There will be conditioned air - and it will be delivered efficiently! Oh compressor, oh furnace! How I love thee.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
It's coming...
There will be conditioned air - and it will be delivered efficiently! Oh compressor, oh furnace! How I love thee.
A Mixed Bag
It was an early start day so I had to be at the house at 7:30. Unfortunately, the crew arrived 45 minutes late and threw off my day until about 1:00. Amazing how 45 minutes can wreak that much havoc.
Anyway, they came and weren't prepared to do what I needed to have done immediately so that resulted in a spirited discussion with the contractor about how we need to find a way to communicate better so I know that things are going to get done as expected.
We then had a meeting with a company, Amicus Green Building Center , who can recommend products to tighten up the house so it uses less utilities and such as well as sustainable or green options. Honestly, it was kind of a superficial meeting but hopefully it will result in some good information.
The HVAC crew from Argent Heating and Cooling returned to begin the full installation of the equipment and we now have a sexy new central air unit hooked up. They didn't have the new ducts ready so they will be back tomorrow to hopefully finish up. Overall, they have done a stellar job and baring a glitch in interoffice communication things have gone pretty smoothly. I must say that the crew of technicians were some of the friendliest I've ever interacted with and I used to work in that sort of field so I have a little more experience than most. Looking forward to working with them again.
The contractor crew finished patching the cracks and holes in the foundation blocks and began removing the termite damaged section of the flooring and such. This is where an unfortunate surprise occurred. Not much more than a single board was completely eaten by termites but, due to the way the house was constructed with that board going diagonally across the floor, we have to tear up 60% of the nice original hardwood floor to fix it. I've also spied what appears to be another damaged board that runs through the remaining flooring so it appears that we may lose 100% of the living room hardwood floor. That is a bummer.
I will post pictures after tomorrow reveals just how extensive the damage is but as Butterfinger from Hudson Hawk would say, "Coach, looks bad!"
Anyway, they came and weren't prepared to do what I needed to have done immediately so that resulted in a spirited discussion with the contractor about how we need to find a way to communicate better so I know that things are going to get done as expected.
We then had a meeting with a company, Amicus Green Building Center , who can recommend products to tighten up the house so it uses less utilities and such as well as sustainable or green options. Honestly, it was kind of a superficial meeting but hopefully it will result in some good information.
The HVAC crew from Argent Heating and Cooling returned to begin the full installation of the equipment and we now have a sexy new central air unit hooked up. They didn't have the new ducts ready so they will be back tomorrow to hopefully finish up. Overall, they have done a stellar job and baring a glitch in interoffice communication things have gone pretty smoothly. I must say that the crew of technicians were some of the friendliest I've ever interacted with and I used to work in that sort of field so I have a little more experience than most. Looking forward to working with them again.
The contractor crew finished patching the cracks and holes in the foundation blocks and began removing the termite damaged section of the flooring and such. This is where an unfortunate surprise occurred. Not much more than a single board was completely eaten by termites but, due to the way the house was constructed with that board going diagonally across the floor, we have to tear up 60% of the nice original hardwood floor to fix it. I've also spied what appears to be another damaged board that runs through the remaining flooring so it appears that we may lose 100% of the living room hardwood floor. That is a bummer.
I will post pictures after tomorrow reveals just how extensive the damage is but as Butterfinger from Hudson Hawk would say, "Coach, looks bad!"
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
No more wallpaper (or walls for that matter)
A big shout out to Mike for helping with the removal of wallpaper. He's quite a steamer :-)
Turns out that the removed wallpaper smells nearly as bad as the removed sub floor. So let me just say it out right: Everything smells in my new home. And by smells, what I really mean is STINKS.... badly. I own a stinky house. And for those who know me, I'm weird about smells. It's taking all my will power not to put glade plug ins all throughout the house. But then it would just smell like flowery stink. Which is not really all that much better.
So for the time being, my interim house renovation goal is to achieve an acceptable level of smell... or lack of smell, as the case may be. Wish us luck.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
We've bounced back
So - Monday was a total bummer. But Tuesday has been better. At least on the house front :-) The HVAC team showed up this morning and started the heating and cooling overhaul. They promise that our house will be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It better be since I'm giving up one third of my kitchen pantry and more than half of my upstairs linen closet for new ducts and air returns.
