This week’s 20 Questions Tuesday deals with remodeling. Since we are in the thick of a major kitchen remodel, it only seems reasonable to seek and answer questions concerning this particularly life interfering task?
Thanks this week go to Dustin, Ex-Tree Monkey, Sassyfrass (aka Nadolny), and JimmyLegs.
On to the questions:
1. How does one become “handy?” I was going to ask how one becomes a handy man, but I’m didn’t want to risk any easy jokes about my love of clothes and effeminate gestures.
One becomes handy purely out of necessity. Home ownership will do that to you.
2. Is it wrong that KJ and I can’t even fix a broken drawer (broken in that it keeps jumping off its tracks)?
I like how you lumped KJ in there with you… very chivalrous. It really depends on what repairs the drawer needs to make it consistently work properly. If it is a matter of just re-setting the drawer on the rails… judgements might be rendered.
3. When working of said remodeling project, do you and Wifey have separate tasks, or do you try and do things as a team? If the answer is “team” – has this ever resulted in the phrase “FINE!! Fix is yourself Bob Villa !!” and then someone storming out of the room?
Wifey is not terribly informed as to whom Bob Villa is aside from the Sears gimmick tool commercials.
4. Countertops: Granite or other?
Other. Granite is soooo 2002
5. Is asking for magnetic drill bits for my birthday a lame request?
I would find the usefulness of drill bits whose sole purpose was to drill into magnets a bit underwhelming. Unless, of course, these drill bits could drill into the magnetosphere...
6. Are you enjoying the remodeling process? How much work are you doing yourself and how much are you getting subbed out?
The remodeling process to this point has been relatively painless, but at the moment it is a bit tiresome. I would say that (at least) 90% is being done by the contractor. We are attempting to do the stuff we can, which is not much.
7. Are you or Wifey more excited about a brand new kitchen?
Right now, Wifey is, but it changes by day.
8. Are you getting new “fancy” appliances? You know I love me some fancy appliances!
We got appropriate new appliances for a starter home. The fridge is not a Sub-Zero, the range is not a Viking, and the dishwasher is not a KitchenAid, but they are all new and all Energy-Star rated.
9. How’s Little Man handling all the extra dust, and the fact that you can’t find the microwave to make his “chickies”?
He has not been home during the really nasty dust laden processes, so far. So his asthma has not really flared up due to construction debris. Our contractor has been making a stalwart effort in trying to minimize dust as well. That has helped a ton. We made sure that the microwave is still easily located, so he is still chickiable whenever the need arises.
10. Have you felt the manliness intensified when holding a sawz-all? I don't know that anyone really needs one, but man do they feel manly.
If one’s job is not as a contractor, ownership of the sawz-all is really superfluous. Since I am not heavily associated with the demo portions of the job, I have not been privy to the use of the sawz-all this time around. I have wielded one before and I do believe it is heavily infused with testosterone.
11. How careful do you have to be when remodeling with regards to dust and such and Little Man’s allergies?
So far the work has been confined to an area that Little Man does not frequent, but as the processes become more invasive to the house, we are trying to minimize his exposure as much as possible.
12. What is the hit list of your future remodeling projects?
After this one, I think (other than cosmetic stuff that occasionally comes up) the upstairs bathroom is all that is left.
13. Has Wifey explained that when you finish the last room, that women actually think you’re supposed to start over? It's a never ending vicious circle I tell you!
I can only imagine that she will be longing for the upstairs bath to be fixed.
14. Wood?!? Feelings? Discuss amongst yourselves
I love it. We have hardwood floors throughout the house except for the flooring in the kitchen. We are going to have a butcher-block counter top for the new kitchen. Wood is good.
15. Do you ever take models of airplanes and stuff, then blow them up, and finally reassemble them thus “remodeling?”
I did the first two processes without the third being tacked on.
16. What kind of photo shoot do you prefer? Oh, wait my bad. I thought you wanted questions re: modeling.
A shoot without animals or children... and bikini clad models
17. Why are you remodeling your kitchen?
Well, it all boils down to two reasons really.
Reason 1 – add a bathroom to the downstairs
Reason 2 – make the office upstairs into a nursery
You see, we are pushing the kitchen into a mostly un-used sun-porch, and then turning the existing kitchen into an office with a bathroom so we can make the upstairs office into a nursery.
18. I forgot what 18 was?
Me too
19. So if Tyra Banks gives up this talk show host gig and gets back on the cat-walk, would she be, in effect, remodeling?
No, that would be un-retiring.
20. Let’s say that you are showing Little Man how to behave by acting in the way that you want him to act. He seems to catch on for a bit, but then regresses back to previous behavior. What is it called when you demonstrate through your actions how you want him to behave for a second or third time?
Remodeling… Uuugggghhhh, that was just painful.
