How Do We Get Rid of Above Cabinet Soffits?

March 5th, 2011Ask Jake0 comments

Hello Jake-

We have 3 walls of soffits over our 1989 contractor grade cabinets. Inside there are waste pipes from the 2 baths upstairs as well as 3/4inch copper pipe and electrical. Our ceilings are 90 inches high from the pre-finished hardwood floor, the soffits are 7.5 inches high and they protrude 4 inches beyond the 12 inch deep wall cabinets. How much crown, other molding and trim do you see us needing if we use 30 inch wall cabinets? We have been told it is possible to take down the drywall that encloses all the above mechanicals and I am dreading any ceiling repair or patching since it extends into the family room. Any suggestions?

Francine,

If you are using 30” wall cabinets and the cabinets are standard face-frame type construction, you won’t have very much room for trim.  You will only have around 2” of exposed wood above the cabinet doors to attach the molding to.  Thus, you will be able to use something like a 1 ¾” crown or cove mold.

You can remove the soffits and relocate the waste, water and electrical lines.  You will have a considerable amount of drywall work to complete.  This is a fairly large undertaking and will add expense to the project, maybe in the neighborhood of $2000.  Without seeing it, I cannot say for sure.

A qualified, professional remodeling company should be able to give you an estimate for the work.  You can usually find these type of contractors by visiting the National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s web site, www.NARI.org.

Thanks for writing in.

Jake

How do I Modify a Staircase and Add a Landing?

February 18th, 2011Ask Jake0 comments

Hi Jake,

I just looked at a townhouse I would like to buy but…. the stairs are horrible to the second floor straight up and need to be redone. I think it’s worth the investment but have no idea where to start, who to call, or what that calls. Right now its just wood slats that I think are an accident waiting to happen. I want a real staircase with a resting somewhere in mid-flight as I have an older mother who needs to rest somewhere in between. Can that even be done?

Mara,

A staircase can be modified so the risers, that part of the stairs that are vertical, can be enclosed.  Today’s building code would require the stair risers to be enclosed.  The spindles and hand rails can also be changed to come up with a completely different look.  Check out http://www.coffmanstairs.com/idea-gallery/ for some ideas on what a staircase can look like.

As far as adding a landing midway, that could be pretty difficult to accomplish.  It all depends on what kind of floor space and overhead room you have to allow for these type of modifications.

For professional help, contact a remodeling contractor that is a member of NARI.  You can search for NARI members in your area at www.nari.org.  Click on the “Find a Professional Remodeler” box in the upper center of the home page.

Good luck.

Jake

Can I Use a Vent-Free Fireplace in a Bedroom?

January 27th, 2011Ask Jake, slide0 comments

Jake,

I have an antebellum home and am renovating a bedroom that once had a fireplace which was torn out long ago. I’d like to install a vent-free gas log set in this room, but I do not want to put it in a cheap pre-fab vent-free firebox, but hope I can build a real- looking firebox from real firebrick inside a chase that looks like a real interior chimney.

I thought I could frame it out, line with durock and colid concrete block, then face with firebrick. Not sure what to do with the top (inside the chase) or if the whole thing is a bad idea. Just seems like a 300 pre-fab box is a bad idea when I can buy a pallet of historic for the same price. thanks for any advice!

James

————

James,

Be careful, you are treading in dangerous waters when it comes to old fireplaces that have been torn out and covered up. Sprinkle in the antebellum age and now you are nearing the class 5 rapids.
There are various opinions on the uses of vent-free fireplaces. Check your local codes to make sure they are allowed in your area. I am not aware of any vent-free fireplaces that are allowed to be used in sleeping rooms. Vent-free fireplaces are factory sealed units and any kind of modifications to them are not permissible. They should carry a UL label or equivalent.

For your old fireplace and chimney, I would suggest that before you do anything you should have it checked out by a qualified chimney company. You can find information on chimney specialist in your area at the Certified Chimney Sweep web site or the National Fireplace Institute web site.

Be careful.

Jake

Galley Kitchen Designs

September 8th, 2010Ask Jake0 comments

Jake,

I live in a small tudor home with a galley kitchen. I know it would be very expensive to add on (I also need new appliances) so just wanting to get some resources for ideas.

Thank you,

Barbara

Barbara,

We have some photos of galley kitchens on our web site.  In fact, they are some of the most highly rated pages on our site.  I would suggest you find a couple of reputable kitchen designers, interview them to see who you would be comfortable in working with, and enter into an agreement with one of them to start working on the design.  You can go to the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s web site and enter your zip code for a designer in your area.  You can also go to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s site for a list of Certified Kitchen and Bath remodelers.   Both associations provide trained professionals in kitchen design and in most cases the initial visit does not cost you anything.  As with most things in life, you will get what you paid for.