While the HVAC guys were doing their job, Chris was attacking the multi-layers of wallpaper that cover nearly the entire house. Scrape, steam, scrape: repeat! Every wall, in every room. And on the ceiling [who puts wallpaper on the ceiling???]. Talk about sweat equity!!!! Pictures coming soon... who thought that bare plaster walls could look so good?
In other news - we learned something interesting today. Chris tore up the sub-floor in the kitchen yesterday as part of his "destruction therapy." This morning, when he opened up the house, the was a distinct lack of smell. For those of you who have been in the house you can attest - there is a distinct bouquet that permeates throughout the entire place. Turns out that the horrible house stench was emanating - in part - from the sub-floor in the kitchen. While I wouldn't go as far as to say that the house smells good, it sure smells better. And that's a good thing.
Energy efficiency audit planned for Thursday morning. Should be fun!
While the HVAC guys were doing their job, Chris was attacking the multi-layers of wallpaper that cover nearly the entire house. Scrape, steam, scrape: repeat! Every wall, in every room. And on the ceiling [who puts wallpaper on the ceiling???]. Talk about sweat equity!!!! Pictures coming soon... who thought that bare plaster walls could look so good?
In other news - we learned something interesting today. Chris tore up the sub-floor in the kitchen yesterday as part of his "destruction therapy." This morning, when he opened up the house, the was a distinct lack of smell. For those of you who have been in the house you can attest - there is a distinct bouquet that permeates throughout the entire place. Turns out that the horrible house stench was emanating - in part - from the sub-floor in the kitchen. While I wouldn't go as far as to say that the house smells good, it sure smells better. And that's a good thing.
Energy efficiency audit planned for Thursday morning. Should be fun!
Monday, July 27, 2009
This is why Monday's shouldn't exist
Today started out with things seemingly off for others but not for me. Luckily for me, I was soon to be on the same page with everyone else.
Got to the job site at 8:00 and got to work stripping wallpaper while waiting for the two crews to show up. At 9:00 nobody had shown and I started calling around to find out what was going on so I could plan the rest of the day.
My contractor told me that he was not sending anyone because they were stuck at another job. That was fine. I didn't really need them today. Then the HVAC guy told me that he made a mistake in scheduling and had me down for next month instead of today. No big deal as long as he can get started this week, which he could. I then talked to Steph who told me that she was having a crap day at work with no good stuff on the horizon.
So overall, everyone was having a bad day and now I had the day to myself. That would be my bane.
You see I decided to go get the wheelbarrow tire fixed because it had sprung a leak. So I locked up the house and went to the place where I bought it last week. They told me they couldn't help me so I had to go to Home Depot. Instead of getting back to the house in 15 minutes, I ended up being gone from 11-12:30.
When I got back to the house I went to charge my cell phone and couldn't find the charger. It took me a second to figure out why but then it hit me - where are my tool batteries...and where is the third bag of tools. They are gone! SHIT! (by far the nicest word coming out of my mouth for the next half hour)
It appears that I was seduced by the idea of moving from a transitional neighborhood to a nice quiet one and left my front window open. So while I was gone, someone came up on my front porch, crawled through the window, put all but one charger and battery in a tool bag, grabbed the bag and a drill I bought yesterday, and opened up the back door and left.
Luckily, it was only one person or I would have lost all of my tools. Needless to say, it appears that someone was watching the house because today was the first day when I was alone. Now, I have moved all of the tools I can't carry to and from the job site daily and hidden them in a booby trapped closet in the master bedroom. If that fails to deter, I'll get a little more medieval.
A $1,300 lesson learned. I hope it doesn't happen again because we are months away from finished.
Oh, and I did fix the wheelbarrow. (Plus, removed most of the tiles on the basement floor with a sledgehammer - for therapy of course)
Got to the job site at 8:00 and got to work stripping wallpaper while waiting for the two crews to show up. At 9:00 nobody had shown and I started calling around to find out what was going on so I could plan the rest of the day.
My contractor told me that he was not sending anyone because they were stuck at another job. That was fine. I didn't really need them today. Then the HVAC guy told me that he made a mistake in scheduling and had me down for next month instead of today. No big deal as long as he can get started this week, which he could. I then talked to Steph who told me that she was having a crap day at work with no good stuff on the horizon.
