Phase 2 Project KP

 After we removed the raised bar on the counter top, we removed the countertop and base cabinets so we could start working on the floor. So we pulled out the sink and moved the dishwasher into the living room along with everything that was in those base cabinets. 

That's when we noticed the water damage along the base sink cabinet.  And that's also where things got complicated. After removing the remaining cabinets along that wall, we got a better idea of the water damage situation.

Helpful hint: to avoid sewer smells from permeating your home while your sink is disconnected, cover the exposed pipes with saran wrap and a rubber band. 

 Apparently the cabinets did not go in over the floor, but were placed directly on the subfloor. And it appears that the dishwasher sprung a leak once upon a time, and seeped under the existing tile floor to soak into the subfloor. Anxious to see what we were getting ourselves in to, we removed the tile/linoleum (the previous owners tiled the kitchen floor directly over the existing linoleum, so we had 2 layers of flooring to remove to evaluate the damage) underneath the dishwasher and realized things were a lot worse than we realized.

Yep, rotted wood. And we had no idea how much of our kitchen floor was rotting away under the tile. So we did what anyone would do in this situation, we took out our frustrations on removing the floor. It was slow work, chipping away at each tile and then removing each nail that was securing the linoleum in place.

It took a few days, but eventually we got all our anger out and we uncovered all the water damage on our kitchen subfloor. Yep, that's about 2/3 of our kitchen floor with the bulk of the damage squarely underneath the dishwasher.

Unforeseen expense #1: new subfloor. So much for just ripping out tile and putting new flooring in. This was probably the lowest point in the remodel project. There's always the "oh crap, I just ruined something really expensive and I hope I know what we're doing to fix it" feeling after any home demolition project. And usually there are unexpected expenses that pop up during projects, but when they all collide at once, it's overwhelming. But, we put on our big kid panties and got down to business to begin the construction phase of our project.

I'm Baaaaaack! (Also Phase 1 of Project KR)

I know, I know, I've been MIA for quite a while. I have 2 words for you:

kitchen. remodel.

Also known as Project KR. Here are some before/phase 1 pictures for your viewing pleasure.

These are a couple of before pictures. We hated this half bar in the kitchen. The raised counter top was only about a foot wide, so you couldn't sit at it, not to mention the elevated height. All it did really well was collect clutter. And hide the messy dishes on the counter/in the sink. After thinking long and hard about what we wanted done in the kitchen, we decided that to really open up the area, the raised bar needed to go. 

Step one was to remove the tile backsplash on that half wall so we could remove the half wall and level it out with the countertop. I've become the queen of removing tile with a crowbar and a hammer.

Here's an action shot for ya. Remember safety glasses! Last thing you want is shards of tile getting in your eye.

Up next, we needed to remove the top portion of the raised bar. Enter reciprocating saw. This bad boy made the renovation possible. Most of the other tools we had on hand, but we needed this saw to get the remodel done. Probably best tool investment we made on this project. Basically you can take out the saw blade and turn it any direction you need to get the cut you want. Forwards, backwards and each side were all used on Project KR. Tyler marked a line where we wanted the cut to go and then went to town with the recip saw.

One thing you should know about recip saws, they are only as steady as you hold them, and they vibrate a lot so don't expect perfect cuts. The line that we marked was higher than we needed to allow for wiggle room. You can always go back and remove more later, but you can't add wall back (well, you can, but it's a huge pain to work with drywall, but that's another post).

Oh, and another word of caution, be careful with the electrical outlets/cords. We turned off the power to the kitchen and used an extension cord to power the saw just to be careful.

Also, the only cuts that really mattered were the studs because the saw slices through the drywall like butter. Take care to make your cuts on the studs with precision.

Look at how much more open the kitchen looks with that horrible half wall gone! Granted, no more hiding dirty dishes behind the wall anymore, but at least now we'll have to man up and wash/dry dishes ASAP.

See the awkward end cap on this counter? We also decided to open up the walkway into the kitchen and take that sucker out so we would have a nice square edge to the counter. So we took out all of our pent up aggression on that baby and whacked it with the biggest hammers we had around the house.

Demolition Phase 1 of KR, complete! Up next, removing the sink/base cabinets.