Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Handy-Dandy Renovations

A few months ago, in the middle of finally giving the back hall and kitchen a facelift, a reliable carpenter named Jessie walked off the job; this after several years of knowing him, trusting his workmanship, admiring his ability to execute ideas JB and I had inside our heads.
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I don't know why Jessie bolted--his partner said it was a mid life crisis--but it left JB and I without a jack-of-all-trades handyman, which to me is the same as forgetting to wear my earrings or wearing two different socks to dinner.
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I've always loved renovations. For a BRIEF (and too too difficult) time JB and I opened a restaurant in my childhood home town. We called it Tomato City for no reason and I described it as a 'slightly upscale American Cafe."
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Tomato City specialized in our version of tapas, which we called 'Piecemeals.' You could combine 3 or 4 appetizers with JB's amazing chili cheese cornbread and your choice of 4 homemade salad dressings and have a blast sharing plates and trying everything. We also had the Ms. Petunia Special, which got you soup, a half a specialty sandwich, a drink, and a homemade cookie. The Ms. Petunia Special was a big hit, even those a good number of guys whispered their way through ordering it. :^)
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Maybe one day I will write more about Tomato City. But this post is about renovations.
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We took over a dump of a restaurant named King Arthur's Buffet. It was awful. We had a very modest budget and with the help of a Jessie-like handyman (carpenter), we managed to turn the place into a cozy cafe that the Boston Globe food critic raved about and so did our customers.
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Tomato City was short lived and JB and I almost killed each other. That is another story too.
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We spent three months tearing down everything except the open kitchen and the hanging lights.
The lights were red enamel with glossy white insides and we spray painted them copper gold.
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We hired a local artist to paint four huge ceiling panels of the sky. She chose to show dawn to dusk. It was awesome.
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JB and I chose the fabric for the home made booths that Bob put together, JB made the curtains, I learned how to price and choose the carpets and flooring and table tops and chairs and dishes and this fantastic computer generated 'wax paper' that looked just like stained glass. All in all, for me, it was the equivalent of a fantastic shopping spree.
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When we were done, we received a zillion compliments that we had transformed the place on a shoestring. It was true: we had.
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So fast forward to today and the tiny kitchen at # 9. This is what Jessie walked out on. Man is it great to have a double oven, but the energy flow is bad because it's a monstrosity. It just doesn't work. Plus there is not enough counter space in the kitchen.
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Last week we found another Jessie. His name is Mike. He is going to work with us to transform the space on another shoestring. Nothing fancy, but it will be more functional and hopefully a bit funkier.
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Knock down the double oven tower, extend the counter and add a new cabinet underneath it, put in a new oven under the stove top, add a island fan unit hanging over the stove....
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and replace a few of the cabinet doors with glass fronts and distressed-looking wood and paint.
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Yesterday JB and I went to Lowe's and starting looking. Tomorrow Mike is coming to talk details.
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And: since a new counter top will be needed where the double oven used to be, and since the present counter top is old and yuk, we are splurging on a new Corian counter. Which is not in our shoestring plans, except that 4 colors are on sale for half price right now.
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JB and I were certain we would choose the brown with small orange and black specks. But it is too dark. 'Mojave' on the right will match the cabinets almost perfectly and that might be pretty bland. But for the savings we're taking our chances. We figure we can always find a way to add color.
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To be continued....meanwhile, I am squealing with non-working supervisor delight. Someone else does all the work and I get to enjoy the results: one of my favorite past times.
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Love
kj

20 comments:

  1. Wow, you gals are sure high energy people. It sure looks good. Good luck with your new Jessie.

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  2. I didn't know that about the restaurant, KJ - very cool. I'm looking forward to seeing the remodel - I had a blast picking materials for mine.

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  3. kj~ I am so impressed with your litany of talents, abilities, accomplishments, creativity, energy, the list go on and on.
    As for Jessie, there may be some psychological issue (depression, bi-polar) that made him bail.

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  4. Tomato City totally sounds like my kind of restaurant! I so love appetizers and sharing! I do hope you share more about it. (When I worked as a mural/ decorative painter I painted lots of skies!)

    I can't wait to watch your remodel... very, very cool.

    xo
    Kristin

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  5. snow, i've had a 'checkered' career, that's for sure :) i'm hopeful about our new jessie.

    cs, you are a remodel guru! i love what you've done in your home. and you are so right about picking out materials and deciding how things will look. nothing but fun as long as you can handle the turbulence! :)

    margaret, thank you as always! i agree about jessie. i wish he could have handled things differently. i was kind of mad at him at the end, since he left a couple of things unfinished. my motto: never cut what can be untied. i've found it to be very wise advice. xoxo

    kristin, you are so talented! i loved your post today. yes, i know you would have liked tomato city. we were ahead of the curve: we had one of the first tazo tea bars and sold smoothies before smoothies were common. i will do a post on it all one of these days. ♥

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  6. Oh this sounds wonderful!!!!!!
    And I love the ideas.
    The restaurant looked great and I am sure you will do (or Mike) a great job here again.
    I love renovations. After 17 years in a row I was so fed up with it ....but now I love smaller renovations in which you can see your home improve step by step.
    We are having problems with the sewer so probably we will move the toilet and make a new floor in our kitchen.
    I have a few other renovations in mind but unfortunately we don't have the money for them right now.

