Holidays Hustle & Bustle

Renovation deadlines add a whole new dynamic to the hustle and bustle that we all feel during the holidays.  In fact, we had been so preoccupied with the house that we forgot to pack most of the Christmas gifts that we planned to give to Matt's family at Christmas.  Oops!  I guess we have had a lot on our minds!

And, I cannot say enough good things about Matt.  He has the best work ethic and is the hardest working person I know.  His talents have enabled him to do a lot of the grueling labor on the house--allowing our construction budget to stretch further.  He spends his weekdays working full-time for the City Trails.  . . a job that is full of it own complexities and deadlines.  Then, he comes home and spends his evenings, weekends, and holidays preparing the house for the next big step.  All the while, he is such and even-keeled, dedicated husband.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all that he does.

What have I been doing?  I remain on-call at home during most days to answer questions and figure out details with the various crews we have had working on the house.  I prepare drawings and interview sub-contractors to get bids on the next portion of work that needs to happen to keep us on schedule.  I have to frequently monitor the parking situation in our shared driveway to make sure our neighbors are not blocked-in or blocked-out of their parking area by the coming and going of workers, deliveries, and subs stopping by.  Selecting all the fixtures and interior finishes has been difficult to accomplish because it is challenging just to get free time away from the house to run to visit the various showrooms.  On top of all that, I am frequently crunching numbers to make sure we are staying within budget!  All of this keeps me stimulated and keeps my design eye sharp.  Now that I have entered the 3rd Trimester, I have dramatically cut-back on the assistant laborer roll, but I try to help Matt where I can.  Most of my physical exertion these days is related to keeping the construction dust under control. . . I am constantly sweeping, cleaning tabletops and countertops.  And, I know it is only going to get worse with sheetrock before it gets any better!

Many people ask me if I am able to cook during the construction.  Surprisingly, yes!  I am able to bake in our oven and cook quite a bit using electric skillets & pots, crockpots, and the microwave.  It has taken a little bit of creativity to work with the limited kitchen, but it is doable.  We have to rinse/wipe off dishes and silverware before each use because of the settling construction dust, but it is second nature by now.  The living/dining/temporary kitchen area remains a bit cluttered, too, with many of the kitchen tools & dishes on shelving units and with boxes of kitchen gear lining the baseboards.  I have 2 prep tables on loan from Susan that are very handy.  I can wash almost all the dishes in our dishwasher, but a few larger things need to be washed in the bathtub.  And, Boxley is enjoying his new role as dish-licker to "pre-rinse" bowls and plates before they go in the dishwasher. . . he is getting a little too spoiled!  Here is a picture of our temporary kitchen set up in our living and dining area:

Matt and I have been very grateful for our friends and family (you know who you are!) who have either had us over for dinners or given us home-cooked food to make life at Lafayette Lounge a little easier.  Thank you.

Our demolition and construction schedule during November and December was fast-paced with one thing having to be completed in order to start the next thing.   There was very little time to take a break.   So, here are some photos from the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Holidays to show all the stages of work.  Some of the photos are a little dark and might make you cross-eyed (thanks to a little no-flash experiment), but they should help you get a better idea.  It went something like this:

1.  DEMO:  Demolition had to be completed before we could straighten the framing on the bowed kitchen walls and frame the new kitchen ceiling.  Demolition of the kitchen floor (scraping the old linoleum and tar from the antique pine boards) was incredibly time consuming (it took weeks with Barrett, Matt, and Me all working on it!) but this had to be completed before we could add the stairs to the basement.  The demo of this flooring took so long due to the methodical way that the boards needed to be salvaged for reuse in our new kitchen.  So, with all the special care we gave it, these floors better look amazing!

Barrett prepares to demo the kitchen ceiling.

Matt & Barrett stomped out the kitchen ceiling from the attic above, leaving a mess of lath and insulation that Susan, John, and I helped clean up.  What a mess!

All that lath made excellent kindling.  We kept many fires burning to keep us warm while we worked.

This is the landfill where we have taken 3 loads of demolition debri so far.  We will take the 4th and final load after the construction is complete.

Ugh, this was the old linoleum floor, probably dating back to the 30's that was revealed during demolition.  The red areas outline the cabinets and an eat-in table from that era.  This floor was a PAIN to scrape off of the antique pine boards!


