My Best Friend's House Remodeling/Repair- Project #4

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zannej

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Feb 12, 2020
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I will probably have to edit this post since I need to locate some of the photos to show the progress. To explain the history a bit, my best friend's house burned on Easter 2016. He moved into a trailer for awhile but ended up letting his ex live there (rent free). She was supposed to buy it but has thus far refused to pay a dime.
He lived with his father & paternal grandparents for awhile but there were problems & he had to move out of that situation. His father passed away & then a few months later his grandmother passed away. Living with his grandfather was unbearable (the man is *super* annoying).
He's in a bad financial situation because he nearly died in a wreck in 2015 & his ex took his wallet while he was in the hospital & used his info to open up multiple credit cards & max them out.
He ended up moving in to his late maternal grandmother's house after fixing it up. The tenants had been meth addicts so they totally wrecked the place. Floor was falling apart, roof leaking, carpets were nasty, syringes & drug residue everywhere-- place was disgusting.
The kitchen was a tiny room that was smaller than the bathroom. Roof leaked horribly & ruined everything in it & rotted the floor. So he repaired joists & replaced floor, put in new carpets in the rooms, converted the kitchen to a walk-in pantry (but it's currently the gaming room), converted half of the living room to the kitchen, merged the bathroom & laundry room, & put metal roofing on half the house.
I couldn't help too much with labor on some of it, but I did help him find products, researched stuff, helped haul lumber in my truck, took him places, & we paid for most of the stuff since he kept getting screwed over & having people steal from him. He's finally starting to do OK financially, but still lives paycheck to paycheck.
The pics of the old kitchen & of the bathroom during subfloor replacement are somewhere on my phone or computer but I need to dig them up. I do have some pics of the bathroom & current kitchen though.
The sink cabinet is a one-piece unit from Lowes. Project Source brand unfinished oak. Front trim is oak, rest of it is crappy mdf. I water-sealed the mdf but it is still rather fragile. Parts of it broke during installation so it was patched with fiberglass screen & gorilla tape. Gaps were sealed up to keep mice & roaches from squeezing in. Counterop was Formica VT Dimensions Labarador Granite laminate- prefabbed. Had to be cut to fit & I water-sealed the edges.
They wanted the cabinets to look like a medium gray ash type wood but the stain I got didn't want to soak in, kept showing too much yellow from the wood underneath, and went on more like paint. They ended up deciding they liked the more painted look, but you can still see the wood grain a bit. If I had it to do over again, I would have pickled the wood to take the yellow out & then done the stain & wiped it away. I tried the wipe-away technique at first but it didn't work with the Rustoleum stain. Wish I'd tried Minwax instead, but they didn't have it when I first looked. It still looks nice though.
He had a fridge we got him from right after the house first burned but he's since replaced it (his ex had it for awhile and gunked it up so bad they could never get all the insects out). He bought a used fridge that is larger & has a drawer on the bottom for the freezer.
The side cabinets came from Surplus Warehouse (which is now called Barton's Home or something). They are less expensive & better quality- plywood construction with unfinished oak. A few of the base cabinets went in first & we got prefabbed mitered countertops- one had to be cut shorter by about 20" or so. He didn't let me take it to my workshop to cut so the cut ended up rather rough. I ironed on the side trim but it popped out in one spot where the side wasn't flat when the counter was being moved.
We later got a pantry cabinet on clearance (it was "water touched" so it was lower priced). The base corner cabinet was oddly sized & when we went to put it in, it didn't line up quite the way we wanted so it had to be bumped back a little so the rest of the cabinets wouldn't block the doorway.
Found a range hood at a liquidation store (open box/returned stuff). I picked it for them because the buttons were down lower so his short fiance can reach them without a stepstool. Picked up the 30"x18" range hood cabinet from the surplus place. I stained it & he put it up when it dried.
Found some waterproof clicklock vinyl plank at one of the big box stores on clearance & it looks much nicer in there. Still needs some adjusting, base molding, & shoe molding around some spots.
The stove was from FB Marketplace & the oven never worked (but he hadn't wanted an oven at first). Unfortunately, after trying to fix it by putting in a new LCD board control thing, it started malfunctioning & the burners would turn on by themselves with no warning lights, oven started turning on by itself & it became a hazard so they are going to replace it with a GE Easyclean 6.3cuft convection oven soon.
Stock image of base sink cabinet
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After staining
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Side base cabinets pre-staining
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After staining partway (ended up hitting the side later)
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Pantry cabinet pre-staining (w/ my bro acting like a fool- at least his shoes look cool)
mitchkitchenpantry1.jpg