To Recap:
Day two of the significant destruction
They are opening the pass-through from the existing kitchen to the new kitchen today
It will be nice
We will dine on left-overs that can be heated in the microwave
Meeting hell today
3+ hours in one meeting that went to nowheres
Fast-like
Thanks this week go to Dustin, Ex-Tree Monkey, Sassyfrass (aka Nadolny), and JimmyLegs.
On to the questions:
1. How does one become “handy?” I was going to ask how one becomes a handy man, but I’m didn’t want to risk any easy jokes about my love of clothes and effeminate gestures.
One becomes handy purely out of necessity. Home ownership will do that to you.
2. Is it wrong that KJ and I can’t even fix a broken drawer (broken in that it keeps jumping off its tracks)?
I like how you lumped KJ in there with you… very chivalrous. It really depends on what repairs the drawer needs to make it consistently work properly. If it is a matter of just re-setting the drawer on the rails… judgements might be rendered.
3. When working of said remodeling project, do you and Wifey have separate tasks, or do you try and do things as a team? If the answer is “team” – has this ever resulted in the phrase “FINE!! Fix is yourself Bob Villa !!” and then someone storming out of the room?
Wifey is not terribly informed as to whom Bob Villa is aside from the Sears gimmick tool commercials.
4. Countertops: Granite or other?
Other. Granite is soooo 2002
5. Is asking for magnetic drill bits for my birthday a lame request?
I would find the usefulness of drill bits whose sole purpose was to drill into magnets a bit underwhelming. Unless, of course, these drill bits could drill into the magnetosphere...
6. Are you enjoying the remodeling process? How much work are you doing yourself and how much are you getting subbed out?
The remodeling process to this point has been relatively painless, but at the moment it is a bit tiresome. I would say that (at least) 90% is being done by the contractor. We are attempting to do the stuff we can, which is not much.
7. Are you or Wifey more excited about a brand new kitchen?
Right now, Wifey is, but it changes by day.
8. Are you getting new “fancy” appliances? You know I love me some fancy appliances!
We got appropriate new appliances for a starter home. The fridge is not a Sub-Zero, the range is not a Viking, and the dishwasher is not a KitchenAid, but they are all new and all Energy-Star rated.
9. How’s Little Man handling all the extra dust, and the fact that you can’t find the microwave to make his “chickies”?
He has not been home during the really nasty dust laden processes, so far. So his asthma has not really flared up due to construction debris. Our contractor has been making a stalwart effort in trying to minimize dust as well. That has helped a ton. We made sure that the microwave is still easily located, so he is still chickiable whenever the need arises.
10. Have you felt the manliness intensified when holding a sawz-all? I don't know that anyone really needs one, but man do they feel manly.
If one’s job is not as a contractor, ownership of the sawz-all is really superfluous. Since I am not heavily associated with the demo portions of the job, I have not been privy to the use of the sawz-all this time around. I have wielded one before and I do believe it is heavily infused with testosterone.
11. How careful do you have to be when remodeling with regards to dust and such and Little Man’s allergies?
So far the work has been confined to an area that Little Man does not frequent, but as the processes become more invasive to the house, we are trying to minimize his exposure as much as possible.
12. What is the hit list of your future remodeling projects?
After this one, I think (other than cosmetic stuff that occasionally comes up) the upstairs bathroom is all that is left.
13. Has Wifey explained that when you finish the last room, that women actually think you’re supposed to start over? It's a never ending vicious circle I tell you!
I can only imagine that she will be longing for the upstairs bath to be fixed.
14. Wood?!? Feelings? Discuss amongst yourselves
I love it. We have hardwood floors throughout the house except for the flooring in the kitchen. We are going to have a butcher-block counter top for the new kitchen. Wood is good.
15. Do you ever take models of airplanes and stuff, then blow them up, and finally reassemble them thus “remodeling?”
I did the first two processes without the third being tacked on.
16. What kind of photo shoot do you prefer? Oh, wait my bad. I thought you wanted questions re: modeling.
A shoot without animals or children... and bikini clad models
17. Why are you remodeling your kitchen?
Well, it all boils down to two reasons really.
Reason 1 – add a bathroom to the downstairs
Reason 2 – make the office upstairs into a nursery
You see, we are pushing the kitchen into a mostly un-used sun-porch, and then turning the existing kitchen into an office with a bathroom so we can make the upstairs office into a nursery.
18. I forgot what 18 was?
Me too
19. So if Tyra Banks gives up this talk show host gig and gets back on the cat-walk, would she be, in effect, remodeling?
No, that would be un-retiring.
20. Let’s say that you are showing Little Man how to behave by acting in the way that you want him to act. He seems to catch on for a bit, but then regresses back to previous behavior. What is it called when you demonstrate through your actions how you want him to behave for a second or third time?
Remodeling… Uuugggghhhh, that was just painful.
To Recap:
Day two of the significant destruction
They are opening the pass-through from the existing kitchen to the new kitchen today
It will be nice
We will dine on left-overs that can be heated in the microwave
Meeting hell today
3+ hours in one meeting that went to nowheres
Fast-like