Kitchen Renovations - week 4

[turquoisedude]

You can't see a lot of big progress after this weekend's scramble, but we got a lot of little things done.
First and foremost was a parts hunt for the washer-dryer unit - I struck gold with a local supply house for belts and hoses but I still need to do some serious rewiring. I'll be posting in the Imperial forum about that...
Here's how the washer dryer looked after partial reassembly

 

[turquoisedude]

Picture didn't load - sorry!

Sorry about that! Here's the washer dryer combo

 

[turquoisedude]

Power issues resolved, well some anyway...

I got the all-in-one kitchen centre outlets wiring completed, but the breaker is not connected to the main breaker panel yet (waiting for a GFI breaker).

 

[turquoisedude]

but the fridge works now!

The new outlet for the LW11 wasn't getting any power - thank heavens it was a problem with a cable splice down in the basement... The thought of taking it down again was not appealing! The fridge runs great and wow, is it ever quiet!!

 

[turquoisedude]

Oh and so does the oven

The circuits for the range and washer/dryer combo were wired in this weekend, so I just had to test the range. I needed to calibrate the new thermostat, but it was pretty easy to do! Perfect 350 degree heat turned out these luscious cinnamon rolls Sunday morning!

 

[turquoisedude]

How the day ended

This is how far we got by the end of the day yesterday. We did a lot of little things like trim work, installing the brackets for the counter tops (still on order), putting in shelves, and removing some of the 30000 cubic metres of dust in the rest of the house! Things are going to slow down a bit now since hubby in off to South America on business for the next three weeks, but I should still be able to install some fixtures and with any luck, the plumber will be able to hook up the sink and dishwasher on the all-in-one unit.
It's coming along nicely and I just can't wait until it is all done!!

 

[JerseyMike]

Wow. I'm impressed. It's going to look very nice when it's done. Hopefully, the worst is over.

Mike

 

[gansky1]

WOW!

What a transformation!

 

[frigilux]

I can't even BEGIN to imagine taking on such a project! It's going to be an amazing kitchen when it's done. That GE lineup is to die for. I second Greg's opinion: WOW!!

 

[58limited]

WOW! That is turnng out great!

 

[perc-o-prince]

WOW!!!

That's all I have to say

Rich

 

[petek]

Wow is right

Now I do want to remind you, your husband actually, the deal is as we agreed that he gets paid only when he returns from S.America with irefutable proof of this mans existance down there. Okay?

 

[classiccaprice]

Paul,

I thought of you this weekend when I was watching "Spice up my kitchen" on HGTV. The house that was remodeled had the remnants of a GE kitchen center like you have, though the only original part left was the stove.... I still hated to see it go, I wish they'd advertise these old appliances for parts!

Is it just me or does everyone else usually like the before better on these kitchen remodel shows?

 

[tlee618]

I have to agree, WOW you have really been busy. I can't wait to see the kitchen center when you have it all installed. Thanks for sharing.

 

[sdlee]

very nice

loookin goood as chico would say....

I agree classicaprice...I often think why didnt they just leave it alone.Id like to see a show called "back dating" as oppossed to "up dating". Tourquoisedudes remodle here would be a good show opener.

 

[turquoisedude]

Thanks for the encouragement!

I may be getting ahead of myself, but I am really hoping to throw a 'kitchen warming' party when this is all done.
I'm with classicaprice about those decor shows where the before kitchen is way more interesting than the the after one! So tragic about the GE Kitchen Centre getting ripped out... I so need a replacement thermostat for the washer/dryer! SIGH!
Oh, and because he's not in town and won't object too much, here's a photo of hubby taken last summer when we were building the new garage (not the best photo and I had to crop it to fit on the board!).
The look on his face is not dissimilar to the ones I get when I tell him, "You know how I have always wanted a (insert brand name) in turquoise??"

 

[petek]

pray he doesn't look at this website on his own time or you're in big kaka I'll bet.. LOL

 

[turquoisedude]

Oh yeah, he'd be steamed! He does check the board once in a while and objects to the 'bad press' he gets about his putting his foot down on potential new acquisitions... lol

 

[classiccaprice]

On a related note, I was looking around on retrorenovation.com and saw this 1957 GE Refrigeration Center... I recognize the top portion in turquoise, but what's on the bottom... is that a freezer?