After staining
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Setup for the sink with the old fridge
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Setup with new fridge, range hood installed, & new flooring
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Range cabinet & hood
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The accordion door is new as well. When his grandmother lived there, it had an accordion door, but it was long gone when he moved in. There had originally been a wall between the current kitchen & the living room. The tenants tore it out. My friend re-built a wall there to have some separation.
The old fugly faucet got clogged with gunk when my friend first installed it so I got him the new faucet & the over-the-sink rack.
Darth Vader thing in previous post is a toaster. He likes his toast on the Dark Side. :p
Better shot of the range hood
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Better shot of the sink & over-the-sink rack
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The automatic trash can (sadly bugs got in to the wiring & broke it-- chewed the wires)
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Side of the pantry with a napkin dispenser my friend found in a garbage bin & a magnetic whiteboard I got him to write notes for when they are out of stuff-- they ended up using it to leave each other love notes
Mpantryboard1.jpg
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The walk-in pantry (formerly the kitchen) with Reflectix up on the walls to insulate it
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New low profile LED light that can have color tone & brightness adjusted
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The ceiling fan that was moved from the living room to the kitchen. I believe it was from the liquidation store. He got 2 new ones from the liquidation store but they were a crappy brand & didn't work. Online reviews said they were garbage. Sadly the store doesn't do refunds or exchanges.
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The walk-in-pantry has gone through some changes (I need to get current pics) since it is now a little gaming office. It still needs more Reflectix, possibly drywall if my friend gets tired of the sort of disco vibe, & flooring.
The kitchen is at least mostly finished for now. Ideas are being tossed around about what to do with the corner that the trash can sits in. My friend wants to install a larger pantry cabinet next to a small upright freezer. But they don't really have a dining area at all, so my suggestion was to have a storage bench seating area with wall cabinets above for storage and a fold-down table with storage in the wall. Folding chairs that can be hung on the wall when not in use would go with it.
He eventually wants to have a sliding barn door type thing between the kitchen and living room. Something with a Z design (will find a picture for reference). It may be stained the same color as the cabinets & will hang in the living room.
I didn't get photos of the wall cabinets before they were stained because I stained them before they were put up. My friend adjusted the lower cabinets, secured the countertop better, pushed the pantry cabinet back more, drilled a hole for the electrical outlet, & put up 3 of the cabinets. I had picked a 27x30 cabinet for the end cap but we saw a microwave cabinet in the store so he got that instead (despite my warnings it might not fit). Turned out it didn't fit so now it's in the laundry room next to the washing machine & is holding the detergent (I need to take pics). We determined that a 30x30 would not only fit, but was cheaper than the 27x30 for some unknown reason. So that's the one we went with.
Before last cabinet was put in
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I plugged the measurements in to Google Sketchup & did a concept drawing for the general layout (which helped me choose cabinet sizes)
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Once I checked the store to see what cabinet sizes were available, I manually drew doors on (and added a backsplash to the countertop). I didn't have exact measurements for the doors so I guesstimated. I was off on the pantry doors. I also based ceiling height on the height above the stove but the ceiling dropped a few inches so the cabinets ended up lower than expected, but overall, the finished product looks similar to what I ended up with.
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I don't have a drawing of the original layout of the room before my friend moved in. There used to be an ADA tub where the vanity is currently sitting. The toilet is in the same spot it was before but was oriented differently. The floor was absolutely ruined. The ceiling slopes & looks sort of like the inside of a rolltop bread box. My friend removed the old tub & put in a tall shower-- it had to go in a corner because it was too tall to fit where the old one had been. The old laundry room literally had the floor fall out so he moved the washer & dryer in to the bathroom.
This was the layout he had before he remodeled again:
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This was the plan to change it
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Unfortunately, there was a very large beam under the joists where the toilet needed to go & the beam went so low to the ground that the plumbing couldn't pass under and there was no way to really move it. Instead it was kept in place but rotated 90° to the left. My friend forgot to hook up the plumbing for the lav before installing the tub & he couldn't remove the floor & there's not enough room to crawl underneath so the lav is no longer hooked up, but it is sitting where the dryer used to be. The wall between the bathroom & laundry room was taken down, the floor in the laundry room was leveled out and brought up to the same level as the bathroom, vinyl plank was installed, & the washer & dryer were rotated sideways & placed on the far wall opposite the tub.
This is prior to the vinyl plank being installed.
Mlaundrymoved.jpg

This is when the tub was first installed before the new showerhead arrived. Tub is American Standard Saver from Lowes. Tub spout is from Danco. Shower valve is Delta Multichoice with Delta Monitor 17 Lahara trim. It has two levers built in to one to separately adjust temp & pressure.
newtubinstalled1.jpg

