Blue Phoenix Remodeling

The project went tremendously well; we are totally delighted. We own a 1973 house that still contained original kitchen cabinets and paneling in the family room , The house also contains a large, second floor closet originally built with 2 x 6" floor joists, hardly enough support for a livable space typically constructed with 2 x 10" joists and certainly not up to building codes. Architect Gil Stein provided the overall design drawings, including a plan to remove a load-bearing wall that was already supporting a second floor bedroom with a column inside that load-bearing wall. We received a thorough, 3D, kitchen design concept and drawings from Mary Bacon at Home Depot, the source of our new American Woodmark cabinets, countertop, and fixtures. The Founder/ Owner, Brian Hulsman, is part remodeller and part artist. He personally quoted the project and performed the work along with two assistants, Nick and Pat. We communicated via text and they arrived on-time at 830am daily, leaving typically near 5pm. Brian has a mind for dust and damage control. Materials and equipment were staged in the garage: the dumpster outside. The doors and openings were lined floor-to-ceiling with plastic sheeting and taped. The previously installed hardwood floor was completely covered with OSB sheeting and canvas tarps. Thus, we were able to adaptively live in the house during the whole project and during the Thanksgiving/Christmas time frame. Probably will avoid that time period in the future. The greatest challenge was how to remove the load-bearing wall (noted above) and install a massive 4" x 16" x 12' beam to carry the load of the second floor. Brian hired Structural Engineer, Al Wolcyzyk, PE, to consult on the beam size and hardware. They built a temporary wall and a support column to hold the second floor weight during demolition and construction. Demolition was orderly but expectedly messy. However, they carried out the debris and vacuumed the affected areas daily. One additional challenge was raising the closet floor four inches to accommodate 2 x 10" floor joists. The guys installed the floor joists without a hitch. A side note. Ten inch floor joists look so small when attached to a 16 inch tall LVL beam. It took a lot of planning to figure out how to safely install the massive 16inch, LVL beam and bring the load directly to the foundation below. The team wrestled with rerouting about a dozen air ducts and a bunch of wiring that spanned from the basement to the second floor. At times it looked very confusing to me. Upon removing the temporary wall and allowing the new beam structure to carry the weight, the team noted that by stretching a string, the massive beam did not drop, not even 1/32nd inch. The old plumbing and wiring was replaced and new stuff was installed to fit the redesigned kitchen. Wall/ceiling insulation was carefully replaced and cracks were sealed. A half-wall was constructed; drywall was hung and finished to perfection. Walls/ceilings were primed/painted. The cabinet installation went quite well despite having one wrong unit and a mismatch on height at one corner. Having artistic skills, Brian helped us select both the countertop and the backsplash tile. They installed the tile, the range, and the dishwasher. Ultimately, Blue Phoenix's part of the project was completed and we finished some smaller items. We were astounded; the remodelled kitchen/ family room and 2nd floor closet looks beautiful and continues to function well for us.