2.  NEW KITCHEN DOOR & WINDOWS:  Because we were reconfiguring the windows and doors of the back wall of our house, this work had to be completed so that the electrician could wire the the new light switches.  We still have to replace the 2 square windows that will be above the kitchen sink, but that can be done at anytime.  Also, we are holding off on replacing and repainting our siding until the weather gets warmer.

This is what the old aluminum windows and doors looked like on Thanksgiving day.

And, a little later in the day on Thanksgiving.

The day after Thanksgiving the new openings were framed, sheathed, wrapped with house wrap, and lined with flashing.

Barrett was there to help out, too.

New windows going in.

New windows and doors checked off the to-do list!

3.  FRAMING/ROUGH CARPENTRY:  Framing the walls & ceiling of the kitchen had to be completed before the HVAC ductwork could be completed in the kitchen.  The kitchen walls required some major TLC because they bowed out of plum several inches, but Matt was able to "sister up" with new studs to make the walls nice and straight.  And, the framing of the old kitchen ceiling was pathetic.  It was framed 100 years ago with 2x4 joists spanning 14-feet or more--seriously undersized members!  So, Matt and Barrett tore out all that old framing and installed new 2x10 ceiling joists across the entire kitchen.  Since we took out 2 walls to make the kitchen more open, this new ceiling framing makes a nice, clean open space.  Adding the stairs to the basement had to be completed in order  to make the electrician's work more efficient.  The stairs were an item that neither Matt or I had the patience or brain power to figure out.  So, our contractor friend, Drew Lowry, coordinated Craig Finn to frame our stairs.  Craig is a highly skilled carpenter and did a great job!  In 2 days, we had stairs!  This gave us a much needed morale boost at the end of the month-and-a-half demolition and framing.

You can see the new, straight studs and window header are lighter-colored than the existing framing.

Matt and Barrett begin building the new kitchen ceiling.

Installing a ledger board for the ceiling joists to attach to.

Framing of the new kitchen ceiling and HVAC chase in the corner was finished.

Another view of the new ceiling and floor demo in progress.

Here, you can see the new stair opening to the left and a make-shift island roughly where the new island will go.

The wall between our bedroom and kitchen needed a lot of framing to fill in the old doors, open a new doorway, and make a straight/flat stud profile for the sheetrock to be installed against.  Way to go, Matt!

Basement view of stair opening.

Craig did a great job!  We are thinking that the space under the stairs will make a perfect play area for Millie.

4.  HVAC: Thomas Murie with Comfort Control worked like a magician to get all the ducts running to appropriate rooms and locations on the furnace.  He added some additional air supply registers to existing rooms and did a bunch of small improvements to make our system more efficient.  The furnace looks like a ductwork beast, but it works great!  Matt and I have been so concerned about the cold temperatures and lack of insulation during construction that we have kept our thermostat set anywhere between 55 degrees and 60 degrees to keep our gas bill under control.  Usually, we keep it around 65 during the winter.  Surprisingly, our gas bill had significantly less consumption than we had this time last year. . . I guess that just goes to show how inefficient it was when we had the giant hole under our house all those years!

This is the beast!  It must have been like working a puzzle for Thomas to figure out to make all the ducts, vents, and pipes fit around this thing.  Way to go, Thomas!

5.  ELECTRICAL: The electrician (Shane Hall) and his helper (Joe) worked efficiently for about 2 weeks to complete all the electrical rough-in.  They installed about 3000 feet of wire, 30 switches, 40 outlets, 23 recessed can fixtures, j-boxes for 10 surface-mounted fixtures, and 3 recessed stair lights.  Also, they switched over our electrical service to a burried line with new exterior and interior breaker panels.  So, we no longer have unsightly overhead lines at the back of our house or an ugly breaker panel in the kitchen.  Matt was able to do MANY tedious items on the electrical work and prep-work to save Shane time.  Shane was great to work with, a perfectionist, and made sure all the details of my lighting plan worked out just as my design intended.  And, I am so pleased with the way it has turned out!

Matt installed the buried conduit last year after the ice storm--when we realized that we did not wan to mess around with overhead electric lines anymore.  Then, he recently had to dig a hole in the frozen ground so that Shane and SWEPCO would have access to it. . . just one of the many odds and ends Matt slaved away on over his 4-day New Years Holiday.

