer of your kitchen, I had no clue that your appliances came from Craigslist. Even the Liebherr? What a score for you!!!:)
quiltgirl
15 years ago
Remodelfla, please post pix of your kitchen here so we can see all your great deals!
oldbat2be
15 years ago
Walking into the new space at night and being bathed in moonlight. Amazing feeling.... (Kitchen moved from back to front of house, will also get morning sun). Love my new windows.

Daily 6:30 AM conversations with my builder's crew. (They have been terrific and so helpful).

Watching the progress and the house morph from old plan to new.

Visiting my first granite yard. Wow. (Now I understand what is meant by movement). Learning so much about so many different things. In order to make sure things are done correctly, you really need to understand the process yourself.

Catching mistakes before they become big ones :)

Taking recommendations from GW and putting them to work. (Thanks SO much! I would have a structurual post in my kitchen if it weren't for you guys versus LVL beams which accomplish the same thing but are hidden).
oldhousegal
15 years ago
Laurie35- I love your enthusiasm! I am so happy that you are seeing the good side of remodeling as you probably have seen here, there are many that are not. I so appreciate that you posted a positive experience, because that gives me hope!
Yesterday I started to rip out my kitchen. In the middle of it, it all looks/feels so daunting. Your little bit of 'hope' has me excited to see the good that will come of it! Thank you!
sideways
15 years ago
1. All construction was complete in less than four weeks. From demo to moving back in. I credit my dh and GC for a lot of prep and planning before everything happened.

2. Granite was installed 4 days after template because they had 2 other jobs that were running behind schedule and not ready.

3. I was scared of the induction stovetop - it is awesome!

4. My husband splurged on granite backsplash in the wetbar and it was totally worth it - although I was mad at him spending the money at the time. Haha

It is good to focus on the good stuff - makes you forget the mistakes a bit.

Great topic!

Unexpected Pleasures

Comments (10)

sayde

blfenton

Related Professionals

dianalo

swimmer58

remodelfla

ae2ga

quiltgirl

oldbat2be

oldhousegal

sideways

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