I built the wall up to the ceiling, then installed new electrical wiring and a water line for the refrigerator. There's a circuit for wall outlets, refrigerator/microwave, and the stove. The stove is still on the opposite wall. A string is tied to the outlet so when the stove is ready to be moved the wire can be attached and pulled up from the crawlspace.
Once the mechanicals were in place, drywall was installed, taped and floated (3 coats of mud), primered and painted. Each step required a day to dry and dragged out over most of March. Thankfully it's done now. Since one side of the wall faced the living room, the work disrupted two rooms. Now I get the living room back. The disruption in the kitchen I can deal with.
I designed an opening by the ceiling to allow air moved by the ceiling fan in the living room to enter the kitchen. The bottom of the opening will be flush with the top of the cabinets. The house is heated by a wood stove most of the winter and this opening should allow free movement of air. That's the theory anyway. The refrigerator will go in the corner, stove in the middle, as well as some cabinets.
The real challenge was the painting. Most of the walls in the house were painted with a faux finish - a basecoat of an offwhite shade then a spotty overcoat of a darker shade. The overcoat is applied with a natural sponge on a roller. I liked the effect, sort of cloud-like, and wanted to replicate it. Long story short, I managed a passable imitation on the living room side, tolerable for a few years anyway, but gave up on doing this in the kitchen. I just don't have the skills or patience to do this everywhere. This is what the living room side looks like:
It's not nearly as good as the original, but it will do for now. This is a good point to put the project on hold for a while and get some work done outdoors. Next step: installing a ceramic tile floor.
1 comment:
Great job on that wall! It feels so good when big jobs like that are ticked off the list.
Post a Comment