6.  PLUMBING:  There was a long list of plumbing odds-and-ends that needed to be completed before insulation and sheetrock could be installed.  Matt reconfigured all the sewer venting from the basement and kitchen and ran all the new vent pipes to the attic.  Some areas were a little tricky, but he was able to snake it all through.

This made me laugh. . .the clock on the wall at Service Supply Company--the warehouse where I have purchased all the sewer & venting fittings and pipes.

Our new shower for the basement did not quiet fit in the car, but we made it work!  The base for the shower needs to be installed before sheetrock.

7.  SUBFLOOR PREP:  Matt replaced areas of our kitchen subfloor that were either weak or had large, gaping holes. . . getting us one step closer to re-installing the antique pine boards!

8.  INSULATION:  On the day that I started this blog post, the insulation work began.  It was 11-degrees with a wind chill of -7, so the insulation could not have come at a better time!  We are using Arkansas Insulators. . . turns out that Arkansas Insulators is a supporter of "This Old House" on PBS (we are devoted followers of this TV program!), so we are happy to give them business.  And, I am delighted that they are using all eco-friendly, "GreenGuard" products that are made with recycled materials and no formaldehyde.

9.  SHEETROCK:  Starts Monday!  I am excited about the installer we decided to hire.  Miguel Contreras does all the work for Mark Zweig's quality renovations in our neighborhood.  You can check out Mark's blog at http://www.markzweig.com/home and see the homes he has completed on Lafayette, Willow, Maple, and Rebecca . . . all within 1-3 blocks of our house.  I know this sheetrock crew will have the attention to detail that we expect.  And, they are giving me a one-year warranty against cracks.  Then, depending on the budget, we may have them go ahead and prime/paint all the walls and ceilings to give us another little morale booster. . . keeping my fingers crossed that we can make this happen!

10.  KITCHEN & LAUNDRY CABINETS:  Doug Smith of Smith Cabinet Shop will be building our cabinets.  I expect that he will have shop drawings to me any day now for me to review and approve.  He originally told me it should only take a week to build--I hope so!  Once they are built, Matt will paint them in the evenings at Doug's shop.  We are anxious to get these built and installed soon because it will take another 2 weeks for the countertop company to template and form the countertops. . . which means it will likely be early/mid February before the counters would be installed in the kitchen. . . a little closer to our due date than I had hoped!

So, we need everyone to send us good thoughts on having Millie arrive either on-time or after our due date of March 6th!  I don't think we will be ready for an early-comer!

November 2009

The following is a purge of all the thoughts and processes that have kept us occupied over the past several weeks.  We have finally crossed the threshold into a full-blown remodel!  Our attention has shifted more towards the Kitchen Remodel, but there are some Basement items that need to be completed simultaneously (plumbing, electrical, sheetrock).  There is no turning back now--just a strict schedule to get things completed by then end of January!  At times, it seems crazy to take on such a project when we are just months away from Millie's arrival.  This is the best time to get it done because neither one of us can imagine tackling this while also taking care of a baby.  In fact, we are so preoccupied with the house, that we have to take a step back sometimes to reflect on the fact that we are going to have our own family very soon!  Glazing over all the dust, noise, and overall disruption, I am looking forward to the final transformation.  The spaces are starting to feel like a home, a machine designed especially for the way we live.  We are excited to raise a family in the newly remodeled home!

There is a lot of value in hiring a contractor to manage your remodel. . . to keep things going consistently, on time, and within budget.  I have taken on that contracting role because I have the time/energy/desire to take on the task.  I am enjoying all the coordinating, accounting, etc.  It is stimulating to wear all the hats:  the architect, the contractor, the homeowner, photographer, and when Matt is home from work--the assistant laborer. . . though, I am quickly cutting back on the physical work to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

One of my favorite, simple pleasures in this contracting role has been working with local suppliers to acquire the construction materials needed for the job.  If we never needed last-minute items late in the evenings or on weekends, I would totally avoid Lowes and Home Depot. . . but their hours are a definite market advantage.  The following local, specialized suppliers have the knowledgeable staff and customer service that are making this process worthwhile for me!  Plus, I find that many of them have a better selection in their specialized areas.

