Adios Kitchen, Hola Plumbing

Labor Day weekend day 1, and so much to report. First of all, Dad and Nolan came over bright an early (earlier than I was ready for) and got right to work. Today's focus was the Northeast bedroom/kitchen. After cutting power to the room we removed the outlets that were at counter-top level and the giant plug for the oven. They had to be removed first because their electric cords were intertwined with the cabinetry. Genius, I know. Also, when the PO put in the counter, he just notched out the trim. Thanks, jerk.


Once the cabinets were all out they met the dumpster and a trip to 'the Depot' was in order.


The pipes that run hot and cold water up to the sink had to be capped off in the basement, but nobody was comfortable with the idea of weilding a torch next to exposed insulation. We found these great caps that kind of snap on and create such a good seal that no soldering was needed. Score! The extra pipes were capped off and the extra length of copper was cut up and is awaiting a trip to be recycled. Dad says about $3/lb, so I'll have to run over and see what I can get for 'em. The PVC pipe that vents out the air from the (real) kitchen sink pops up through the floor of the bedroom and, until today, didn't enter the wall until about two to three feet up. Dad and Nolan cut some new PVC to reroute the pipe into the wall as soon as it comes through the floor. Yeah, not really the ideal end result, but it's the best we could think of. I had to go to work, but while I was gone they patched up the holes in the wall from the outlets that were removed and the big hole from the PVC fiasco. It's so great to have so much help!

The electrical wires were traced down to the breaker and removed. Grandpa, who has much more experience, came and made sure we didn't zap ourselves. One of the power lines was left to place some outlets around the room, but that'll have to wait a little bit.

So here's what the room looks like now. Disregard the walls; I've been pulling off loose chunks of paint for a while. If you look into the cabinet you can get an idea of what the plumbing looked like before we ripped it out.

While Dad and Nolan were taking out the extra copper pipes, I decided to replace the faulty valves on the upstairs bathroom sink. The faucet was in need of a trip to meet its maker too. Because I plan to replace the sink at some point I just picked up a clearance $30 faucet that looks good enough. Big mistake. The faucet didn't work when I installed it, needed to be pulled apart, poked at for a while, and reassembled. Next I notice that the valves are leaking, and I thought to myself, 'I just can't catch a break with this sink!' The sink stands, incomplete, until I can make another trip to 'the Depot' to get some supplies. I'll have to run out after work tomorrow morning. I hate the sink. I have little cuts all over my hand from something, then I got the dirt and muck from the sink in them. The worst part about doing stuff like this is when the water's off to the whole house, you can't wash your hands midway through the project.

Thats all for today.

Oh, and now the 1st floor shower leaks into the basement. This house is trying to kill me.