New showerhead- KES brand with rainshower with handheld shower & built-in slidebar- got it for under $70:
kesshowerhead.jpg

Old shower rod got installed at the back of the shower so stuff can be hung from it & a new double-curved shower curtain rod (Zenna NeverRust type) was installed.
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Got new LED light that can have color & brightness adjusted. Old light was a bulb that hung down, new one sits flush to the ceiling (it has a low ceiling so they needed all the space they could get)
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With shower curtain closed (it apparently works like a blackout curtain to people inside the shower)
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This is a shot from outside the room (from the little girl's bedroom)
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The vanity will be replaced with a 48" one at some point. A large cabinet (microwave cabinet) in unfinished oak is now up to the left of the washing machine. It holds the detergent. I don't have a picture yet.
 
More pics of my friend's bathroom/laundry room:
laundry3.jpg
laundryfloor1.jpg

The view of the bathroom ceiling from the laundry room (laundry room used to be a porch but someone walled it in).
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To give an idea of how bad my friend's truck wreck was, he had traumatic brain injury w/ swelling in the skull, punctured lung, wrist & bones in hand snapped so pins were put in, upper arm bone snapped so badly it popped out of the skin & hit him in the face-- had to have a titanium rod put in, & he fractured 3 vertebrae in his neck.
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He had to walk around with those pins sticking out of his hand for months. Doctor used pliers to yank them out w/o anesthetic.

The living room had gone through multiple changes. Different carpets were put in but got ruined (before he sealed the place up better, raccoons & mice got in). In fact, when we were first working on the bathroom we heard a noise that we thought was a very large rat. My friend went to go in to the old kitchen & saw a raccoon holding a pen. He walked away, opened the front door, & told the raccoon it was free to go & could have the pen. It moseyed out the door & dropped the pen on the porch.
The room has been changed up since these pics but I wanted to show the carpet.
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My friend's fiance is in the pics (back when her hair was dyed black). The cat is named Tux. She's the mother of the kittens we are going to take home.
There is now a better Air conditioner with heat in the window, large sectional couch, gray faux ashwood entertainment center where the TV used to be & the TV is wall-mounted. (I really need to find where the pictures are saved for it).

What remains to be done:
LIVING ROOM
*Paint walls
*Get better curtains
*Replace front door (bc it got busted in)
*Install barn/sliding door instead of curtain between kitchen & living room
KITCHEN
*Paint walls
*Cut, stain, poly, & install toekick trim
*cut, stain, poly, & install shoe molding
*Move some of the vinyl planks over closer to pantry & replace some messed up planks
*Install new door & window trim
*Paint under cabinets or install some sort of backsplash
*Install stainless steel splash guard behind stove
*Install under-cabinet lights & put a light above the sink
*Create breakfast nook & murphy bar/table
BATHROOM
*Install new vanity & hook up plumbing
*Create actual walls around the tub
*Paint walls & ceiling
*Replace door & move wall switch so the little girl can reach it
LAUNDRY ROOM
*Move junk out
*Put in new door to outside (right now it's a defunct sliding glass door)
*Paint & poly cabinet
*Repair & paint walls-- maybe install insulation too
GIRL'S ROOM
*Replace carpet
*Put in new bed (loft bed?)
*Take out window & make it in to storage shelf
*Create more storage
 
Some ideas for the kitchen- depending on budget:
A pair of Cosco folding dining chairs w/ X back.
foldingchairs1.jpg
foldingchair.jpg

Broan stainless steel 24x30 splash guard (backsplash) for back & side. May use some metal screw caps to hide the heads of the screws & make it look better.
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Stainless Steel 30" StoveShelf Magnetic Shelf to stick to the top of the stove & cover any gap between stove & wall. Might use extra magnets to make it stick to splash guard.
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Over the range floating shelf 30x3.5" for higher up (unless there's a magnetic version or something that would work- but don't want to risk it falling). Will have to look in to options to see what could work for additional storage.
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Magnetic spice rack & paper towel holder to stick to side of fridge
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A Z-Frame barn door similar to this one (but maybe custom made so it doesn't cost $300 for a door w/o the hardware)
grayZpanelbarndoor.jpg

Something similar to this idea- a storage bench, but it would either be upholstered or have a cushion that could be removed & washed. Maybe even a back cushion as well. I'd have a toekick (or maybe heelkick) so it would be more comfortable to sit on.
Bryn-Mawr-Breakfast-Nook-Detail.jpg

Might have to actually make the bench because they are selling particle board pieces of garbage.
Would also have to make the fold-down bar. This image was a brag-post from Ana-White's site.
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I would probably want to have the hardware hidden as much as possible. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do a latch that my friend's short fiance would be able to reach. Maybe a ball catch- but that might stick out on the side of the table. Also trying to decide how to finish the tabletop. The frame would be the same color as the cabinets.

