After having consulted with an electrician who is going to help with some challenging circuitry earlier in the week, Ryan pulled more wires (for the stove vent, under cabinet lighting, and a plug at counter height for occasional appliances). And if Ryan was pulling wires, there’s only one thing I could be doing… insulating walls. For those Weekend Warriors out there -- we used R-15 faced insulation this time instead of R-13 and besides it being a higher R value, I found it a lot easier to work with because it is so dense. It is the same thickness as R-13 (3 ½”), so no problems there. I also had fun with Great Stuff. For those uninitiated, Great Stuff is a delightful, spray-able, expanding foam, the spraying of which may be more addictive than popping bubble wrap. It’s that good.
The big project Saturday was framing new steps into the stairwell as part of the Zen Corner of Happiness Project. As frequent readers may recall, the Distressing Corner had a whole bunch of things all coming together, including steps that sent you into an oversized (in my opinion) bottom counter and then threaded you diagonally through a narrow pass between the counter, radiator, and an upper cabinet. Since we are replacing the rather cute (I think) teal linoleum with silver stars on it (Ryan thinks not-so-cute), we’ve been using the flooring as our own personal cutting board and have started to take a Sharpie to it to determine layout.
After much measuring and discussion, we settled on the perfect angle for two triangular steps into the stairwell that also direct traffic into the center of the kitchen instead of the side of the kitchen counter. Rick made this savvy suggestion to us awhile back and he was spot on. Here I am demonstrating what a wonderful perch the new steps make. Perfect for tying you shoes, I think.
An unexpected outcome of the new steps is that I no longer feel compelled to cut down the lower cabinet (Ryan is both relieved and smug). It actually all works really nicely together, even with the radiator back in. To boot, the upper cabinet we are relocating over the counter (where the window was previously) is exactly the same width as the lower cabinet. What’s not to like about that?
Sunday, we turned our attention back to the kitchen walls and framed out the wall behind the stove, which will bump out ever-so-slightly to accommodate the vent for the kitchen sink drain and the stove vent. This will be sheathed in blue board and eventually white subway tiles. Ooh la la. (DIY learning moment: when installing a wall that will be tiled, you need to use blue board instead of run-of-the-mill sheetrock because it is stronger and can take the added moisture from the mastic and grout.)
After working on the “accent wall” (how exciting, I’m starting to be able to use interior design phrases!), we worked on hanging more sheetrock. A mid-day visit from my mom and dad took me off the sheetrock project and onto another project very dear to my heart – upgrading the rather sorry mailbox (which still had the previous owner’s name on it).
My dad and I really bonded over this one – brought me back to days of “helping” on home improvement projects at 11 Turnpike Road. On Dad’s suggestion, we relocated the mailbox from the corner of the driveway to the front of the house so that we can walk out the front door to get the mail. After installing the “no-dig pole” twice (too close to the sidewalk on our first try), we assembled the new mailbox, which is “bronze” with brass accents to match the other brass details on the house. It wasn’t rocket science, but it was a rather involved process. Here we are, at last triumphant:
While Mom checked out a few local antique dealers, Ryan hung more sheetrock in the kitchen. It’s exciting to see solid walls, but just like when the ceiling went up, it will be an adjustment to see some of the spaces closed up.
Before Mom and Dad left, we had lunch at Shea’s in Essex. It’s just across the street from Woodman’s and looks onto the Essex River through large glass windows. They have binoculars at every table for wildlife sighting. Last time mom and I were there, we saw a Great Blue Heron, this time we saw an Osprey gliding along the riverbed.
Nice little weekend!
