This evening I got the last plumbing fitting and finished the plumbing tonight. There is a carbon filter in the basement along with a heavy regulator. I turned the pressure up to 5 bar and fine adjusted the pressure using the regulators under the cabinet.


I set up the electrical and hooked all the machines up.

I cut the toe kick and vent then mounted it and finished putting the hardware on the cabinets. I moved my greens to one side of the cabinet and put my assorted parts in the drawer. I have lots of space now.

Looks terrific. Maybe I missed it. Why two espresso machines at the bar, or is that the extra "The Bench" space?

Dave,
IT'S ONLY A FLESH-WOUND, MAN!


No seriously...you make me look bad because my wife saw your post (and pics) while walking by and looking over my shoulder. Now the heat is on for me to redo the kitchen!
Thanks a lot

another_jim wrote:Looks terrific. Maybe I missed it. Why two espresso machines at the bar, or is that the extra "The Bench" space?

That is part of the reason I wanted the extra space. The 'bench review' equipment has no home and ends up on kitchen counters. Once the machine goes back I will be dropping a amaller lever machine in that spot.

Niko wrote:Dave,
IT'S ONLY A FLESH-WOUND, MAN!

No seriously...you make me look bad because my wife saw your post (and pics) while walking by and looking over my shoulder. Now the heat is on for me to redo the kitchen!
Thanks a lot

Yes, but blood still flowed which appeases the hardware gods.

You can take comfort in that it really is easy to install. This would have normally taken me two evenings to do but the constant stop and take a photo combined with some extended work days held it up.

I have a power strip mounted to the underside of the countertop in one of the cabinets that the grinder, VBM and Bunn go into. The trick is that only one can be powered on at a time. The Elektra goes to the outlet. I even have a 30 amp 220 under there just in case I need more power for a bench test machine.

I have to gather up my receipts and total the costs, but it should be in the $350-400 range for everything. I have also had a couple requests for item numbers. I will post a materials and tools list so if anyone else wants to try it, you should have a relatively complete list.

I had been looking for some way to get the espresso gear out of the kitchen for some time. Since the arrival of the Vibiemme and the anticipated arrival of a new, much-larger grinder that would only fit under the kitchen counter with the aid of a chainsaw, I had to do something. A kitchen cart seems to be the way to go, but those which were substantial and large enough were expensive. I found this one on closeout price at JCPENNY.COM and thought I would try it. It is the "Texas Kitchen Cart"- about $235 shipped to the store with Cal. tax (they are still available when i typed this). I had it shipped to the store so I could check for damage- there was no way I was going to let the Brown Shirts handle it.

I looked at the box at the store and the shipping weight said 53.1 gross pounds. I don't internalize weights well and didn't give it another thought. Once home I decided to wait for Val to get home before trying to transport it into the house alone. We got it up on the hand truck and it was then I thought... "This seems to weight a lot more that that..." I peeled back the shipping sticker to reveal the rest of the numbers: Gross Weight: 153.1 lbs! The net weight of the cart is 136.6 lbs.

It was well packed and undamaged. The panels and parts were packed into three separate flat boxes which were then packed and protected into another flat box. The instructions were fairly clear and I only found two areas that could have used a bit more clarity. All the hardware was packed in individually lettered bags keyed to the instructions, and all the panels and parts had number stickers matching the same way. The instructions even indicated which parts were in which of the three boxes making it even easier to find the needed part for any given step.

When I unpacked it I was surprised when I saw the top- it is a butcher-block solid wood top that is about 7/8" thick! It is a hardwood, but the pieces are finger-jointed in many places to save cost. The pictures on the website make it look like it is thinner and it doesn't mention the top material.

It took about three hours of assembly and another hour to clear out the mess in the corner to place the cart out of the way:



Those who know me will understand why that burlap bag has to be displayed prominently!

The entire thing is quite sturdy, and my wife was surprised when I got up on it when it was done. I told her to get on her bikini so that I could get some shots of her laying on top, and she said I should get on her bikini and lay on top... Needless to say, neither took place.

The back has a flip-up, full-length extension that makes a very nice serving area. Eventually that area of the room will have hardwood flooring and the cart will be turned around and placed away from the wall to make use of the serving area. I will probably get another small cabinet to go alongside of the cart- the small cabinet will house a small sink and have trash beneath, and maybe a built-in knock box. For now I need to get a new knock box because the cake pan and oak knock bar just isn't doing it!

At least the wife gets back a lot of kitchen counter and cupboard space, and I have a place to store the 25 pounds of beans I bought yesterday.

Thanks for the post Randy, that looks like a great turnkey solution and even cheaper than the prefab countertop / cabinets I got at Lowes. Although I miss the convenience of the sink in the kitchen, it's nice having an "espresso bar" in my office. A Flojet solves the incoming water, but at some point I may break down and put in a drain. Emptying driptrays, bleech.