For windows, we used Butterfield Millworks in Johnson.  They had the widest selection of standard sizes in quality windows--JeldWen.  Plus, they honored an Architect's discount for me.  For framing & general construction materials, we are using Meeks. . . I set up an account for contractors pricing, place my orders over the phone with a seasoned construction specialist and they deliver!

In the plumbing department, I have to recommend Service Supply Company in Fayetteville and Winnelson in Springdale.  Service Supply does not sell the pex piping and fittings, but they recommended Winnelson (thank goodness!) for these items.  Both warehouses are great!  No more stumbling around Lowes having a hard time finding the right parts!  No, No.  At these warehouses, I go up to the counter and place my order. . . just like ordering a beer at the bar. . . with a knowledgeable staff person who has years of plumbing experience to make sure I purchase the right thing.  Then, they go gather everything for me.  I can get all the parts we need while sitting on a barstool. . . it is great!  At Winnelson, they not only set me up with contractor pricing, but they loaned me the crimping tools we need to make the pex pipe attach to the fittings. . . saving us hundreds of dollars in tools!  What this place lacks in curb appeal, it gains in customer service.  To give a visual, here are some pictures from Winnelson.  The main entry and view from the counter:

Love that taxidermy!

So, here is a summary of the work completed since the last post.  And, as promised, a photo of the exterior step lights at night!

We had to relocate all the original sewage piping to make room for the basement walls and ductwork, so it was opportunity to modernize the piping.  And, good thing we did!  There was severe clogging in the old cast iron. . . amazing that these pipes even drained at all!

 Yuck!Totally Clogged!

And, the ancient pre-P-trap assembly from our shower had a cracked reservoir that was leaking shower sewage in the crawlspace:

  See the crack?!

Then, we spent two long nights installing our basement window and door as soon as they were delivered. . .just in time for the appraisal that week!  Sigh of relief!

Then, we had a big work weekend (Wall Framing in the Basement and Demo in the Kitchen) when Matt's Uncle Don came to town with his framing know-how and tools.  Susan, John, Jay, Steve, and Mom all offered to help out, too.

Kitchen demo continued on Veteran's Day:

 So long old cabinets!

And, the temporary kitchen has not been too bad.  I can tolerate anything (chemotherapy, braces, pregnancy, demolished house) knowing that it is short-term and leads to something healthier, improved, and more beautiful.   We can still use the kitchen sink, dishwasher, stove and oven (moved to the island countertop.)  The refrigerator and work tables are set up in the dining room.  Overall, it is functioning fairly well.

Last weekend, Matt took out the floor of the old breakfast room (a porch in its former life) in order to re-build a level, sturdy floor flush with the rest of the kitchen floor. . .   I was NOT sad to see that derelict linoleum go away!  Since we took out a wall to make the kitchen a larger, open space, this little project was an important step for acheiving a kitchen floor that will be consistent across the whole space.  We are salvaging all the old pine flooring from under the linoleum to use again as the finished floor in the new kitchen.

See the original floor joists? They were undersized for the long span and sloped from being a porch.

 See the new floor joists!  Thanks, Jeremy, for lending a hand.

Setting the joists in the joist hangers.

And, the final subfloor.

Thomas Murie with Comfort Control has successfully moved our furnace to the basement and had it all working again in time for this cold spell!  Excellent job, Thomas!

And, in the following photo, you can see how the basement spaces are arranged.  This photo is taken from the new exterior doorway.  To the right, the laundry.  Straight ahead, the short hallway back to Matt's shop/Utility Room.  Parallel to the short hall on the left (where the 2x10's lay) will be the stair to the kitchen.  Boxley is standing in the basement bathroom.  And, the space to the far left will be my office and guest bedroom.

Thanks to our friend Barrett, and my mom's insistence to have someone help us complete the demo, the kitchen demo continues!  Thank goodness!

Next on the To-Do List:  Replacing the kitchen windows & back door, framing the new kitchen ceiling and adding beams where walls once stood, adding the interior stair to the basement, continuing ductwork, plumbing & electrical. . . oh, the electrical!  It turns out that most of the existing electrical is active nob-and-tube. . . not safe!  So, we will have to re-wire most of the house in addition to the wiring required by the kitchen remodel and basement.  This hazard makes me anxious to get it done.  We are just waiting on the quotes.  Stay tuned!