The Ikea Kitchen

An Ikea kitchen is innovative, well-designed, inexpensive, effective, and attractive. But it teeters on the edge of chintzy. It is vital to control the myriad details to avoid a bad impression for buyers.

I wasn't very impressed, for example, with the ODENSVIK vanity sink. The GODMORGON high-gloss red vanity cabinet (shown at right, above) is ok, but the sinks are too shallow with too little usable space around the sink. But I think the "black-brown" LAXARBY cabinets work well in the dining room (I'll need a light-colored table).

LAXARBY has a subtle molding to it. Upper door with glass shown.

LAXARBY base cabinet door/drawer front. High-gloss gray RINGHULT to the right.

In the kitchen itself, I chose RINGHULT fronts in high-gloss gray for the base and high-gloss white for the uppers. It's a nice look, but it's the most expensive doors that Ikea sells. RINGHULT is 188% of the price of BJORKET, a nice, clean, Shaker maple-ish design.

BJORKET door detail

Maybe we could do the kitchen in BJORKET, with the more refined LAXARBY in the dining room. (LAXARBY is 126% of BJORKET.) We're talking about, very roughly, $1,300 less for BJORKET than RINGHULT.

Ikea sells Caesarstone. Two colors I like are each $59/SF, templated, delivered and installed. Based on Home Depot and Lowe's, I budgeted $75/SF.

"Ocean Foam" (like Vanilla Bean ice cream) adjacent to BJORKET cabinet door

"Nougat" has larger aggregate. It's about as bright as Ocean Foam, but I messed with the exposure to show the stuff mixed in with white.

I also particularly like Ikea's solution for corners. I'm planning one on either side of the range.

The shelves pivot independently and are not attached to the door, so neither has to swing out. The cabinet doors shown here, by the way, are BJORKET.

The Design As Of Now

Various design decisions later, I realized that my choices had drifted a bit from the color model. The new model reflects these changes:

• I refined the grid at the entry, lowering the entry roof. 
• I've revised some windows, including the window wall, to reflect how much less expensive horizontal sliders are than awning or casement. 
• I took the wood out of the kitchen cabinets. The pantry is now black Laxarby.
• I removed the flashy red range hood and put in tall columns--Peggy says chefs want spices and things close by. I found a cool retractable hood in black for not much money, but I haven't bothered to create it in Sketchup.
• I simplified the entry by eliminating the "V" columns and even the fin walls. Posts aren't necessary structurally, but I can put in non-structural "V" columns on a whim.
• I modeled a suspended wood ceiling in the trees room, allowing cove fluorescents all around. If I need to save money, the wood can be Phase 2. 

Here Comes the Sun

Focusing on bathroom designs, I decided to make the Bath 1 lav sink be open to the hallway. That relieves the monotony of the wall of doors, makes it easy for guests to find, and allows me to pop up the ceiling and reach a couple of skylights. Ikea makes a vanity unit in high-gloss red that would make a nice accent.

Sun at about 2pm in early May.

GODMORGON cabinet with ODENSVIK sink. The top drawer cleverly works around the drain for maximum storage.

Kitchen Deja Vu

Been here before, but this is perhaps the final design. It's clean and sleek, more International Style than Mid-Mod. Actually, it's reminiscent of Gerrit Rietveld's Schroder House (1924). Not sure Rietveld ever used wood grain.

Wood unit is pantry and supplies with GRIMSLOV doors. Six deep drawers at base. The dark cabinets are LAXARBY, what Ikea calls "black-brown" (like my bed and nightstand). It has a subtle trim molding around the glass or center panel, suggesting furniture more than tech.

Glass doors on pass-through cabinets. Counters are Caesarstone "Fresh Concrete."  Kitchen cabinets are RINGHULT, high-gloss gray below with high-gloss white uppers. The red element a Zephyr Horizon vent hood. We'll hang pots and utensils on the wall around the range.

Windows - The Better to See Out

City of Seattle Energy Conservation Code, table R402.1.1 says all windows must have 0.30 U factor, maximum. Whatever, I used to reply. Well, it turns out you can hurt yourself trying to make an aluminum window less than about 0.45. What can achieve 0.30? Plastic. But there are some nice products out there.

Marvin Integrity, made from a fiberglass-like material that they call "Ultrex." Notice how the operable pane on the left has a slightly thicker frame than the picture windows.

I visited Mike Marlatt at Cherry Creek Windows & Doors--they sell Marvin. I like the Marvin Integrity details--the interior is always white, but you can paint it. The exterior can be bronze or ebony. These windows, by the way, are what they call "factory mulled," meaning that the individual panes are connected at the factory so that they share mullions and muntins rather than have even thicker frames. Integrity with Low E1 coating, argon-filled is 0.30, and Low E3/ERS coating, even without argon, is 0.28-0.29. Both are EnergyStar-rated for the Northern climate. Mike said push-out awnings are a little more expensive than crank-out--one reason is they have to make the screen work.

