On Saturday, Robin and I went to an appliance place and bought a dishwasher and a free standing range. While the cooktop looked like it was in good shape the built-in oven definitely needed replacement. It looked like there had been a fire inside. It seems that built-in ovens are very expensive; much more than buying an entire range. So both will be replaced by a free-standing range. I don’t really understand this, but I suppose it’s more a matter of what the market will bear than any reality. The dishwasher may have also been OK, but it seemed like a good idea to do it as well.

Originally I was going to do almost nothing in the kitchen. All of this really snuck up on me. Altogether I’m replacing some really ugly light fixtures, having the cabinets painted, replacing the two appliances, the floor and then repainting the walls and ceiling. There was no choice about the painting. We found a lot of unpainted wall and two different wallpaper patterns behind the oven and cabinet we pulled out. All of this was done today.

In the meantime, Perry the painter has been working like crazy. He’s very quiet, works by himself and has music playing softly near him. He hasn’t begun to paint yet; it’s all preparation. That’s the way it’s supposed to be, but I’m really anxious to see the paint.

Today was a real moving day; spent much of it packing. My upstairs neighbors got married earlier this month and received presents in large boxes. I asked for the boxes and I’m happily using them. Today I emptied two kitchen cabinets with stuff I almost never used and started on the drawers in the kitchen. I have a collection of small specialized cooking tools that I also never used. Some of them are going out, but I can’t seem to part with all of them. I got one very full drawer packed up and started on another. Also packed the humidifiers. I won’t use them again until next winter so that was easy.

One of my neighbors took me out for a lovely luncheon party. She and two other neighbors took me to the Frick Cafe–always a great lunch. Since I’m only moving three miles away I’m sure we didn’t need a going away party, but it was fun. When the weather is nice it’s a great place to eat outside. No traffic adding fumes to the food. Unfortunately, today was beautiful but chilly. No one was outside.

After lunch I went over to the apartment. Each time I go I take at least one item I don’t want to pack. Today it was a plastic garbage bag filled with quilt bats and other kinds of interfacing. Someday I’ll make that quilt. I haven’t insured the apartment yet so I don’t want to bring anything valuable. Next month I’ll have insurance on both places and start to carry my Papua New Guinea sculptures and a few other fragile valuables. I also plan to carry the computer and printers but that will be last.

Perry was still working on the walls when I arrived. All the wallpaper is gone and he was repairing the holes that were hidden by the paper. I think he will start painting, possibly tomorrow. He wasn’t sure if he could come. I’m in no hurry, but I think he is. The bathroom and my workroom will be a warm white. Everything else will be a kind of beige. You’ll have to wait for the pictures.

The new medicine cabinet arrived this afternoon. It’s now waiting to be installed along with the flooring. Ed and Meg have plenty of work to do. Ed began removing the built-in oven and found an electrical box with heavy wiring leading to the oven and the cooktop. Ugly stuff. I would have liked to put the new range where the cooktop is now, but I may have to put it in the corner so it hides the box. I’m waiting for Ed to remove all that stuff and maybe I can think of some other way to hide the box.

I went back to Home Depot. I think I go there after every second time I visit the apartment. There is always something to look for, but I’ve been happier buying online so far.

Spent the weekend immersed in flooring. One of the people who came to show me samples and give me price quotes recommended Lumber Liquidators. Robin and I went there Saturday afternoon. They were having their annual sale: good prices, chaotic atmosphere. Finally got info about all the possibilities, got some samples and left. I went back on Sunday and ordered enough of a teak-like laminate to do the living room, small bedroom and kitchen. Today was a real workday. Ed and Meg came back and worked on the electrical stuff. Perry, the painter, removed the peacock feathers and may have started removing the wallpaper in the small bedroom. I left; decided they didn’t need me there to watch.

Update on decisions: I am repainting the living room. It wasn’t on the original list. I probably can’t replace the medicine cabinet. The one that’s in place is 30 inches wide by 22.5 inches high. New ones are 26 inches high. I don’t have the necessary 4 inches because of the two soap dishes on the wall. Removing them would require new tiles, maybe a new wall. It’s not going to happen.

When I arrived Ed was busy removing the so-called built-in desk in the small bedroom. This was another one of those truly appalling do-it-yourself jobs. The desk was sitting on a piece of green shag carpeting. The wall behind it had evidence of grasscloth wallpaper.  Maybe I’m too much of a purist, but I would never leave such a mess under anything I did. It would bother me almost as much as that green color inside the kitchen cabinets.

The worst was what was done with electricity. Most of the walls in the building are concrete or very thick plaster. This is good, but little or no thought was wasted on providing electricity. The seller assured me he had added outlets and I wouldn’t have any problems. Too bad there isn’t some way to charge him with building code violations. Ed will be able to fix much of this and make me happier. After all, it’s only money, right?

We didn’t do any work in the bathroom, but I finally took pictures. Here is the wallpaper that will be removed. Perry is coming on Monday to begin wallpaper removal and then painting. I’m planning to make the wall and ceiling a warm white. I’m also planning to make the small bedroom the same warm white, since that is where I will work. I don’t want a color reflected on my computer monitor or on the papers I use for my books.

More pictures of the bathroom: You can see the blue in the corner of the tub. It looks like a soap stain but it’s really the beige color peeling off. Note the grab bars. I’m very pleased to have them.

The new light bar over the medicine chest made a big difference. The original extended over almost the entire wall and had a florescent bulb. I like this much better. The next question is do I replace the medicine chest. It has some barely noticeable rust spots. There is no end to the things I could replace.

Another really good thing is the height of the toilet. I can stand up without having my knees sending me agony messages.

Remember that awful chandelier? It was the first thing we replaced. I’m so pleased with the result. Ed arrived on schedule at 9am. First he removed the sconces only to find wallpaper with green leaves underneath. We decided to wait until the wall was painted before we installed the new fixtures. But, then he made me really happy with the chandelier replacement.

I never took a good before-picture of the bathroom, but we replaced an awful light fixture in there also. We still have to remove wallpaper and paint in there. There is gray ceramic tile on the walls and beige fixtures. One wall and ceiling have wallpaper with a gray and beige pattern on white, along with lots of silver. I’m going for white wall and ceiling.

The toilet and basin are relatively new. The tub was blue originally; probably all the fixtures were blue. The tub was refinished and some of the paint is coming off. I’d love to remove it and put in a walk-in shower, but it’s not going to happen.

Ed finished the workday by removing the trellis. I’m not sure what we’ll do there. Maybe another dropped ceiling (without a trellis) is necessary. I’ll put in track lighting, but that trellis covered a multitude of sins that will have to be fixed. Haven’t heard from the cabinet painter or the floor guy. I can’t believe it takes days to figure an estimate. Do you think they don’t need the business?