Jake

Decorative Crowned Cabinets

August 18th, 2010Ask Jake0 comments

Hi Jake,

A friend of mine wants to build 13 inch wall cabinets under a 12 inch flat section of a tray ceiling. Then attach crown to the top of the cabinets that will stick out into the room. Is it possible to do this and have it look nice?

-Linda

Linda,

I wouldn’t like the look.  I would probably add a flat, horizontal board above the crown, with a decorative edge on the front of the flat board.  This would allow for some sort of “termination” point for the crown mold.  In the old days, we would add the flat board as I have described, then we would add a plate-rail so people could display their collector plates.  I haven’t seen this done in years though.  Maybe you could bring it back.  See the photo below to get an idea of what I am writing about.

-Jake

Cabinet Woes

July 22nd, 2010Ask Jake0 comments

Jake,

Just finished a kitchen remodel, only to find the kitchen designer designed us a flaw. Our top cabinet next to the stove will open to a 90 degree angle but in doing so hits the corner of the stove fan cover. In time I can see the cabinet door ending up with a nice gouge right in the middle of the door. Is there something we can use to adjust the door from opening to a full 90 degree angle?

-Deborah

Deborah,

I have seen this problem before.  It’s one of those design details that gets forgotten but can be a real nuisance when you are using your new kitchen.  It really hurts when the new cabinets get a scratch or gouge.

The best remedy I have seen is to attach a piece of small chain on the inside of the cabinet face frame to the inside of the door.  Set the chain length so when the door is opened it is at least 1” short of allowing the door to hit the range hood.  After a while, you will get use to opening the door without yanking the chain.

Other than for this problem, I hope you are enjoying your new kitchen.

Jake

Arch Dilemma

July 14th, 2010Ask Jake0 comments

Hello Jake,

I have bought my first home and in the bedroom is a drywall bullnose arch to the bathroom with no door. I don’t really like this. I have tried to find an inexpensive interior arch top door, but to no avail. Ideally, I was thinking arch top white pane glass for light, but it seems now that I have to find another route. The arch matches the other doorways, so I didn’t want to reframe it. Any suggestions?

-Kate

Kate,

Whatever you do, it most likely will have to be custom made, based upon a template you make of your arch.  I would assume that the sides of the arch, the point where the vertical sides go from vertical to the start of the arch, are lower than a standard door height, 6’8”.  So if you infill the arch with glass or drywall, the door most likely will have to be cut down.

You could take a solid core door, hold it up to the arched opening and draw a line on the door.  Deduct ¼” for clearance then install the door.  That would be the easiest method.

The other idea would be to have a millwork shop make a custom door. That would be more expensive.

Your idea of installing a piece of glass makes sense to me, too bad you can’t make this work.

Good luck.

Jake

The space between

June 16th, 2010Ask Jake0 comments

Jake,

Our bathroom has bedrooms on both sides all the plumbing was on the right wall ,sink toilet and bathtub, we flipped bathtub fixtures to left wall. My question is the wall that it is now on is only 2×4 deep between bathroom and bedroom was there a minimum space that must be in between that wall?

– Deborah

Deborah,

There is no minimum that I am familiar with. A 2 x 4 is fine, and actually quite common.  We typically install insulation in the wall to help cut down on the transfer of noise between the two rooms. Other than that, you should be fine.

Jake

Can I reconfigure my fireplace?

May 19th, 2010Ask Jake0 comments

Jake,

We are remodeling our home and would like to lower the fireplace. We a two story home and this is the only opening to the fireplace. We have already removed the harth. What is involved in lowering the fireplace?

– Sara

Sara,

The fireplace can be lowered.  If you have removed the hearth, you probably found that it is separate from the firebox.  The fire box will have to be lowered.  This should only be done by an experienced mason.  It requires extensive removal and rebuilding of the box, smoke chamber and attachment to the flue.  If done improperly, you could have a dangerous situation on your hands.  Check around the fireplace stores in your area for a list of qualified masons.

Jake

Soffit space

April 12th, 2010Ask Jake0 comments

Hi Jake. My husband and I are considering opening up the soffits in our kitchen and keeping our existing cabinets. We’d like to use the open space for additional storage. We’re contemplating putting in glass doors to enclose the area instead of leaving a completely open area. Have you seen this before? Can it easily be done?

– Jessica

Jessica,
Yes, I have seen this done.  We have a kitchen remodel client that collected beer steins and wanted a way to display them.  The upper portion of the wall cabinets (the area that is typically a soffit) had glass doors on them.  We added “puck” lights in each cabinet to highlight the steins.  Check out this web site:  http://www.bellacor.com/under-cabinet-lighting.htm.  It has a lot of different options for under-cabinet and in-cabinet lighting.

For the second part of your question, “can it be easily done?” –  I think it needs to be done by someone that has carpentry skills at “cabinet making” or better.  Basically, you will be installing new cabinets above the existing ones.  This will require some pretty good carpentry skills.  If you or your husband posses such skills, go for it.  If not, hire someone that does. Good luck!

Jake

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