I also dropped in on Marlon Montes (what is it with 'M's?) at Sound View Window & Door. He was even more helpful than Mike. They sell Milgard Style Line vinyl as well as Simonton Madeira, also vinyl. I played with the Simonton sample and the main thing I didn't like was that the hardware has "Simonton" embossed in it. Not a big selling factor, I'm guessing.

Milgard Style Line "More Light...More View"

I'm surprised that Marlon recommended Simonton Madeira rather than DaylightMax, but I think the latter is a replacement window (they have thick frames because the new frame sits inside the old). Simonton comes from Columbus, OH.

Both Mike and Marlon took my preliminary window schedule and promised to get me a bid by the end of the week.

Update 5/27/15: I connected with Linda Bjorklund of Puget Sound Windows by email. They carry Atrium vinyl windows, which I've seen installed at the 13017 3rd Ave. spec house. I sent her the documents; she promised a bid as well.

Cedar Tree Sheds a Few Pounds

Steb, from Renaissance Tree Service, arrived with two others promptly at 8:30am. They climbed, they cut, they pulverized, and finally, they used a blower to clean the entire driveway. They were gone by 9:35. Three man-hours = $225 ($246.60 with tax). The bid was $255. These guys are good.

Oil Tanks? We don't need no stinkin' oil tanks...

Tim Ayres from Seattle Tank Services (aka Filco, aka Tacoma Tank) just dropped by and bid $860 to completely remove the 300-gallon oil tank. That price includes the city permit, which is > $100.

70% of the tanks they remove have leaked. If that's the case here, the state leak insurance, PLIA, will cover all costs to remediate the ground--Tim called while he was here and verified that I'm covered by PLIA. So was Frank Leddusire, so there won't be any concerns with a lapse in coverage.

One important deadline: We have 30 days past the time the furnace is removed to remove the oil tank. I asked if we could leave the furnace while we do other demolition, then remove the tank, and then remove the furnace last and Tim confirmed that that's fine with everybody--Seattle Tank included.

Tim said his bid was good for 6 months or whenever, but he wrote down 15 days--that would be June 6. I can sign and we can schedule the work for later, but I didn't want to sign today out of general paranoia.

tim@seattletank.com
(206) 938-2280

Vocabulary Choices

Trees House will respect classic 1940s home style, but the new portion between the house and garage will be more modern.

• Long, soothing, horizontal lines
• Windows and other details align horizontally
• Wide soffits, sheltering roof (think Robie House)
• Details get simpler in the bedrooms, showier in the open space
• Stained wood and brass are acceptable accents in the open space, painted in the bedrooms; the forms stay the same.

Dark Charcoal textured composition shingle
(Certainteed Presidental Shake)

Exterior

Roof Form: Hip with wide, closed soffits
Roof Material: Dark Charcoal textured composition shingle [Alt: Metal]
Soffit: Horizonal v-groove boards (ex.), light paint (not as bright white as ex.)
Gutters: Standard ogee profile (not angular or half-round)
Downspouts: Paint out against siding--small, rectangular (not round, not chain)
Siding: Ex. horizontal clapboard, painted taupe (not dark blue) with vertical v-groove boards painted to match. Apply horizontal line (painted dark) or two to match ex. chair rail--align new horizontal lines with window frame design. Use gridded cement board on new middle section.
Accent: Roman brick (ex.)
Chimney: Roman brick (ex., cleaned up)
Garage Door: Dark bronze anodized aluminum and glass (tinted or frosted)
Rain Cover at Entry: Simple flat plane cantilevered. Stained, angled wood columns if reqd. [Alt: Single round metal column.]
Front Door: Dark bronze aluminum and glass (match garage door and window wall). [Alt: Trad. solid door painted black or very dark green.]
Door Handle: Black lever {Alt: Traditional brass Baldwin]
House Numbers: Century Gothic ("Neutra") on middle element. [Alt: Serif font with descenders, like Georgia]
Windows: Emphasize horizontal, if not in the opening shape, then the individual panes. Align muntins with other horizontal elements.Simple frame, no wood casing (outline).
Railing: Where occurs, should be horizontal--steel with welded bars @ 4", for example.

Interior

Door casing

Edges: Gyp. bd has square edges. No crown molding. [Alt. Cove at inside wall corners, 1/2" radius]
Doors: Painted 6-panel doors or bi-fold louvered door.
Door frames: Simple molding with a detail at the outside edge, such as a bead, mitered at corners. [Alt: "bead board" with square rosettes.]
Door handles. Black, simple levers. [Alt: Brass "Plymouth" handles]
Window frames: Traditional sill with horns to receive molding to match door frame. In modern section, gyp. bd. frames for windows.
Baseboards: Tall (5-1/2")--match simplicity of door frames.

