It has been a little over 24 hours since I touched down at Singapore Changi airport. My flight arrived a couple hours late thanks to a cabin pressure failure that sent us back to Tokyo shortly after taking off. But I am now safe in my new temporary home and fighting the jetlag as I get ready for my first day of work.
I only have 72 hours left in the state of California, but today I have finished the kitchen. I feel a sense of pride and sorrow over this project. I love the work that I have done (with generous help from my friend Antonio) but am disappointed that the kitchen will be first enjoyed by renters.
(On that subject, my new property management may have already found a renter. The lease is not signed yet, but my fingers are crossed.)
Only two tasks were needed today to finish the kitchen but a few more have been done since my last update to this blog. Today the dishwasher’s toe kick was installed and the my contractor installed the replacement cabinet doors. Since the last update I have extended the kitchen wall paint into the eating area and done other odds-and-ends.
I am relieved to have completed on time.
The side spray and air gap for my new sink finally arrived this week. That allowed my contractors to finish the dishwasher install. My kitchen store also sent out a contractor to modify the cabinets so the cooktop properly settles into its countertop cutout. My old pot rack was reinstalled and the new cabinet doors with glass windows were installed. I am only a few touch-up items away from completion!
This morning I officially accepted a job in Singapore. I am now three weeks away from becoming a US expatriate. A week before that I will be without a home, living out of two suitcases meant to last me the six weeks it will take to get settled. My anxiety over this move grows but so does my excitement. Exactly what waits for me at the far side of this adventure remains unclear.
A frenzy of activity marked the Friday afternoon appliance installation. My contractor’s crew were connecting hoses and wires and the appliance movers were shuttling bulky items up and down the stairs. The manual was missing from the dishwasher, the cooktop was not present in the shipment, and the dishwasher lacked the features I ordered. We resolved these problems and got the kitchen to a mostly-finished state.
The one big problem that remains is that the cabinets do not properly hold the Thermador oven. As a result, the Thermador cooktop cannot rest flush against the countertop. See the picture below. The store that sold me the cabinets and appliances is sending over an installer next week to take a look at the kitchen. Presumably they are going to do some in-place modification of the cabinets to make things fit. From my assessment of the situation, there is very little room for error in their changes.
On Wednesday my contractor installed the marble wall tile with two horizontal glass tile features. As expected, his work was fantastic. My kitchen would be done today if we were not waiting for the delivery of the second cooktop and second dishwasher. Those were supposed to come today, but that turned into “tonight” as the day progressed. My contractor says that he will come by tomorrow to finish up.
The first (and only) mistake of my contractor’s team is the additional, unneeded holes they drilled in my above-countertop cabinets. I am installing handles for everything below the countertop and knobs for everything above. One of the workers mistakenly drilled two holes for the above-countertop cabinets which means one hole too many. There is a picture below of the cabinet door after he attempted to fix the superfluous hole. New cabinet doors are on the way.
This morning the new countertop was installed. The material is quartz, made by Caesarstone. It took 10 business days from measurement to install. It has been two and a half weeks since this project began and the work has been non-stop except for the end of last week as we waited for the countertop’s delivery.
My wall tile will be installed tomorrow and that project may take a couple days. The appliances and faucet also need to go in but I may be waiting a few more days for everything to be available. But I am hopeful that I can cook a big meal for myself and friends this weekend.
Sunday morning Ruth and I drove an hour south of our homes to Aromas, CA, the home of TLC Ranch. We know of TLC Ranch because of the high-quality eggs they sell at the Mountain View farmer’s market every Sunday. It was at that market that we met one of the farm’s owners, Jim Dunlop. At his stall Jim laid out pictures of his farm and its animals: cows, chickens, and impossibly cute piglets. One look at the pictures and I knew this business would command my loyalty.
Late this week the pendant and under-cabinet lights were installed in the kitchen. Also, the remaining floor tile edges were grouted. I have a new dishwasher installed, too. Unfortunately it is not the one I ordered! A new one will be delivered and installed next week.
I also picked up the tile for the backsplash for the wall behind the oven and hood. It will be installed after the countertop, which comes Monday.
My contractors are nearly finished with the kitchen. They have completed the cabinet installation, pantry redesign, pocket door replacement, furnace installation, and electrical work. While I am at work today they are painting the walls and ceiling. Eight days into the project they are on break until the countertop shows up.
Just a few minutes ago I received a call from the tile maker that my tile has arrived from the factory so I can pick it up this weekend. If the countertop is delivered on schedule, it will be in place on Monday. That means the wall tile can be installed and the appliances will follow. I may a week away from a fully completed job!
On to the pictures…