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October 20, 2005
Master Bath (0)
Months ago, Karen and I started an arduous process. (We had no idea what was in store for us!) There was a small cabinet above the toilet in our bathroom. It was starting to come away from the wall, and fall apart. This cabinet, like the other cabinets in our bath were made by a previous owner out of cheap plywood. Despite our efforts to repaint them and add new hardware, they were still really ugly cabinets that did little to take advantage of the space inside them.
Notice the Plywood
A year after we bought our home (circa 1997) we had the shower and floor tile replaced. The shower pan was cracked and leaking. After a shower, you could hear it “raining” in the crawlspace below. The stained sheet linoleum that covered the floor was ripped in several places and we decided to switch out the sink as well. But we didn't have the money to spend on cabinets. That was another day’s project.
Old Cabinets
Fast forward to two months ago. We went to Home Depot and asked a cabinet person about getting just a small, standard cabinet to hang above the toilet. After a long discussion, we realized that maybe it was time to just replace all of the cabinets. We also realized that if we replaced the main cabinets with quality units that were more functional, we could get rid of the cabinet above the toilet all together. This would open up the bathroom a bit as well.
So that's what we did. The cabinet we went to replace, we got rid of all together. (Fools!) So we took books home and picked what we wanted. We went in to order, but were told that we had to have a measurement done. Fine. The measurement’s done and we go in to order the cabinets, but we were told a second measurement had to be done with our new design in mind to make sure it would all fit. Fine.
Second measurement done and we go in to pay for the cabinets. I had rushed in to pay for them because we were off to Portland for over a week and wanted the cabinet maker to start on them. I paid for the cabinets and install. I get back from Portland to find a message on my answering machine from the cabinet maker. They need me to confirm a delivery date before they will start the order. (Damn!)
Now the process has been delayed even further! The cabinets finally arrive about 2 weeks ago. After a couple of days I call Home Depot to find out if the installer is going to call me. I am told that I needed to call Home Depot first and that the installer would contact me to set up a cabinet inspection. (What?!?) Fortunately, the installer said he would just inspect them right before installation.
Since the cabinets arrived I have been busy prepping the room. We decided to install some recessed paneling. To do that I needed to first rip out the old molding around the windows and build it out from the wall a bit. Replacing the molding and the sill wasn’t a bad idea anyway as the construction folks (nice term) who worked on the second floor addition in 2001 used those windows to throw stuff out of the house-- mauling them to the point of no return.
Demolition is Fun!
Next, I needed to install the recessed paneling around the windows. I have to wait until the cabinet install before I can put it around the sink area.
The New Paneling
More New Paneling
And today is the day! The installers have cut up and removed the old cabinets and the installation should be complete by day's end. I plan to get the paneling up this weekend, so that it can be measured for the counter top. While I understand all of these inane steps for a large job (like a big kitchen), it has been a ridiculous journey for just six feet of wall space (and it’s not over yet).
Out With the Old
Posted by Rich at October 20, 2005 10:07 AM
