New member from Aiken, South Carolina

F

Fay

Fay
User
Hi,

My name is Fay, and I did some woodworking when I was younger, mostly making my own picture frames. About 35 years ago, I took a weeklong (very expensive) woodworking course, hoping to find a new career, only to learn that I was such a perfectionist that I needed psychotherapy ASAP and got it. It changed my life much for the better and taught me that I was insanely hubristic to think I could pick up a skill like woodworking well enough in a week to provide me with a means of making a living. The course also imbued me with great respect for woodworkers.

I'm now embarking on a gut renovation of my kitchen and need some advice from the experts so here I am. Many thanks in advance!
 
F

Fay

Fay
User
Hasn't started yet. Next week. This week all the items I quickly ordered last week after the bridge collapse are arriving - while I'm supposed to be packing up the kitchen in prep for demo next week. Thanks for asking.
 
tvrgeek

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Welcome,
Quite a few of us have done gut kitchens, so don't be afraid to ask. This a very friendly and helpful bunch!

So many ideas look great in pictures but are not to live with. A lot of mistakes with things like range hood distance to burners, new 2023 building code specs on wiring etc.
 
F

Fay

Fay
User
Thank you - and great information. I actually had the house rewired when I bought it in 2007 - and bought two new GFCI switches just yesterday after two small appliances plugged into them died within the last six weeks. Ugh. My licensed contractor will install the new ones when he demos the kitchen. Do you have a specific recommendation for range hood distance to burners? I've bought a big one that will vent through the roof, and while I'm sure my contractor knows what he's doing, it's always good to learn from others' experiences.
 
mpholway

mpholway

Board of Directors, Events Director
Matt
Staff member
Corporate Member
Welcome Fay. Note that EVERY woodworker is acutely aware of EVERY mistake they make on EVERY project. With that said, 99% of the time it will never be noticed.
 
F

Fay

Fay
User
Yes, I get that. But then I read on other sites of mistakes others have made and redouble my efforts to understand exactly what I'm getting into and what I have to do (I do have a tendency to run off half-cocked). :)
 
tvrgeek

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Fay said:
Thank you - and great information. I actually had the house rewired when I bought it in 2007 - and bought two new GFCI switches just yesterday after two small appliances plugged into them died within the last six weeks. Ugh. My licensed contractor will install the new ones when he demos the kitchen. Do you have a specific recommendation for range hood distance to burners? I've bought a big one that will vent through the roof, and while I'm sure my contractor knows what he's doing, it's always good to learn from others' experiences.
Click to expand...
It is in the code. I think it differs electric and gas.
I went to mostly GFI breakers as the outlets you get from the orange and blue stores are unreliable in my experience. Most of my house is on GFI. Now new code says AF-GFI for a lot of circuits, but I found them unreliable. Use only commercial grade outlets. Never the 98 cent crap and never the back-stab connections. I don't trust the new Waco connectors based on my years in Failure Analysis for a computer company. Took a two week class from AMP on interconnections, from die to substation transformers.
Never assume your contractor has a clue. A few do, many are completely clueless. A few more do know, but if not watched and questioned, will do it the cheap easy way instead of correctly.
 
F

Fay

Fay
User
I bought Leviton tamper-resistant GFCI outlets at Home Depot - 15a-125V - OK to use or do I need to find someplace that sells commercial grade? I've worked with my contractor for years now, on projects big and small. I know him well enough to figure out where he's got expertise and where he doesn't - he's done wood counters before but I suspect not often, hence the research I'm doing. I appreciate your caveats.
 
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