Any thoughts?
 
Thanks, Meerkat. I really wish I had before pics of when the room was just empty & what the old tiny kitchen looked like. He'd had a stove, a fridge, & a sink counter in there & that's all he could fit. Stove was off to the side in a corner as was the fridge. But the roof leaked & destroyed everything.
He nixed the idea of the storage bench (I suspect his fiance was the one who nixed it, but she always claims he said he didn't like something when she's the one who doesn't like it). I made a crappy collage of the current stuff plus the ideas.
MKitchen1jpg.jpg
 
Got the new stove on Monday & got it put in. Friend had to pop the hinge pins in & take the door out & take the stove out of the box to get it unloaded. He got some Samsung model with 5 burners. Despite it being memorial day, they wouldn't stack military discount with the holiday discount so sales tax was $60 (it's over 10% sales tax here).
Picked up stainless steel backsplashes (one for back & one for side). Got the back one in just fine but realized a wall switch was in the way of the side one. I then had the idea of moving the wall switch away from the stove (because it's not a really great place to have a light switch & his daughter can't reach it). People had to walk in the doorway and stumble over to find the switch. We discussed it & he decided to move the switch over near the doorway. I suggested he get a new switch- a rocker one. He wanted black. I suggested a stainless steel backplate so the rocker would be easier to find in dim light. I found them online & showed him a mockup & he liked it. Real thing looks much better. So now the switch is in a much more convenient spot & we got the sidesplash up.
My craptastic cut & paste mockup of the light switch:
Levitonblackrockersswallplate.png

Actual light switch on unfinished wall
LightswitchLeviton.jpg

Just the backsplash (it looks much better in person)
broanssbacksplash3.jpg
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With the stove
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With the sidesplash and a gap cover between stove & counter
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Next step will be to trim more of the molding around the window to be able to tuck the range hood's power cord out of the way & cover it with the other aluminium angle. That will give it a cleaner look.
The gap cover is aluminum but looks like plastic & isn't very long. Was way more expensive than it should have been for a single one & doesn't have anything to hold it in place. I'd think about sticking some sort of silicone on the bottom to give it a little grip- or maybe a magnet strip for the stove side. It won't stay still & slides around. Wish we'd just grabbed black ones instead. They came in pairs and were much cheaper.
Still, it already looks a lot nicer than before.
 
He put up some Reflectix on the ceiling in the laundry room, removed the glass door (which was more of a window), put in studs to support the wall, & covered it in "waterboard" (they were out of sheetrock/drywall at the store).
laundryroomnewwall.jpg


He's talking about moving the fridge over to the other corner of the kitchen & adding more countertop over a dishwasher where the fridge currently is. It will take a bit to get the old countertop cut straight & get a new piece next to it. I'm thinking he might end up having to get a freestanding dishwasher to pop in that space. He wants to ditch the fold-down table idea since there won't be space for it with the fridge. We'll see how things work out though.

The vanity in the bathroom still needs to be replaced. The old one is not hooked up anymore & it has water damage on the front. He's going to give it to a friend & get a larger vanity (if he can save up enough $ to get one).
 
Having a stove with countertops on either side is my preference, instead of a beadboard wall. To each his own. Seems safer to me to have granite countertops next to a stove. Looking good.
The flooring is nice!
 
There's a gigantic window behind the sink & he didn't really have the space to put the stove in the middle. The house of his that burned had a similar setup with the stove in a corner.
I forgot to add newer pics that have the shelf added next to the stove.

I would have wanted to do a different layout, but this is how he decided to do it.
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The shelf is a piece of 2" angle from the metal stock section.
One of the critiques customers had of that particular stove was that it is difficult to clean.
 
The Murphy table and chairs idea was scrapped. New plan is to move fridge over to oposite diagonal corner and put butcher block counter over a dishwasher where fridge currently is.
Smaller window will be installed and upper cabinets or shelves will be put in.
The room needs more prep space. Got a pressure cooker for them as a gift and brought ours over to make rice while other stuff was being cooked. There are currently 7 people staying here until we can get storm damage fixed enough to go home.
Got HyperTough slim LEDS for undercabinet lights. They are very bright.
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Got sick of the tiny garbage toilet and replaced it with a Toto Entrada chair height elongated 1.28gpf toilet. It was on sale and we got military discount. Put Mayfair sta tite slow close toilet seat on it.
They like the carpet like seat cover thing so that got put on.
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A little update on the status of house ownership. We suspect his grandfather (his late dad's father) complained to my friend's mother about being kicked out & she was trying to get the deed to the house to use it as leverage over my friend. She informed my friend yesterday that the city is still claiming ownership of the house & is holding the deed. But, my friend paid all of the taxes that were in arrears & got at least half ownership-- he has me as a witness since I was there with him, he has an audio recording of the conversation (I told him to record it so they couldn't BS him about it later), he has a photo of the receipt on his phone, and he has the paper receipt in a special folder. I will testify in court if need be that he paid all the taxes & that his name was being added to the ownership.

