Bear’s Kitchen Replacement (from our Old House)
This is going to be the one I promised, about that Kitchen I made from scratch for Myself, for in the house where my Cabinet Shop was for 12 years.
I often thought about having my own shop, but other things came first, and after getting a Great Job at the Bethlehem Steel, I pretty much stopped thinking about it (mostly).
So like I said in another Thread, after bouncing around & then working at Bethlehem Steel for 19 years, then for a small Cabinet Shop with an old Buddy of mine for another 10 years, I finally decided to give it a go.
So we started looking at Homes, with outbuildings big enough for a shop. Then we looked at land where I would be allowed to build a shop on it. Everything was either not allowed, due to zoning rules, or too expensive.
However we finally found a nice 2900 Sq Ft Rancher, in Coopersburg, with a 2900’ Basement, with an extra block in the basement walls, giving me the height I needed.
I wasn’t crazy about having to take everything down 13 steps on the way in, and back up 13 steps on the way out, but this house also had an elevator, with a 500 lb weight limit that went from the corner of the kitchen to the basement Laundry area. The woman of that house was in a Wheelchair, and she used the elevator to go down to the basement to do the wash, and when they had big get-togethers, some people stayed over down there, which is why my shop was carpeted. LOL—A carpeted Complete Cabinet Shop!!! How many of them, have you seen?
Note: There was even a corded dial phone in the elevator, in case there was an emergency, like being trapped in the elevator.
The place had a Dark Walnut Kitchen, with Red Formica tops, and Red vinyl floors. There were also Red Drapes in some of the rooms, and one room had a floor that looked like Astro-Turf (Bright Green). I didn’t mind any of this, because this just gave us more reason to redo it all the way we want it.
So we bought it, and lived in that house, while only changing some minor things, because we had to catch up with everything else in life, and it takes awhile to get ahead when starting over. Mrs Bear was always a big help, because she always had at least one job, anywhere from running a punch-press, making 5 gallon steel buckets for paint type things @ Cleveland Steel Container Corp. She used to wear my old Army Fatigues but she ruined all six sets I had, by getting them shredded with the edges of the sheets of steel she worked with. Then one day we got audited, and she got mad, because H & R Block screwed it up. She said nobody is ever doing our Income Taxes again, so she went to school for Income Tax Prep, and got out of the Steel Bucket Job.
So she got a Job preparing Taxes, and eventually she was running an Income Tax Office inside a Nationwide Insurance Office.
Now for the last 20 years she’s been doing many Income Taxes at our home, plus she works nearly full-time for Bear Jr, doing all his Payroll, Insurances, and any other kind of Paperwork that comes through “TAC Pro. Inc.”.
Alright, Back to My House & Cabinets; Finally there came the time to do that one big Kitchen for myself.
So I drew it up, and figured what I wanted & where I wanted what. I decided on Natural Red Oak, because it’s what I like the most, and it’s what I always gave people the best price for. Most Cabinet Manufacturers used to charge more for Natural (Unstained) wood Kitchens, because they could buy a lower grade of wood, and hide the defects & discolorations with Wood Stain. They couldn’t hide it with Natural Oak Cabinets.
I did the opposite—- I used to give a 10 % Discount for Natural Oak, because I always bought the best Red Oak they had.
It was called “LANROS2S7/8SLR1”, which meant the following— “Light And Natural Red Oak, Surface 2 Sides to 7/8”, Straight Line Rip 1 Edge”. This way I didn’t have as much scrap, after using the good stuff, because the wood I bought was all good stuff. And the less scrap meant less trips carrying scrap back up the steps to whoever was picking it up to use it.
It also meant we didn’t have to spray the stain on & wipe it all down, before applying the first coat of Pre-Cat Lacquer.
Those 13 steps were for carrying raw wood down and carrying finished Cabinets back up to my truck for delivery.
I could take you through each step I took in the making of these cabinets, but that would be a little much, so I’ll move to the Pics, at this time.
Thanks for stopping in.
Bear
BEFORE:
Here is a shot of the Old Kitchen. Note the Red Counter tops, Red floor, Red range hood cover & Window Valance.
Also that right wall separated the Kitchen from the Dining room on the other side of the wall, which made both rooms seem too “Jammed In”. There is no “Front” under the sink, exposing the Garbage disposal, but I assume that was so she could get closer to the sink, with her wheelchair.
It’s also quite dark in that kitchen, mainly due to how dark the cabinets are. Some of the light in this picture was from the Flash of my camera, as you can see the reflection in the Kitchen Window @ night.
AFTER--Here is a shot of My New Natural Oak Kitchen. This is the North & East sides, before I installed the Center Piece.
As you can see, I opened the whole thing up, by removing that one wall, allowing the Dining Room & Kitchen to be one room. Notice I installed “Plate Rail” above everything, all the way around, so Mrs Bear would have a place for her collection of “Royal Copenhagen Plates”.
Now the Center Island is installed. It consists of 42” high cabinets, with Natural Oak Wainscott on the outside to match the rest of the bottom, on the rest of the Dining Room walls. The Bar top is a full 1 3/4” thick, with a solid Oak edge, with a “Step & Round-over” shaped front edge, like the rest of the countertops in this kitchen. Island also had an 11" overhang on the Back Sides.
As you can see the 4 High-back Natural Oak Bar Chairs had not arrived yet, at the time of these pictures.
North Wall of Kitchen, includes Sink & Dishwasher:
This was the most I could get in one picture. It was a very big kitchen. However in this Picture, you can see how the Dining Room & table became part of the Kitchen, And that big Picture Window saw many a deer come through the back yard, while we were eating.
This was the most I could get in one Picture, in this Easterly Direction. If you look to the far left corner, that door goes out to the 2 car garage, but just to the right of that door is another door, behind the Refrigerator. That door goes to the Elevator that takes you down to the Basement.
Aiming toward the South-East, you can see the Desk area to the left of the Tall Pantry cabinets, along with a Trash can storage cabinet & broom & mop storage, etc.
South Wall has the Glass Window Doors, over the Desk area, and the Tall Cabinets to the right.
Glass Door “Show-case” cabinets above the desk area:
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Your description of the elevator brought me home, my oldest sister became a paraplegic when she was 14 and we installed one in our house too, same corded phone. It’s worked out because it helps my dad out now, they would have had to move out otherwise. 
