Since I had gone this far I decided to level out the east part of the floor by sandwiching additional 2 x 12s to the existing ones. That was a pretty easy operation. I used three inch screws through both sides to hold them in place until I could lag bolt them together. I used that big level again to make sure everything was placed properly.

I cut out the new sub floor from pressure treated ¾” plywood. I ran the plywood sub floor from East to West. Cutting the holes for the plumbing was a pain in the butt but once done it fit nice and tight. I then rolled out a layer of felt tar paper making sure to overlap and cover all openings. Once that was done Mark Streepy and I put in the floor running from North to South. A layer of linoleum completed the flooring.

Next was cabinetry. I had priced out the Mills Pride stuff at Home Depot but they were constructed of the same saw dust material as the garbage I took out. I like to think that I can learn from others’ mistakes…So I ordered a complete set of cabinets and counter top from Bay Area Plywood. They are made of oak and are solid wood cabinets.

Mark helped me install them over a weekend. The sink and plumbing took another weekend. Here is a tip: Use braided hoses with screw on connectors. Don’t try to sweat in copper tubing unless you just plain enjoy pain and suffering. The new sink and faucets look nice with the new cabinets. Another tip: Pay the extra money for good fixtures. Using the cheapos may save you a little money but you WILL be fixing or replacing them in a year or less.

The next step was putting in the pass through countertop. Here I went the inexpensive route and purchased laminate covered MDF. I cut it to fit into the hole in the wall and added a 1” x 1” brace as well as two wrought iron shelf brackets on the dining room side for stability. On the kitchen side I planned on making a small pantry under the counter top.

Once the counter top was leveled, I measured for the pantry and did a rough sketch of what I wanted. Using 1” x 6” for the frame and 1” x 4” for the interior shelves. The doors would slide back and forth and would be made of melamine. I used my router (An Xmas gift) to cut matching grooves in the top and bottom pieces then glued/nailed everything together. Once together it was a simple matter to slide it under the counter and screw it to the floor at the bottom and to the counter at the top.

Except I screwed up. First I was short by about 3/16” making the counter top tilt toward the kitchen. Secondly I used the same screws for the top as the bottom. Since they where an inch and three quarters long, and the top and pantry only an inch and a half….I screwed through the top of the counter. Bah, I backed them out and put in smaller screws using shims to get the level right. Except that left ugly holes in the top. So I ended up replacing the counter top and them edging it with a wooden molding strip. I was pleased with the end results if not the process.