The upside is that his mother can no longer claim ownership & use it to lord it over him so he is done with her BS. But, if she tries to get ownership back or if the city refuses to fork over the deed or still claims ownership & if either one of them try to kick him out, he will remove everything we put into the house- metal roof, vinyl plank flooring, cabinets, tub/shower, appliances, & even the kitchen sink bc none of that stuff was in there when he first started fixing it up & most of it was added after he paid off the taxes. I'm hoping he won't have to get a lawyer to get the deed, but it's sounding like the city is trying to screw him over. The lawyers he talked to before said the city was corrupt as hell. Hopefully if we get a new mayor things *might* improve.

In terms of repairs, that 2x4 at the base of the wall behind the toilet is getting in the way of the toilet base & making it stick too far forward. It needs to be a 1x4 to give a 12" rough-in. He's got the toilet jack back over there & I lent him my oscillating attachment & reciprocating attachment for the Matrix so he can cut that & put in a 1x4 or some sort of base molding.

Still need to:
Add cabinet hardware
Put in toekick trim, base molding, & shoe molding
Fix some spots on the flooring
Add some of the trimming behind the stove
Replace the window with a smaller one
Add more upper cabinets
Move fridge to opposite diagonal corner
Put in dishwasher & butcherblock counter
Add spacer cabinet between dishwasher & wall
Secure side edge trim on cabinet top (it came loose)
Add edge trim on edge of countertop near pantry (I got a free sample that will cover it)

All of this is assuming he maintains ownership.
 
I also found some before pictures of the kitchen (which is now the home office with the Reflectix on the walls).
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The roof leaked & everything had to be gutted. My friend replaced it with this:
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But the roof continued to leak & ruined the new counter. Old faucet got clogged with dirt. Sink was re-used but everything else was scrapped.
 
Friend re-arranged the kitchen again a bit. Moved the fridge to the corner. He has a small upright freezer that he's moved into the old kitchen (which is now his office) and I think there's a mini-fridge around somewhere.
fridgefeb2021.jpgfridgefeb2021-2.jpgsinkcabsfeb2021.jpg


Got a new vanity for the bathroom that is slightly wider than the old one. It has 8" widespread holes on it's top though so friend will need to order a new faucet that I found for him.

Got a new front door for the house as well. Old one literally fell apart.
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Oh, and when we evacuated there after the hurricane, we got a new toilet bc the old one sucked so badly. Universal (taller) height Toto Entrada.
TotoEntrada1.jpgTotoEntrada2.jpg

The new cabinet is the advertised image of the cabinet that we got off Marketplace for cheap. I'll have to get pics of it later.
newcabinet.jpg

He plans to put a dishwasher and butcherblock countertop where the fridge used to be. The large wall cabinet in the laundry room will be moved to the kitchen to hold the microwave and will be above the dishwasher.
 
Better look at the bathroom layout with the vanity and cabinet: (It was much less cluttered before his ex moved back and has tons of product). But there's shampoo, body wash, etc for my friend, his ex, the pregnant girl staying with them, my brother, another guy who has been crashing over there, an 8 yr old, a 1yr old, and a baby. Still don't think it needs that much. I have 1 bottle of body/face wash, 1 bottle of 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, and a bottle of after-shower powder. I've told my friend if he ever decides he doesn't want that white cabinet anymore, I'd take it off his hands. LOL.
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He added an extension to the rainshower so it can go up higher and my brother can fit under it.
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Yard got landscaped a bit trying to stop his lawn from turning in to a swamp when it rains. The drainage trench with pea gravel was a success. It rained all night and then poured the next day but his lawn didn't flood. I had the idea to take some of the dirt he dug out of the trench to backfill toward the house to reduce the slope (it slopes toward the house).
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We tried to fill in the pot holes. The one with water there had 100lbs of pea gravel dumped in it as well as a bunch of dirt but it still didn't fill. We will likely have to get some quickrete and fill it as well as several other deep pot holes.

He re-arranged his little office (which used to be a kitchen). Just got a new computer chair (full size like the black and red one-- it's a very similar one). It was on sale at Sam's and I knew his old chair broke.
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I'm rather fond of the Optimus Prime decoration (since I got it for him as a gift). The moving blanket on the wall is a nice touch. It helped with insulation during the winter storm.
 
