In an effort to keep things light and fun I'm going to start with the former and talk about how we FINALLY got around to isntalling the gas stove. I say FINALLY like we were just sitting around twiddling our thumbs but in reality we just had a surprising amount of other stuff going on. Oh, and we also had no gas running to the stove. I'll get to that in a second.
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| I know, I know it's missing a handle. Add it to the list! |
So, you may have read a long time ago that when we moved in there was an electric stove sitting in the kitchen. "Hey, free stove!" we thought. One problem, there was no 220V outlet behind it. We had been duped. Apparently, at some point there was a gas stove but it was removed and an electric stove was put in its place. We didn't notice until we had signed on the dotted line and then we had to put in an outlet for the stove.
So, about that gas line that was sticking up out of the floor behind the stove. About two years ago, during the great heating odyssey of 2010, we told the company working on the furnace to go ahead and cut that line in the basement. After all, we were NEVER going to have a gas stove! I mean, why would we?
*face palm*
So, the other day as we prepared to hook the stove up and get cookin' I remembered that fateful conversation with the Hanna Heating and Cooling technician and ventured down into the basement. Sure enough, no gas line. I made a call to them and scheduled an appointment for one of their guys to come out and re-assemble the missing line. Frankly, working with gas terrifies me to my core and I knew this was a job better suited for a professional. After all, we only paid $45 for the stove, we could spare a few bones.
The nicest guy ever showed up Monday morning, had a look around, talked about the puppy he had gotten this weekend and then came back after lunch with materials. He had the whole thing hooked up in under an hour. He hooked up the stove that we had moved into place before he got there and showed me how to light the burners.
See, initially we were under the impression that we would have to light each burner individually because this spot, where a pilot light should have been was not working.
See, initially we were under the impression that we would have to light each burner individually because this spot, where a pilot light should have been was not working.
At least, we didn't think it was.
He left and then I went to the dentist. When I came back, we turned on the gas behind the stove and decided to try adjusting the flow of gas to those burner pilots to see if they would stay lit. Sure enough, we got it to work and when we placed the cover back over the top, the burners lit with just the turn of the knob. It was beautiful. My mom and I did some kind of weird, fist bump, high five thing that was too awkward for words.
But wait, there's more.
But wait, there's more.
Those pilots staying lit, under that cover heats up the top of the stove to about oh, "surface of the sun" temperatures.
No good.
I know this may have been the way it was intended to be used but I cannot see having a scorching hot stovetop all day, everyday. Not in a house with no air conditioning. And so, we had decided to try and find a way to eliminate those pilots and just go back to lighting each burner individually and turning the gas on and off each time we were going to use it. Then, on my way home from work, my mom called me and said she had a vision or something and these little metal things that came with the stove were supposed to go over the pilot light to keep the stovetop from getting hot.
Ta-da!
No good.
I know this may have been the way it was intended to be used but I cannot see having a scorching hot stovetop all day, everyday. Not in a house with no air conditioning. And so, we had decided to try and find a way to eliminate those pilots and just go back to lighting each burner individually and turning the gas on and off each time we were going to use it. Then, on my way home from work, my mom called me and said she had a vision or something and these little metal things that came with the stove were supposed to go over the pilot light to keep the stovetop from getting hot.
Ta-da!
I haven't tried turning the stove on because I'm here by myself and you never know when you might need someone to call the fire department, right?
I'll try it when Conan gets home from work and see if it's any better. Otherwise, I really think we should try to find a way to get rid of the pilot light.
Clear as mud, huh? If any of you have a gas stove or care to contribute to this conversation, please don't hesitate as we have no idea what we're doing.
I've emailed a couple of places looking for a manual for this particular stove in the hopes that maybe we're just missing something and there's an obvious solution to keeping the pilots on and not having a dangerously hot stove at all times.
Ah well, it's beautiful and I love it and I can't wait to cook on/in it.
And as a result, we had some impressive "Hail Damaged Plants" sales. I got like, 6 or 7 gallon sized plants for ten bucks or so. Not bad. See? That's something to be happy about right there! I really do need to look on the bright side.
