Irons

Looking at their pretty pictures, I see they have cabinets that look like they came off the floor at Home Depot and were installed the same way. I do believe I see granite countertops, too.

I recently got a book called Bungalow Kitchens (by Jane Powell, Linda Svendsen (Photographer)) which you can see at

that has some great photos of bungalow kitchens. They put cabinets up to the ceiling. They did not have soffits and airspaces. What space there was, they used, but the kitchens tended to be small - "efficient"

These are pretty stoves, and appliances, but I understand they're costly, too. Another site to look at (for fun) is

Pogonip wrote in news:4556b588$ snipped-for-privacy@news.bnb-lp.com:

i didn't even notice the cabinets... so, i went back & looked at the 'owner gallery' photos. every one of the antique-look stoves is in a very modern design kitchen. how bizzare. my grandma's very 20s kitchen has high ceilings & to-the- ceiling cabinets. that's where one stores the holiday dishes or entertaining pieces so they are accessable but out of the way. i have relatively low ceilings (8' down & 7' up, i think) but to-the-ceiling cabinets. i'm pretty sure people who leave airspace above the cabinets have no cats & hire housecleaners... i don't have any kind of vent fan over my stove so i may be jaded by the greasy dust all over my house... i'd like to have a soapstone sink (we had a soapstone laundry sink in one of the houses i lived in growing up), but i'd prefer wood or stainless steel covered counters. i'd settle for a decent laminate though :)

lee

I have no patience with wasted space. Which is not to say that I don't waste space myself, but I don't want it in the basic design. There is absolutely no reason that I can see for cabinets that leave a space above or that block off space with a soffit. As you say, that's where you store the seldom used, but sometimes essential items - rather than in the attic, the garage or the basement.

I would also like a new sink - mine has deeply worn enamel, not possible to keep clean-looking, although it's actually clean (sometimes.....) I want one large enough to put my big pans and pots into for cleaning. I've got a double-bowled sink, neither side (which are identical) is large enough for a skillet and handle, so I go through incredible gyrations trying to wash the bigger pans. No soaking possible.

The countertop, what there is and that's not much, is tile and the surface is worn in places. Regrouted a few years ago, which helped, but a solid surface would be nice, although I have no interest in what looks to me like compressed mud. Stainless isn't - stainless, that is, and requires too much maintenance for me.

Outgrowing 62 acres??? You have livestock? Soybeans and alfalfa? Our

90x160 yard often seems far too large - we've covered quite a bit of it with brick patio. Resale is not a question for me - I've picked out a spot for my ashes to go, and the kids can sort it out -- one of them wants to live here. He can buy out the other three.

Pogonip wrote in news:455777bc$ snipped-for-privacy@news.bnb-lp.com:

i have one like that, only stainless (and you're correct. they aren't stainless!). i can sort of wedge the cast iron skillets in if i try really hard, but they kind of 'float', they won't sit on the bottom. i think one big bowl would be more useful.

true... but that fancy granite requires a LOT more. the solid surface, like Corian, is nice. my mom has that (and a granite topped island, which is almost as good as marble for candy making, but she doesn't do any food prep on it)

livestock. 5 llamas, 4 goats (2 milking does, one angora wether & a pygmy/dwarf nigerian wether that was the companion for the stud llama before he was gelded. the stud was afraid of him so that didn't work well), & 26 chickens (7 of which are roosters). i have to buy hay for the winter. we have no room for growing it. we also make maple syrup, with 20 acres of sugarbush. we're doing some forestry this winter & that should add another 5-6 acres to the sugarbush & give us some really good hardwood timber in 12 years. and there's 20 acres of wetlands, but there's a mama moose living in there so that's cool.

lee

When I gutted my kitchen, we found the "soffits" were made using

2X10s! What a waste of lumber and space. Unfortunately, some of the electrical had to be re-routed, as they had used that space for running wires. But I had my new wall cabinets made 40" tall, and I agree, that top shelf is wonderful for storing seldom-used pieces.

One of my absolute *must haves* when I remodeled my kitchen three years ago was a huge deep sink with a smaller sink beside it for the garbage disposal. I special ordered a SS undermount sink which is 21"X16"X10" deep (made by Kohler). Ahhhhhhh... I have yet to find anything I can't get in there. ;-) Having the smaller side sink is great, too.

I never even considered either tile (I *hate* grout) or SS. I took a look at some of the Corian-Silestone products thinking they would be cheaper than slab granite, which is what I really wanted. When I got all the estimates, I found that the "solid surface" alternatives were very close to being the same price as granite, so I went with my first choice. I love it!

My 70X160 lot keeps getting bigger! I know this is true, because it takes more and more of my effort to keep everything tidy! :-( Neither of my DDs would have my place if I gifted it to them, so they can sell it and split the proceeds after I die. :-|

Beverly

Sometimes I think about butcherblock counters, but that's work, too, to maintain. *sigh* Corian or new tile may be the answer.

