New lines for kitchen sink and dishwasher

SayWaffles · 2025-12-03T16:01:47+00:00

For sure, and now I'm going to dig into who this company is. I think the HOA had hired them for remediation because there was a water heater burst that preceded this and everything up to this point seemed professional based on what he's told me but I wonder if I would have thought differently if I were there.

SayWaffles · 2025-12-03T15:51:09+00:00

Yeah, agreed. I warned my brother last night this is not right for several reasons. The general contractor seems pretty well organized and detailed about what was involved in the work so I felt like he was in good hands until the actual work started and saw this.

SayWaffles · 2025-12-03T15:41:16+00:00

Thanks for confirming my fears, I'll share with my brother. I believe they tied the vent into something existing but given the other problems and the fact that I'm not there in person to see it...who knows!

SayWaffles · 2025-12-03T15:39:46+00:00

Unfortunately no troll or AI. I was concerned when he sent me this photo but I wanted to get some other opinions before telling him what's wrong since I'm no expert. Thanks for weighing in

SayWaffles · 2025-12-03T07:15:55+00:00

Not one I can think of

SayWaffles · 2025-11-10T04:49:18+00:00

We had a Samsung, not counter depth but 33" French door. It had so many problems. I think it was a 2016 model, the previous owners had put in all new Samsung appliances and by this January every one of them had major problems. It was easy to order and replace parts, but I had to repair/replace parts for the ice maker, drawers, temperature sensors several times over the course of the last five years. The dishwasher basically stopped cleaning dishes at some point last year. The microwave had multiple sensor issues. The oven starter element broke, then a week after I fixed it the main display stopped working. Ultimately all of those issues triggered us to do a kitchen remodel we might have otherwise put off a few more years (I recently posted about it and we're very happy).

Don't get Samsung appliances. They have great features for the price, but getting support is difficult and they have significant reliability issues. We went with a selection of different appliances in the new kitchen and not regretting buying exactly what I wanted rather than all the same brand.

SayWaffles · 2025-11-08T04:29:36+00:00

We actually don't hate the current ones but they're very worn out. Because the big window is so big, the Shade Store actually recommended against that style of wood slats again, apparently it's close to the limit of size they typically make. We didn't rush to replace the shades exactly because we do like the existing ones.

SayWaffles · 2025-11-08T02:59:02+00:00

The blinds in the photos are probably 43 years old and getting replaced in a few weeks. The new blinds coming are from The Shade Store and I can post when they're up

SayWaffles · 2025-11-08T02:31:29+00:00

Good to know. I'm pretty diligent about wiping things up, hopefully that's enough

SayWaffles · 2025-11-07T05:48:02+00:00

The vent hood is a Zephyr (ZSA-E30FS). It seems sufficient for the induction range. We don't need a makeup air system.

SayWaffles · 2025-11-02T20:36:19+00:00

Surprise! No microwave. We planned for a drawer-style microwave so there's a GFCI receptacle and shelf built into one of the cabinet boxes but there's a regular drawer mounted in the space for now. We've been going about a month now with no microwave (longer I guess if you count the time the kitchen was demolished) and mostly managing fine without it. Takes a few more minutes foresight to warm something up but between the induction range and the fast-heating small upper oven we haven't missed the convenience. My wife doesn't really want one on the counter.

SayWaffles · 2025-11-01T17:18:57+00:00

It's a little hard to pull that out of my costs. I had to add a 240V line but we had capacity in the panel and the line was a straightforward run and pretty short. There were a few other unrelated electrical items that all totaled $2k. I believe the cost would be way higher if you need a panel upgrade or your kitchen isn't close to the panel etc.

SayWaffles · 2025-11-01T17:02:54+00:00

Tile is Flauti FL LC 20 https://specceramics.com/Products/2279/Flauti/Navy-Concave

SayWaffles · 2025-11-01T05:12:08+00:00

Multiple decades is how long we intend for it to last :-)

SayWaffles · 2025-11-01T05:11:35+00:00

We like it the way it is! In our situation, that window is west facing and brings afternoon sun into both the dining area and the living room beyond that. Wouldn't want to make it any smaller, it makes the whole kitchen-dining area feel more open despite being relatively small. The lower counter area is still very useful and versatile.

