We were forecast to have rain all week, so we were feeling pretty gloomy about the likelihood of much progress. It did indeed rain a lot overnight and earlier this morning, but it is now sunny, and the house is swarming with men. They are trying to finish the roof framing as quickly as they can. There is also a lot of banging coming from the family room.
Met Achilles in the street this morning. He's been in conversation with The Structural Engineer, and the latter will be at the house tomorrow. They think they've got a solution that will allow the building addition to be tweaked so that no fudging is required, and no demolition either. A good thing.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Progress photos
I've finally got the camera software loaded on this new computer, so I can bring you new photos of current progress. Here (first photo) is a picture of our kitchen with the new dustwall built across it. Those readers with an intimate knowledge of our house will spot that the wall runs across the area where the dead drinks fridge lived, and also cuts across the windows on one side and half the sliding door on the other. 
And here (second photo) is a photo from the other side of the wall. Note the white painted kitchen wall to the right of the photo with half the sliding door. The framed area is the end of the office, looking out to the side yard.
The white wall in photo 3 is what used to be the inside of our kitchen toilet (now nailed shut with plywood across it for insulation and security). This area will become the laundry room.
Here's a photo of the exterior showing the roof framing on the office/laundry in progress. Note the large blue tarpaulin. Jim's Bunch pulled off quite a large chunk of the roof over the course of the week, so we are hoping that the tarp is in the right place...
And one final photo: Our pool being drained in preparation for the remodel, which should start in the next few days.
Alas, it is now raining heavily, and due to rain for several more days. This will be good for the snow in Lake Tahoe, but not so good for the progress on our construction, I fear. We were also expecting the guys from Mr Hardscape's company to be out this week to demo the back yard, but I'm guessing that won't happen with lots of rain, because it will just turn the lot into a big mud bath.
Word from The Arborist: The permit for the Monterey Pine is signed off and the crane is booked for December 21. This is the first day of the kids' winter holidays, so they will be able to enjoy watching this massive tree coming down.
Still no sign of new neighbors next door.
And here (second photo) is a photo from the other side of the wall. Note the white painted kitchen wall to the right of the photo with half the sliding door. The framed area is the end of the office, looking out to the side yard.
The white wall in photo 3 is what used to be the inside of our kitchen toilet (now nailed shut with plywood across it for insulation and security). This area will become the laundry room.
Here's a photo of the exterior showing the roof framing on the office/laundry in progress. Note the large blue tarpaulin. Jim's Bunch pulled off quite a large chunk of the roof over the course of the week, so we are hoping that the tarp is in the right place...
And one final photo: Our pool being drained in preparation for the remodel, which should start in the next few days.
Alas, it is now raining heavily, and due to rain for several more days. This will be good for the snow in Lake Tahoe, but not so good for the progress on our construction, I fear. We were also expecting the guys from Mr Hardscape's company to be out this week to demo the back yard, but I'm guessing that won't happen with lots of rain, because it will just turn the lot into a big mud bath.
Word from The Arborist: The permit for the Monterey Pine is signed off and the crane is booked for December 21. This is the first day of the kids' winter holidays, so they will be able to enjoy watching this massive tree coming down.
Still no sign of new neighbors next door.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Latest construction problem
We had a two and a half hour site meeting today, with Achilles, the Site Supervisor, The Architect, Jim the Boss, the Landscape Designer, the guys from the cabinet company, the pool remodelling guy, and Mr Hardscape. Hubby joined us about half way in and instantly started to try to make decisions, which isn't allowed at all.
The first 45 minutes of the meeting was spent (sans cabinet guys and landscaping crew) outside the house staring at the front where the bedroom/bathroom addition is being created. So it turns out that the existing house is not quite square. The addition has been built square onto the end of the family room, with the side walls perpendicular to the end wall; but the end wall was not perpendicular to the existing side walls. Are you following? The result is that the new part of the house does not line up with the old part of the house. The old walls lean away from the new walls and the overall line is not flat.
The Architect is very exercised by this error, which could have been compensated for during the foundation pouring if anyone had noticed. She claims that it's all to do with there being too many supervisors involved in actually doing the work, and not enough of the usual workmen who actually know what they're doing. That sounds a bit feeble to us, but hey. As a matter of fact, we're not talking about 12 inches, or even 2 inches in difference. The Architect says the difference is between an inch and an inch and a half; but she says that will be enough to be visible. There was much talk of amending the gutter line on the eaves so that the main sight line from the front will be straight, and of "furring" with felt inside the walls to compensate for the lack of straightness.