Do you spin? Knit? Weave? Animals are funny, aren't they? No two are alike, no matter what kind of animal. No livestock here, but I feed the wild birds and some feral cats. The scrub jays will leave no peanut unplanted (sometimes eaten), and I laugh and laugh to watch them picking over the peanuts on the platform feeder - picking one up, dropping it, selecting another until they get just the "right" one, flying off and sticking it in the ground!! Then back for another until they're all gone. It started with one jay, then two, now I seem to have an army of them and an occasional Steller's jay as well. They must be text messenging my address.

A waste not only of space, but expensive lumber!

OK, now I have sink envy, although I would not want another SS sink. I've had them in the past and between the noise and the spotting....

The thing I like about the Corian I've seen is that it comes in light colors and doesn't have that "amalgam" look that the granite does. Also, I understand it requires no maintenance unlike the granite.

We were faced with a large lot and low water pressure. The water company has nicely explained that we are at the very top of the line, so we get only what's left after everyone else - which means that nobody on our street has water pressure. In Reno, if you don't water, you have no grass, trees, shrubs, flowers - nothing. First we put in a sprinkler system so we could run it in the middle of the night when we didn't need water for showers, laundry, etc. But if we follow the two-day a week watering rules, it's not enough to keep things alive. So we started building patios. Just concrete brick, red colored and brick shaped, set on a gravel and sand base -- no mortar. Bordered by pressure-treated lumber. Looks good. So we did one patio. Then another. Then we did a series of small "overlapping" patios to connect the two. Then we put a walkway to the apartment upstairs. Then we bordered that parking space with bricks. The last was to add patio from the back door around the back porch to the patios behind. Other parts of the yard have chips or rock, and we will probably add more of that. The more cover, the less watering and mowing to do.

We have a cedar gazebo beside the upper patio, a chiminea and some benches on one of the middle ones, a picnic table with umbrella on the lower one, and a bistro set and barbeque on the side. I'm looking at yard swings......

Pogonip wrote:

Well, yes, but keep in mind, I live in "lumber" country. Also, I think the cost of framing lumber was not quite so dear in 1970...

It's a matter of individual preference, I think. I like SS, and hate the cleaning of porcelain, which in my experience marks with every pot or pan you put in it. I am much happier using steel wool on the sink periocially.

I put Corian countertops and integrated sink in my downstairs bathroom which we finally finished in 1995. I like it very much there, but I would not like it in a kitchen. I also like the "real" look of my granite, the Corian is so obviously man-made. BTW, granite comes in hundreds (thousands?) of colors. I selected a granite called "Kashmir White" because I wanted a very light colored countertop. I am very happy with it.

> We were faced with a large lot and low water pressure. The > water company has nicely explained that we are at the> very top of the line, so we get only what's left after> everyone else - which means that nobody on our street has> water pressure. In Reno, if you don't water, you have no> grass, trees, shrubs, flowers - nothing. First we put in> a sprinkler system so we could run it in the middle of> the night when we didn't need water for showers, laundry,> etc. But if we follow the two-day a week watering rules,> it's not enough to keep things alive. So we started> building patios. Just concrete brick, red colored and> brick shaped, set on a gravel and sand base -- no mortar.> Bordered by pressure-treated lumber. Looks good. So we> did one patio. Then another. Then we did a series of> small "overlapping" patios to connect the two. Then we> put a walkway to the apartment upstairs. Then we> bordered that parking space with bricks. The last was to> add patio from the back door around the back porch to the> patios behind. Other parts of the yard have chips or> rock, and we will probably add more of that. The more> cover, the less watering and mowing to do.> We have a cedar gazebo beside the upper patio, a chiminea> and some benches on one of the middle ones, a picnic> table with umbrella on the lower one, and a bistro set> and barbeque on the side. I'm looking at yard> swings......

Sounds fabulous! I love my yard, and took a long time deciding on whether to stay here after DH was killed. I will continue to enjoy this home as long as I'm physically able, then I'll think about a condo or something.

Beverly

It helps a great deal that I don't do any of the work involved in all this. We have a handyperson, a friend of nearly 40 years, with an M.A. in English Lit., who is a self-employed man-of-all-trades. We call him Manual Labor.

May I borrow Manual occasionally? ;-) I have hired teenagers from the neighborhood, but they usually decide after a session or two it's too much work!

I used to have regular household help, she decided to retire. And DH used to do all the outside maintenance, I'm barely keeping up with it all.

Beverly

You are not the first to ask this. One thing about Manual, you have to work with his schedule -- and it often involves hours of arguing about whether or not a thing should be done, and how it should be done. There are times when I wonder if it's worthwhile -- but we persevere. I have not had household help in many years, and everytime I make inquiries, the horror stories send me shivering back. There is no way I could do all that needs done outside and with maintenance, and I am blessed with a husband who thinks a hammer has too many moving parts. I used to do many things myself, but at this time of life, it's not such a good idea anymore.