Ah well, it's beautiful and I love it and I can't wait to cook on/in it.
I just re-used my old pot rack that was here when we bought the house. It's lacking some serious pot-age right now, I know but give it time, I'll fill it up.
Okay. Now for some serious self-loathing. Stop reading here if you hate that kind of thing.
So, as you read the other day we were featured in This Old House magazine for our living room shelves. Neat, right? Well, today I saw a tweet from This Old House that seemed like it was about our living room. It was! They put the picture on the front of their website today. Also neat, right? Wrong.
I made the huge mistake of reading the comments that were below the pictures. Ouch. I know I shouldn't vent about this here (I already have on our twitter and everyone has been suuuuuper supportive) but it's just such a huge bummer when you admire something for so long and then there you are, right up there with the big boys...getting beat up. It's going to sound really strange but I kind of feel bad for the house. I know they don't have feelings or anything but I can't help but feel like I sent it out to the wolves. My poor baby!
Well, all that aside. While I was on their site I saw a picture of our bathroom. I had feverishly tried to get it done so that we could enter it in their Reader Remodel Contest. Apparently we were finalists. Long story short, we lost. Womp womp. The people that won really did have an impressive tile scheme but still. It stings a little. Anywhoodle chicken noodles, I've got to scratch my mad place and get glad (as my mom would say) and get out in the yard.
We had some impressive hail the other day.
Thank you. Honestly. We've had plenty of comments about paintin the wood before on other sites but I've never had anyone trash on the Natty G's. What a world, man. What a world.
ReplyDeleteThose people are idiots. I bet they have a lot of matchy-matchy furniture and doilies on every surface. That room is fabulous. [We were once upon a time finalists for an Apartment Therapy color contest. Some of the comments were just brutal. And then I looked at the rooms they liked and they were hideous. That made me feel much better. Also, the room that won? I'd never live there.]
ReplyDeleteAlso, hooray for gas!
When we were on Apartment Therapy the comments were also pretty mean. The thing I don't understand about that is, I see stuff on the internet I don't like all of the time. Do I create an account/log in to say that I don't like it? No! But I digress, congrats to you on being a finalist for that contest and for also having enough sense not to get your feelings hurt. Also, Hooray for gas! Yes!!
DeleteI haven't actually looked at the room(s) that you lost to, but your bathroom is legitimately the most beautiful site I have ever laid eyes on and the reason I started reading your blog, so if I were you I wouldn't worry about it too much. Also, 90% of people have really bad taste (scientific fact) so you should probably take not winning as a compliment :)
ReplyDeleteLol. Thanks for the "scientific fact" : ) I never thought of it that way! Winning might mean that you have bad taste...hmmmmmm
DeleteAs far as your stove goes... you can look into converting it to an electric ignition. We have an old o'keefe and merritt stove and have seen them with electric ignitions. We didn't covert ours and let me tell you, it definitely puts off some heat.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we tried putting those little do-hickys over the pilot lights last night and STILL with the heat! It just isn't practical at all. Funnily, the guy who hooked up the stove (a young man) said we should get an "old timer" in here to look at it. Maybe he's onto something. Otherwise, it's grill cookin' for the next couple of months!
DeleteYes - what jwhitley said! If people are leaving stupid comments, that means you have good taste. Don't pay any mind to those haters.
ReplyDeleteIf I were you, I would try and get that pilot light lit safely... it seems like it would be safer, because then if there is any stray gas coming out, it's being burned up right away. No? I don't really know what I'm talking about.
Hey, didn't Morgan call in the experts from the gas company to fix her old stove? Maybe you can do that too! http://www.the-brick-house.com/2011/03/energy-management-assistance-program/
Thanks! It does seem like it would be safer but like I said, it's just INCREDIBLY hot to leave it lit all of the time. We don't know what we're doing either. I mean, right now we're turning the gas off at the source each time we use the stove so there's not gas streaming out of the pilot light but still. It's really inconvenient to do that and then to have to take everything apart and light the pilots each time? Ugh! There's got to be an easier way! Yeah, I remember reading on The Brick House that she had someone come and get hers working. Maybe we just need to get someone who works on stoves to come over and look at it?