My friend's grandfather threw out his Kenmore dishwasher and my friend took it home. It needs some replacement parts to make it work, but we are working on building more cabinets around the dishwasher.

We have about 13-1/2" from the dishwasher to the wall. That gives us room for a 12" base cabinet and some framing around the dishwasher & maybe a little space with a 1x2 between the wall and the base cabinet. Worst case we could find some cove molding or quarterround for the edge. We can get a couple 2'x4' plywood sheets to go next to the dishwasher, use the leftover cutoffs from it for the top, a 2'x2' on the back with perforations to let heat out on the lower/middle part and then some metal mesh/screen to span the upper part of the back to block mice from getting in and let heat out.

There's some butcherblock countertop material that can be placed over it. Plywood will be coated in poly & have flashing tape on the underside (and underside of butcherblock) over the front of the dishwasher to protect from steam. Underside and side of existing countertop will get some flashing just in case- as will butcherblock edges. Butcherblock will be sealed with tongue oil.

We discussed the upper cabinets and decided to move the unfinished 30"x34.5"x18" cabinet from the laundry room to the kitchen. It will sit in the corner above the 12" base cabinet. Initially my friend wanted a 3" pullout above the base cabinet (between microwave cabinet and wall) but the prices on those rev-a-shelf things are insane. Also realized we had about 12" to spare if we had three 30" wide cabinets (Well, technically four if you count the range hood cabinet). We thought about two 6" ones but the price was prohibitive. Over $90 each plus $17 shipping each. They don't seem to make or sell 12" ones. So then I saw the price of an upper 12"x30" was only $46. So, we decided to have a 12" one between the range hood & the ones over the sink.

This is the microwave cabinet
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Crappy collage of parts (dishwasher cabinet is just a general idea)
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Crappy rough sketch of the kitchen layout (dishwasher is actually white & black but friend wants to put a faux stainless steel vinyl sticker on it.
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I tried to open sketchup but it is saying that my graphics card failed tests to be able to run. I've run it with this graphics card on the current drivers. I have not updated sketchup so there is no reason for the graphics card to no longer work. Trying to download the latest drivers for my graphics card now. If it doesn't work I'll have to take the hit and get windows 10 or 11. Ugh. Download says it will take an hour.
 
Please note

The counter above the dishwasher needs support on both sides. The dishwasher can not support the counter. It slides in under the counter.

Ben
 
Thanks Ben- that is why I have the little appliance cabinet in there. We will build one out of some plywood. There is enough of a gap to fit some 1x2s on the left side of the dishwasher as well as some plywood. Two 2'x4' sheets of plywood cut to 34.5" or so, will be on the sides. The cutoffs will span the top and upper part of the back. A 2'x2' will be on the lower part of the back. Part of the countertop will also sit on the 12" base cabinet.

Sketches:
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I should have enough scrap for two ~6" pieces & a ~3" piece spanning the top (I know I could just use the 1x2s for support, but I want to make it hold it's shape better. I could have a full 23.75" (2'x2') square sheet at the back plus another 10" piece- leaving a 1/2" gap. Granted I could eliminate the gap by cutting the 3" piece smaller and making the top back piece 10-1/2". I'm also debating moving the 10" piece down so the gap will be at the very top edge (where heat will tend to travel). I could always perforate the plywood to make vents (holes too small for mice though). If I leave the 1/2" gap I will pack the gap with steel and/or cover it with metal screen to keep mice out of the insulation. Steel wool will be used to fill any other gaps/holes.

The basic construction is two front 1x2s with corners notched halfway through to fit around the plywood. so they sit as flush as they can against the edge of the cabinet- recessed back enough to not stick out past the toekick. Since the washing machine is wider toward the front, they will be placed so they are narrower. The two back 1x2s will sit flush against the plywood sides so that the back piece can reach (in case the gap is greater than 23.75"). They will also act as support for the horizontal 1x2s (which can be cut or notched to fit behind front face of the dishwasher).
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I used appliances from 3dwarehouse so they don't fit like the real stuff. I made the range hood instead of using one though. The dishwasher in this is not the right one and is much larger. I had to scale it down.
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There is a huge window behind the sink but my friend wants to cover it up. It's broken, lets cold/hot air in all the time and he keeps it covered up all the time. He drywalled over the windows in the bathroom. He's not a fan of the windows. I think if he drywalls over this window I might see if he wants to leave a small opening for a little bit of natural light. For now he has blackout curtains over it.