    I think your kitchen will be fabulous without that big oven tower.

    I like that dark counter though seems practicle.I have a light one with some specks and somehow it seems like it is never clean.But maybe that is not in the color but the pattern.

    Wishing you fun with your renavation!!!

    ♥♥♥
    >M<

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  7. Wow! i loved this post (loved the last one too, just didn't get a chance to comment, i shall go back).

    You and JB are so amazing and creative. your place looks so lovely, even as it is. But your ideas (great!) will be a wonderful improvement i'm sure.

    I would have gone to your restaurant and ordered the ms. petunia special for sure, yum! I love everything you did in Tomato city.

    I love it all kj, what you've done so far and your vision for the future. I could never figure all that out, so maybe thats why i've only lived through one unexciting renovation in my life.

    best of luck with the new carpenter!
    xxx

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  8. marianne, i like the small renovations too. sewer problems? yuk. i don't like those kind of repairs! you are right about the dark counter top. i love the color and specks. but it is too dark for a small space. black would work, actually, but black is not on sale :)

    lori, i would like you to come to my house. i will cook breakfast for you. :^)

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  9. Too bad about Tomato City ! After so much work it is a shame to close it down :-(

    Look forward to see the results of your next renovation.

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  10. I loved so much looking at your Tomotoe City and kitchen. So exciting to see you have a better suited kitchen. I know what you mean about thoughs larder cupboards in a small kitchen. My kitchen is about the same size as your with a larder in it and I would love to have more work space. So it'll be exciting to see the change in yours. Give me inspiration!
    Oh, I so love it when you talk about Renee, by she's so missed!
    I bet you also feel her energy and love. I do feel she's helping guide my path. Renee our true angel!
    Thank you Kj, your a shinning star!
    Lovexx
    Julie

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  11. I hope you have a plan and stick to it because it's when you're just sort of winging it that the budget doubles. I still say you have twice the counter space we have inour kitchen.

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  12. The reno's sound wonderful and will open up that area - lovely

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  13. gosh, you reno'd a restaurant, were written up, managed all the restaurant tasks you are a woman of many talents for sure. glad you and JB didnt succeed in killing each other, LOL.

    Your new kitchen plans sound great. I say go for the white as as you say you can add color in other ways. Hope yr new Jessie works out.

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  14. ps love the idea of the sky panels in the restaurant and the Miss Petunia meal.

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  15. sidney, i was exhausted and heartbroken to close tomato city down. it was that or my relationship! and, i was the grand hostess, not the grand chef. now i laugh about it and say we should have had a 'bring your own food'restaurant :)

    julie, our renee: forever strong. xo

    mark, well if your counter space is that small, i'm canceling my plans to show up at your place for dinner :) thanks for the advice on expanding costs. how true. i am trying hard to stay within a budget that doesn't have much room to stretch xo

    mim, i'm super excited ♥

    thank you suki. you would have liked the menu. and yes to the lighter countertops xo
    m

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  16. oh i can relate, kj having renovated our kitchen in this house twice in the past 23 years.....it's awful to go through but so worth it in the end (yes, those contractor issues.......yuk yuk yuk.)

    but your ideas are great and i'm sure the end result will be gorgeous.. and btw this whole restaurant story has me intrigued -- it looks quite like the amazing place! can't believe you did that - restaurant work is some of the hardest around with the long, late hours, cranky chefs etc. looking forward to a post about tomato city sometime soon, i hope ;-)

    xxx

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  17. Yet, another surprize.
    I have always wanted to own a resturaunt.
    The most interesting people have the most varied backgrounds I think!
    I love the ideas with the kitchen, that will open that baby right up and make more work space. I actully love the lighter counter top and you walls are bright and cheery and spots of color else where will do it. I think you will appreciate the light in the workspace more than the dark counter and the money saved??? It is a cinch!
    Have fun with the renovate. I can hardly wait to see and hear more about the coffee shop!

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  18. Ooh excitement I can't wait until the bulldozer goes through my place frankly. Good luck, I hope 'Mike' sticks around for the duration. The restaurant looks aweseome

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  19. I thought I commented on this post, but maybe it's because we talked about it over the phone.

    I can't believe how you two transformed that restaurant! Wow! I love the sky panels.

    Whatever your choices are for this facelift, I know it will be classy and wonderful. That's the way the whole house is and the two gals that reside there ;)

    xoxo
    Lo♥

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  20. Love the restaurant-very warm and inviting--no surprise. And the joys of homeownership when plans go awry is frustrating but sounds like you pushed on and are back on track! I'd love new countertops!

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