Sourcing Electrical Switch Plates for the Kitchen Backsplash

It’s wonderful to have this glorious tile for the kitchen backsplash, but what to do about the outlets? I don’t want them to look like sore thumbs. The industry promises new solutions for the glass tiles but has not delivered as yet.

This might be the perfect color!

Since I’ve used Lutron Diva switches in the remodel, it would be great to continue with that theme. The issue is color. None of the colors seem right. Dark would be the best, but black is going too far. Satin colors look pastel and inappropriate against the shimmery glass tile. Next best might be the gloss brown color in the designer series. I’ve ordered one double gang switch plate from dimmers.net (found in a Google search) to check for color compatibility.

STATUS UPDATE: For those of you who’ve been wanting to ask, we are waiting for more tile to come in. The original order was a bit shy. Turns out that a square foot of tile may not really be a full square foot of tile.

Camera Missing a Part… Aaaaargh!

Just a quick update to tell you what’s up. In all the chaos of a remodel, things invariably get moved around and stuffed in boxes willy nilly. At least I HOPE that’s what happened to my camera cable. If not, I’ll be taking a trip to my local electronics retailer to find a suitable replacement. First, I have a few more boxes to examine.

Oh, and the tiling has begun in the kitchen. In the effort to keep costs down, the order was conservative—10% extra was ordered. However, we ran short. Apparently each tile block does not cover a true square foot. So, we wait…

My Camera is BACK from Sony Repair in Laredo, Texas

F I N A L L Y ! ! !  Yes, my camera arrived via UPS today—back from the Sony repair shop!

Thanks go to my BIL, Neil, for finding the Sony offer on the web and confirming that my camera was covered for the specific issue mentioned in the Sony offer. Turned out to be a defective part. The $20. was for shipping and handling. The repair was free. I’d say that was $20.00 well spent.

In the meantime, thanks to Jon Hensley, Ian Sanderson and Stacy Felish for their photos of my house.

Only the best shelf liner for this kitchen!

Damon Stewart Wright, kitchen contractor and designer, recommended I try Plast-O-Mat ribbed shelf liner. He uses it in his own kitchen too.  It works beautifully! In fact, I was so happy with it that I wrote my first epinions.com review! You can find this liner at Container Store and Bed, Bath and Beyond… and online, of course.

Kitchen Sneak Peek

Well, I’m still waiting for the backsplash tile to come in, but here is a sneak peek of the kitchen. You can see a small swatch of the aforementioned tile propped up against the back of the cooktop in the next image below. The countertop appears to by shiny but it’s only an illusion as the overhead lights are glaring a bit in this photo.

Pulls are Restoration Hardware 'Aubrey' in Oil Rubbed Bronze.

This cooktop is a workhorse!

Fast Forward – the Alcove in Pictures

Would you have imagined that the alcove could become such a beautiful space? There are many reasons to hire an architect, but this is a great example of how the vision of the architect makes the project so much more.

The alcove, from start to finish.

Credit goes to Cedar Ridge Builders as well, especially Mario, the lead carpenter, who conceived and built the creative shelving to utilize every cubic inch of space.

“There is a hammer on your roof.”

Something funny happened yesterday. My dear next door neighbor called to tell me there had been a hammer on my roof for several months. His home is the only one with a view of my roof, as it sits a bit higher on the knoll next door. He noticed the familiar trucks in front of my house and thoughtfully presumed there would be someone who could retrieve the hammer.

Turns out the missing hammer belonged to Jimmy. Since Jimmy didn’t work on the roof, it was easy to figure out what happened. Someone (who shall remain nameless) borrowed the hammer and left it on the roof when the job was finished. Now the hammer is all rusty and ’someone’ will by buying a new one for Jimmy. Meanwhile, with no ladders on site, one of the crew scrambled onto the roof from a second floor window and retrieved the hammer.

Another little remodel drama…

Setting Up the New Kitchen

Well, now I have a beautiful new kitchen (almost there), I’ve been putting in drawer liners and planning where everything will go. This galley kitchen is not huge, but has so much storage I can put the vacuum cleaner in the pantry. (It’s only an idea.)

Already I know it will be a dream to cook in this kitchen. Everything is close and convenient, right where it should be. Above the wall oven is custom vertical shelving for cookie sheets, roasting pans and lids, trays—items that used to be stacked on top of the refrigerator. To the left of the oven is a baking area with the mixer, spices, flours, mixing bowls and baking pans. To the left of the sink is an appliance garage with the food processor and mini-chop. Immediately below the counter is a wide shallow drawer with all of the blades and components for the processors. (No more digging in the back of a deep cupboard for the plastic bin.) Photos soon, I promise!

Donating A Refrigerator to Habitat for Humanity

Today I called my local Habitat for Humanity to find out about donating my refrigerator. Along with the kitchen remodel came new appliances, leaving me with a large Amana. It works beautifully, but it’s—well, white—and would be an eyesore in the new kitchen.

How does it work? When directed by the phone tree to the extension for donation of household goods and building supplies, I left a message. In less than a half hour I had a call back. Very efficient! As long as the fridge is not more than ten years old, they may be interested. My pickup window is this Saturday. All I have to do is put it out by the curb for the HFH truck.

Working out the kinks or HVAC 101

Why, oh why, is the upstairs bathroom radiator not working? Everything else is nice and toasty and that one stubborn radiator remains stone cold. Let me tell you it’s a shock to go into that room in the morning!

Contractor, Ian Sanderson (his real name, aka Mr. Barnum in earlier posts), came to the rescue. This is where long time experience comes in handy. Ian surmised that the current pump was simply not up to the task after the addition of three three new radiators in the downstairs addition. Turns out he was right. Ian added a new pump today and the upstairs radiator magically became hot.

And the project moves one step closer to completion. Yay!