In the Process

I thought it might be fun to do a series on something that I'm building as I'm building it.

I collect pictures of built-in hutches from real estate ads...they help me with inspiration, and they help me to get the proportions and details right. Those old-timers built neat stuff, and I'm trying to learn from them.

So here's the project. I'm building the hutch in the picture using the reclaimed fir lumber pictured at the left. The hutch is white, but I'm building it to be stained. I'm going to use traditional construction methods, that is, I'm not using plywood, except in the drawer bottoms where solid lumber is completely impractical.

The second picture of lumber is the "after" picture. It's the same lumber after it's been metal detected and run through the planer.

I'll show some of the construction techniques as I go along. The final product will be for sale. I hope it takes me a long time to finish, because I hope I'm interrupted with paying jobs in the meantime.

"Reclaimed!" he exclaimed.

This Kitchen is shaping up to be really cool...and green.

All of the lumber on this project is reclaimed fir. Even the top on the cabinet to the left is glued up from strips of reclaimed fir.

These cabinets are destined for a 1917 bungalow and are designed to look period appropriate...and cabinets from that era didn't have toekicks. We overcame the inconvenience of not having that space for your toes by providing an overhang on one cabinet and a recessed section under the sink. A counter height eating bar can also be used as a workstation.

This kitchen has some unusual features:
-The counter height is 38" (The homeowners are tall).
-A pull-out step under the sink cabinet gives the kids better access to help with the dishes.
-A blind corner is accessed by pulling a section of cabinetry(mounted on casters) out of its home. Moving this rolling workstation gives excellent access to an area that is usually occupied by a space-inefficient lazy susan or a deep, dark hole where small appliances get lost.
-a small (18" wide x 33" tall) dishwasher will occupy the space to the left of the sink.

The upper cabinets will be featured in an upcoming post.