My background story...

Well, I've been a on here for a long time, drooling over the dedicated theaters. My wife and I bought a house a little over 4 years ago, and moved out of our small condo....yea!.

I had hoped that the house we bought would afford me the space to build a dedicated theater, the one we settled on did not. Although we did look at quite a few that would've worked perfectly, they were either out of our price range or not in areas we preferred, etc... So, we settled for a house ~ 11-12 years old, on a slab (ugh), and a fairly open floor plan. The living room was huge, with a purpose built entertainment nook/area (it actually juts out from the back fo the house). It fits a 42" LCD/plasma very nicely along with my receiver, DVD, BR/HD-DVD, HTPC, etc.. After about 1 year and a half of dealing with the crappy coax cable that was split in at least 5 locations, and still not in every room in the house, I had enoug of it and decided to re-wire the house for cable, internet, phone, etc... Everything was homerun back to my garage and now every room has cable TV, phone, internet access, and future expandability.

Other "toy" projects were put on hold so we could do some home improvments/upgrades (i.e. siding, a roof, landscaping, etc..). Well, the time has come to resume the "toy" projects.... My bar build. The area I'm going to use for my bar started it's life as a pantry. Although it really wasn't in the kitchen. The area was actually in our breakfast area on the oppsoite side of the kitchen.

The goal - Move the pantry to the launrdy room, actually locer to the kitchen work area and turn the existing area into a bar. Not a wet bar as I'm not allowed to tear up the slab, or extend the project past the summer months.

Phase 1 - Setup new pantry area - new Closetmaid shelves, deeper shelves DONE
Phase 2 - Move pantry and get rid of things I've long forgotten about. DONE
phase 3 - Remove old pantry shelving, and save for use in the garage. DONE
phase 4 - wiring for outlets, and cabinet lgithing (both in cabinet and under) DONE
phase 5 - Demolition of the doorway and re-frame the area to accommodate the cabinets and countertop. DONE
phase 6 - painting. DONE
phase 7 - cabinet installation. DONE
phase 8 - countertop install - granite tile
phase 9 - trim and lighting
phase 10 - wine fridge install
phase 11 - enjoy

Roadblocks so far -
#1 - The wall cavity around the area is actually the cold air return for the lower level. On both sides of the area are the two returns for the lower floor. Have to make sure I don't block off the airflow when I'm done. CLEAR
#2 - Re-framing the doorway without tearing out too much of hte wall and thus having to re-drywall more than necessary. DONE
#3 - The floor - The laminate floor was installed on top of vinyl and the laminate was cut to fit the area and there is no extra pieces. So I'll have to remove and save/reuse the flooring. ALMOST DONE
#4 - Lighting - Getting the wife to agree on a style and layout for the lighting. YES, Lighting picked out
#5 -On the same side as where the wiring is coming from (tapped off existing outlet), there is also one of two drains from the upstairs. I want to try and insulate this because you can always tell when someone flushes in the master bath (gurgle, splash, drip-drip sounds) Yuck... What would be the best way to get it insulated since the pipe is also inside the cold air return (it's partially accesable thru the return grate)? DONE
#6 - Wiring - At first I thought the cold air returns in the wall cavity were going to prevent me from running wireing through them, but since I'm going perpendicular to the return, it's all good!! DONE

I'm going to get the pics hosted and posted tonight, so please forgive me for now.

Pics as promised....

Old pantry - new bar area
5'wide by 2' deep - Just have to open the side and top up to the inner dimensions of the area.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1663.jpg


Pics of the cabinets I'm going to use
first two pics are from my cell, and quality kind of sucks.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/0221091219a.jpg

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/0221091219.jpg


Here's a better pic of the cabinets from a showroom display

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1650.jpg


Coming up - Pics of the cold air return and some sketch up drawings for my electrical wiring for review.

Question on Lutron dimmers -

Where do most of you buy your Lutron Dimmers from? I've look at HD and Lowes and the one I'm searching for is a "Special Order" item at both places. It's the Lutron Maestro Electronic low Voltage Dimmer - MAELV-600-BK. Lowes wants an astounding $160.00 for this, and I've found it for as low as $94 in the net. Tha's a HUGE difference and hte reseller is questionable. I found ArcadianLighting.com and they have it for $119, free shipping and a 5% discount for first time buyers.

I need this dimmer because the puck and under cabinet lighting I'm going to use has electronic low voltage transformers, and according to my research only Lutron and Leviton make the correct dimmers.