I've had friends who did well by contacting the local senior center. There are some old duffers who are very handy, don't want or need a regular job, but enjoy doing a little fixing here and there.

Pogonip wrote in news:4557a276$ snipped-for-privacy@news.bnb-lp.com:

i knit, am a beginner spinner & do some tapestry weaving. i also sew, but rarely anything practical. lots of dolls, stuffed animals, costumes, greenhouse covers... and i bead pretty much anything that doesn't move (but i rarely make jewelery)

yes, the ex-stud llama is as dumb as a box of rocks, which is genetic & why i'm not breeding him (although he has one son who is so smart it's scary, but he takes after his mom. he was given up for dead by my vet at birth, but he was more stubborn than that he's my favorite). i don't like sheep much, & didn't think i'd like goats, but they're really fun. my girls are due to be bred in December, so i won't have February snowstorm babies. i'm hoping to make cheese from the milk. i'm also hoping someone takes the angora wether soon... that was the biggest livestock buying error we've made. my 6 year old sells the eggs, & he's pretty good at it. at least enough so we had to get a lot more hens this year. we have a mixed flock, but i think we'll be sticking with mostly Orpingtons (we have Blue, Black & Buff), Silver Spangled Hamburgs & Spotted Sussex (if we can get the pullets next year. this year's hatch failed at the hatchery). our rooster is gorgeous. he needs matching hens.

we only have Blue Jays that come to the feeder, although there should be Grey Jays around. lots of chickadees, goldfinches, cardinals, & juncos. i do get Baltimore Oriles & hummingbirds in the summer, & bluebirds, but prefer the wood edge. there's a rough leg hawk that nests in the sugarbush. no feral cats, which rather surprised me. i had to go adopt barn kitties. i also have 6 indoor kitties & 2 dogs, plus 3 tortoises, a baby snapping turtle (2 years old now), a skink & some fish, so there's no shortage of funny things involving animals around here

Seems like these "projects" take on a life of their own -- and breed, too!

Oh, don't you hate it when you have an animal dumber than a boxxa rox? You feel obligated to look after them - they can't do much on their own.

"Real" eggs are pretty cool. I used to get some from a teacher with some chickens. For a while, we actually had a chicken - she apparently fell off a truck driving by. She was coal black except for her brilliant red comb. Smart, too. She moved in with some neighbors and became a real pet. Until someone stole her.

You have birds that don't come out here. We do have chickadees, goldfinches and housefinches, hummingbirds...there's a red-tailed hawk who hunts mourning doves. I have a flicker and a downy-headed woodpecker. Lots of wrens and sparrows. Lots of doves - stupid birds that they are. Owls. Quail.

After we built our house 18+ years ago, my SIL asked me one day what I liked best about it...and looked at me as if I had two heads when I said, "my sink." Well, there really are other things about my house that please me more, but that day the big, deep basin had really come in handy for something, washing greens or hand washing fat quarters or something. It's a triple sink, and since I don't have a dishwasher of the appliance variety, I like being able to have a dishpan in the righthand basin, the dish drainer in the lefthand one, and still be able to use the small center area for other things.

(I didn't scrub it for this photo, just had to get the supper dishes done.)The obvious drawback is that it takes about 44 inches of space, and there is the matter of metal marks as already mentioned, but the rubbermaid rack eliminates most of that problem. Oh, and I know it looks stupid to have sheers in a kitchen window, but they let me watch the birdbath just outside without being observed. :)

Doreen in Alabama

That's a great sink! I would have that in a minute - and my 18" portable dishwasher, too.

Is there a rule against sheers in the kitchen? Watching the birdbath is always good, although most birds don't mind if you watch -- no modesty whatsoever. I often yell at my birds to "Face the center of the birdbath! Do not stand on the edge and face outward!" Their standards of hygiene are a bit lax.

Love that color of granite, Joanne! I am already planning how to cover the cabinets in the kitchen, but it will have to wait for a while. We have some sort of light natural Formica that stains very easily and I hate to spend time daily with Comet, for which I keep saying, "Sewing time's a-wasting." But the floors had to come first. Emily

That is a really nice sink, Doreen. I love the fact is just below the window. My window is over a cabinet and the sink is on the other side of the room. Emily

Exactly why I have not tried to replace my treasured Elaine. She was completely trustworthy, and worked steadily the entire four hours a week she was here. But I completely understood when she wanted to take it easier, she is older than I.

I was blessed with a DH who could do just about anything in the way of making and repairing stuff. I miss him so.

What a good idea! I know there's a web site which seems to offer odd-job guys, but one never knows.

Thanks!

Beverly

I think you mean "Beverly". I was the one who posted the link to the 'Kashmir White' granite, and had it installed in my kitchen three years ago. ;-)

Beverly (not Joanne)