Alt cabinet door

Kitchen Cabinet Doors: Slab with 1/4-round radius edges. [Alt: frame with "bead board" to match alt door frames]. Light colors upper and base (house is dark). Can use different door design to distinguish dining room

Dark door with brass details

Countertops: Quartz (e.g. Caesarstone) is timeless. Square edge with slight rounding. White with aggregate chips, like terrazzo. Counters throughout--kitchen, baths, BR4 kitchen--should be consistent.
Backsplash. 1x1 mosaic?
Fireplace: Keep painted Roman brick (black? dark green?) Replace existing mantel with wood molding that projects more--simple cavetto or congé or more elaborate crown.
Hearth: Slate.
Light Switches and Receptacles. Basic toggle (not Decora). Beige throughout. [Alt: If we use brass Baldwin door handle, consider brass switch and receptacle plates in the common areas.]
Tile Floors (in Bathrooms). Large squares--smooth, but slate-like.
Tile Showers. 1x1 random mosaic colors.

Shower, perhaps backsplash

Style and Vocabulary (Recreated)

(Recreated from memory)

We need to choose a style:

Traditional 1940s (Drawing by M. Carlton)

Traditional 1940s
Calm, sophisticated, unpretentious - fits in with Broadview - serene, gracious
Shutters on exterior, shutters as window treatment, shutters on closet/laundry
Streamline Moderne, Art Deco, perhaps
Simple metal post, often only one
Corner windows
Slim Roman brick
Mint green
Glass blocks, fluted glass
Nickel plate
Wall-to-wall carpet, linoleum
Dove cote, weathervane, cupola

Pacific Northwest
Stone, timber, stained wood
Timbers on timbers on timbers
Angled wood--kickers, trusses
Dressed concrete, wood rain screen
Board-and-batten
Blue and Green (Seahawks colors)
Wood shingles for siding

Modern/Contemporary
Seattle condo, mini-lot split
Flat roof behind a parapet
Splashes of color
Grid or lines of alignment
Cement board rain screen, exposed fasteners
Stair-step windows
Meier, Corbu, De Stijl

Mid-Century Modern
Eichler
Low-slope roof
Open beams
Glass in the gable
Indoor-outdoor with glass curtain between
Aqua, boomerang,

Industrial
More metal: corrugated siding, perforated sheet metal, threaded rod bracing
Stained concrete floor
Exposed structure, mechanical

Streamline Moderne

Retro-Modern

Dressed concrete, wood rain screen

Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

Grid Study

The module in the middle of the hip roofs is starting to look like a highly symmetrical, gridded element not unlike the Getty Center. It can have a hip roof, or it can just cut off at a parapet.

Heard back from Radiantec

I got a call from Don Vance of Radiantec. It's been a couple of weeks since I asked them for a quote. They seem like very reasonable folks. They design a system, then ship a kit that you can install yourself or hire a plumber to install, and they have a lot of detailed information on their website. Their prices seem lower than difficult folks like NW Mechanical.

Don asked for a current plan, so I whipped one up for him:

He suggested continuing the underfloor "staple up" piping under the Trees Room. When the heat has to pass through the wood floor, it means that coming into a cold house and cranking the heat takes longer to have an effect. However, if there is a problem, fixing anything requires ripping up the finish floor. Weighing both, and knowing we have 1230 SF of underfloor, he said, do underfloor. This is also based on Seattle being Zone 4, just a little colder than California, vs. Don's native Vermont, Zone 6, where it gets much colder.

For the slabs, though, he suggested a product called SunFoam that provides insulation against the cold concrete, a floating floor for finishes, and built-in hydronic heating.

The Trees Room is starting to look Eames-ish

I could do a lot worse. The Eames House, Case Study No. 8 (1949) by Charles and Ray Eames, with early collaboration by Eero Saarinen.

I'd guess this was about 6 meters wide by 6 meters high--Trees Room is 4.16 meters square. The bookcase to the right is not against the wall. The ladder runs from a cross beam down to the floor in the gap. They knew they were in earthquake country, right?

No, I did not model the Eames House in Sketchup. Someone else did, apparently.

Trees Room Sun Study

So, the windows described earlier look pretty good in the model. (I haven't worried about any clerestories yet.)

Morning sun in winter--January 5, 8:30am. This is without any windows facing east.

Winter afternoon--January 5, 3:30pm. The low sun blasts in from the southwest.

Summer. August 5, 9am. The full trees and the high angle mean the south-facing windows don't see much direct sun. Of course, we're not even modeling the deciduous trees in the forest, shown here in empty white.