I'm almost 100% set on the GM Lighting for my lights. Bronze color
4 - Xenon 12v Puck lights - http://gmlighting.net/newxenon.html
2 - Xenon 24" Under cabinet lights - http://gmlighting.net/newlumen.html


So where do you guys buy your Lutron items?

Well, I bit the bullet and bought my Lutron MAELV-600-BL from ArcadianLighting.com - I got hte price down to $113.99 before I pulled the trigger. Should have it in 7-10 days.


I got some more work done last night. I had to put things on hold over Easter weekend so the family could come over and have dinner (I love to cook).

I got the doors removed from the area.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1675.jpg


I also ran the wiring for the switch, outlets, and cabinet lighting locations. Plus installed the old work boxes.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1681.jpg


In some of the pics you can make out my scribble as I try to visualize and explain to the wife how and why I'm doing certain things. Some of it was just wild thinking and not actually what I've done or will do. Too bad it's almost impossible to erase some of those lines, they almost confused me a few times while I was cutting and wiring.

I looked at other under cabinet lights and puck lights, but the colors were U.G.L.Y.!! Plus the prices were almost $100 more than the ones I listed above. So, I'm going to get the GMLighting.net light system, all in 12v so I can use my one Lutron dimmer. (light specs and links posted above)

I'm not sure if I'm going to try and start on removing the outer drywall and mess with the framing yet. We've got other committments for this weekend and I don't want to leave this just hanging open or partially framed out. I've got another "honey-do" list that needs to be worked on some before I get too deep into my project.

The Lutron dimmer arrived today!! I have to resist the urge to wire it up and risk damaging it before everything is done.


No other progress since my last update. We went out of town for a Wine Festival in Blowing Rock, NC. We had a wonderful weekend, tasted LOTS of great wines (and some not so great), and now I'm ready to really dig into my project.....

Except for the fact that we woke up this morning, and the light in our closet didn't turn on (florescent fixture) so I tried the switch again and the light came on. I thought to myself "dang, the bulbs must be going out", so I looked up at one end of the fixture and didn't see any discoloring on the bulbs, so I looked at the other end, and saw w HUGE puddle of water in the cover.

Yea...I had a water leak from the brand new roof on my house!!! And the leak was coming in to a high voltage ballast for my light!!! YIKES!! I called the roofing crew and told them to get someone to my house NOW, as it had rained part of the wekeend (while we were away) and we've got another 2 days of rain coming. About an hour later the crew arrived and about 10 minutes later found the problem. One portion of the ridge vent was installed with the seam backwards. Well, while they were on the roof, I was in the attic checking for other leaks and noticed the opening for the ridgevent was less than 1" wide. That was no where near large enough for proper ventilation, so I told the crew to fix it. They tried to BS me and say that it was fine, and then said well, with the rain coming they shouldn't be on the roof. Well, half the damn crew was STILL UP THERE. Then all of a sudden, the sun came out and I said, you just got your window to fix it. About 20 minutes later the job was done.... WAS THAT SO HARD??? Sheesh.

Anyway, I hope that's the ONLY leak we have/had....

Question on Lutron dimmers -

Where do most of you buy your Lutron Dimmers from? I've look at HD and Lowes and the one I'm searching for is a "Special Order" item at both places. It's the Lutron Maestro Electronic low Voltage Dimmer - MAELV-600-BK. Lowes wants an astounding $160.00 for this, and I've found it for as low as $94 in the net. Tha's a HUGE difference and hte reseller is questionable. I found ArcadianLighting.com and they have it for $119, free shipping and a 5% discount for first time buyers.

I need this dimmer because the puck and under cabinet lighting I'm going to use has electronic low voltage transformers, and according to my research only Lutron and Leviton make the correct dimmers.

I'm almost 100% set on the GM Lighting for my lights. Bronze color
4 - Xenon 12v Puck lights - http://gmlighting.net/newxenon.html
2 - Xenon 24" Under cabinet lights - http://gmlighting.net/newlumen.html


So where do you guys buy your Lutron items?

The web is the cheapest place you will find the maestro dimmer for low voltage, I originally was going to use a diva low voltage dimmer but after looking at the price, I picked up a Leviton SureSlide in the end (Low Voltage) for about $40 CAD from HD.

Yea, I don't like the looks of the Leviton SureSlide. It's the whole sliding bar thing....

The low-profile on the Lutron, and the sleek design of them really sold me.

I liked them so much, I'm trying to talk the wife into letting me switch out all of the dimmers in the house with Lutrons.... yea, she's not going for it. :)

Well, after a few days off, trying to take care of other issues, I made it back into the bar area to do more work.

