Home Improvement

No, actually. Sink is going into a bump-out section with three windows. It's independent of the house, though part of the foundation, so I can vent right out the ceiling, don't have to go through second story. It's right on my deck, you don't think I'll have sewer smell, do you?

Lanx said:

yes, when i saw the kitchen and the red tile, i was going to barf, i will take the rolling cart into consideration, i think the wood above the cabs is actually not wood but drywall/structure. but someone recommend what i can do about tiling around that window frame? they got like two red bars going up it.

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Those thin strips of red tile at the window? I'd just take them off and fix the drywall and then repaint, it doesn't look like they go under the cabinets so should be easy enough. Bit odd to have that weird thin strip of tile.

For the cabinet fronts, you could also look into having them painted, assuming they're in good condition and solid wood a few coats of primer and paint would make them look new, and the hardware isn't ll that bad IMO, but that's also cheap and easy to replace.

Beauty is in the eye....Personally I can't stand dark brown cabinets, but if you like them then keep them, it's your house You could always tile, then look at the cabinets afterwards if you change your mind.

Stainless steel is a PITA to keep clean, it shows every mark, especially around the sink and cooker. Again though, if you like it and can be bothered with the cleaning, then go for it.

Zapatta said:

biggest thing when laying out a kitchen is the 'Triangle", old kitchens suck because no one bothered with flow in the old days, they were just happy with an ice box and running water.
Kitchen work triangle - Wikipedia

open counter space right next to the side of the fridge where the door opens is a biggy that is often over looked.

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Open the fridge, the island is immediately behind you - going to be 4 x 6 feet. That's enough open space near the fridge I think. The stove is going to be not that close to the sink, but I'm going to have a pot-filler faucet at the oven.

I like the dark stain. With light walls and good lighting (which you seem to have), I think you can get away with it.

This seems like the best thread for this so let's talk AC units and custom mounting.

The previous owner of my home (who also happened to build it) decided to use the most obnoxiously terrible windows I've ever seen throughout the entire home. All of my windows are 4' wide x 2' long and open outward from the bottom. This means I can't use any type of conventional window unit without trying to build something that fits into the window to both hold the AC in place and keep bugs out while keeping the cool air in. Because of how the windows open a traditional window unit also doesn't fit properly because the back end of it will hit part of the open window. So outside of trying to do built ins in each room (which I won't be doing because this is a multi-family property that I won't be living in for too much longer) I think my best option is a portable floor unit. That being said I have some questions:

1) Have any of you ever used a floor unit and are there any you can recommend?
2) Would it be possible to cool an entire 3 bedroom/1ba/1100 sq ft apartment with one unit. I don't mind spending money on a larger/better unit with enough BTU to cool an entire apartment if this is feasible
3) I'm still going to need to build something to keep the vents secure in the window frame and keep bugs out and I was thinking the best way to do this would be to cut a piece of foam board insulation to size and use styrofoam weather stripping to seal it tightly. Any other suggestions that may work better for this?
4) Are the ductless wall mounted units cost effective vs a portable unit? I haven't heard much about any of them outside of the Samsung HVAC products and those are prohibitively expensive.

The Samsung HVAC ductless sort of thing are the way to go if you can swing it. They are not cheap, but you can easily do an 1,100 square foot apartment with a single condenser. You could probably do it for less than a thousand dollars, and then you have true thermostat control and the air movement is so much better than window units.

Addendum then. Does anyone have any experience with the ductless mini split units from particular manufacturers? Samsung and Mitsubishi seem to be the big 2. Are there any resources/sites out there to help me figure out how many BTU I would need to reliably cool the entire apartment? How much can I expect my electric bill to go up?

Also there are some good looking ductless kits on ebay etc. that have pre-charged compressors and press fit flex copper - no soldering or charging needed- the "pre charge units" usually has a listed amount of feet of line that can be used it in- anything more and you will need to have the charge/ratio checked etc.

that really takes away the two things that are what people generally need a pro to install - the rest is fairly simple and can be researched well online.

Zapatta said:

I have never had luck with any press fit plumbing connections. They always fail over time and in an AC application their will be vibration which adds to the problem. Sweating copper is ezpz if you buy the correct torch tip (not pencil, but round wide) and use MAP gas instead of Propane.

The charging it yourself is the problem.

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True, and honestly - with the amount per hr common HVAC calls are- you can buy the basic equip and practice on some copper for the same price/less and gain skill... the problem is once you do it on the actual thing- if you have a leak - you then need to do the charging as you just lost some of your charge.

I used 4 "sharkbite" connections when doing the copper for my sink during my kitchen repair - it was being a huge, huge pain and just not working right, and was an odd angle - etc. but I know exactly where they are- while they are "in wall" - its behind drywall covering the back of my cabs - so getting in and fixing it if there is a problem is not really a big deal. And it was the last few things I needed done, of course all the others were sweated in and fine- but noo the last ones have to be a pain in the butt.