Open the Doors to 2010

Spring is here! To kick off the 2010 project season, we are focusing on doors. The basement doors, trim and finishes, and our front door. So, there's Dan peeking out from his favorite closet in the basement. And below, a picture of our house, and a zoom into the front door. We have a lot of work to do!

Presenting...

On my last post of 2009, I present a before, during and after of one of our largest projects, the kitchen.

Before (well, the cabinet was usually attached to the wall)

During

and, After

Happy New Year! 2010 Will bring some new surprises, so look back in the new year for more projects!

Kitchen Favorites

Before the final 'After' pictures of the finished kitchen, Here are a few highlights of some of my most favorite elements of our new kitchen.

Microwave Boxes: With a gap on each side of the microwave, we used this extra space to make two small boxes, one in which we keep a cook book, and on the other, our cutting boards. Easy access, and a great use of space.

Knife Strip:We did away with the wood blocks that took up a lot of counter space, and added a simple magnetic strip for knives and scissors.
Trimmed out fridge: Dan took the iniative to trim out all around the fridge, giving it a great built in look!
Black Granite: Installing black granite was actually a last minute decision, but one I am glad we made. The granite looks excellent against our white sink and cabinets.

Range Hood: Dan did a GREAT job finishing out the range hood.


Spicket: Dan got this at a furniture store that was going out of business, and I love it! It's very large, but it reaches all crevices in the sink, and scours dirty pans. Also like that it is from the Chicago Faucet Company, just cuz it's local.

DIY Cabinet

There is an interesting cutout in our kitchen wall. To make it into a large appliance cabinet, we had two doorframes custom made along with our other cabinets.


Using corks we had saved, we made the top two panels into corkboards, and using chalkboard paint, we painted two pieces of plywood. Presto! A formerly awkward space is now put to good use!

Dan's workshop

We found a great old library card catalog and transformed it into a great addition to Dan's workshop. It works really well! It smells like a church or library, too.

This is Dan's favorite drawer

Wine Room!

Dan found wine racking on Craigslist and fashioned it into a wine room. Here's a few pics






Future project: Dan will install this cooler and we will install an exterior grade door, making this room the perfect temperature for all of our vino!

Fire!

This December, Dan climbed onto the roof to install the 'RS Exhausto Chimney Fan' Why? Well, because every time we attempted a fire, smoke would billow into our house, making all contents smell like we live in a bbq pit.
He watched the weather daily, waiting for a day that didn't rain, freeze or snow. So, when the day came, he called Bret and the two ran up and down the stairs, up and down the ladder, installing the fan and running the electricity:


Dan was delighted to find that the gang box was already large enough to accomodate a new switch for the fan. Fire!!