So overall, everyone was having a bad day and now I had the day to myself. That would be my bane.
You see I decided to go get the wheelbarrow tire fixed because it had sprung a leak. So I locked up the house and went to the place where I bought it last week. They told me they couldn't help me so I had to go to Home Depot. Instead of getting back to the house in 15 minutes, I ended up being gone from 11-12:30.
When I got back to the house I went to charge my cell phone and couldn't find the charger. It took me a second to figure out why but then it hit me - where are my tool batteries...and where is the third bag of tools. They are gone! SHIT! (by far the nicest word coming out of my mouth for the next half hour)
It appears that I was seduced by the idea of moving from a transitional neighborhood to a nice quiet one and left my front window open. So while I was gone, someone came up on my front porch, crawled through the window, put all but one charger and battery in a tool bag, grabbed the bag and a drill I bought yesterday, and opened up the back door and left.
Luckily, it was only one person or I would have lost all of my tools. Needless to say, it appears that someone was watching the house because today was the first day when I was alone. Now, I have moved all of the tools I can't carry to and from the job site daily and hidden them in a booby trapped closet in the master bedroom. If that fails to deter, I'll get a little more medieval.
A $1,300 lesson learned. I hope it doesn't happen again because we are months away from finished.
Oh, and I did fix the wheelbarrow. (Plus, removed most of the tiles on the basement floor with a sledgehammer - for therapy of course)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Demolition is complete
Yesterday was the final day of demo work. We finished removing both bathrooms and the screen porch. The workers had a difficult time moving the tub to the first floor due to it being a 1/2" cast iron design but they did succeed without damaging anything. Well, at least I didn't see the damage if it exists.
Our formal architectural plans were approved yesterday and we have our building permit. Now we will move on to preparing the house for framing and painting. The upcoming week will include installation of the new HVAC system, repairing the termite damage, and patching and waterproofing the basement walls.
I am investigating some drywall options from Serious Materials (www.seriousmaterials.com) that have eco, soundproofing, and insulating qualities. Hopefully they will get back to me with a local dealer so that I can determine if it is cost effective.
Thursday I measured for new windows and began the process of getting quotes. With the majority of windows already replaced we will be spending less money on materials but a lot more on labor due to the poor initial installation. In the end, we will have a house full of dual pane, LowE glass windows that should help control energy costs.
Can't wait to see them in action.
Our formal architectural plans were approved yesterday and we have our building permit. Now we will move on to preparing the house for framing and painting. The upcoming week will include installation of the new HVAC system, repairing the termite damage, and patching and waterproofing the basement walls.
I am investigating some drywall options from Serious Materials (www.seriousmaterials.com) that have eco, soundproofing, and insulating qualities. Hopefully they will get back to me with a local dealer so that I can determine if it is cost effective.
Thursday I measured for new windows and began the process of getting quotes. With the majority of windows already replaced we will be spending less money on materials but a lot more on labor due to the poor initial installation. In the end, we will have a house full of dual pane, LowE glass windows that should help control energy costs.
Can't wait to see them in action.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A BIG day
Today was the first day with a small crew from the contractor. It was apparent early on that there is a reason they do this professionally. After a 10 hour shift, with a small lunch break, they demolished an entire floor and some of another. For perspective, my nephew and I finished the basement demo that has been going on for five days. Granted, the basement is more involved but as you can see from the pictures, they don't mess around.After tomorrow, I expect to have most if not all of the demolition completed. Not bad for only owning the house for six days.
We received the first drawings from the architect last night and are having him make some changes due to a couple of errors. They should be finalized tomorrow which means we can get the construction permits and get the real party started. That also means we get to pick out cabinets. I'm sure that will a simple task.........
The HVAC is scheduled to be installed at the beginning of next week and I believe that will be at the same time that framing will be in full swing. All in all, a great start to the week. I hope it all goes this smoothly. (Commencing the biting of the tongue)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Day two - bye bye basement nastiness
Day two dawns and Chris and I are at the house by 8 am. Gluttons for punishment. But we were on a roll to destroy the basement and the dumpster (a 30 yard urban dumpster to get technical) was arriving at 9. Dumpsters don't park themselves. Not even the urban kind...
