The Final Day... Again...

Well, another alarm set (I hate setting alarm clocks after years and years of always having one or two alarms set every day during the week) so I could be ready for Eric to come to finish his part of the floor installation and let me know the plan for getting the dishwasher installed.  

I needed to wash dishes by hand since the dishwasher did not get installed.  Funny how one gets used to the appliances of convenience, especially when they are no longer available.  I have so soon forgotten that I hand washed dishes for more than 40 years!!

Eric arrived at exactly 9:00 AM.  It is so rare to find a construction contractor who has a sense of the need to be on time.  He set right about getting things ready to put the transition strips along the floor/carpet sections.  He took about an inch of the very thick padding that is under our beautiful carpet on the edge that is meeting the new planking floor in the kitchen.  On the longest transition, he also inserted a tack strip so he could secure the carpet at the edge of the floor... so it would not get stretched over time.  He measured and cut the metal strip.  It is beautiful brushed nickel in color and complimented both the new floor and the carpet.  He left the big strip off on the side, as later on, they may need to remove strips to get the plumbing done for the dishwasher install.  He did install the strip on the opening from the kitchen to the steps/living room.

Here is a picture of the finished transition from the kitchen to the steps/living room.

Same area but from the carpet side.  Don't you agree that the brushed nickel goes with both floors??  Eric did a good job of selecting the color.  And the strip is really, securely nailed to the floor!!!

Rob had mentioned to me that the transition strip to their bathroom was loosening up.  I had asked Eric if he could fix it.  He started trying to fix the gold-colored strip (it matches the fixtures in the bathroom) when he stopped.  He told me that he had a scrap of the brushed nickel that would fit the door, so he replaced the old gold strip with the new brushed nickel one.  It is again, really secure so Rob and Kate will not trip on the loose strip.

Eric and Garrett had spoken this morning and Garrett had planned to come to the house to finish the dishwasher installation.  He is going to open up the lower level ceiling to access the water pipes under the dishwasher and then install a new access panel.  The area is right over the countertops that are in my craft room.  It was in the area where my microwave sits, along with a toaster and cutting board.  Plus my serger was in the vicinity, too.  So, to prepare, I cleared off the amount of counter that Garrett will need to do that work.

This is the cleared area.  The last time the counter was this clean was the day I moved in!!!

And where did the stuff go???

If Garrett does not come, I am going to either have to sleep somewhere else or clean all of this stuff from my bed!

Can you see the tiny hole?  That is the pilot hole that my electrician had drilled from the opening in the cabinet above so we could find the exact place where the water pipes were located.  Garrett will open this area up and by tonight it will just be an access panel but we will have access to the water pipes and shutoff valves.

Garrett arrived around 4:00 PM.  And he brought a young man to assist him in getting our job finished.  As anticipated, the first order of business was to open up the ceiling in my craft room so they could have access to the plumbing.

They cut into the ceiling in the area nearest to the pilot hole but where they were not going to cut into a floor joist or any pipes.  It was successful... thank goodness.  In looking at what was there, Garrett decided it was best to remove the existing pipe and install some more modern pipes and valves that made it much easier to get the water line to the dishwasher.

They installed the outer square for the panel.  Looks better already.

This is what the shutoof valve looks like in the ceiling.  No leaks and a very simple connection for upstairs.

As this part was being wrapped up, they were working on finishing the work on the dishwasher,  By the time I got upstairs with my camera, this is what I found...

The dishwasher was no longer in the dining room.  It was plugged in, connected to water, pushed into the opening, and needing just a few more tweaks to be done.

It is stainless steel outside AND inside.  From the user manual, this thing is so adjustable that I can put tall things in both the bottom and the top.  There is a tray on the top for items that might get bounced around if they were loose in the lower area, plus the silverware compartment can either stay on the door or fit into the lower tray!!  PLUS, there is an app and when connected to the internet, we can run the dishwasher from any place we are and get notices as to when it is finished!!!

After getting the dishwasher in, the last transition strip was put down.  The dishwasher was tested to insure there were no leaks... it is sooooooooo quiet!

Now, here is the look at the final product.  The floor is beautiful.  The appliances look lovely, sleek, and new.  I am a happy lady!!

Miles seems to approve, too.  This should be the last of any major improvements.  We will pick up fence painting as soon the the snow melts and the air is warm enough to allow us to paint.  In the meantime, I will get the kitchen pulled back together and then work to get the rest of the craft room organized.