DIY Network

Problem Solving and Solutions: Kitchen and Bathroom Faux Pas From "Home IQ" episode DHIQ-125

Figure A

Problem: Design Changes

When our homeowners (Brad and Lynn Oberg) first designed their kitchen, they planned for the kitchen island to be a certain width, but as the construction progressed the island got wider and wider to accommodate new design features.

By the time the island was installed, our homeowners discovered that there wasn't enough space left to install the refrigerator they had ordered. Initially Lynn envisioned the island out a little further, but since it wasn't she and Brad had to settle on another refrigerator -- a smaller side-by-side model (figure A).

Note: For more "detailed" information on how the cabinets had to be changed to solve the "Island Inflation" problem, click here for Episode DHIQ-114 of Home IQ.

Lesson Learned: When you have a finite amount of space to work with and you make something larger (the island in this case), be ready to most likely have to make something else (the refrigerator in this case) smaller.

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Problem: Design Challenge

In the master bathroom another design change led to, in this particular case, a major design challenge. Originally our homeowners planned to surround their spa tub with tile, but on one of the many trips to the tile store they discovered river rocks and decided to use them instead.

But these beautiful river rocks present the tile setters with a tough challenge (figure B). Because our homeowners want a cascading effect with the river rocks down the steps, the corners had to be more rounded -- and this caused the problem when it came to set them. They experimented using a piece of plastic tubing, but it wasn't strong enough to provide a solid mounting surface for the river rocks.

Finally, a solution is found by creating a curved edge out of a series of thin bands of wood, each layer set slightly lower than the one before it. This solution creates the rounded edge needed in order to set the river rocks -- and the final design is stunning (figure C).

Note: For more "detailed" information on the Oberg's bathrooms, click here for Episode DHIQ-115 of Home IQ.

In the final segment find out how a simple misunderstanding on the door order can lead to a five week delay, and our homeowners lend some final advice for potential homeowners planning to build their dream house.

Figure B

Figure C

RESOURCES :

Joists Information
SpaceJoist® TE, LLC
Website: www.spacejoist.com

Kitchen and Bathroom Cabinets (Manor House)
Manor House Kitchens
Website: www.manorhousekitchens.com

Plumbing Services (Pedicone)
Pedicone Plumbing
4364 Gibsonia Rd.
Rt. 910
Gibsonia, PA 15044
Phone: 724-443-6794

Spray Foam Insulation (Icynene)
Icynene, Inc.
Website: www.icynene.com

Insulation (Suburban)
Suburban Insulation, Inc.
Website: www.ibpteam.com

Tile (Best Tile, Inc.)
Best Tile Distributors, Inc.
Website: www.besttile.com

Molyneaux Tile and Carpet
Website: www.beautifulfloors.com

Sinks and Fixtures (Nicklas Supply, Inc. / Splash)
Nicklas Supply, Inc./Splash
Website: www.wit-co.com
or www.nicklassupply.com

Builder
Hendolhurst Homes
955 Markman Park Rd.
Baden, PA 15005
Phone: 724-935-5658
Fax: 724-935-0884
E-mail: buildm@zoominternet.net

Carpet (Boyle Carpet Service)
Boyle Carpet Service, Inc.
Website: www.boylecarpet.com

Tile and Carpet (Molyneaux)
Molyneaux Tile and Carpet
Website: www.beautifulfloors.com

Land Excavation
Crea Excavating, Inc.
1315 Pleasant Hills Rd.
Wexford, PA 15090-6807
Phone: 724-935-2959

Trim Carpenters
LemanKiewicz Construction
PO Box 1033
Mars, PA 16046
Phone/Fax: 724-776-5554

GUESTS :

Brad and Lynn Oberg
Homeowners
Company: IBACOS (Brad)
Title: Co-Founder/Chief Technology Officer
Website: www.ibacos.com

Greg Allen
Site Supervisor
Hendolhurst Homes
955 Markman Park Rd.
Baden, PA 15005
Phone: 724-935-5658
Fax: 724-935-0884
E-mail: gcrbs@adelphia.net

Todd Kline
Installer
Manor House Kitchens