Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask Part 34!

Well hi there!

 Our remodel is coming right along, and the really cool stuff, like tile and 

custom paint tricks, are starting to happen.

But let's face it, what room embodies the idea of the home?

The kitchen.

And ours has come a long, long way. 

Those of you just joining us, we'd like to show you where we started with this makeover...

 Voila!

One dark, dated cooking hole.

Can you believe they had wasted space in this tiny galley by wedging

the washer and dryer in here?

There were no light fixtures, unless you count the Halloween spider web.

(This photo was taken in February, by the way, not October.)

 Floor?

Blech.

And not a single drawer in the whole room.

Mismatched tile was strewn about.

 I'm all for salvaging and redoing, but let's face it,

there's was only one thing we could do.

 New walls, new flooring, electrical brought up to code,

a splash of cool, beachy blue, and white like waves crashing on the shore

made this a lighter, larger space.

 But it did not come without great personal sacrifice.

 Fortunately, Momma still has a first aid kit at all times and kisses boo boos.

Here at

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask!

we're willing to risk great personal injury for your gain.

 Since the cabinets are up, let's get some doors on them, shall we?

 Meet my little friends, the hinges.

 These are safety hinges that don't slam.

They have a very solid construction, tested and guaranteed to hold up to

a parade of children and an indecisive spouse,

not to mention your in-laws scrutinizing your economy-minded choice.

The first thing you're going to do, ironically, is pull them apart!

 The "female" half goes in the housing inside the cabinet.

Choose which way you want the door to swing open and install a pair

on that side of the cabinet box.

 

 The "male" pair of ends gets screwed into the cabinet door.

We chose all glass cabinet fronts for several reasons:

1. The disabled homeowner will not be using the upper cabinets daily,

so these will be largely for display of her treasured glassware.

2. We can add lights to the inside of the cabinets to further brighten the room.

3. This will add a more cottage-y feel to the 1978 condo.

 Slide the male end of the hinge into the female.

 Insert the screw that holds the two together and tighten it slightly.

 If it's a double cabinet, check the alignment on the center bottom.

No?

Not a problem.

 Just tighten the low hanging one.

 ...not quite...

 Go for perfection.

 There we go.

 Repeat.

 Yeah, that's it.

Mystery solved.

So far this is pretty simple, huh?

 The good news?

It doesn't get any harder.

 Whether you're ready for a new kitchen, or you've always wanted a snack center

in the family room, this is something you can tackle.

Check out the IKEA site for prices and planning.

We used AKURUM cabinet boxes and STAT doors and drawer fronts,

but there are tons of combinations to fit your budget.

Make sure you call IKEA to help you with your planning.

At the end of the kitchen install, we'll recount the problems we've had so you can avoid them.

 Tomorrow, let's get some lower cabinets done, shall we?

Bring Bactine.

No, we're just clumsy.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask Part 33!

Getting my hot little hands on the IKEA kitchen has been a nightmare

There was a reason I chose it over all the other systems though,

and it wasn't just to see Mark's face when he found out nothing was assembled.

Beyond the huge savings and disability-friendly features,

there was something else, and here it is:

 The cabinets go up on a rail, making this a DIY that a beginner could tackle.

 Why is that important for seasoned home repair aficionados like us?

Well here at Life in Rehab, during the series

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask!

we're tackling a lot of this for the first time completely blind.

So here's how easy this is...

First, determine your positioning, marking the height of your cabinets on the wall.

Draw another line for the bottom of the cabinets.

Use a level and check to make sure your lines are completely horizontal.

 Measure from the top of the cabinet to the hanging holes.

Measure from the top line on the wall and draw a new line for the hanging rail.

Screw the rail into the studs.

 These are the hanging holes inside the cabinet boxes,

nicely reinforced with steel.

 Note the lip on the back that will keep the cabinets just off the wall.

 This is the hanger.

 Remove the nut and washer.

 Slide it into the rail.

Spread them apart.

Put the cabinet on the hangers.

Screw the nut and washer back on.

How easy was that???

Grab another cabinet.

Use a clamp the pull your side-by-side cabinets tightly together.

We're going to use these fun little pieces to attach the bank of boxes to each other.

Note that the bolt screws into a housing, which will give you just a bolt

head visible in the neighboring shells.

 Align the cabinets as you clamp.

Try to get them as straight as possible.

The bolts go in the holes in the adjoining walls.

This will make the bottoms of the boxes line up perfectly.

Cool, huh?

All the hard parts do themselves!

 Staggering the tops of the cabinets is just as easy.

The next one will get hung the same way 6 inches higher for visual interest.

 Just draw new lines!

Next we'll be adding the hinges.

Yes, I did go through and put all of the parts we had laying around

in individual ziplock bags.

It's a sickness, I know.

 So we'll see you tomorrow when we add...

...THESE!

Aren't they beautiful?

Beach cottage cool?

All the uppers will have these pretty, sparkly doors to display formal

glassware and seldom used items in style.

So after this bite-sized tutorial, do you feel like you could add cabinets all by yourself?

It really is a simple system.

We had 4 cabinets up in under 2 hours.

We'll have the whole kitchen in within 3 days.

And then, we'll have the skills to do our own at Chateau Inferno!

Won't that be fun, Minions?

Um, Minions?

Kids?

Savannah???

Speak to me...

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask Part 32!

 Saturday morning at 8:00, we were all at the condo awaiting 

our new kitchen with baited breath.

 We had printed the layouts in multiple elevations from the 3D Planner

on the IKEA site.

 All of these were taped to the kitchen wall,

and the plotting began.

We determined the Center Line on each wall first.

 All of the cabinets in the designs are numbered...

...so we numbered the spaces on the wall as we sketched out corresponding

squares to represent the cabinets.

The lines were then leveled.

We were ready.

 And then we got the call that the delivery truck had broken down

and would be 3 hours late.

Sometimes, during

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask!

"smooth" is not a word that describes our operation.

Not one to waste time, I grabbed a contractor bag and did 

the only logical thing I could do.

 I sat down and did an hour's worth of yoga.

Hey, when you're 52, see if you can get your forehead

 on a newly leveled floor from the lotus position.

 Eventually though, the boxes started arriving.

 IKEA is known for being environmentally responsible and creating as little waste as possible.

All of their products use the smallest amount of packaging

they can design, and the kitchen came completely flat-packed.

 We started organizing the parts and numbering the cabinet boxes

to match up with the design and sketches on the wall.

At which point we ran into glitch number two.

 Out of 84 boxes on the manifest, we had 73.

Amongst the missing items were minor parts like legs and the hanging system.

"Smooth."

Oh, and 4 of the white cabinets arrived in Birch.

Birch.

No.

I'll be driving to IKEA this morning.

I promise to remain calm.

 None of this stopped us however, and we got busy with construction.

 IKEA products go together easily, and once the first box was done,

the rest were a snap.

 We added a good quality wood glue to the seams for extra support 

and strength while we were at it to make sure these were

going to last a long, long time.

 The Minions worked together like a well-oiled machine.

 All of our lower cabinets are drawer systems so the disabled homeowner 

won't have to dig in the back of a standard cabinet.

 The uppers will have decorative glass doors for showing off her 

crystal, china, and teapots.

 We have tons of hinges, dividers, and organization components.

 The construction went quickly.

We got as much done as possible.

But of course, the 11 missing cases left us with a lot of stuff sitting on the floor.

If you hear any screaming after 10:00 AM, EST,

it's just me at the return desk.

"Smooth."