Remodeling Contractor

Lawnridge Kitchen Remodel: Drywall and Cabinets

Drywall is one of the dustiest parts of any remodel or addition. To prepare for it the lead carpenter tapes off the doorways to confine the dust as much as possible. The drywallers then mud, tape and sand their hearts out. After the seams are taped and blended, the walls are ready for texture. Windows, cabinets, beams and doors are masked off to keep them clean from drywall overspray.

Kitchen mudded and taped - ready for texture

Family room after the drywall has been textured

The next step in the remodel was cabinetry. As soon as the base cabinets were in, the countertop installer was able to template the base cabinets and start cutting and polishing the slabs offsite.

Island Cabinets

Kitchen Cabinets

Family Room Built-Ins

Island Cabinet with Eating Bar Support

A unique feature in this remodel was the radiant floor heat that was installed to replace the existing electric baseboard heaters in the addition. The heating for the original part of the home is through hot water radiators. By replacing their existing boiler with a tankless water heater the homeowners were able to add hydronic radiant floor heat throughout their kitchen and family room.

Plywood subfloor with tubing for flooring heat

Close up of plywood subfloor with tubing for flooring heat

Lawnridge Kitchen Remodel: Demolition and Electrical

The first week we were busy demo-ing the existing kitchen while our plumber was installing the rough plumbing. New gas lines to the range and the new fireplace were installed. The sink and plumbing shifted to the left a bit to center the sink under the window. This is a very common request we have when remodeling a kitchen with an offset sink.

The Demoed Kitchen

The Demoed Kitchen

The Demoed Family Room

This is the new, improved dishwasher for the duration of the remodel, the second one of the many reasons why staying on schedule is so crucial.

The Willinator: a Turbo-Charged Dishwasher with Personality

Once all the cabinets were removed, it was time for the electrician to start rough electrical. With no attic space above these rooms we had to remove some drywall to get the wires where they needed to be. The placement of the electrical wires was critical to the placement of the island. There is nothing worse that a light fixture that isn’t quite centered on the cabinet or table below it. Once all the electrical wires for the speakers, under cabinet lights, ceiling fan, appliances and tankless water heater (for the hydronic floor heat) were in place it was time to replace the drywall.

Rough Electrical and Plumbing

Drywall holes for pulling electrical wires

Lawnridge Kitchen Remodel

When this kitchen addition was added the original homeowners chose to ignore the architectural details of the original home. Our clients, Will and Cathy, adored the original architecture and wanted to bring the addition back to the home’s original integrity, updating the kitchen and family room at the same time.

Before photos of Kitchen

To make the kitchen more functional we enlarged its footprint and added a large island that also functions as a table. By doing this we were able to place the dishwasher in a better location and move the cook top to the island where there is more workspace. The soffits were removed to allow for taller upper cabinets and the swing door to the laundry room was exchanged for a pocket door to lessen its required space.

Boxwood Drive: Finishing Up

Even though the Blog had been down for a while, construction continued on at its natural pace and this Corvallis master bathroom remodel is now essentially done! After the wiring for the warm floor was installed, the tile was set on all the surfaces. It’s important to remember that the wires are in place after the tile is installed because you don’t want any contractors who come later to inadvertently damage the system by drilling or cutting into the floor tiles for any reason.

All the cabinetry, doors and trim are in place and finished to match the original cherry.

Tiles have been set and sealed on the tub deck and in the shower. These are the California Gold Slate which contrast nicely with the lighter porcelain floor tiles.

The entire master bathroom benefits from the light that the glass block shower window provides.

In the pictures shown here you can see that the frameless glass shower door had yet to be installed and that Barry was still experimenting with paint colors. The door is now in and he has since made his final decision on color.

In the next blog installment the room will be shown in its final, finished state.

Boxwood Drive: Cabinetry and Warm-Floors

Corvallis Blog Update (Master Bathroom):

The cabinetry and countertops have been installed and the basic massing of the new space is now complete. Even though the volume of the linen cabinet has been reduced to accommodate the door’s new location, there is plenty of usable space for towels, washcloths and all the other necessary toiletries within the new cabinet space. The new cabinet separates the tub from the shower area and will provide a convenient surface and storage area.

The next step is to prepare for the installation of stone and tile on the floor, walls and tub deck.

The tile contractor uses Brent’s rough framing for the layout of his custom shower pan. He uses a very thick solid rubber sheet, neatly folding all of the corners to create a continuous waterproof membrane with no cuts or holes except at the drain.

He then trowels the grout onto and over the membrane, carefully gauging the dimensions (especially at the curb) in order to accommodate full pieces of tile and create a perfectly square surface. Of course, he builds the proper slope into the shower floor to ensure positive drainage.

The warm-floor wires are next to be installed. First, the cement board is attached to the wood sub-floors. The joints are grouted, creating a smooth, flat and rigid surface. The system we’re installing uses braided wire cables to conduct heat evenly throughout the floor. The metal strips shown in the photo are for attaching the cables to the floor as desired.

The advantage of the cable method (as opposed to pre-fabricated mat systems) is that the installer can easily draw the cables around corners and cabinets to heat any shape the designer wants. Being completely custom, it is also more forgiving in case changes have been made to the floor plan.

The cables are carefully laid out and tested for continuity, an essential step since once they are grouted into the floor there’s no going back for repairs.

After the grout goes down it is trowelled smooth and allowed to cure for several days.

We usually try to schedule this task to be completed on a Friday so the grout cures over the weekend. Monday morning, the tiles will be ready to go down.