Now that we have our plans set, it is time to start making progress on every item in our punch list. The first step was to peel all of the drywall off our long wall, to relocated plumbing and electrical. Our original plan had the sink in the island, but our fall to the septic tank was not enough to allow for that to work. We would close this bay window to allow for more hanging cabinets.
Big day, windows are removed. On paper this is a simple procedure, but it felt intimidating once they were out.
We were resizing this window to be larger and higher to accommodate for the counter height. Cutting stucco and changing framing was required.
Window and paper installed. We were able to match our Milgard windows, but bought a new construction one instead of a retrofit. We ordered window trim, and installed it once stucco was completed to not have an outlier on the house.
Stucco blended.
Bay window closed up.
A nice thick coat of primer was rolled to help hide the transitions.
We didn’t have any exterior paint, and a color match was a few shades off. A few months of weather and you can’t tell anymore.
All of our water piping is in the slab, as was common when this home was built. This manifold had to be buried, as it is in the walk way of our family room now.
A little project that turned into a big task. The slab was broken up to make room to work with the copper.
Leak tested, time to bury and pour concrete to level.
All poured and screed level. You can’t tell this was done, which means it turned out perfect.
Island was measured off, and trench in slab cut. We used hammer drills to drill 5/8″ holes, and hammered and cutoff wheeled as needed.
Conduit with 120v and 220v wire pulled, and 1/2″ black pipe for propane.
Line tested to determine there were no leaks.
Concrete poured and leveled, drywall finished and primed. Water box for refrigerator installed as well.
New outlet locations were measured and installed around the entire perimeter. Power was also stubbed out for under cabinet lighting.
Drywall installed, taped, mud, and primed. Hard work is paying off.
Ceiling in the process of finishing.
Lights installed, and this HVAC vent needs to be relocated out to make room for the cabinets. We contacted an HVAC contractor who did a reasonable job for a client, and had them come out in the interest of time. Quote to move three existing vents: $900 each, or $2700. Yeah… no. $150 in retail material was all it took to complete this job, plus a few hours in the attic.
This ceiling vent was moved over about three feet closer to the dining room to help with air distribution.
This vent was inside the wall, and we opted to move it above the TV in the family room. This really helps move the air across the rooms, which helps reduce HVAC use.
All in all, we spent almost 6 weeks working on the prep to move forward to cabinet installation, plus finalizing everything else that would keep the project moving forward. Could it have been done faster? Maybe, but it couldn’t have been more thorough.
During this time frame, we also finalized our material selections for counters, sink, faucet, reverse osmosis faucet, soap dispenser, garbage disposal, remote button for disposal, hood, and backsplash. Next up, cabinets!