valsj's Profile

First off, my comment is NOT criticism of Faith's choices - they were carefully considered and are right for her and her family. But, at the risk of being too obvious, if I had or anticipated I might have toddlers in the house I would not pick a cook top that had on/off/temperature knobs where little hands could reach them. But boy, that Bertazonni looks snazzy.

Bear with me: I realize that moving the wall between the 2nd bedroom and the current pantry is not insignificant, but your "after" plan shows your stove set back from the front face of the refrigerator. In a perfect world, (ha, ha), wouldn't it be nicer to have the face of the fridge, stove, and the cabinets on either side of the stove all aligned to the same plane?? And if you could move that section of the wall, you could fill the nook it creates in the bedroom with bookshelves ?? Yes ? Good luck with your project - looking forward to seeing your progress!

Good comments above regarding mildew versus mold. If you think this problem may be mold PLEASE notify your landlord immediately in writing, meaning a letter delivered by snail mail, insisting that she send in professionals to investigate and remediate the problem immediately, then follow up relentlessly until that's done.

Mold remediation and repairs may require that the contaminated area be physically separated from the rest of the living space while it is cleaned and tested. (This is done taping heavy duty plastic from floor to ceiling, and wall to wall with a zipper access door). If you should have to move out of your place entirely, (and board your pet?), it's fair to ask your landlord to pay the motel & pet boarding costs. (Whether you should ask for $$ if you spend 1-2 nights at
your sister's place -- well that's up to your own conscience.)

If you are leasing a condominium and share walls with other tenants then "your" mold problem may be "their" problem as well. Maybe the water that is causing the mold problem in your unit is coming from another unit. If this is a possibility I respectfully suggest that you send a copy of your letter to your landlord to the Board of Directors <u>and</u> the management company for the homeowners association. Water leaks from piping inside walls is often the HOA's responsibility to fix.

I wasn't sure what Sarah meant by saying that, "walls will be staying where they are, although I am considering reversing the doors of the outer closet". That seemed to indicate that the wall between the dressing area and the 2 closets 90 deg. from the kitchen might be a candidate for demo. If so, how about this: http://imgur.com/JSnIa

Demo the wall between the dress in room and the 2 closets next to kitchen. Leave half that space open for a new path to the bathroom and close in the other half to make a closet with a built-in bookcase on the other side, (or just a deep closet). Close the break in the north wall of the dressing area and this will make a nice wall about 6' long where you can put a bed & nightstand.

Tearing down / creating walls is significant but the existing plan that requires guests to walk through the dressing / closet space to get to the bathroom seems really clunky to me.

Ooo.. another brainstorm: in a perfect world it would be great to put in a high "window" when you fill in the north wall of the "dressing room". Or leave a foot or so open at the top. That would allow some natural light to get back into the dressing area which is always a good thing.

An almost foolproof way to prevent accidentally knocking over a taller cup or glass is to set it inside a coffee mug, (think for example a paper or styrofoam cup of soda). Best reason in the world for the office to keep ceramic mugs available in the office kitchen . . .