Saturday, February 21, 2009




The drywall is done.
Much of the remaining work is waiting on the walls and ceilings being painted. Any free time next week will go toward rolling and brushing, brushing and rolling. We have almost all of the primer on and have begun applying the two coats of finish. Once the paint is done, the carpet and vinyl flooring will go in and Myron and Mitch will be back for the finish carpentry (window and door trim and baseboards).
There's a big pile of boxes in the garage that represent plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, vanity cabinets, various doors and other stuff that has faded from memory.
The shower walls are in and the glass doors are in progress.
The maple flooring will be installed Feb 24th and about a week later we vacate the house for about a week so the whole floor can be sanded and finished with three coats of toxic Swedish gloss.
While still out on the horizon, the end is in sight.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009








Today Mitch installed the last of the siding. He even checked to be sure no birds had nested in the attic space that had been open to the outside for seveal weeks. Except for a couple of trim pieces and paint, the exterior is finished.
After Myron and Mitch put in a plastic wall between the kitchen and living room, the drywall went in really fast. The mud and tape guy, Ted, is about at the halfway point. He is really good, and fast at what he does, though watching him you'd think he was taking his time due to the fluid nature of his movement.
We have picked out carpet and flooring for the master bath. On the 13th, the wood floor people will be bringing in the maple to acclimate. They will install on the 17th and then 3 weeks later we vacate the house for 4 days for the 3 coats of swedish finish that will be put down on the entire floor.
The shower pan was installed last week. The walls will be installed next week and, hopefully, the cabinets for the vanity will be here so the shower people can measure for the vanity top which will match the shower walls.
The skylight in the front bathroom was installed over a week ago. It ended the bathroom cave era and changed the character of the entire landing at the top of the stairs.

Sunday, January 25, 2009






The house is now closed up. All windows on the north side were installed last week after the drywall was stocked in the new spaces. The shower plumbing has been installed. It appears we finally bought the correct fixtures after several encounters, and false starts, with Lowe's. The electrician has put in the recessed fixtures in the front room, as well as the boxes for the lights that will light the driveway. In addition, the skylight in the front bathroom has been installed, turning The Cave into a well-lit space.
Next week the wall dividing the dining area will go, after a temporary wall covered with heavy gauge plastic is installed. The insulation will be installed and then it's on to the drywall, which Myron says will take about three weeks.

Saturday, January 17, 2009





Despite the wild weather (18" of snow and then 3-4" of rain for days in a row), the siding on the west and south sides of the house is done, except for the dining addition, which is currently being worked on. Most of the wiring has been completed, including all of the new construction and the light fixtures in the bedrooms. The wires have also been pulled for the new fixtures in the living room. Next week the drywallers will be coming to "stock" the new construction. After that occurs, the final framing for the windows in the bedroom, office and dining area will be done and the windows will be installed. Insulation will go in and then those areas will receive heat for the first time.

Sunday, January 4, 2009


The wall between Russell's old room and the new construction is gone, defining the entirety of the master bedroom and bath. The new doorway has been framed and the door has been installed. Russell's old window has been moved to its new location and the new wall that makes Zoe's room 18" wider has been framed. The siding on the south wall is complete.
Russell and Zoe are now living downstairs and the majority of the furniture will be packed and stored by mid-January.
We are still trying to figure out what to do with the shower. The custom pan idea is out of reach financially, but with a bit of downsizing and a preformed pan, we should be able to have pretty much what we want.

Sunday, December 21, 2008




We have about 8 to 10 inches of snow on the ground and it's snowing right now.
Myron and Mitch have worked on siding the south wall this last week, in temperatures as low as 18 degrees F. They have the last 5 feet going up to the peak left to do. After Christmas, Russell's room will be empty and they will begin taking out the wall between his space and the master bedroom. (I imagine at that point they will close the exterior access and install the window.) We hope to have most of the furniture removed and stored by the 29th so we can begin the adventure of camping out in our own house.

Sunday, December 14, 2008





It got cold and snow fell last night.
That's okay because most of the plywood sheathing /seismic retrofit work is done. All of the windows are in but for the two back access points.
Plumbing is well under way. Water and outfall are installed and waiting for valves and trim.
The heat ducting is done except for the final hook-up to the furnace.
The electricians got the new conduit from the street to the meter installed and reburied. It still has to be connected by the power company via some confusing two-part process. Recessed lights have been installed in the dining area and the office.
The pocket door frames for the water and walk-in closets are installed.