tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52527449287804973432024-02-22T13:09:14.283-08:00House of StrawBeing a record of the destruction and reconstruction of our house.Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-62518560236076038742009-02-09T16:01:00.000-08:002009-02-09T16:05:04.297-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5sRthk8LypaxCljrDsHMeaPJ54oohQ74YukWQRMGp6u-BqrOZUzl2_uyq0cbIlgBEqu10fCu1RQcLysgmZlf-scngw_G3K5Hz-ZoSStZIfDy8YOl9HcIGKu0qF5A96ZIMPFs0LJvJ4g/s1600-h/034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5sRthk8LypaxCljrDsHMeaPJ54oohQ74YukWQRMGp6u-BqrOZUzl2_uyq0cbIlgBEqu10fCu1RQcLysgmZlf-scngw_G3K5Hz-ZoSStZIfDy8YOl9HcIGKu0qF5A96ZIMPFs0LJvJ4g/s320/034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300952105537456546" border="0" /></a>I was washing out the big bowl that I use for raising bread this afternoon and turned around to see the sun shining through the window, and my bread dough resting on the counter, and thought: "hey, I'm home."<br /><br />So of course I grabbed the camera so you could see it as well. All our mismatched pans hanging on our second hand pot rack, next to the refrigerator with all our old magnets on it. My very worn copy of the Tassajara Bread Book. My coffee pot. My morter and pestle.<br /><br />Stop by and visit, I'm usually home, since I think deep down I have a fear that if I leave the house it will disappear in my absence.Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-62190523406958741402009-01-14T19:15:00.001-08:002009-01-14T19:41:07.948-08:00Finito....I feel weird saying that the house is done...there are definitely things that aren't finished. There are no drawers in the kitchen yet, for example, and we have yet to hang the closet rods, but essentially: It's done. We are starting to move, so it's as done as it needs to be.<br /><br />Isis and a friend and I went over today to wash the construction gunk off of the windows. The odd thing about being in the new space is that the views from the windows are all different than they used to be. Especially on the second floor, where we only had East and West windows, now we have North and South as well, and can see...into the neighbor's house.<br /><br />So...pictures? Yes, there are pictures. As always there are more pictures on Flickr, but here are a few...mostly of the kitchen, because there's the most to see in the kitchen, but also because I love my kitchen. I really really hated my old kitchen, and I really really love my new kitchen, so you're just going to have to look at it...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGr2yVycsz2nj-h1Vpb8CNdvKTFBUf82-Hu4z75LX1IQsvHXeHR44a_1M5FcTBDqGHZzXSDoaSR9hY7s8stFW253-__RZVwy4Nw93klUS8u3CCHzz-qqdHvElOAp1VUY_51vXq-SBQ0E/s1600-h/127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGr2yVycsz2nj-h1Vpb8CNdvKTFBUf82-Hu4z75LX1IQsvHXeHR44a_1M5FcTBDqGHZzXSDoaSR9hY7s8stFW253-__RZVwy4Nw93klUS8u3CCHzz-qqdHvElOAp1VUY_51vXq-SBQ0E/s320/127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291356167887341282" border="0" /></a>First of all, the lovely countertops, which have now been ground down a bit and sealed. Aren't they pretty?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmldVPmVTVUU-v4eUBnCsfXy26dCYUWq_oEBnd4SbUZwktz14_IPFNSJWzUz7mXiPrsoUV9hHrV6n8r0WA7TvaOTN-peBYSV7r57UJtThFCmhFk2BSbRNJL99071oSY3FkjrjC4BshKA/s1600-h/030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmldVPmVTVUU-v4eUBnCsfXy26dCYUWq_oEBnd4SbUZwktz14_IPFNSJWzUz7mXiPrsoUV9hHrV6n8r0WA7TvaOTN-peBYSV7r57UJtThFCmhFk2BSbRNJL99071oSY3FkjrjC4BshKA/s320/030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291356170247927074" border="0" /></a>My pantry (notice how I refer to the house as ours and the kitchen and everything in it as mine...yeah) which I refer to as the paleolithic pantry, because doesn't it look like the pantry that Stonehenge would have if Stonehenge had a pantry? Also in this picture our dishwasher (ours on that one, not mine...hmmm). I have never actually had a dishwasher before. Never. And I have to say