Bye Bye Basement!!!

We never thought it would feel so good to move up from the basement and back into the main floors of the house!! Our team of contractors worked their tails off to get the kids up into their bedrooms before school started so we could have some sense of normalcy. Then over the last two weeks the kitchen has "magically" become operational with a dishwasher that actually cleans, a new oven, and a great brand new cook top. (Thank you Cheryl at Home Depot for all your hours helping me with the kitchen plan!!!) And now that we actually have several operational toilets (including the port-a-potty in the driveway) we have made the big move out of the basement! (Good thing since we had 11 people sleeping total here just last weekend!) Most importantly we can sit as a family and have dinner, wait for the school bus on the wonderful new porch, enjoy the newly configured space with friends, and have a few beers out on the back deck.

We originally thought the project would run through to Thanksgiving, but thankfully things have moved along quickly. While there are lots of "little" things that have yet to be completed, we just don't care....life is good when you are out of the basement!

Bye Bye Basement...more pictures

Did Someone Say DRY WALL?

Who would have known that the words DRY WALL would be such music to our ears? While we know that this means that we are still far from finished with this adventure, it also means that the walls are going UP rather then DOWN. This is certainly progress! We expect that the contractors will start to get the dry wall up this week. As a result Will had his trusty buddy (and long time drinking partner) Chris over to review the wire situation over a beer. Several beers later and a trip to the VI (ok thats not true) one beer later (they are getting old) they had a plan and now will is upstairs working the wires through the walls.

The picture shown here highlights our new windows in the master bedroom. They overlook the back yard and give us a great view of the maple tree. The pictures below do now show all of the true progress that has been made, but once the walls go up we will post some more pictures with a better perspective.

At this point we are about four weeks away from being able to put in kitchen cabinets and appliances. This means Will and I better make up our minds on what we are going to do. This includes an exhaustive search on features and functionalities for a dishwasher (noise level?), fridge (photo screen? wine holders?), oven (slide in? mounted?), microwave (convection? drawer?) and Will often saying "Yes dear...I love it..." Essentially, we ran out of money for all of these things months ago but we are just going to ask if we can get our debt limit raised..that shouldn't be a problem should it?!

Finally a HUGE thank you to all of the wonderful friends and families that that have taken in the basement dwellers for extended stays over the last few months. To those that we still have yet to visit....we are coming!!!

Progress Last Month

Another Triangle

The backside of the house gets it's triangle.

Also not seen in the picture are some holes I've been digging. We want to wrap the deck around our large Maple tree but we are worried that when they dig the footers they will destroy the root structure. We know there will be some damage but we want to minimize the destruction of the larger roots. So, I've been digging by hand to see where the larger roots are so we can avoid them ("good ol' hole diggin"), FUN.

After sitting on his ass for weeks Steve feels the need to break something and the last of the green fills that need.

More Pics

Moving Up = Moving Down

Well when you move the house up, the family must move down! We have officially moved into the basement. The three kids share are in bunk beds in Will's old workroom and Will and I are now in the laundry room. It has actually worked out quite well. Don't know if we will feel that way after the next seven months. :-)

With the second level up I will admit we were a bit taken back by the size of the house. Its a big change from the cottage feel. However the rooms are all framed out on the second floor and it is exciting to see the new space start to take shape.

Enjoy the pictures!

More Second Level Pictures...

Taking It To a Whole New Level

While off RV’ing through the West (Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park) for Spring Break with the Voigt family, much progress was made at the Center Street Renovation Project. While the thick layer of construction dust within the house made us long for the modern amenities of the RV, we are happy to be home! While we were gone the old attic roof was removed and the new second floor was installed. Word is that we have about two more weeks before we all have to move down the basement….for 8 months. Someone help us! ;-)

Progress 4-11-11

You probably figured out that I'm not all about telling the story. I'll leave that up to Kim as she's better at it and a much, much faster typist then I am. Yesterday they tore out the wall from Eddie's room to the bathroom. The big can looking thing is an expansion tank for the heating system. I'm not sure if it is even connected anymore (even before we started). At the back of the bathroom wall you can see where there was once a window from that bathroom but was closed up when they put the master bedroom on in the 70's (or 80's).

-Will

More pictures....

DISCOVERIES…

Ahh.. Sunday morning and the coffee is steaming, the eggs are scrambled, the spring birds are singing, the cartoons are on, and we all sit relaxing with a film of plaster dust settled upon us. Construction has been moving along at a good clip with lots of dramatic changes! So here we are a few weeks in and the original roof remains on the house. This has allowed the guys (Chad, Edger, Donny) to work no matter the weather. However, since the beams hang pretty low, Chad admits to having quite a few gashes on his head and that his knees are just killing him. I can tell by Chad’s tone that he is rethinking this keeping the roof on strategy, but it is just a little too late to change direction now. As a result, a big square hole, the size of our three year old Eddie, has been cut out of the exterior attic wall of the house. This allows them to pull out all the old insulation from the attic and hoist up the new beams. As the insulation flew from attic to dumpster, Will was scampering around in their mists like a little squirrel in search of treasures so they would not be thrown into “big blue.” (Big blue is Ella’s name for the huge dumpster in our front yard.) Will’s efforts were rewarded with newspapers from 1954 and 1963. Upon inspection, he and Kaylee were interested in the similarities of the marketing from back then to today. However KJ was very disturbed to see that they used to market cigarettes. “Can you believe they did that Mom?” Guess some things have changed…

