Flushy Flushy

The plumber was here this morning and thank all that's holy the toilet went right back on the wall! He said it was close, but close enough to line back up with the pipe. He also changed out the supply line and flapper and inside thing (so technical). He said it's like a brand new toilet now - I say he knows how to make a 20 minute call in to a 70 minute call! But whatever - at least we know it's all good. He even poked a hole in the wall to make sure it wasn't leaking (guess who gets to fix that).

Second photo is the vanity we picked out last weekend to replace our discontinued model... not 100% sure if I like it yet... I did buy a narrower medicine cabinet to go with it - and the cabinet is black so it will match better. You can see the scar from the old vanity - it's about half as deep almost as wide.

updates updates updates

OK - busy busy busy! We went on Saturday to our granite guys shop and looked at a slab of granite. The guys are very cool and met us at 8 am on a Saturday. Whoo-hooo. The piece is very pretty and I think it'll be gorgeous in our place. We also picked out a undermount sink that isn't perfectly square, but will be a little more modern. I also ordered the faucet today from homedepot's website.

And we're still working away on doors - I'm almost ready to

put pulls on now though. We had a problem with the gigantic cabinet over the fridge - the doors looked like a couple of drunks - so E finally figured out that the cabinet was out of square in the front. We couldn't deal so he took it back down, removed the back panel and re-squared and re-nailed the back piece on (if you ever do IKEA anything that back piece of particle board is apparently very critical to the overall structure and stability).

After visiting our granite on Saturday we went and ordered our remaining appliances. Except that our fridge is out of stock. But we were able to get our dishwasher - and we're having it installed by a professional (oooooh). E didn't want to mess with electricity and water (can't say I blame him). That should be here in the next week (I hope). We also swung by a tile store and got our backsplash material. Originally I was going to go with a matte white marble in 1 x 2 inch bricks. But once I got there with a sample of the cabinets and the granite - the marble didn't look so hot. E found some stainless bricks in the same size - they were 2x as much, but we only needed 8.5 sq ft so we really didn't break the bank. We got a black grout to use with the stainless... it should look hot!

Our granite guy will be back tomorrow night to make his template then we should have a sink and countertops (that aren't plywood) in 10 days! yipee! It almost looks like a kitchen!!! Enjoy some progress photos. (oooh, plywood and undercabinet lights - how chic!)

:)

Got a cabinet quote

Searching around, a lot of people recommend scherrs.com so I thought I'd get a quote. So I sent my estimates of the sizes (stupid IKEA doesn't tell you the exact door and drawer dimensions - and I guess this is why). I had them quote a alder wood with a dull finish. And the estimate came back about 2x what I thought it'd be - granted, there's shipping involved, but I was shocked none the less. This goes back to my core problem of being a horrible cheapskate! But, it's still not terrible - I wrestling with the cost now. If I do the custom fronts at this price point, I'll have to wait to buy the appliances - which doesn't necessarily end the world as we know it. But up to now I was pretty much right on my budget. Of course Greenmaker my yet save the day - we'll see what they come up with. Their cabinet manufacturer is in Wisconsin, so maybe that will make a difference?? My main concern is putting too much money into the kitchen. If I were in a house, I'd be tempted to invest more, but since it's a condo, and a tight market to boost - I don't want to go too crazy! I dunno. I'm just rambling now, so I think I'll keep poking around. Maybe my wonderful Mother will come and visit and go shopping with me one day and give me some alternate opinions (hint hint Mom).

IKEA alternative

In the search for different cabinet fronts, I found a company out on Pulaski in Chicago, Greenmaker Building Supply. I went in for cabinet fronts, which they will absolutely do. Although I will have to drill the hinges myself (or hire someone to do it). Or Michelle (salesperson) said that her company is introducing a new product line of modular cabinetry, made from sustainable forest and with no off-gassing VOC or formaldehyde in the varnish and cabinets. She said it is brand new, they haven't officially launched the product line yet, but she has been doing sample orders and the pricing is very competitive with IKEA. I like the idea of a greener cabinet, although IKEA is very concious. These cabinets would be maple on the inside and I chose a Alder wood, which Michelle said is common inside furniture, but is becoming very popular and it's more sustainable than old growth and slow growth trees like Walnut. I'll try to get a link to the cabinet makers site, that will show the door style I chose. It is liek a shaker cabinet only with a 6-8" frame instead of a 2" frame. It makes it look very modern. But it's mostly drawers anyway - which will all be flat-front.

Here are the cabinet styles from Michelle:


and here are the alder stain options - I like the nutmeg I think (3rd row, first example) This company has tons of options... I like the idea of being able to get that custom kitchen look without that custom kitchen price!!

Found a floor guy

Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, we found a floor guy. He came from Angie's List and was reviewed well. The only issue is that he wants to sand the floor in the entire apartment so you won't notice the repair. whoo-hoo! So I think I can pile a lot of the furniture in the bedroom and bathroom - at least that area is far enough a way to not notice too much. Removing everything would be almost impossible. We may be able to put some stuff in the basement temporarily as well. What a total pain in the butt!! I could wait and re-sand the whole place when we sell - but then it'll just look bad until then. **sigh**