The plumbers were here

Drain work under the new toilet and new location for the washer
New 3" pipe for the new half bath and relocated laundry. This will be extended into the kitchen addition once the island is in place.

Just a shot of the two new vents through the roof for the new half bath (there already was one there for the old kitchen sink). They will not be noticable once we spray them flat black.

New water outlet for new refrig's icemaker.

Drain and supply for sink in half bath. We had to build a wall out in front of the existing wall as there was a massive header underneath which prevented running the drains.

Rough in for the new toilet (water supply drain and vent.

Rough in for the new location of the washer.

Mr. Kerr, head plumber and company owner, figuring out just how all of this is going to go together.

Eatin out, at relatives and friends / 'WE DO NOT HAVE A KITCHEN' (edited per my darling wife)

Chicken spinning on the grill. We have done this twice so far and its better than finger licking!!

This actually is larger now and will be included in next post. The header has been removed and supports built in above the ceiling.

This is the old kitchen without drywall. It was ripped out and hauled away to the dump a week ago.

Same old kitchen but with the wall framed for the new half bath. No, there is not going to be two doors going into this little half bath, just keep reading this post.

Here was that second door we just saw above (sorry, hope you don't get a crink in your neck viewing this pic). This was Saturday p.m.

A view from the old kitchen side

The door has disappeared and the new defined formal foyer has been revelled. Sandy did an excellent job in painting the drywall work as well as finding the paint in the garage.

Additionally there has been electrical work, plumbing work and planning done that wasn't pictured. We have been trying to do as much as we can weeknights and weekends.

drywall coming in about 2 weeks

The brick closest to you is on the existing garage, where the wood siding turns vertical is the kitchen addition start and the chimney for the ne fireplace. Took pic to show you that the painting is complete (outside is done / except for water treating the new deck).

Pile of trash is cabinets and carpet that we removed yesterday.... Johnathan you're a good man!!
View of the front of the house. All trim and garage doors painted the same color, the heavey dark brown has left the building being replaced by a lighter colr that blends well with the existing brickwork. Hard to see here but we went with the green shutters which look great!!
This pic illustrates an old kitchen minus its cabinets except for the sink (which we are going to try and hold on to for awhile longer) and the frig. Everything was boxed and placed downstairs in the den. It is amazing how much STUFF you accumulate, we had three good size bags of canned food that was out of date. We called our middle daughter and asked her if it would still be okay to which she said we could eat it if we wanted to risk botulism (not sure if I spelled this correct). Anyway, we got rid of it
Another snap of a cabinetless old kitchen. This area will become a half bath at the far end and a laundry in the front with the washing machine and dryer behind louvered doors (stay tuned to future posts t0 this blog to see how that turns out).
Looking from the old kitchen through the new openning into the new kitchen.
We took some time yesterday to go to the 'PLANT SHOW' (an annual event in Columbia, SC at the farmers market where everyone comes and sells garden and yard items, plants, shrubs, trees, etc.) and planted an herb garden on the deck. This pot is approx. 15" in diameter.

Here is where the large window used to be that divided the old dining room from the new kitchen. This is now also removed and needs some framing and electrical work done before the drywall folks arrive.

get 'er done b4 it starts gettin' hot

I just wanted to start out by saying that this post is somewhat mixed up. I used the upload multiple images function and things didn't align as I thought they would. I could have abandon this post and start another but in review I decided against it as the info I was trying to communicate wasn't affected (or so I think).

This is the front of the island which will face the doors overlooking the deck and water. All will be cabinets with storage. They will be under the counter so storage for items that you only need once in awhile.
One of the face frames for the base cabinets that have a cutting board built in (there will be three). All base cabinets will be full extension drawers except for under the cooktop which will be full extension pull out shelves. Sorry about having to look at this on its side, usually I take care of that for you.

Painting again today by Sandy. Shutters were the focus as well as continuation on the trim.
Okay, we started with the color on the right shutter, which is more of a mustard than what it appears to be in this photo. I don't think it turned out as we wanted so we, after so trips to Lowes, over stained with a walnut stain. It gives the shutter a wood feel as well as adds some depth. Under these windows will be wrought iron window/planter boxes which should set this color off.
Decided that today was the day to bust through. This pic show the old existing window from the original kitchen removed.
The view from the new construction side. Radio on the floor was spewing beach music as it was such a GR8 day in the lower 70's and sunny as you can see from the pics.
Another cabinet pic illustrated here. This one shows the cooktop cabinet in the center with the two pull outs on either side. The concept is that the pull outs will be for spices and sauces needed for cooktop cooking. The center will be cabinet doors with pull out shelves inside for the pots, pans and lids.

cabinets start being assembled

While her worthless husband was whining and laying up with the flu; the queen of our castle pushed forward with some outdoor painting.

There are two of these pull outs that are being incorporated into the base cabinets on each side of the stove cooktop (cooktop recently purchased / 6 burner natural gas with griddle / GE Monogram of course)

Wine cabinet inserts that were made for our cabinets
Wall cabinet boxes (all made with 10 ply maple plywood / face frames, doors and drawer fronts will all be solid maple)
Dry fit wine rack. There will be a small cabinet above with a door for accessories.

Starting again in 2008

Cabinet design is locked in, most of the finishes have been chosen, some appliances have been purchased.

Electrical hardware, load center, boxes and wire have been aquired. Have plan for labor which involves friends.

HVAC contractor has been chosen and scope of work has been approved.

Plumbing rough in is still up in the air but have some leads that we need to work on (labor and materials).

We are very very close to cranking up again................

All old the brick from the garage wall and short wall from old house corner and media room fireplace chimney has been removed.
Brick from the old garage wall is currently in a huge pile outside of the house. The plan is to use as fill in this side's landscaping/walkway development.
Just to shown current firplace and how it appears today. Please note we had a fire and it works great. I looked on the internet for fireplaces in kitchens and have not found one like this yet (thinking it is very unique). I have also started looking into how to build in a crane for kettles (if cooking in fireplace) that could be removable if desired, the thought of using the fireplace for cooking at times appeals to us.

I just wanted to post a note and state that we have been moving along and will post with pictures soon.

There hasn't been a lot happenning except for design of the cabinets, picking out tile for the floor and backslash, picking out stone for the fireplace and mantel, color of cabinet stain, shopping for hardwood flooring, getting bids on the HVAC, lining up the electric, discussing the plumbing, etc., etc., etc.

Once all is designed and everything is known regarding life supports, colors and finishes the green flag will wave and visible progress will again abound.