Here is a zoomed out shot that shows a bit more of the kitchen
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The dish rack he has is actually taller than the one I placed there. The top of it goes above the bottom of the 30" unit. I didn't finish off the walls on the left because I don't remember the measurements.
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For comparison, this is about what it looks like now (except the dishwasher doesn't have a casing on the back and here's a huge window covered by curtains & lots of clutter)
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Sorry I forgot to hide the guide lines and axis lines in the first few pics. LOL.
 
We ended up getting the 12" base cabinet from Home Outlet (formerly Surplus Warehouse). The butcherblock counter I'd flagged was no longer available so instead of rubberwood, my friend got a birch one. It had some damage on one side so I negotiated it down & friend ended up with a 20% discount (that stacked with the 30% of discount for the sale price). Total of 50% off was not bad and looks nice but is lighter than preferred. We also picked up one red oak dishwasher end panel (which was back in stock at Home Outlet).

Now, when my friend initially cut the countertop for the sink I suggested taking it to my workshop to cut it on my tablesaw but he thought that would be too much of a hassle. The saw he used had trouble cutting up to and through the backsplash part. So he ended up just leaving the backsplash long and hiding it behind stuff. He needed to cut it to make the butcherblock fit but the saw kicked back hard and managed to split the joint of where the backsplash attached to the countertop. It cracked the formica. Friend said it cracked about 8" in. He got so frustrated that rather than try to glue it back together and clamp it, he just cut off the damaged part (but didn't cut it straight). He decided to just leave the butcherblock part full size (48") rather than cut it. I think that was a good move.

I went over to paint the base cabinet and put food grade sealant on the butcherblock. Unfortunately he'd already crammed the cabinet against the wall so it made it a lot harder to stain. I know it doesn't matter if there are missed spots on the edge that isn't visible, but it bugs me. LOL. There is a slight gap on the left side where the face pieces meet that is bugging me. I'm hoping some clamping will help. Worst case I can get some wood filler in there and do touch-up before I seal it with poly. We got some foil tape on the underside of the butcherblock where it will sit over the dishwasher's door/front to block steam. I intend to seal the rest of the underside and the sides with poly.

My friend is not happy with the double sink because it is too shallow. He wants to buy a single basin sink that is the same width and length but is 9.5" deep. Someone gave him a garbage disposal but I told him that would end up leading to problems as his gf would find a way to clog it or break it. Another issue is that since he cut the countertop several inches short of where it would rest on the side edge of the cabinet, it is sagging in the middle on the cut side. So we need to reinforce it.

He's going to rip some 1x2s and use them to raise the formica counter up to match the height of the butcherblock (about 3/4"). I suggested having a 2x4 put in perpendicular to the front and back pieces and raise it to be the same height as the 1x2s and toenail them in or use some sort of brace or something. Possibly even pockethole screws (we'll figure something out). He could probably just screw in at an angle from the sides after securing it in place. It can but out from underneath the edge of the countertop enough that the butcherblock edge can also sit on it.

base cabinet and butcherblock countertop pre-sealing/painting- my friend sent this picture to me as I forgot to get pics before we dismantled it & I got busy with the brush:
butcherblockpreseal.jpg


Base cabinet with 1st coat (that wall panel is getting painted a different color someday so the bit I got on the wall doesn't matter-- but I was annoyed with myself- at least only spot I dripped on the floor was where there isn't any flooring. Could not find the painter's tape as it had fallen on the floor underneath a trash bag):
newbasecab1stcoat.jpg


Butcherblock after 1st coat of sealant (I applied it with a crappy paper towel- I've purchased a staining rag for the next few coats)
butcherblock1stcoat.jpg


The trim piece that is sticking out is not attached. It will likely be ripped to fit but I wanted to save some drying time by painting it and then I will do touch-ups. Need to figure out what size to trim it to and possibly use a chunk of it between the base cabinet and the wall if there is room. We've got some heat barrier ready to be put on top of the dishwasher. Need to get a hookup kit for it though. (the drawer is open on base cabinet as it's still drying- door got bumped shut)
butcherblock&base1stcoat.jpg


Butcherblock with 1st coat loosely placed on cabinets
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1st coat on butcherblock but 2nd coat on base cabinet & trim
butcherblock1st&base2ndcoat3.jpg


I had the idea of using the towel holder as a handle to open the tip-out drawer. Just need a sturdier towel holder and a means to secure it better so it won't slip off. I really need to clean all of the cabinets and hit them with a 2nd coat of poly.
butcherblock1st&base2ndcoat4.jpg


This is the ugly gap between the countertops. Friend did not manage to cut the formica/particle board straight. We will be able to bring them to about the same height, but will need to figure out how to deal with this gap. I wonder if there is a thin low profile t-molding...
butcherblockgap1.jpg
 
My friend is happy with the # of coats on the butcherblock but I want to add at least one more. He doesn't like having to wait 6 hours to touch it though.

