Details, details...

We finished up the hutch yesterday - every last detail, including accent lighting, which was a last minute decision. I considered adding lighting inside the cabinets, but thought better of it. I want the hutch to be well lit, but not stand out too much.

These are the same 4 inch can lights we put around the fireplace - they sit about 4 inches out from the top of the hutch. The end up costing about $25 each with the can and trim included. I wired them into the same circuit as the dining room light, so that the hutch will be highlighted when the lights are on. I am not a fan of a lot of switches - too complicated. I want some level of control, but not a bank of 4 to 5 switches for a single room.

I also glued on the fruit carvings we purchased a while ago, using poly glue (not too much!) The stain really brought the showdow lines of the carving out.

Here is a link to the post about purchasing the carvings from Outwater. I needed to cut the ends off, carve and sand them to shape, since they are designed to be attached in a longer chain with dowels.

Chocolate

Chocolate is a "hobby" of my DW. She wanted to create a small display area for cooking stuff, so I built (and she painted) the black shelf that is holding the chololate mold and cookie cutters. She changes the cutters for each season.


This is a closer picture of the Dutch chololate candy mold on the shelf. I bought this on a trip to Holland a couple of years ago.

Here is a close-up of the mold set, showing the best elements of Nederlands life: a Dutch boy and girl, boating on a canal, a windmill, tulips and the Queen's symbol.

We bought the French signs at Target (so much for authenticity...)

Finally, if you want to buy the best chocolate in the world (my opinion), follow this link (sorry, the site is only in Dutch, but you can give them your info to get a brochure).

Added a Ceiling Beam

I installed the wooden ceiling beam this evening. No distasters, in fact, the whole thing took about an hour and a half, and turned out well.

The goal of putting the beam in was to create a simple visual boundary between the kitchen and the dining area, and break up the ceiling. It also makes the kitchen feel a bit more rustic.


How to installed beam:

• Mark the ceiling and drill holes for the lag bolts (7 inch long) - I used six to hold the beam. These go into the 2x4 truss above ceiling
• Cut the beam 1/4 inch longer than the space it needs to go into
• Cut a hole in one wall the size of the beam
• Lift the beam, slide it into the hole, bring it up into place, and slide it solid against the other wall.
• Use upright 2x4's on each end (with some small peices of wood for protection) of the beam to hold it into place.
• Lag bolt the beam from above
• Drill and lag bolt the end of the beam that is not in the hole (picture below)

The bolt will be covered by the crown molding.

The other end sits in hole and "floats". This allows for the beam to expand and contract without pulling away from the wall and leaving a gap. Since I bought "green" douglas fir, I expect a slight shrinkage.

The cost of the 10ft beam and lag bolts $20.

Details...

I am down to the final details of the kitchen. I spent most of the day milling, sanding and staining cherry moldings.

I also bought the 4x6 beam to mount in the kitchen (details a couple of post ago). I got it cleaned up with an portable planer, sanded and stained. As a side note, I am really impressed with Ryobi tools - good price, reliable under DIY use, and they sell pretty much everything you need.


Remaining things to do:

• Trim out the edges of the cabinets (need to make the trim)
• Give all the cabinets touch-up staining and a final coat of sealers - my DW does a better job at this than I do.
• Finish the kick-plate drawers
• Complete some hardware, hang a few doors and drawer fronts
• Brocade the ceiling where patched
• Hang the beam
• Put of crown molding
• Put shoe molding (maple to match the floor) around everything

Once this is done (hopefully all in August), I start on the remodel of my daughters bedroom - adding a walk-in closet. I will track this on my full-house blog: Greengate Ranch Remodel