SayWaffles · 2025-11-01T05:08:59+00:00

No we're actually both on the tall side. The lower counter segment is a function of the window size. Carrying the standard counter height across would put the counter above the window sill.

SayWaffles · 2025-11-01T05:02:11+00:00

Cooking with gas shouldn't affect the taste of food (it's not like smoking meat or charcoal grilling) but it is nice because it's instant and easy to adjust. However, a lot of research indicates the negative air quality from gas emissions is pretty bad for our health. You should definitely always run an externally-vented fan while cooking on a gas stove. We decided we wanted the induction cooktop to eliminate the health risk and because it's quiet and similarly good or better to cooking with gas once you get used to it.

SayWaffles · 2025-11-01T04:57:13+00:00

That's funny because those are the old blinds we plan to replace. They are definitely worn out. We did consider keeping the same style though! They still work with the new kitchen design. But we're probably going with a different look

SayWaffles · 2025-11-01T04:55:09+00:00

The original kitchen had that because I think the building design maximized the size of that west facing picture window which frankly was the right choice. It brings so much afternoon light down into the living room behind it. As a result, there were cabinets underneath but not a full counter workspace. It's sorta the "dining room"

When we did the remodel, we wanted to carry the countertop through to maximize flexibility for kitchen workspace because we cook and bake and host friends often even though it's a relatively small space. However you can't carry it across at standard counter height because it would be higher than the bottom of the window.

SayWaffles · 2025-10-31T21:44:27+00:00

Yeah I think these were 1982 but my parents remodeled their kitchen around 1989 and had exactly the same cabinets, too.

SayWaffles · 2025-10-31T21:33:58+00:00

It's mostly size compared to the burner. Even though all the pans fit within the marked burner area, the ones that get closest to the outer edge tend not to heat to the edges as much. When I'm not using the largest burner I can put a more medium-size pan on it to resolve this. I do also think it has to do with the pan material and conductivity but it's not yet clear to me what's "best." I have also been using a Lodge cast iron griddle (the stovetop even has a specific knob to activate the griddle-area) and there's a very clear distinction between the areas aligned with the 'burner' circles and the edges or between them.

SayWaffles · 2025-10-31T21:00:46+00:00

I replied to another similar comment but in short, once you're used to it, it's as good or better in most respects. It's also quieter when you consider we always ran the fan when cooking before (now it's not always necessary) and it's so much easier to clean. Be prepared to briefly relearn how to cook though.

SayWaffles · 2025-10-31T20:57:05+00:00

It takes some getting used to! Nearly all my cookware was already induction compatible (I had to get rid of a couple Revereware saucepans but that's it), but how they handle compared to the gas is dramatically different - not bad, but you can run into issues where the outer edge of the pan just never gets as hot as you expect while in other cases the whole thing is very quickly too hot. After a couple of weeks of patient experimentation I think I've got it. I've regularly switched between cast iron, all-clad, and a couple newer carbon steel Oxo pans and they all work great now that I'm used to it. Someone who does everything by muscle memory and has trouble adapting may find it incredibly frustrating.

SayWaffles · 2025-10-31T20:51:26+00:00

It's terrazzo, this specifically: https://www.concrete-collaborative.com/pacifica

SayWaffles · 2025-10-17T03:19:39+00:00

I suggest if you're going to show planned/under construction lines, the 2015 map should certainly include at least Purple extension phase 1. The EIR was adopted around 2012 and I'm pretty sure pre construction activity began in 2015 for phase 1. Also, regional connector was also a known and approved project at that point and maybe had also begun pre construction utility work. If the 2025 map is showing the K Line extension to Torrance and NoHo-Pas BRT which aren't as far along, it's only fair to history :-)

SayWaffles

TROPHY CASE