At Christmas last, if you recall, I was whining about my kitchen floor which had suffered damage the previous summer when the dishwasher leaked under the floor causing ripples, lumps, and other unsightly rises in the vinyl floor covering. They don't show in the picture to the left, but I promise you they were there in numerous places, and each flooring estimator who came to give me a number stopped outside the door to the kitchen, and you could just see the $$$ rolling in his eyes, just like those gizmos on slot machines. What had happened was that the water leaked and collected on the slab foundation; the floor, however, was on screeds and raised above the slab. Consequently the floor warped, and the screeds were rotting. Got that?
After three estimates from flooring places I finally decided on one, and work got under way.
All the appliances were removed from the kitchen and placed in my dining area---an extension of the living room, and the fridge and freezer were plugged in there. Still usable if I could squeeze my chunky body in between them. I did have the foresight to have them put the microwave in the LR so I could use it. As you can see it was a little tight.
To make a long story a little shorter the kitchen remained below the level of all the rest of the house for five weeks. This was not the fault of the flooring people, but because I obstinately held out for the concrete drying out, and the screeds replaced without putting down a sealant on the concrete which would add an additional cost. It did occur to me after two weeks of microwaved frozen dinners that I have a gas grill outside with a side burner, and I really could cook decent meals. (Double duh!) Five weeks of this:
Once I bit the bullet and again came into reality work resumed, and the new screeds were put down. That night after the screeds were installed we had a horrific thunderstorm which produced over 6" of rain and knocked down half of my red maple that I planted three years ago. The loss of half the tree was sad enough, but everything was so wet outside the workmen couldn't put in the floor the next day because there wasn't a dry place to use their power tools. So, on we went for another day.
It was finally accomplished; they moved all the appliances back, and cleaned up mightily. The company also followed my design for the floor, and I have no complaints against them or their service or workmanship. How often can you say that about a company these days? They were exceedingly patient with me.
So how did it turn out? Take a look and let me know what you think.
Oh, Yes! Many thanks to Chillax and Jaz for allowing me to do laundry at their house in the long haul. Everyone appreciated that.