He took the wires from the outlet that got covered by the base cabinet and moved them up, installed a new outlet, and moved the wall cabinet from the laundry room to the kitchen and set the microwave in it. He installed an undercabinet light. I will have to come over and paint the wall cabinet. HE put one of those stainless steel gap covers that goes between the stove and the counter over the gap between formica and butcherblock.
microwavecabinkunfin1.jpg
 
He really appreciates it. Jokes that he owes my mom both of his kidneys. LOL.

I'm glad your neighbor was able to stop the fire. I had a small fire in the kitchen I think last year or early this year. I set something on the counter and it bumped something else that tipped and turned the stove on (it's hard-wired so I can't unplug it-- we don't use the stove bc mice got in it and it stinks up the whole house if we turn it on). I had a cooktop on the stove and it lit it on fire. I got a bucket of water and put it out before it could spread. We don't use the oven ever so we want to get rid of it and maybe get a drop in cooktop at some point. Need to get rid of the old eyesore stove.

We've been getting more progress done on my friend's house though.
 
Re: the gap of counter to right of sink...

Seal the heck out of that edge. It only a matter of time before water get to the paticle board and start to swell destroying the edge of the formica.

Ben
 
Thanks, Ben. I told him that was the plan (sealing edges). I already did a clear coat of poly on other exposed edges. I will probably hit the top of the cabinet underneath the counter just in case. Sides and rear of butcherblock will also get coated with poly. There is an exposed edge that sticks out next to the stove and I want to use a sample of the countertop material to cover it. I will glue the rectangular piece to the side of the ogee edge and then trim it. Need to do that on the counter next to the pantry cabinet. I wonder if paint-on Killz comes in brown or black...
 
Make sure to keep us updated on the progress on your friend's house
Will do. Today I painted the microwave cabinet. Put some trash bags over the butcherblock to catch any drips so it remained clean. Friend decided to leave the inside of the open compartment unstained but I will put clear poly on it to seal it up. His current microwave crapped out so he's looking for a new on that will fit. Has to fit 16" D x 16" H x 24" wide I think. I need to check the measurements on the cabinet again. I think maybe it was 30" wide so it might be more than 24". I can't find my phone so he's going to take pictures once it is dry and send them to me.

I put the little dots to buffer doors when they close on the doors for the upper cabinet and the drawer for the lower cabinet. I think I need some for the door of the lower cabinet as well, but I think he might have already put some on.

I did play around with sketchup to update the design.
This is the closest approximation to the current setup (sans reflectix and covered window):
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This is the closest approximation of the plan for the future:
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sketchupbbcabsplan2.png
sketchupbbcabsplan3.png
 
Sorry, Albert. I have not been to Singapore since 1996. Many of the businesses there no longer exist. We never had need of any painting while there. We lived in a flat on Peck Hay near Newton MRT but the building has been demolished. You will have to ask around I guess. Are the locals still very friendly? Is Lucky Plaza still around? Or Takashimaya?

I found an article from 2018-- not sure if the businesses still have the same prices
https://blog.moneysmart.sg/budgeting/painting-services-singapore/
Obviously costs will depend on the paint you choose (some is more expensive than others), how many coats of paint it takes, how large the kitchen is, how long it takes to paint, etc. I don't know what brands of paint are available over there, but you want something waterproof & easy to clean like satin or semi-gloss finish.

As for my friend's kitchen, I'm waiting to hear back from him on whether or not he wants to change the size of the middle wall cabinets to save $.

Options:
Two 18"x30" + one 36"x18" 2(54)+75= $183
Two 18"x30" + one 36"x24" 2(54)+116= $224
Two 18"x30" + one 36"x30" 2(54)+ 87= $195
Two 24"x30" + two 12x30" 2(65)+2(46)= $222
Two 30"x18" + one 12"x30" 2*78+46 = $202
Two 30"x24" + one 12"x30" 2*109+46 = $264
Two 30"x30" + one 12"x30" 2*79+46= $204
Two 36"x18" 2*75 = $150
Two 36"x24" 2*119= $238
Two 36"x30" 2*87= $174

This is assuming there is actually 72" between the wall cabinets. I will need to get my friend to help me measure.

The 30x24s are out of stock in Alexandria but are in stock in LC. The ones that are 30" high would require shortening the dish rack. I'm also considering other combination options that would still give room for the dish rack, have plenty of storage, and be inexpensive.

I did a very rough sketch and showed the images to my friend. He seemed to like this one the best: (The $174 option). It would only need 4 handles and I think there are only 30 handles but 33 would be needed for every cabinet. Although, we might be able to mix in some knobs but we'll see what my friend says.
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