In fact, today we took another preparatory step and picked up our new dishwasher from the appliance warehouse. Our current dishwasher is fairly large and the kind that you roll over to the sink on casters when you need to do a wash. We wanted to get a built-in washer, and we also needed one that was more compact so that it would fit in a spot next to the sink.
First, we looked on the Flex Your Power website to see what rebates might be available (looks like a $30 mail-in rebate from SoCalGas is what we'd get). Next, I headed over to the Energy Star website to find out what compact dishwasher models were energy and water-efficient enough to qualify. They have a nice search function on the Energy Star site, so it was easy to find what I was looking for.
After poking around a bit on the Internet, we decided on a Fisher & Paykel model. It's a drawer-style dishwasher with two washing compartments that each hold six place settings. You can choose to run one or both drawers, depending on what you need to wash. Each drawer uses less than 2 gallons of water per wash cycle, and it has a delay-cycle function, so we can wash dishes in the middle of the night when other power use is low.
We got the model that allows you to make your own custom fronts, so Dakota will make fronts for the dishwasher drawers to match our cabinets. You'll barely be able to tell the dishwasher is there. And, it'll be right next to the sink for easy loading.
This dishwasher wasn't cheap (although we found a good deal), but since Dakota is doing all the labor himself, and because we have aquired some other materials as gifts or trades, we won't have to spend a lot of money on anything else.
If all goes according to plan, the only other major expense, besides the wood for the cabinets, will be a new faucet. We analized that situation today, and I think we're leaning towards something from a company called Hansgrohe. I'll let you know what we decide.
I'm really jealous of that dishwasher! I think the 2-drawer idea is great, especially for us, with just two people. Plus, you can put the heavily soiled stuff in one drawer and the lightly soiled in another and adjust the cycles accordingly, I suppose?
Rick is a big hand-washer, thinking it silly to use the dishwasher just for two, but I prefer to fill up the dishwasher and use it. It's mostly laziness, but I do think it saves water, too. We don't pre-rinse, ever, just scrape. Some of our friends are horrified at that, but our dishes always get clean, and no water wasted in rinsing them.
On the chicken front, today was an 8-egg day here! The most in one day so far. I have four nest boxes--I collected two eggs this morning, and this afternoon, found one egg in one nest box and five in another, with two empty. I guess they have their favorite spots. Chickens are funny.
Well good luck on your remodeling. We did that a couple of years ago and again this year we added new tile to the kitchen counters. Its great just being able to do your own stuff. Good luck and nice blog. Just ran across it. Have a great holiday.
Wow, Kathi! I'm jealous of your 8-egg day. That's impressive.
Yea, I think the 2 drawer system really makes sense for a 2-person house like ours. I'll let you know how it works once we install it, but I have high hopes.
Hi,
I found a link to your blog on backyardchickens.com. I too live in Los Angeles, and am interested in raising chickens, mainly for fresh eggs. A failed attempt at finding a link to your email on your blog has left me leaving you a comment in hopes that you could help inform me as to the legality of having chickens in my backyard.
Are there city ordinances for raising chickens? Is it legal? Also, i want to know where to purchase chicks.
Please email me at chrism09080@gmail.com.
Thanks so much.