Day two was focused on finishing the demo in the basement and starting on the kitchen. And luck for us a few friends came over to help!
The first shout out goes to Bryan who was our jack of all trades! He helped get the dumpster parked. When we opened the dumpster and found a bunch of mulch, Bryan shoveled it out and strategically placed it around our "landscaping." The outside of our house now looks worlds better than the inside. But not for long! Bryan schooled me in using a sledgehammer (more to come on that!). He helped in the basement, and then took a turn or two at what was our coat closet. No doubt - Bryan has helped destroy much of our house!
Second shout out goes to Erica who headed downstairs with Chris to demolish the basement. Erica took out drywall, pulled down (non load bearing) studs, and yanked out some of the drop ceiling. Awesome! She then headed up to the master bedroom and yanked down some nasty ceiling tiles.
Last - but certainly not least - shout out goes to Sarah who took charge in (what used to be) the kitchen. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Sarah's sheer giddiness at the use of power tools. The woman knows her way around a drill and reciprocating saw (watch out Toby!). Sarah and I took up 7 layers of linoleum (yes 7... ) only to find a final layer of slate tile. But we powered under it and through it. Then Sarah went at the cabinets. Base cabinets gone. Sink gone. Stupid water purifier that was installed horribly gone. Ugly laminate counter top gone. Good riddance. Ony thing left? An unbelieveable amount of coachroach poo. Poo is a recurring theme here.
It was an amazing day. We love our friends that helped us demo, we love that we get to turn this house - our first house together - into something really special. Check separate posts for pictures and video!
Day two was focused on finishing the demo in the basement and starting on the kitchen. And luck for us a few friends came over to help!
The first shout out goes to Bryan who was our jack of all trades! He helped get the dumpster parked. When we opened the dumpster and found a bunch of mulch, Bryan shoveled it out and strategically placed it around our "landscaping." The outside of our house now looks worlds better than the inside. But not for long! Bryan schooled me in using a sledgehammer (more to come on that!). He helped in the basement, and then took a turn or two at what was our coat closet. No doubt - Bryan has helped destroy much of our house!
Second shout out goes to Erica who headed downstairs with Chris to demolish the basement. Erica took out drywall, pulled down (non load bearing) studs, and yanked out some of the drop ceiling. Awesome! She then headed up to the master bedroom and yanked down some nasty ceiling tiles.
Last - but certainly not least - shout out goes to Sarah who took charge in (what used to be) the kitchen. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Sarah's sheer giddiness at the use of power tools. The woman knows her way around a drill and reciprocating saw (watch out Toby!). Sarah and I took up 7 layers of linoleum (yes 7... ) only to find a final layer of slate tile. But we powered under it and through it. Then Sarah went at the cabinets. Base cabinets gone. Sink gone. Stupid water purifier that was installed horribly gone. Ugly laminate counter top gone. Good riddance. Ony thing left? An unbelieveable amount of coachroach poo. Poo is a recurring theme here.
It was an amazing day. We love our friends that helped us demo, we love that we get to turn this house - our first house together - into something really special. Check separate posts for pictures and video!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Day 1 - the demo begins
It finally happened! We're homeowners! We signed lots and lots papers (we might owe the mortgage company our first born child) and nodded as the title agents said things like title, deed, taxes, escrow. Then we grabbed our bottle of champagne and our sledgehammer and headed over to the new place for a little Day 1 demo. Yes, we demo-ed our new house within hours of getting the keys!
Day 1 demo was focused on the basement. The smelly, poo-filled, moldy basement. Yes, you read that right - poo. Multiple sizes that we'll assume come for multiple animals. And some fur - again which we will assume came from multiple animals. We tore up all the carpet, about 550 square feet of nasty, nasty carpet. Then we threw it out. I know we are trying to be "green" but honestly, there was no useful life left in this flooring waste. Trust us on that.
I'm not sure that I can bring myself to re-carpet the basement when the renovation is done. Tile anyone?
The pictures are pre-demo pics. We were too tired today to take post demo pictures. We'll do that tomorrow. Before we start on the kitchen!
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