I didn't do much, measured the walls so I could remove only what drywall was needed on the front/outside of the area. I suck at mudding, so I want to reduce the amount of mud and taping I need to do. .... Unless there is someone in the East Tennessee area that wouldn't mind giving me some lessons, or being generous enough to do it for me.

**Pic to be posted later today...**




Well, progress came to an abrupt halt. I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't blow anything up, I didn't even get stopped by a curious inspector. I only got the old drywall removed and nails pulled before I was informed that I need to stop and wait till this after weekend to do any more. A friend of the family who's been battling liver cancer for the last year and a half has taken a turn for the worse and was given less than two months to live.... that was 4 weeks ago. We are planning to spend time with him this weekend and show our support for his family.

Oh, and to top things off, right after that call, then repair guy from the roofing company stopped by to look at the ceiling in our closet. Luckily, the only dameage we have right now is where the toggle bolt holding up one side of the light fixture pulled through the ceiling. The guy is supposed to come back early next week and repair the hole and re-secure the light fixture back to the ceiling..... I hope. I don't want him to just put bolt through the hole and call it done. I want the hole patched and then the light re-anchored like it's supposed to be.

Anyway I'm ranting. Not much progress, lots of distractions and emergencies. I'm hoping to make up some time soon and make some larger steps forward on my project.

Ok, back on track and a good bit of progress this past weekend and the last 3 weekdays. I'm trying to burn off some emotions and keep my mind occupied. Spent a good part of Saturday with a friend battling the last stages of liver cancer. Only given a few weeks to live, we took off to the National Cornbread Festival (yes, I know... the what?). Then on Tuesday we found out he passed away. The cancer finally took all he had left and now he's gone.

Spent Sunday working in the bar area. Got a lot done....

I got the demolition, removing the old framing and the new framing installed along with the drywall, and I'm letting the second coat of mud dry right now.

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1695.jpg

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1697.jpg

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1698.jpg


Since I've got other obligations on Thursday evening, the second sanding, and 3rd layer of mud will wait till Friday. Then it's on to paint, and then the electrical, and finally light and cabinets... YEA!!!! I hope to be done sometime in June. Money, vacations, birthdays (the wife's not mine), and work (both regular and on-call support) will all take a priority to the "Fun stuff".

Cancer is a filthy, dirty bastard. Just lost a close friend the same way a year or so ago. Sorry for your loss.

Oopps.... Forgot to update the thread.


Ok, here we go. Made more progress. Paint is done.

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1701.jpg
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1700.jpg

In the bottom pic you'll see some more progress. I rearranged the flooring pieces to get rid of the notches and get whole pieces at the entry to teh bar.

I've actually got the electrical 90% finished. I have not tied into the existing wiring until I get the cabinets and lights installed. I don't have a pic right now, but the outlets and Lutron switch are installed and ready to go.

I also just picked up the cabinets, and I'll get a pic of them in a day or so. I need to piece together the rest of the floor for under the bar from the scrap and leftovers from rearranging pieces. I'm also trying to decide if I want to use all the pieces under the cabinets or build it up with 1/4" luan or directly on the old linoleum floor. Actually the existing kitchen cabinets are on the linoleum, so I may do that. If I do that, I might put the wine fridge on the linoleum as well, and just fill the gap in front of the cabinets with the flooring.

Sorry for the delay in update. Work, vacations, family all took priority lately.


But LOTS of progress lately. (Pics updated later today).


Cabinets are installed. Had to trim the sides down (the 1/4" bezel) from both sides of both cabinets to get the in there. Some touch up work is needed where I got sloppy with the table saw and tried to rush things.

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1857.jpg

Puck lights are installed. Some touch up work needed where the holes were drilled. Even though I taped up the area, the drill had a mind of it's own and grabbed at the last second and as it grabbed it slipped from my hand and the weight of the drill ripped the hole out. UGH. Oh, and the under cabinet lights and transformer are on order.... two weeks till they arrive.

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1858.jpg

Electrical finished. Let's just say I was not the first person to remove that outlet and have to patch a hole. As you can see in the cabinet pics, the wine fridge is installed and operating, so I know the outlets work. Can't test the lights till the rest arrive.