With the support beams in place in the attic, walls on the main floor can come down …and come down they did! All ceilings in the main portion of the house are now open to the attic, Eddie’s old bedroom walls are gone, and the main floor bathroom looks to be next. Eddie’s reaction to the demolition of his bedroom was one of amazement and excitement. I was all worried he would be upset that his room was gone…he was just amazed to see the inside of the walls. He would certainly make his namesake proud with all his curiosity and enthusiasm about this project. On the other hand Eddie’s three year old girlfriend Ginny Torregrossa came over just yesterday with her Mama. As I proudly showed the progress we were making her little lips started to quiver and she looked at me with moist deer like eyes and asked… “Wad happen Eddie’s room? Where Eddie room go?” “Oh sweetie” I said “We are building him a new one upstairs.” “Were Eddie room go?!” she asks close to tears. At this point Ella takes over and says “Ginny.. Eddies room is gone…its in Big Blue!” Too funny, that Ella, she always knows how to tell it like it is!

The day prior, in a moment of nostalgia I stood in my old dining room looking through the ceiling to the original roof construction of our 1926 home. With the sun streaming though the attic windows, the dust sparking through the air, it brought me back to the days of playing in my Grandpa Eddie’s barn. All the angles, the soft brown wood and its patterns, the obvious hand crafted construction. To me this roof is a piece of art made by craftsman of yesteryear. I sigh and say to Chad wistfully… “Isn’t it beautiful, can’t you appreciate the artwork, the wood, the angles?” Chad skeptically looks at me with one eyebrow up as if to say “Really?” “Seriously Chad, isn’t sad that it all has to come down? Its like artwork and I hate to just throw it away.” “Umm..Kim…umm…not really. Do you realize how much that roof is sagging? You have spots that sag a good six inches and I am wondering how parts have handled some of our recent snows.” “Oh…” Well, so much for nostalgia. The next day Edgar is working at pulling all the plaster from the walls. For the first time we see one of the exterior walls exposed. Again the wood is worked artistically and angled in a V formation from the outer corners to the center wall windows. To me, this is art, to others it is just construction. But then I wonder…where is all the insulation? “Hey Donny…what kind of insulation was in the wall?” Donny scratches his head and calls to Edgar “Hey Edgar…what kind of insulation was in there?” Edgar just shakes his head and says “Nada.” Nothing, nada, just a bit of plaster and wood between us and the elements. Ok boys, rip her down and build her back up, I am over yesteryear craftsmanship!!

So here we are, several weeks into the process. We are now a family of anthropologists discovering everything from cigarette ads, to sagging roofs, to lead weights inside windowpanes, to no insulation within our walls. But most of all we discover each of our reactions, children and adults, to this process of change and metamorphosis. Our discoveries within this adventure have only just begun and we are loving it...ok maybe not loving it. ;-)

Lots of dusty hugs and kisses to all our friends and family out there. More adventures to come.

Lots of dust!

Pictures tell a thousand words. Eddie's room wall was taken out yesterday. Eddie's reaction was priceless as his mouth just dropped wide open. He didn't seem sad at all, just amazed. The space looks awesome and we are very excited!

Let the Games Begin

Well its official we are moving forward with the renovation of the 1926 Green Giant! Many of you will recall our first renovation at Sutton road. We certainly do, however it did just occur to us that we were still in our 30's, had one kid, three outdoor cats, no dog, and a much less ambitious plan. But alas, as the old renovation project memories fade, the itch to jump back in and put our mark on the Center Street house has become impossible to resist.

Day #1 - The house was filled with excitement with word that the first dumpster would arrive. With each loud truck that drove by the kids would scream through the house ..."the dumpster is coming the dumpster is coming!!!!" But before the dumpster would arrive, two rather large heating unit guys showed up at our door. I was a bit surprised and glad to have been working from home as they informed me that they simply were there to "rip" out the heating unit from the attic. (Side Note: Snow expected this weekend) Quick as a wink they were up in the attic disconnecting wires and heating ducts with a great big orange kitty jumping above their heads among the attic rafters. (HINT: For all the kitty lovers out there. If your cats are bored on a rainy day and looking for something to do.....simply "rip" out your heating unit in the attic and leave open every duct like those good old fashion hamster habit trails and your kitty will be thrilled. ) After cutting off a few gas lines, duct taping wires, and dragging the unit out to the front yard to be saved for Jane's home renovation the gents where on their merry way. Oh but they did let me know two key things. "Umm..ma'am..there seems to be a rather large nest up in the corner of the attic you may want to watch out for. Oh and I think the big orange kitty is wandering through your heating ducts." "AHHHH...Ella get a can of kitty food and a spoon!" "Why Mama?" "We need to get Score...clink on the can..clink on the can!" A can of wet food later Score was safe and sound with Ella cooing over him. Next came the massive blue dumpster delivered right to our door with Ella watching and my good neighbor Pat at her front door waving her arms in the air shouting "Hurray!" as it was carefully backed up and deposited on the driveway. As we said...let the games begin...only 9 more months to go. :-)