DeleteI love your room. Your room was the inspiration for me building my own built in bookcases. And I LOVE National Geographics. I have them in my house too. And you know what? Sometimes you paint the woodwork...people won't die if you do it. It's funny how some people can't say what it is they like about something, but they can rattle off a list of what they hate in a matter of seconds. Oh well, you can't please all the people but. Man oh man, i took their comments personally! Solidarity, my DIY friends!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks! Natty G crew represent! And also, I agree with you about saying what we hate instead of what we like. I'm just as bad about that as anybody (just not on the internet). Maybe I should learn a valuable lesson from all of this. BE NICE! Remember that somebody worked hard on that, even if you don't like it!
DeleteYah, truly, you have to NOT read the comments. Ever. There are people who just get their jollys out of tearing someone down. Also, your house is legitimately gorgeous but ultimately your taste is the only thing that matters because it's YOUR house and y'all are the ones living in it and loving it.
ReplyDeleteSo true. Our house perfectly describes who we are and that's what matters. Thanks for the words of encouragement. Always appreciated.
DeleteYes. Bunch of dicks. Ignore them. You love your house, you're doing a fantastic thing in restoring what probably would've ended up being torn down, and it looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteRe: the pilot light. My gas stove is nowhere near that old, but I also have two always-lit pilot lights. The top of mine is enameled metal, which I'm guessing is what yours is too. You can't leave food on the stove without it spoiling/staying slightly warm, and you definitely can't leave plastic on it, but I haven't found the heat output to be something I'm concerned with. I have ac though. Doesn't the broiler have a pilot light too? Mine's like yours, in the bottom, and it has one.
Thanks for the encouragement. My mom said the same thing about it probably being torn down or abandoned! That's good to hear about someone else's stove also getting warm. We assumed that was the case but weren't sure. We've actually found a solution (at least for now) for the problem and I'll post about it later.
DeleteThe metal thingys go over the pilot light, which is turned down---the other thing the metal thingys do is keep drafts from blowing the pilot light out.
ReplyDeleteI hate to tell you, but the gas valves aren't made for constant use. Be careful not to wear it out.
You can google the stove and probably somewhere find a manual for it.
Thanks for the advice. Especially the part about wearing out the gas valve. Like I told Jennifer up there ^ we've found a way to use the stove without having to turn that valve on and off constantly (which frankly, seemed a little scary to me too - what if you forget to turn it off?) We haven't had any luck finding a manual online yet but we're going to keep looking. It has to be somewhere, right?
DeleteI know this is really after the fact, but I really love all that you've done with your house and I despise reading the comments on major blogs, apartment therapy oncluded because people are so unnecessarily nasty. I see no reason to tear other people down, and the worst is that people think its okay because it's the Internet. Just think about what kind of people these are; they are petty, cruel and I wouldn't want to hang out with them, and I certainly wouldn't want to see their stupid houses. Also, regardless of the comments, don't discount that you were featured I. This old house in the first place, as well as apt therapy and... wherever else. That's how I found you and I'm constantly inspired by your enginuity and energy. Do you have day jobs? I fel like my husband and I haven't done crap! Wr're sitting in a house with an exposed beam, wall, kitchen subfloor, a crazy addition ( that we've dubbed the subtraction) that weve wanted to remove for the last year we've lived here, and no ductwork - you know, for heat. We're about to start real work to remodel our kitchen but hiring a contractor is expensive and we've had to save up. If all goes well, we'll have a new kitchen by thanksgiving. Anyway, keep up the amazing work and don't let the haters get you down!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I agree completely. I don't understand why anyone would say something that's just downright mean, ever. And of course, we're very grateful and proud to have been featured anywhere. It's always exciting no matter what. And in some cases, it brings great people like you and everyone else who reads the blog to us : ) As for day jobs, yes, we both have jobs. I only work mornings and weekends though, so I have the afternoons to work on the house. Conan works all dang day, pretty much every day except Sunday and he even goes to school (bless his heart!). Sometimes it feels insurmountable and sometimes, we just don't want to do anything. So we don't. Then we get back in the groove and start a project. It'll all get done eventually...Anywho, good luck with your projects and thanks for the encouragement. We appreciate it so so so much!
