We are now at the finish line of the Great Man Cave Project of 2010. The basement is finished, soundproofed and ready for the return of electrified guitars and extreme decibels. Not so sure the neighbours are, though.
Furnishings are the next big decision. My girlfriend picked up a great pine blanket box at a garage sale that can serve as storage for all the wires, cords and gadgets, as well as separate the room into a music section and chill section.
The basement bathroom with frameless glass shower is functioning nicely. One important piece that I picked up on a lark at Home Depot is a rainwater showerhead for $60 that can be detached as a handheld. I was told that rainwater fixtures were both expensive and fussy when it came to water pressure, so this was a nice surprise and it works like a charm.
The kitchen, well, that's another story. It took longer than expected, and the final product has left me a little deflated. That's surprising considering I never expected to get emotionally attached to the kitchen. I just knew it needed to be improved upon its existing look circa the 1960s.
The main elements include smoky black ceramic floor tiles and white backsplash tiles from Olympia Tile, light yellow paint on the walls and black granite countertops. The Ikea cabinetry is an off-white collection that has a slight pastoral feel, but with modern lines and handles (about $2,400).
My contractor, Douglas Field, is a recent convert to the Ikea product. He had been skeptical of the quality in the past, but said a couple of recent experiences had changed his mind. I have to agree. The doors and shelves are very solid, and the drawers and doors feature a mechanism that allows them to close slowly without slamming.
On top of the new halogen potlights, I purchased a hanging "teardrop" light from Rona to illuminate the new eat-in counter as a room accent. Yet another surprise: my newfound enthusiasm for interior design that has been kept well hidden for 30-odd years.
I'm satisfied with the layers of the look. What is bothering me is an awkward cabinet above the breakfast counter. Half a wall was taken out between the kitchen and the dining room to open up both rooms and install an eat-in area on one end of the counter. I had a bank of three frosted-glass-door cabinets installed above this counter, on the design advice of Mr. Field.
Now that they're installed, access to the upper reaches of them is very difficult and you can't get at them from straight ahead without climbing on the counter. I had Mr. Field install articulated hinges on two of the doors so they could at least swing open to 180 degrees, which helped somewhat. But the flaw is eating away at me.
I am told this is normal after a big project, and the only thing to do is to breathe deeply, close your eyes, and think about the new appliances. But this was avoidable with more careful planning, and more oversight and standing firm with the contractor on my part.
Then there's the gaping space around the stove and microwave. There was an opportunity to build more storage or shelving into this space, but it is now bare and looks unfinished. Again, this could have been addressed by consulting a professional designer for advice (and extra cost).
This problem will not be that hard to fix since there's nothing to rip out. In fact, a portable counter would probably do the trick. Still, such a purchase seems like a band-aid solution.
One of the things that attracted me to a single general contractor was there would be no need to deal with sub-trades. One big lesson I've learned from this project is that the client should never be afraid to second-guess the contractor and seek second opinions.
The final tally for the project came in at just over $35,000, not including appliances (about $2,500) and other furnishings. I was satisfied with the quality of the work and the finishes, and was impressed with Mr. Field's diligence in keeping things as organized as possible and quickly disposing of trash.
There were definitely a fair share of structural gremlins to work around in an old house like this, and so it took about a month-and-a-half longer than it should have, but that came as no surprise.
I'm generally satisfied that whatever nagging problems I might see aren't without solutions. But on the next big project, I'm definitely going to spend more time mapping out different concepts with a professional designer before one hammer enters the house.