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1860.jpg

Granite counter top will be ordered this week. Looking at samples tonight. I'm thinking Black Galaxy, some people say it's got silvery specks in it, others say it's copper specks. I really want the silver specks so it'll go with the pulls and fridge accents.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1861.jpg

http://www.seattlegranitecountertops.com/xsite/modules/shop/images/granite/Black%20Galaxy.jpg

Pulls arrived, but I don't have the templates to line them up correctly. http://www.amerock.com/products/item-967/96mm-pull-allison-value-hardware

Flooring needs to be pieced back together in front of and under the fridge.

Glass shelves for upper cabinets needs to be ordered.

I'm hoping to have everything that I can do done around the time the lights and counter top arrive.... 2 weeks.

Ok, Things are just about finished.

I went looking for Granite samples (see the pic above). I literally called 20 different places for quotes and got anywhere from $550 - $1200 for the counter top installed. Wow!!!!

I went to one place and looked through their remnants and found two pieces that were perfect size. I marked them and call the place the next day.
Got a quote for $574.
Perfect, I'll take it!!
We'll have someone over tomorrow to measure and get the deposit.
The next day, they measure and I pay the 50% deposit.
I get a call saying it'll be 2-3 weeks till it's ready.

Great, About 3 days later I get a call from them and they say
"You wanted the Black color, right?",
Yes, I did.
Oh, well we were about to cut the first piece, and it's not black, it's really a dark blue.
WHAT??!!! I don't want blue, what about the other piece? We'll check it out and let you know.
Well, a tense 30 minutes go by and they call back and tell me that the second piece is black and they'll start working on it.

So without further delay.... My counter top.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1863.jpg


Here are the pulls I ordered and installed.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1865.jpg


And the nearly finished product
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1866.jpg


More pics
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1870.jpg
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/rgroves4569/IMG_1869.jpg



The only things I need now are the glass shelves for the upper cabinets and the replacement light bulbs for the ones that broke during the install. The lighting store seems to think they are going to charge me for the bulbs that broke because the pins broke off at the base of the bulb because of a weakness in them, not that I was careless and snapped them off. Both bulbs were not seated fully and as I pushed them in further they broke. Now the store says they have to order them and it'll be 2 weeks.

very nice.

Perfection!

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the comments.

Now that I've got this finished, it's got the wife thinking "Hmmm, maybe we should think about doing the rest of the kitchen with the same cabinets?" Although, she's also saying, "Let's hold off on any remodeling for a while." Since last year puttingon siding, and just a few weeks ago, having a roof installed, and hopefully getting a sunroom and patio in the next few years.

This really turned out nice - Be proud and enjoy (and have one for me)

Now that is something to be proud of! Now the fun part stocking it, using it, stocking it, using it......

:)

The mini-bar in my build has a very similar setup to this. Thanks for the pics to help me in figuring out my wiring and what I'm going to do. I'm putting in a sink in the middle and a mini-fridge instead of the wine-cooler, but still a very similar setup. Thanks.

Yea, after I had the framing and drywall done, the wife asked me where the sink was going, and I said I was not putting in one, unless she wanted me to tear up the dry wall and the bathroom on the back side of the bar to get toe h supply line in the ceiling.

The drain would've been easy as the stack is just inside the left wall, but the supply lines are in the bathroom ceiling/wall.... on the opposite side of the bathroom, as in no shared wall for the pipes....dang.

Now that it's mostly done, and partially stocked, I sit back and look at it and think, Hmmm, maybe I should've put in a sink. Then I smack myself and come back to my senses.


Oh, I got a nasty surprise yesterday. I called the glass company for the shelves. First they had no record of my order, then they said they didn't have the 1/4" glass in stock and was on order. Then they said it was in stock, but I needed to pay for it first, then the price more than doubled! SO, I cancelled the order, and they threatened me, and I hung up on them. I found another place that's just slightly more than then my original quote and they can cut the glass the same day. Now, I just need payday to get here....

Other than a few misc supplies like bumper guards on the wall to keep from marking the doors or the wall, and some more caulking around the edges and fill in a gap where the existing back wall wasn't straight, I'm just about done.



Oh, don't worry about stocking the fridge and cabinets. I filled the cabinets last night with the booze. The drawers are filled with the vacuume corks and pumps, coasters, and accessories. The fridge is actually 1/2 full right now, and I've got 4 other cases of wine waiting to get in there from some winery tours we did last year. And the uppoer cabinets have almost 70 glasses waiting to occupy that space. And yes, most of those glasses all came form the winery tours we did last year and this year.

Great looking bar and thanks for the progress info/pics.

You just inspired me as to how to finish my bar/lobby area! Thanks!!

Yahoo!!! I inspired someone!!! LOL Thanks Cathan, that made my day!!