Weeks 7 & 8

Our remodel is coming along nicely. I, for one, am beginning to see a glimmer of the light at the end of the tunnel. Our addition is beginning to feel like part of the house...except that we can't use it yet! The installation of the sliding doors really helped to lighten up the space.

We have one more window that will also help lighten the room but it is lost in transit. I am told it should be here by the end of this week, but I am not holding my breath. For now, we have a sheet of plywood nailed to the back of the wall.

We also had black paper and chicken wire put in place for the upcoming stucco. I am sure there is a more technical term for the black paper, but I don't know what it is. Sorry.

Next came the gutters. I know they work since we had a rainy day since they were installed. The one next to the guest room is very noisy so it will need to be fixed before we have our first guest. 

Next came the installation of the hardwood floors, which came with some challenges. The weather decided to turn cold so rather than being able to come for three days straight, the guys had to skip a day in between the three coats to allow the floors to properly dry. This would have been fine except they had to turn off the pilot lights, which meant I had no heat and no hot water. Yikes! I felt a melt down approaching until Aaron suggested I shower at the Brenda Athletic Club. Perfect solution. I also took all the blankets out of the closet and I was good to go. Oh, ya. Did I mention that Roger was in Washington DC visiting Aaron during this part of the project? I persevered and came out just fine. So did the floors. They are beautiful!

As I type, Roger is in transit from DC. It will be nice to hand the remodel reigns back over to him. I am told this week will bring stucco, lights in the room and maybe, just maybe the removal of the plastic wall. We're getting close, folks. Yipee!!

Week 5 & 6

The past couple of weeks have been very busy in our household. The building of our den is coming along nicely. Before I get to that, we had a big event, which is much more important than a building. For those of you not on Facebook, our daughter Alison and her boyfriend Bryan announced their engagement. We are thrilled beyond words to welcome Bryan to our family.

Now, here is a progression of what has been happening in regards to our den. Once the framing and trusses were in place, the walls went up. The large opening is where our four panel sliding glass door will be installed.

Next in the process was prep for the roof on the outside and sheetrock on the inside.

While I was enjoying my morning coffee this week, I heard the rumbling of a very large truck coming down our street. Yes, it was still dark outside but I just knew the sound meant the delivery of something for our den. I still wonder if the neighbors are glad we moved in. Anyway, as the noise of the truck stopped in front of our house, I went outside to meet the delivery of our roofing shingles.

Here's how they got the shingles up on the roof. I kind of wanted to ride the conveyor belt but decided against asking. Maybe I can get a job with them when I retire from my current employment!

Magically, when I came home from work, this is what I found. We have a roof!

Friday brought sheetrock taping in both the den and our massive storage closet. 

I think Roger likes the closet more than then den!

Midway through the week, the door between the dining room and the new den had to be widened, which brought the addition of another plastic wall. It seems as if our projects always have to include a plastic wall. This will keep our cat Maddie away from the construction site and hopefully keep the dust and dirt to a minimum in the rest of the house. 

As I write this blog, on a chilly Saturday morning, I am enjoying the warmth of the gas fireplace we installed during our last remodel. We continue to feel so blessed and are grateful on a daily basis to be able to enjoy our new home and share it with others. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. 

Week 3 & 4

Mr. Weatherman was right....our project got postponed a couple of times due to rain. Week 3 brought the laying of insulation and a floor. That insulation is going to feel toasty on the tootsies this winter!

And then it rained some more, so that was the extent of week 3.

Week 4 started out with, you guessed it, more rain but only for a day. Things dried out nicely and the walls went up.

One of the things we miss about our Elmwood house was the amount of storage, so we have incorporated a 5' x 23' closet into the new space. This will also give our future grandchildren (hint, hint) plenty of places to play hide and seek! :-)

Today brought a very large truck, which delivered the trusses (another new vocabulary word for me). Thanks to Jared, who snapped this pic, we were able to see what they had to do to get them loaded onto the roof (Roger and I were working and missed all the fun).

And just like that, we have a roof.

We are getting excited since we can now see the shape and size of our room. I can almost imagine myself sitting on the couch with TV remote in hand. Woohoo!! More to come next week. 

Week 2

Another week has come and gone. This week brought the forms for the walls and lots of holes to our new room. Don't worry...we don't have a gopher problem. These are necessary for the concrete piers, which will support our floor. I am enjoying learning some new vocabulary words as we move through this process! I always thought a pier was something in water!

 Once the holes were dug, they were filled with concrete.

Ready? Here comes another new vocabulary word...girders. In the hot, hot sun Jared and Dustin installed the girders which were the next step in the process. Thanks, guys.

Maddie has enjoyed wandering around and playing in the work site. I think she is scoping and picking out her "spot" for the future !

While construction continues, we are "enjoying" having all of our furniture in the living and dining rooms. It gives us many seating choices for TV viewing!

From what we have read, the weather is supposed to be a bit wet next week. I'm hoping that doesn't slow down the process too much. I guess time will tell. 

Week 1

As with our last remodel, the demolition went quickly. Monday morning Jared and Dustin showed up with their many tools and began the process of removing the "bonus room". We will not miss fighting with the screen door, which stuck and wouldn't open more than it actually worked.

We also won't miss the brick planters INSIDE the house.

Unfortunately, the HVAC system had to be replaced because the system that came with the house was too small.  You know the story...budget for a remodel and then figure a 10% increase. Yep, it's true.

In the process of removing the bonus room, Jared discovered some old tiles under the carpet. Wanting to get in on the action, Roger took on the job of removing them. 

With the structure removed, the process of digging for the foundation began. Unfortunately we didn't find any hidden treasures.

The space is now ready for our den!

The forms are set and ready for concrete.

Looking forward to week 2. Happy weekend everyone!

Well folks, we are at it again. Call us crazy but we are on the brink of starting remodel #2 on Carla Lane. The previous owner enclosed an outdoor patio but......

we are demolishing it and building a den. I know, I know...we bought this house for the purpose of downsizing but we need a bit more space. Roger started working on the plans a couple of months ago,

then took the necessary measurements, while I was watching the Giants game.

We then called Scott Monday, our favorite Project Manager, who brought in his sub contractors

and we begin the fun on Monday. Feel free to follow along or ignore completely. For those of you who grumbled because I only blogged weekly last time, deal with it. It's the best I can do! :-) Here we go....