DeleteFirst, I want to apologize for the amazing amount of typos in my comment above - stupid iphone, so convenient so embarrassing. Like I said, you're super impressive! I don't know how you have so much energy with work and school and throwing shows! Regardless of all your day job work, I'm pretty sure you guys are way more motivated than we are. It's true, sometimes I just don't want to do anything but laying about. In the next two weeks (weekends) we have to tear out the rest of the furnace chimney through three stories, pack up everything so that it can be easily moved around for when our duct guy installs new ductwork and gas lines throughout our house. And then we have to tear out most of the lathe and plaster in two mostly unused side rooms in preparation for the kitchen construction to begin. I'm super worried we'll be without a kitchen for more than two months, so I haven't been super gung ho on the packing part. I thought demo was supposed to be fun, but in anticipation of making coffee in the bathroom, I'm a little worried. Anyway. I think we're going to try to bbq on the fourth since our kitchen will still be functioning, although it's supposed to rain here. It rarely gets nice in Seattle until the 5th of July. Cheers!
DeleteI have the identical stove at the house I inherited from my Grandma and I just love it! (I use the house as my vacation home.) My stove top does not get hot. Warm yes, but not hot. Your mom is correct, those metal caps go over the pilot lights. Is your stove vented? There is a huge round vent that goes into the wall above the stove on my Grandma's. The house was built by my Grandad in 1935 - it is the original vent - and as far as I know the stove was purchased when they built the house.
ReplyDeleteVerrrrry interesting! Good to know that we were headed in the right direction with those little metal pieces. Unforunately, our stove does not have a wall vent behind it nor did it come with anything like that when we bought it. I might have to pull it out from the wall a bit and see if there is a place to hook one up, though since we don't have a hood and who knows, that might even eliminate some of that stove top heat? You don't happen to just have a manual for that stove lying around anywhere, do you ; )
DeleteHi there!
ReplyDeleteYou have my dream stove. I. am. So. Jells!!!!
Anyhoo, I discovered your blog thanks to Julia @ Hooked on Houses and I have to say, I love what you've done to your place, especially the kitchen. Work!
I recently purchased an old outdated house that was built in 1910. The pantry is original; however, the main part of the kitchen was probably updated in the 1940 or 50s. The kitchen is ugly and I am living in it until I can figure out what I want. Out of all the kitchen remodels I have seen, your kitchen is going to be the inspiration for my future remodel. I love how you broke out of the mold and designed something outside the box. I am so tired of the “Ikea and the like” kitchen. When the day arrives that I can actually afford to remodel my kitchen, I am going to try (like you and your hubster) and keep with the period of the house -- as much as I can anyway.
One question: Were you able to get the stove sorted out? If not, let me know. My ex husband is a high-end contractor and knows a lot about everything -- he’s amazing.
:-)
GiRRL_Earth
Thanks! I've always thought that it didn't really make sense to want to live in an old house but then update everything to feel like new construction. And we did, just in time for Thanksgiving, get everything sorted out on the stove.
DeleteDid you ever find a solution to leaving the pilot light off? We are going to try and do this with a Chambers we just got for free. And, your stove is the bomb! Seriously love.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we just don't leave them on and we use a long lighter to light the individual burners each time we are cooking something. It's kind of a pain but it's better than a stove-top that's hotter than the surface of the sun. We've been doing it that way for over a year now and we've gotten so used to it that I don't even give it a second thought. Just turn the nob a little and light 'er up! And free? That's even a better deal than we got!!!
Delete