 

[turquoisedude]

Whoa! I haven't seen that one before! It must be a freezer on the bottom; very ahead of it's time with the roll-out drawers.
Actually, this has now given me an idea for what to do with the pair of GE cabinets that were included with the GE Kitchen Centre I have. Imagine these mounted under the refrigerator - all lit up with the original built-in lights and the radio!

 

[toploader55]

Wow Paul

I rarely check out this forum, but your kitchen is going to be beautiful.It looks just spectacular so far. Good Luck. I'll e-mail you later. Eddie

 

[swestoyz]

Holly cow - this was fast! Things are looking great.

Tell me, how satisfying is it to bake something in a vintage stove, in a kitchen that you've been working on? I need to know - my project has been on going for 2.5 years and I'm just barely now getting ready to work on the kitchen after completing the rest of the house.

Ben

 

[danemodsandy]

GE Refrigeration Centre:

That pic is of a GE idea that was great, but one that not too many people actually bought into. The upper, refrigerator portion is our old friend, the GE wall-mount refrigerator. Added to it is two GE roll-out freezer drawer units, a countertop, and the backsplash storage unit. The freezer drawers are the same ones found in GE's upper-series units of 1958-59. The combination would have made for an awesome amount of very convenient freezer space, but the amount of reefer space was not consistent with the amount of money one would have spent. I'm guesstimating that the whole shebang would have retailled for a grand or perhaps a bit more in late '50s dollars, which was a bloody fortune back then, equal to a bit over $7000 today. We had a '59 GE reefer that was the talk of the neighbourhood at around $400 new - one model below the TOL, with the same freezer drawer seen in this ad.

 

[turquoisedude]

how satisfying is it to bake something in a vintage stove

Ben, for this one it was like climbing Everest! I was lucky that the range on the kitchen centre didn't need a lot of work and I found the parts I needed pretty quickly. I felt a kind of satisfaction and pride knowing that I got the 'dream' range and that I was able to use it! I have been asked what the ultimate test of this oven would be by friends and neighbors - my answer: Chiffon cake. There'll probably be a whole thread about that when I get the counters installed and can move everything back into the kitchen again!!

 

[mattl]

Chiffon cake

Wow, I thought I was the only one around that still makes these! Growing up those where our celebration cakes - Birthdays, Anniversarys, what ever. My mother accumulated about 2 dozen variations of this great cake. I still make them from time to time, even got a copper liner for my Kitchen Aid mixer just for whipping egg whites.

Back on topic, the kitchen is shaping up nicely. I like your choice of wood cabinets, retro, but still modern enough not to look dated. I'm not a preservationist like many here, I like to take the best of the old and mix it with the best of the new.

 

[rayjay]

Chiffon Cake

Hi Matt. Well...another thing in common. lol Is this a Polish thing??? lol

I make the Chiffon Cakes a lot in the summer. Orange, lemon... I have found the best recipe in the New Joy of Cooking cookbok, the one that came out around 5 years ago. I find it to me the moistest lightest cake yet. If you do not have the cookbook, I can send you the recipe. The cake keeps are leat 5 days. Serve it with fresh fruit, and a dusting of powder sugar. At times make a 7 min orange or lemon frostin with it.

Ray

 

[turquoisedude]

mmmm.... Seven minute icing

Ray, that is my all-time favorite icing for a chiffon cake!

I use the old BH & G recipes - if anyone ever would like some, just let me know!!

 

[whirlaway]

Kitchen Center

I have one in my garage,runs quiet as a mouse,but it is only half,full 2dr fridge on top one large freezer on the bottom,a pull out.Counter space in the middle with a illuminated glass behind it and white with gold fleck formica,I got it free they were remodeling their and were going to throw it out.Fridge lights up very bright inside,keeps excellant temperatures.

 

[danemodsandy]

Bobby (Whirlaway):

Is your Kitchen Centre like the one shown, or is it one of the '60s units? The one in the pic was modular; you bought the freezer drawers and the storage backsplash (the piece between the wall-mounted reefer and the countertop) separately. In the '60s, GE made a unit that looked pretty similar, but it was made all in one cabinet, with one big freezer drawer. Now those things are hard to find! If you have one, you're a lucky guy.

 

[classiccaprice]

It's one of the '60s units.... The Americana is a beautiful fridge