Got my Chocolate Bar...

Over the past month, things have been extremely busy. I’ve been unable to do things around the house because of my extra responsibilities (activities). Ok yes it’s an excuse I know. But my nephews Fredy and Devyn have started playing little league baseball and I’ve started to play softball. Let us not forget the periodic travels for work as well. Although I seriously can’t lie, it is really nice seeing a smile on Fredy and Devyn when they both independently make a significant play on their respective teams.

Fredy at Bat

Devyn at Bat

They are having a lot of fun playing on their teams and it shows… Ok let me move on… I can honestly say I’ve been able to do some stuff around the house…

So recently the wonderful state of Massachusetts decided to give back to its tax payers by providing a rebate for purchasing a new energy star appliance. The state allocated over 5 million dollars to encourage its residents to exchange their non-energy star appliance for a new energy star appliance. The concept was the same as the recent vehicle “cash for clunkers.” The only difference was that individuals were required to get a registration number prior to getting the rebate. The rebate for a dishwasher was $250. I had discovered the deal about 2 weeks prior to the actual start date. Since I’m in the process of renovating my kitchen, I decided to make the dishwasher purchase a little early.

There was one problem, as part of the rebate, I had to exchange an old one for a new one. I didn't have one for the exchange... So three days before the rebate phone banks were to open, I was able to get a dishwasher from Craigslist for free…

To register for a “Golden Ticket” or number, I had to calling a 1- 800 number and/or by logging on to the Mass Save website... The phone lines and website would be open on April 22, 2010 at 10 am until 7pm. It was going to stay open until all of the money was depleted. Sounds simple enough…. Not really…

On the day of the giveaway, I was at work and as I was walking to my desk, a co-worker had reminded me that the phone lines were open. It was about 10:30 am when I was reminded. I went to website and got an error page. The website was down for some reason… So I decided to go to the Massachusetts Government website because I figured it would at least tell us if something was wrong.

Sure enough, the website and phone banks were so overwhelmed with request for registration numbers that they both shut themselves down. But on the government website, they made a second website for people to register. I was able to get to the new link and within 5 minutes I got my “Golden Ticket”. At that very moment I heard a voice in my head, “Run home Charlie!!! And don’t stop until you get there! “

In least than 2 hours all of the 5 million dollars were depleted. Many residents of Massachusetts were extremely disappointed. Talking with people at Home depot, many customers didn’t know about the rebate. People had made purchased days before and wanted to make exchanges to get the rebate. Or people going to the store tried to get the rebate but couldn’t get it. It sounded like a complete mess…

So now I got my “Golden Ticket”, I started to look into dishwashers. I began to look at different dishwashers online. I evaluated cost, haul away cost, delivery cost and warranty cost. Luck would for the dishwasher I found, there were two other rebates that totaled an additional $75. I found one at Sears for $377, but the delivery and haul away cost was an extra $100. I found the same dishwasher for $500 at Home Depot. It turns out that Home Depot has a price guarantee with a 10% discount… additionally delivery and haul away were free…

So at the end of the day, after the purchase of hoses and electrical cords I paid $400. But the best part after all of the rebates are mailed, the total cost for me should be $75. I will not be installing it for some time a lot of work is still needed prior to installing dishwasher. So the kitchen remodel continues.

New Dishwasher

I then filled the cracks with wood putty and sanded them. I also sanded the wood cabinets to prepare them for painting.

After completing that process, I thought long and hard about what to do with the ceiling. See I struggled for a bit about painting with a dark color or with a light color. The other issue was that I wanted the metal look. So while I was in the basement looking for a tool I discovered a can of spray paint that I used in the bathroom.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves… Although I have to admit, they really don't give it justice...

The spay paint is a hammered brownish color. This is what the ceiling looks like currently.

Next I began to prime the walls...

Ok so here is where I am at currently.. I still need to finish priming the wall and cabinets... Anyway, sorry for the long delay... But until next time, happy building...