Bedroom 3: Thinking practically

Wondering how much work it's worth it to do on Bedroom #3. We're completely redo-ing Bathroom 3, but we could leave the door and windows where they are. In fact, the west window is already a vinyl slider. The south window has a crack, but we could replace it with an awning/picture combination (to match Bedroom #4), or just a new vinyl slider.

This is not an old photo. It looks as it did five months ago. Sigh.

The savings are in not changing the framing, not changing the exterior siding, and buying one fewer and generally smaller windows. (Two fewer if we keep the west window.)

In the "just clean it up and get the most money" scenario, I have to ask why it's important to make this bedroom extra nice (just in the window and door department).

The door swing interferes with the bathroom, but it's like an entry door and a closet door. You don't really need to use both at once. Also, the existing garage curb is still there--to do a proper door, we should saw cut the curb.

One way to fix things would be to fill in the door and install a tall sliding door where the existing big window is. It's not balanced on the exterior elevation, but who cares? It would look pretty impressive in the bedroom, I think. Then we're talking about minor framing and siding work, a new window in the bathroom and a sliding door. Seems like at least $2000 savings.

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.