You know that “oh shit” moment at the top of a roller coaster, when you’ve just finished the slow climb up, and haven’t really started the first drop. The point where you’d really like to take just a couple seconds to summon your courage, but it’s too late, out of your hands, and carrying you away whether you’re ready or not?
That’s what buying our new stove was like tonight.
Rochelle found a terrific deal on craigslist.org for a used Viking 48″ stove. Six burners and a griddle, two ovens, black finish. Huge is not the word. (Though, actually, it’s only 8″ wider than our existing stove.) It’s a $6,000 stove when new, and not something we even had dreamed of getting, it was so out of our budget range. We went and looked at it Wednesday night, and wrote a check on the spot. Gulp.
Rochelle’s going to see about finding someone to help us with transport and delivery to our house (hopefully it will fit through the front door!). And we’ve got a lot to do in the dining room and kitchen to get ready for it. But things are in motion now, and we’re too committed to stop until it’s done…
“Look out Michael, here comes the kitchen remodel!”
The moment at the top is the best.
So we are looking at one too. So tell me how did it all work out for you?
@Jeanne: Keep reading the blog, lots more stories about the kitchen!
We had three things going for us that let us not worry about it. First, the house is more than 100 years old, and has survived the ’06 and ’89 earthquakes. So it’s well put together. Second, we’ve had *way* more than 650 extra pounds in our kitchen during parties, when everyone seems to gather there. And third, from the ’89 earthquake the kitchen floor ended up a little sloped (from the twist in the house frame). To level it, Rochelle had a second floor put in, on top of the first. So our kitchen is 4″ higher than it used to be where the stove is, and the second floor adds structural strength, in that it distributes the stove’s weight across more of the floor joists than it otherwise might.
But then, neither of us is a structural engineer, so who knows if it’s really OK. All we know is so far, so good. We’re actually having the house inspected later this year, so we’ll have a certain amount of review then, I suppose…
I have also recently obtained a double oven Viking from Craigslist. It is currently in my garage, as the kitchen is being prepped for it. I’m curious about the weight – did you have a structural engineer check out your space first, or did you know the 650 lbs would be supported? All my friends have an opinion, ranging from doom to no worries. I am inclined to think it will be fine, as it is right against a load-baring wall, but I might brace it from below, just to be safe. Our electrician pointed to a group of us standing in the living room, saying that our combined weight was more than 650 lbs. That may be, but sheer weight over time? I just don’t know! I am curious how you handled this – thanks!
Thanks! Delivery is happening sooner than anticipated, and we’re having “fun” getting ready for it. More in another post tomorrow, I’m sure.
Nice! Congrats Michael! (well, except for the as-yet-undetermined transport and installation issues…)