One option, of course, would be to pull the whole thing out and start again; but Jim isn't keen on that (as they'd have to bear the cost) and we're not keen (as we'd be put back four weeks in the project). So I guess a fudge is where we'll end up.
This explains why there has been a lot of work going on around the office/laundry and none on the bedroom side.
Other activity today: By the end of Monday, all that stood between us and the elements in the kitchen was a layer of fiber glass insulation. So we requested a dust wall to provide a bit of security and fewer drafts. Today Azmir has been building a very study looking wall out of 2 by 4s and plywood across the side of the kitchen. Behind it the guys have pulled out the windows in the kitchen and the toilet room. They've demolished the external wall of the toilet, and look like they will be pulling out the wall with the kitchen cabinet and dead fridge very soon.
The framers have erected the roof ridge across the laundry and office and have started to frame the gable end.
With the Landscape Designer, we met with Mike the pool remodeller and Mr Hardscape. What amused Hubby and I the most was the fact that we had no discussion of the price at all - it was totally taken as read that we would accept the figures, and of course we have. We agreed to the raising of our entire back yard two inches. Mike the Pool Guy put his pump into our pool to start draining it. Mr Hardscape said he'd be back next week to demolish the back yard. Hubby and the Landscape Designer had more discussion of the "outdoor kitchen" and he was persuaded to add an ice maker to the design!
(No photos because we're moving onto a new computer and I still have to reload the camera software. There's always something new to keep a gal busy.)
The first 45 minutes of the meeting was spent (sans cabinet guys and landscaping crew) outside the house staring at the front where the bedroom/bathroom addition is being created. So it turns out that the existing house is not quite square. The addition has been built square onto the end of the family room, with the side walls perpendicular to the end wall; but the end wall was not perpendicular to the existing side walls. Are you following? The result is that the new part of the house does not line up with the old part of the house. The old walls lean away from the new walls and the overall line is not flat.
The Architect is very exercised by this error, which could have been compensated for during the foundation pouring if anyone had noticed. She claims that it's all to do with there being too many supervisors involved in actually doing the work, and not enough of the usual workmen who actually know what they're doing. That sounds a bit feeble to us, but hey. As a matter of fact, we're not talking about 12 inches, or even 2 inches in difference. The Architect says the difference is between an inch and an inch and a half; but she says that will be enough to be visible. There was much talk of amending the gutter line on the eaves so that the main sight line from the front will be straight, and of "furring" with felt inside the walls to compensate for the lack of straightness.
One option, of course, would be to pull the whole thing out and start again; but Jim isn't keen on that (as they'd have to bear the cost) and we're not keen (as we'd be put back four weeks in the project). So I guess a fudge is where we'll end up.
This explains why there has been a lot of work going on around the office/laundry and none on the bedroom side.
Other activity today: By the end of Monday, all that stood between us and the elements in the kitchen was a layer of fiber glass insulation. So we requested a dust wall to provide a bit of security and fewer drafts. Today Azmir has been building a very study looking wall out of 2 by 4s and plywood across the side of the kitchen. Behind it the guys have pulled out the windows in the kitchen and the toilet room. They've demolished the external wall of the toilet, and look like they will be pulling out the wall with the kitchen cabinet and dead fridge very soon.
The framers have erected the roof ridge across the laundry and office and have started to frame the gable end.
With the Landscape Designer, we met with Mike the pool remodeller and Mr Hardscape. What amused Hubby and I the most was the fact that we had no discussion of the price at all - it was totally taken as read that we would accept the figures, and of course we have. We agreed to the raising of our entire back yard two inches. Mike the Pool Guy put his pump into our pool to start draining it. Mr Hardscape said he'd be back next week to demolish the back yard. Hubby and the Landscape Designer had more discussion of the "outdoor kitchen" and he was persuaded to add an ice maker to the design!
(No photos because we're moving onto a new computer and I still have to reload the camera software. There's always something new to keep a gal busy.)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Landscaping update
All I can say is, HOLY COW, who knew that landscaping could be that expensive? We are meeting the Landscape Designer tomorrow to talk over the - large - estimates for the hardscape.
Car Trouble
First flat tire of the remodel. Since we are eight weeks in, I guess that's not a bad average. (And, of course, since our town is The Land of Perpetual Construction, it might not even be a nail from our own job.)
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Surprise!
I was drinking a cup of tea when a man burst through the wall of the kitchen, hammer in hand.
The worst thing about a remodel
...is definitely the lack of privacy. Or maybe it is the noise. Or could it be a combination of the two? There are guys on my kitchen roof at the moment tearing it off. Other guys are outside the kitchen window. It's like being in the proverbial goldfish bowl, only with sledge hammers instead of an air stone.
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