Cleaning the oven

Among my other wishes and wants for the new house is the needs.  One of my first needs is the fact that there is no range / stove in the kitchen at the moment.  Actually there is not even cabinetry where the stove goes.  Just the 220 plug in the wall indicating where the range should be. So goes the daunting task of picking out a new stove.

I have given the piece of advice to many friends and clients that even if they are going to be completing a project in stages that one should come up with a complete plan of where they want to be in the end.  I relate a story about my first home that I purchased and I could paint something other than the white walls all my apartments had.  I painted the entire inside of the house a simple beige.  Not a huge cost investment, but when I painted the kitchen walls red as I had always wanted, the beige now looked pink.  I would have made a different choice had I thought about what my long term final vision had been.  Having a plan is so key.

I am thinking about white vs stainless appliances and where I want to be with the kitchen.  My tastes lend towards more of a modern or MCM inclination rather than country.  I love the idea of an all white kitchen and the bonus is that white appliances are less expensive than stainless.  Add two dogs to the mix with nose prints and the white is even more forgiving.  Now here is a wrench that my mom has offered up her 10 year old fridge to replace what will be my lovely yellow side by side with some strange odors and the fact that mom's fridge is stainless.  I decided though that a fridge that is 10 years old is not where my final plan ends.  Fridges have improved so much in efficiency that I am happy to use it for now, but the likely hood is that it won't last another 10 years and will need to be replaced and the energy savings will be a good incentive to do that.  So white it will be for my long term plan.

In shopping the market I have found a host of options and price points.  I keep coming back to the fact that the cost of a kitchen or any remodel project has to be relative to the total cost of the house.  My goal is to stay under 5% for everything in the kitchen inclduing, cabinets, counter tops, appliances (hoping to add a dishwasher too) and the needed changes in electrical to make it all happen.  So it leaves a budget of about $400 for a range and thankfully there are options out there.  The thing about the $400 priced ranges is that most are manual clean.  So they do not have the cycle that takes the oven up to 850 degrees for 5 hours and incinerates everything inside. So what are my other options to clean an oven?

1. White vinegar - Can be bought at the grocery store by the gallon for a couple of bucks.  This makes a great all purpose cleaner that can be used throughout the house on plastic, metal, or glass as a safe and non toxic product that is safe for pets and people.  I don't worry about chemical residues left behind.  Do be aware to watch any surfaces that are sensitive to acids as vinegar is an acid so natural woods and fabric can be affected.
2. Lemon Juice  - Also an acid can work very similar to vinegar above but probably more expensive.
3. Aluminum Foil - I have read articles that purport lining the bottom of your oven with aluminum foil as a preventative method of having to clean.  However according to Reynolds a maker of foil wrap that can potentially cause heat damage to your oven so I think I will skip this one.
4. Chemical cleaners - The idea of sticking my head in a oven filled with chemical fumes is easy to say I will skip.
5. Elbow grease - Not much fun, but it works.
6. Baking soda - I have not tried this one but seems to be a popular suggestion.  In a cool oven sprinkle a generous about of baking soda spritz with water (I assume the are taking about a spray bottle like what you would use for ironing) and wait several hours.  If I had a greasy mess I think I will give this a try.
7. Baking soda and vinegar - All I can say about this is I remember science experiments in grade school that involved simulating a volcano as it fizzes and bubbles as it reacts with each other.  I have tried this to unclog drains and it works well but it might be a last resort on the oven front.

With those thoughts I am adding to the shopping list a couple boxes of baking soda, and a gallon of white vinegar.  I wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving and hopefully no major kitchen disasters that would require you to clean the oven.

Sustainability vs. Responsibility

I read an interview with Yvon Chouinard the founder of Patagonia clothing recently and it got me thinking about the products I need to buy for the new house.  He was relating his view that the idea of sustainability in retail was not realistic.  That the shear act of consumerism is not sustainable but it could be approached as responsible. 

Currently a Bright Mango.

One of the first projects I plan to tackle on the new house is paint.  Particularly the bathroom and the kitchen.   Here are some before pictures but really the color is brighter than captured.  The day glow must go!

The kitchen is what I would call Lemon Yellow.

 Using the example of paint choices here is my thought process for the new house when I think about making a responsible purchase in the most sustainable way I can.  Considerations of product choice might include:  Cost, Selection, Quality, Sourced Locally / what is the carbon footprint,  is it locally or employee owned or owned by a corporation, new verses recycled content and VOC off gassing.

Choice 1:  I could go to the local large retailer and purchase paint. On the pro side I would be able to get the exact shade / color I want and have the lowest cost product cost, but probably travels the furthest to reach me, would have VOC off gassing in my home, no recycled content and might take multiple coats to cover. About $34 / gallon depending on color / brand but can be found on sale.


