Wednesday, February 06, 2008

The End of the MacGuyver Kitchen

I don't want to drag this post out anymore. If I teased this post anymore, I'd be able to get a job doing 80s hair in Brooklyn (or 2008 hair in Texas). I finally uploaded some pics of the kitchen that I finally installed the countertops in. BEHOLD BITCHEZ!


This is part of the wall that I opened up to make the kitchen more open. I added these brackets to turn it into a bar area (as if I needed more encouragement to drink). I don't know why everyone wants bars in their kitchens, but as long as some yuppie is willing to pay for it, I'll build it and laugh about it when I sell my place and spend that breakfast bar money on drugs and whores...errr, I mean on like, giving it away to like charities for like for blind kids or lepers or something.

Now this little knee wall was kinda wobbly, so....






When I added supports on the wall for where the countertop would go over the dishwasher, I added some extra bracing across it to keep the wall from moving.

On this part I got to use my new framing nailer a bit, which was really cool. I haven't used it since the first week I got it when I injured myself during a scientific experiment to see what kind of cool things I could shoot nails into. (Don't give me a powertool with safety glasses if you don't want me to do dangerous things with it...jus' sayin').



Here is the kitchen in progress. Yes, I know the picture is sideways...get off my back, chief!













So this is what it looks like with the doors on it, plus I cut the side pieces to match the doors in the front, which was harder than it looks because I had to buy a special blade for my table saw (fine tooth) and call in a favor from a friend to help me install it for free. It's not hard to install those side pieces, but it is a two person job if you want it to be straight and level.







Here is the side of the kitchen that is opposite from the sink.
















View from the breakfast bar












view from the kitchen sink before the holes for the faucet were cut, or the sink was installed.














Here you can see the hole on the bottom of the cabinet for the hoses from the dishwasher.












This is the finished look. That faucet and sink don't have plumbing hooked up yet, but it looks like it does, which is all that matters. Perception is reality.









And since you asked for it, here is a pic of Benny my foster dog doing what he does most of the day: sitting on the couch and staring at me while silently passing judgment on me.

By the way, that painting above the sofa was recently featured in the Style section of the Washington Post. Does that make me an art collector?

17 comments:

Muskego Jeff said...

Now that the cabinets are going up, what's your opinion of the quality? I'm going to be installing the same brand soon, but with a different door.

Jessica said...

/stands in awe of your ninja skillz, yo.

Anonymous said...

That looks good, but considering how long you've been saying your going to post pictures of it, it better look good.

Anonymous said...

Now that's a cute dog. You should keep him. He's much better than those little gay dogs you were considering.

Jean Martha said...

Benny wants to stay. He's just waiting for you to toss him a bone before he jumps into your lap and licks your face with glee and barks "Home! Home! Home! I Have a Damn Home!".

Really, stop toying with us. Adopt the dog. It'll make girls squeal, I promise. Benny rocks the house...as do the new counters.

Anonymous said...

I agree; the dog is a chick magnet. for me, so are the countertops. They look awesome.

Anonymous said...

I'm with the others. Keep the dog, you know you want to.

HomeImprovementNinja said...

Muskego Jeff: I like them. I like the adjustable feet, which make it easy to level, but I was a little worried about the weight of the countertop b/c the feet are plastic, but so far so good. I didn't know the cabinets for all the models were the same, so theoretically, if i get sick of them I can change the doors and have new cabinets.

Dagny Taggart: thanks Dagny. Respekt, yo!

Anonymous: everyone's a critic.

Anonymous: I was considering small but hetero dogs like a beagle, not gay dogs.

iloveupstate: I like him, and he IS a chick magnet, but I love the li'l mo-fo enough to want him to have a house with a yard. He is the cutest dog know to mankind, however, I will say that.

lemmonex: is that all it takes to get hot chix? A cute dog and granite countertops? who knew?


Anonymous: yes I do, but I also want whats best for the dog.

Anonymous said...

It looks lovely. It only took, what....8 years to finish? Nine?

I really like the sunken sink look. The next pile of crap I buy than needs TLC will probably have that happening in the kitchen.

Anonymous said...

Wow...that looks like a LOT OF WORK! But the countertops sure look awesome. :)

Jean Martha said...

Lemmonex:

Soapstone, Zinc or Pewter counters will net a better selection of hot chicks but can be cost-prohibitive. Granite at least says "I took the time to contemplate and have some cash in my pocket".

Anonymous said...

Very nice.

Anonymous said...

Kitchen looks great! I'm a sucker for granite countertops, though as was rightly mentioned in another comment, soapstone is da bomb too.

Dog needs to stay. It's my belief that all people can benefit from the silent judgemental stares of a dog, if only because they eventually give way to snuggles, licks and wagging. And who doesn't like being licked? Hee.

Anonymous said...

Oh and BTW we had a 100 pound golden retriever in an 800 square foot apartment in Manhattan. He was TOTALLY happy. He got lots of love, walks, and off-the-leash park time 5-7 days a week. I'm just sayin'--a yard isn't a definite necessity for a dog to have a happy life ;)

Consider this as food for thought when casting about for an excuse to keep him. He seems like a great dog from what you've said, and you obviously really care for him.

HomeImprovementNinja said...

You can call me, 'Sir': It's not how long it took, it's how good it looks when it's finished.

zandria: thanks :)

iloveupstate.com: is that what the countertop says? I was going for "are you a hottie? then touch my thingie"

Stacey: thanks.

kingstreetfarm: thanks about the countertop. Benny's not a face licker though (which is good). He does this weird greyhound thing when he likes you...he sits in front of you sideways and LEANS his whole body on you.

Unknown said...

Can you just relocate your kitchen to my house. I Love the style...my kitchen is stuck in the fifties :(

Carrie M said...

benny is judging you b/c he wants to know why don't you just make it legal already?

and while i'm sure that's what the foster is thinking, he could also be thinking any number of things b/c that's just the look that hound-type dogs give you: baleful piercing to your SOUL. exhibit a

http://totalwasteofmakeup.blogspot.com/2006/11/great-beagle-escape.html

i had just given her something off my dinner plate, and still the baleful look of neglect.