First Problems...

What remodeling project has even gone perfectly? I discovered the first major problem today. We can't dry clothing. A few weeks ago I asked Kevin if we'd loose our ability to do laundry. His exact words to me were, "I'll take your kitchen but I won't take your laundry. I'm not that mean." Well sir, you did.

You see, there is a floor joist right in our dryer vent. There is no where for the dryer to vent to. Consequently, when I tried using the dryer (because both you and the carpenter said I could) the tube blew right off the wall. I also have a sick feeling there is something wrong with our dryer but I'm remaining cautiously optimistic. So, right now I have a bunch of laundry that needs to be done and a dryer full of wet clothes. We used to have clothes line but that was eliminated the day the hole was dug.

Also, earlier this week the circuits were being played with and now one of the outlets in Ethan and Logan's room doesn't work.

Day 18: Walls!

At the beginning of the day we just had a platform and now look at the progress!

Hanging out in our new kitchen...imagine Brian in front of the new island and next to the sink. That "pole" won't be there in the end, it's just holding up the skeleton of a roof.

Day 17: Floor

The floor is down, no more big hole! We were under the impression more work would be done today but that's okay, we have been very impressed with how fast everything is going. I also have a date in which we need to be out of the kitchen...July 9. Our contractor gave me one more week, which is greatly appreciated! What has been most difficult about getting the kitchen packed up is the heat. We are averaging upper 80's in the house during the day and who wants to be packing in that kind of heat? The heat is supposed to break this evening so maybe I'll be more productive in the next few days. Otherwise, I'll be getting up at 4:40 am, with Brian who gets up to run, to pack!

Floor is Starting to Take Shape

At the end of day 16 we have floor joists!

Day 16: A New Folder Has Been Created

I have organized my pictures according to the stage of the project. One folder is "planning", another is "non-construction", while another is "digging." I have started a new folder titled, "building." We have entered a new stage...

The wood was delivered today and the carpenter is expected anytime now (although honestly, if he doesn't come with his crew I'd be totally understanding. It's 97 degrees out there according to our thermometer).

I was rather curious as to how the wood was going to get off the truck. During all of our other projects (basement, garage, pergola) the wood was removed by fork lifts. Here you go, it was "dumped" off the truck.
Another tight fit! He was hoping he'd be able to make the turn and get into our backyard but no such luck. Our cars now are going to be spending the night outside.

Day 15: A Clean Sweep Approach

We have had to rid almost every area of the house of stuff we don't use at least once in the last three years. The one room that has been largely untouched is: the kitchen. Since it's so small there really isn't a lot to get rid of or a large stock pile of food to eat but there is some. Today I started "packing" up the kitchen.

Below is my strategy; three piles. One for "I want to keep it and it needs to be accessible", another for "Pack it, we're keeping it" and finally, "Pitch it or Goodwill it." My strategy worked well and kept me organized. After all the stuff was gone off the table the Post-Its remained. I think I'll leave them there for the next time I tackle the cupboards.

And tackling cupboards is going to become a daily job because tomorrow the carpenter is coming to start his part. He told me that by Tuesday evening our hole will be gone...a platform will left!

Days 9, 10 and 11...Catching Up

Here we are 1 1/2 weeks into the project and have a basement floor! The cement guy, Adam, was here today around 4:00 and poured the floor. Here is a summary of the last few days:

The cement truck was a tight fit between the two houses

Pouring the floor

All done!

Day 10

Wednesday, or Day 10, the basement was prepared for the pouring of the floor. They came with a water pump and pumped out all the water that had accumulated in our hole, laid down plastic on top of the rock and punched a hole in the wall. The hole was necessary so they could measure the floor height (or something :).

Water pump in corner

Day 9

After learning that cleaning the "new" interior wall was our responsibility, Brian borrowed my dad's power washer and cleaned the wall. What a manly toy to play with...