Monday, March 17, 2008

Kitchen Television

After much waffling on a TV for the kitchen I decided on the 23" Samsung LNT2354.



It will be mounted on the corner wall jutting out into the kitchen (you can see the outlets on the wall if you squint). The sleek whiteness of it will look great next to the crown molding, and it will be in a good position to watch TV from the breakfast bar.

_MG_0069

The house is also full of building materials thanks to Leigh's brother's help. We went to the Home Despot last Tuesday and loaded up the rental truck with drywall and lumber goodness. I definitely appreciated the help.

On a sidenote, renting a truck was cheaper than renting a wallpaper remover. Interesting.

8 comments:

Momnipotent said...

Sweeet TV. That photo of the kitchen is WOW.
Your posts say you're tiling over the existing fireplace tile? I thought you were going to leave that.
What's next while you wait for your migrant laborers to return to work?

Corey said...

After looking at the fireplace for a while

a. The vent doesn't seem to work, so no need to keep it.
b. While I liked the look of the old tile, it was chipped around the grate and I didn't like the idea of the grate and dirt around the grate it to be a focal point. Also, if I had to get a new custom grate it could have cost more than the tile work.
c. I found white subway tile for $1.50 a sq ft at Home Depot - with a white mantle and the white tile I think the fireplace will really be a centerpiece of the room!
d. My cubemate is lending me his tile saw.

Leigh and I hopefully can finish all the drywall work downstairs this weekend so the week after that, the migrant workforce agenda may be bookshelf building, painting and maybe some trim work.

Jenny said...

Corey,
Your house looks great and is my inspiration for a house I just bought in Canton. Do you happen to know anyone that does basement digouts? I have a 6'2" basement that I would like to make atleast 7'2" when finished.
Also do you know who I could contact to see about getting some labor help?
Thanks for any advice!

Corey said...

Jenny,

Thanks! I emailed a few people from craiglist about digging out the basement and they emailed back estimates of $3,200-10,000, depending on the depth. I can't remember their names and don't know of a good place specifically though. :(

What type of labor are you looking for? If you are looking for someone to do a job completely, then a GC is probably what you need, but if you are construction savvy you can work with the trades (carpenter, plumber, electrician) on your own. The GC I used on my kitchen was good and was extremely sensitive of the fact that I was living through a renovation, and really worked around this. His price was decent too. Is that what you are looking for?

Jenny said...

I take it that you decided to not dig out your basement. Any advice on why I shouldn't do it? I hear stories about the houses collapsing..so I am worried.

I would like to think that I am construction savvy at 25, but I think a GC would be a better way to start with helping me get an idea of what it would cost to get the various things around my house done. Leaving me responsible for the smaller things.
Do you mind sharing your GC?

Corey said...

The reason I chose not to dig out the basement is purely an issue of cost. For now, there are more important things to focus on on, and more importantly I'm not sure it will make it's money back on resale. For the huge cost difference (from $3.2-10k), I can handle not having much head room in the area. :)

Also, if you haven't lived in the home for a while I'd make sure your basement doesn't leak before completing this investment. Some areas in Canton (mine included) are susceptible to flooding, so you'd hate to redo it, only having to rip everything out later due to water damage. Hopefully your sump is working well, and if I did my basement I'd probably add a second sump on a different line just to make sure the place wouldn't flood.

I wouldn't worry about the house collapsing, as when you dig out you'll most likely need an engineer to come out and inspect the foundation. He should be able to determine if your foundation is good enough to dig on.

The contractor I used is Fieldstone Services. Hank was pretty nice, but not the cheapest. I'm not sure I'd mention my name as I think he's still hoping to do the second floor of my house. Too bad the money is too tight for that. :) You could contact him, or just look in the yellowpages or try craigslist for some estimates. Make sure you get plenty of them to get an idea of the range of costs.

Anonymous said...

Corey

HI Honey Mom Gave me your blog and I of course knew you would wow me....It is unbleieveable... so i would love to talk to you call me 248-568-0623 cell. loved you're pics from your safari kk cant wait plese tell mom to call me to I have new for her too...ruthieRdh@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Love your kitchen, especially the green ;). I like that TV also, I looked at it a couple months back. Please take some pictures of your new mailbox when you get it.