Great insight from Jeff Opdyke:

So I see this experience as a lesson learned: When it comes to remodeling — and our kitchen is next — never equate your spouse’s silence with acceptance. Your passion about a project may overwhelm your partner into submission.

Another really huge point brought out by Amy Opdyke is that nearly all of the “enforcement” fell on her shoulders.

Not only did she have to deal with workers in the house each day, deal with the short-notice questions of preference that came up, take innumerable trips out for small parts and whatnots, but worst of all she had to… … finish Why Remodeling is More Stressful for the Wife

From the Oklahoman:

If there’s one room in the house that’s never big enough, it has to be the kitchen. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a simple way to “cook up” extra space without an expensive (and messy) remodel? For do-it-yourselfers, this kitchen island project is an easy, attractive and inexpensive way to add valuable storage and work space.

The article goes on to recommend that do-it-yourselfers buy plans for a kitchen island.

But how realistic is that? … finish Create More Storage Space in your Kitchen

After writing my previous post, it occurred to me what a godsend this built-in cabinets series is going to be for owners of Ranch-style homes.  There are bazillions of them out there and I’m one.  We really struggle when it comes to making this kind of house into something really special that we want to grow old in.  In the past, our options have been: … finish Ranch Remodel Godsend

I’ve been producing some in-depth videos on built-ins.  Check it out if you haven’t yet.

Anyway, the video series has provoked an important question:

“By creating additional wall features or thickening existing walls in order to create beautiful nooks for built-ins, aren’t we wasting a lot of space inside the walls?”  (Talking about voids in the wall that were once part of the living space and are  — for aesthetic or practical reasons — not able to be captured by the built-in cabinet.  So, effectively, that space is lost to the homeowner.)

My first answer is to say that a clever designer will waste only a negligible volume of your house inside those wall cavities.

My second answer is much more intriguing… … finish Are Built-In Cabinets Space-Wasters?

Yes.  Here’s a great photostream from Flickr that shows such an operation in action.

I’ve done something similar as a service to clients who are having me put in large-ish crown or cabinetry. Either of these makes for an opportunity to insulate without having to do any follow-up mudwork or painting.  I simply make a hole and pour in the little styrofoam pellets.

The link above shows a more sophisticated approach by an insulation crew.

Original Quote from the Indy Post:

Because the kitchen work was such a large project, the Bontragers decided to work with what was already in the master bath to control cost. They kept the cherry cabinets and enhanced their original beauty via a simple refinishing.

What could this mean? … finish “A Simple Refinishing” of your Cabinets?

While “fastened to the structure” is one of the definitions of a Built In (or, Builtin), most of us expect a built-in cabinet to do and be much more than that.

I’ve been creating a series of videos on built ins .  If you have any interest in built ins, you’ll want to look at them soon and make comments (I’ll make it worth your while).  They will only be available there for a limited time.

In the course of remodeling, you might have to “furr out” (or build/shim out) a wall to make it match the plane of another wall.

Typically this is done when a new wall needs to match up to old plaster and lathe or something similar.

Everybody will happily tell you that you can just use strips of sheetrock to do this build-out.

…except the cabinet man. … finish The Right Way to “Furr Out” a Wall

How do you handle this situation:

You tell the kitchen designer what you want and s/he gives you a bid. The price is great! You do your best to check over everything on the bid, but you’re not familiar with all the terminology and how to interpret the drawings, so you end up assuming the best and writing the down payment check.

Then you get that sick feeling in your stomach when … finish Bid Errors Found After Making Kitchen/Job Down Payment

Friday I started a kitchen installation in an industrial building that was being turned into a residence. Very cool. I’ll try to put up a case study video of the project before long.

Anyway, the mastermind of the project showed up mid-morning. He was in his 60’s and had the bearing of someone who had been around construction for many years. … finish Motivating Tradesmen