Choice 2:  Consider a paint from a local paint manufacturer such as Miller which is down the street from me here in the Portland, OR market.  Would have a low carbon foot print as it did not travel from a long distance to arrive at the store where I am purchasing, lots of color choice and color matching technology, one coat coverage product available,  options for no VOC off gassing for an additional fee, Miller is an employee owned company which I like, but still no recycled content.  $41 / gallon for Miller paint Acro Pure.

Choice 3:  Metro Paint is a recycling program that takes left over paint and processes it into a paint that can be purchased in 1 and 5 gallon containers.  Great use of raw resources because it is made made with recycled content,  minimal carbon footprint as it is sourced locally, best price, but limited color selection,  because it is batch made buying additional paint of the same color not possible, and VOC off gassing. $9-10 / gallon.


In these choices there are trade offs between each and every product, none of which are truly sustainable but which is the most responsible?  I have to ask myself am I more concerned with my personal air quality and having VOC off gassing in my personal home or am I more concerned with the environmental impact to my community as a whole by use of raw resources and the impact that transportation has on the environment, and what is the trade off of cost?  How do I earn the money to pay the difference in cost and what is the environmental impact of that? 

One thing I do know is that the walls are going to be white.  Thanks for reading.

Buying a short Sale

I first would like to say a big thank you as a I am flattered that you are taking a moment out of your day to read and view my ideas and inspirations.  Remodeling usually costs more than a dime, but there are some projects that can be taken on that don't cost a fortune and help make a not so good part of your home great, make something ordinary truly yours, or give you a creative way to remember something special.

I have spent the last 3 months waiting to finalize the purchase of a short sale home in Portland, OR.   It was a tough decision to make the commitment to be a home owner again.  This will be my third home.  Unlike previous times I had strict rules for this purchase.  I would only buy a home that I could afford to live in by myself, but I could option to have a roommate to lower my monthly bills.  The house also had to have the potential to be a rental for no more than what I owed on it.  If my mortgage was $1000 dollars the potential for rental income had to be more than $1000.  I also did not want to buy a money pit, that needed new roofs, and windows and would take away all my money from the fun projects I have missed not being a home owner.  It took a good 6 months of looking at some real money pits but I finally found one.  A 1951 2 bedroom 769 square foot ranch in a little cookie cutter sub-division.  It was like stepping back into the 50's as the houses are the same.  And so the process began to make it mine.



 To catch up as to what has happened to this point.  I made the offer on September 9th, 2011.  I was one of three prospective buyers that made offers on the same day.  On the advice of some friends who had experience as buyers and sellers short sales I opted to offer 2,500 more than the asking price.  Not sure if this was why my offer was accepted but the good news was it was now going to the bank.  My real estate agent has been fantastic.  She outlined the basic time frames for me as follows..... 

• SELLER ACCEPTS THE OFFER
• List agent submits a full packet to the bank including seller  hardship information (4-5 days)
• The packet sits at the bank until it is assigned to a negotiator (1-3months)
• BPO ( third party valuation- not sure what BPO actually stands for) is ordered by the negotiator (1 month to 6 weeks) 
• The bank will counter or accept the offer  (takes about 2 weeks from completed BPO)
• When there is mutual acceptance and third party approval the process will normally  move pretty quick at that point and be a 30  day close.

After adding up all the time frames I came to the conclusion it was going to be 4-7 months.  So I took a deep breath and prepared to wait.  Today we are currently at the stage of the BPO (3rd party value assessment) having been ordered on the October 30th and waiting for the results.

In the mean time I have been planning, and planning and planning.....My lists of wishes is long but here is a start of the projects that I am planning on taking on and hopefully will have the chance to share with you.

• Paint the entire inside of the house.
• Tear out carpeting to reveal the 2" oak hardwood floors under neath.
• Buy a stove.
• Buy a washer and dryer.
• Add / move electrical in the kitchen for appliances.
• Replace existing kitchen cabinetry to allow for additional appliances - A dishwasher mostly.
• Remove trees in front yard that are either a to close to the house or damaged (broken trunks).
• New hot water heater.
• New toilet / install a low flow.
• Add trim to uncased openings in living room.
• Replace front door with a 1 3/4 exterior door for safety.
• Repair / replace exterior window sills that are rotting.
• Replace missing shingles in back of house.
• Paint the entire outside of the house.
• Remove wall / increase opening between kitchen and living room.
• Install new kitchen lighting.
• Replace shower surround in bath.
• and anything else that comes up from the home inspection.

So stay tuned and I will share the latest as it comes up.

Again thanks for reading.

Kari