The Kontopolos project

The Kontopolos Project

This job started off as just a kitchen gut and remodel but we ended up doing several other projects:

Like this Entertainment center

A Fireplace mantle

A nice Cherry hutch

New stair railings, crown and trim, new 4 panel doors, front hall closet organizer shelves, remove old oak parque and install new 3/4” oak floors, new paint, laundry cabinets and a remodeled powder room.

Pretty much the whole first floor.

I really enjoyed working with Mrs. K while designing and building her new kitchen. She had good ideas and a nice personality which can really make a difference.

During

Originally, there was a C shaped white Formica counter top with a penninsula instead of an island.

There were drywall soffits above the upper cabinets, no lighting and ugly white floor tile. All of the appliances, sink and faucet were white and discolored. Typical 1980s all white kitchen.

There was a 6 ft. wide cased opening from the kitchen to the living room. We removed most of the wall and the non load bearing header so now, the ceiling is continuous. It made the space feel a lot bigger.

They had a large white fridge sticking out into the work area so we bumped the wall back 2 ft. and added a double wall oven, a 25” deep fridge and a tall storage cabinet. Huge difference.

Of course, this one was a load bearing wall so we added a 2×12 beam.

” I wonder why the builder extended that upper cabinet soffit above the window in the breakfast area?”

Aha! ..... I knew it!” So, the soffit stays. We at least reframed it and made it much smaller.

We had great helpers on this job. Nicholas 1 and Nicholas 2… twin boys who were named after their dad, Mr. Nicholas Kontopolos. They were always happy, really smart and very well mannered.

I asked them if they wanted to help us out by making a time capsule with a note, their drawings and a few pictures to put inside the fireplace’s hollow mantle leg. They had a lot of fun trying to think of stuff to put in there and now, they tell everyone that comes over all about the secret time capsule.

The entertainment center was a challenging project.

He wanted it spray finished the same color as the trim, a place for the sub woofer, storage for VCR tapes, CDs, and DVDs, and he didn’t want to see the equipment.

The sub woofer sat directly on the oak floor to prevent vibration, inside the lower right cabinet. I also routed a grill in the toe kick area for the sub. We installed pocket doors in case he wants to leave them open for movie night. Meanwhile, the grill opening should work fine for bass.

The Finish Job

He didn’t want us to spray paint the cabinet in place or paint it with a brush, so I decided to build a temporary spray booth and spray it at my shop in the driveway. Then, I’d scribe and install the cabinets prefinished.

What a big mistake. I found out the hard way, I should have completely enclosed the spray booth.

The finish turned out nice …except for the #$%&!! bugs! One or two tiny little flies that leave a 2 inch trail or a mystery piece of leaf lands right in the middle of a door. I ended up sanding and painting several parts 3 times.

By the time I got all the freshly painted white parts scribed and installed, they needed several little touch ups from installing the crown and base, .... it really needed to be painted in place after it was completely assembled.

So, we put up plastic dust partitions, laid down drops, installed a filtered fan in the window and sanded it down again. We spray painted it in place all in one day and, it came out perfect. He was very pleased with the results.

The last of the projects – The tile back splash.

I like to install the backsplash myself, especially if there is a pattern behind the stove. I can be sure it will turn out right and, it’s kinda fun. But, I wouldn’t want to do it full time. Those tile guys work their butts off!

At this point, we had worked on their house for over 6 months. I always looked forward to our morning coffee break to discuss her latest idea or go over the next phase of the project. We were a good team.

It’s always a little sad when the job ends.

Nice family, fun project.

-- mark

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