that I'm pretty durn excited about it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSI3IsmuzkYchWIwPLMk7SWNxOZM7f6HtuUk7PpOVx0pEVbZr3HIAStBVN-3RT9LkNkBasYaLlPEDdGihY13Iy5UbCyF-_xNPmt8SGaozcGXVo4IKpdRp4_2lT7_AOU8xvCxiCILV1c8w/s1600-h/025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSI3IsmuzkYchWIwPLMk7SWNxOZM7f6HtuUk7PpOVx0pEVbZr3HIAStBVN-3RT9LkNkBasYaLlPEDdGihY13Iy5UbCyF-_xNPmt8SGaozcGXVo4IKpdRp4_2lT7_AOU8xvCxiCILV1c8w/s320/025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291356164092745570" border="0" /></a>From the living/entry area through the kitchen to the backdoor. I kind of like that you can see the backdoor from the front door. In the summertime we divide our time between the front and back porches, so this really feels like it extends the living space. The roundish thing in the foreground is a bar height counter top, which will have stools by it eventually.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbcz321KKG1J6dmA6JesJO7VfOqPUPmXd6mRl7he2UQfg0FISQ5Eq3RosFaq9SYD1Jk7e0LvdcUVynnmAMGbympOkxuexuUl9b6ckc-dgMwwGIKBwpu10v7LE8cBzHhU7OcFzNDS1QXE/s1600-h/023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbcz321KKG1J6dmA6JesJO7VfOqPUPmXd6mRl7he2UQfg0FISQ5Eq3RosFaq9SYD1Jk7e0LvdcUVynnmAMGbympOkxuexuUl9b6ckc-dgMwwGIKBwpu10v7LE8cBzHhU7OcFzNDS1QXE/s320/023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291355759529892162" border="0" /></a>I think this one sort of speaks for itself. I mean, what's a kitchen without a sink? <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur871SxPYQdgxzSRYdpN36NWl2DM3J557HQXfmbc4IClGjE37EmEMH-Cpfobh4wMCfww3hi1J5ktyyhICNmPO80hqhwDzhUqeC82DXJbX1XIx5Ns0TWdcMJUUWtrqtJU-4ViEOGfXkZM/s1600-h/015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur871SxPYQdgxzSRYdpN36NWl2DM3J557HQXfmbc4IClGjE37EmEMH-Cpfobh4wMCfww3hi1J5ktyyhICNmPO80hqhwDzhUqeC82DXJbX1XIx5Ns0TWdcMJUUWtrqtJU-4ViEOGfXkZM/s320/015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291355755592077234" border="0" /></a>Both a venthood and a potrack. One thing that I need, and one that I've always wanted. We left the middle shelf out of the cabinets under the window so that Pete could play in them. I figure I won't really be able to store anything there until he's older anyway, so why fight it. Incidentally we aren't planning on putting doors on the cupboards. I like open shelves in kitchens. We will have drawers though.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_UZ4T0ZuAs3plMBUKa4ABmWNsqzXYkLGmVTmGBqJuulmC4x4p1uwsTh_jsxZz_UZhTOtkpLTOQ0Lw65aeYrSVBw4L7wmweYhhNC7_KmVK48J81q3Bgd7NW9UdCk7SXIfZfFXpm8UUvQ/s1600-h/007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_UZ4T0ZuAs3plMBUKa4ABmWNsqzXYkLGmVTmGBqJuulmC4x4p1uwsTh_jsxZz_UZhTOtkpLTOQ0Lw65aeYrSVBw4L7wmweYhhNC7_KmVK48J81q3Bgd7NW9UdCk7SXIfZfFXpm8UUvQ/s320/007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291355747138016962" border="0" /></a>And from the backdoor...look we even have a couple of refrigerator magnet.s The person who isn't Pete is Trevor, who (along with Eli) has been the primary force behind the construction.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gpkoptj2QBW5moTQX8gOeWGdbl_HJzhlGwSNRLO9Bg4AqyOpeBrzvwjvVfsL40Q_hyZkOXZSAQ_HSuLIxJ5B6xxBgY3UhmyQjL_9Yn2-QFXMhfuJpYJzzUkLWmricoiAXA4i-lz60Jo/s1600-h/009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gpkoptj2QBW5moTQX8gOeWGdbl_HJzhlGwSNRLO9Bg4AqyOpeBrzvwjvVfsL40Q_hyZkOXZSAQ_HSuLIxJ5B6xxBgY3UhmyQjL_9Yn2-QFXMhfuJpYJzzUkLWmricoiAXA4i-lz60Jo/s320/009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291355753937380402" border="0" /></a>The upstairs bathroom. The shower curtain is pulled up so it looks a little funny, but you get the idea. We had an electrician friend bend the conduit for the curtain rod. I think it turned out very well.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6egKSEutgdI8_rdFZ7IHIDR5th6WtC20GcgZ-SMFJUwuvUFnhvcRWFmd9rD085nV6F8k_g5U6HKvAL20u5czSzMUUVmigSw1s6qkJGb_F4OH0nRDaj-mwCvDzE3GnhwU7nkamGyn-DI/s1600-h/006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6egKSEutgdI8_rdFZ7IHIDR5th6WtC20GcgZ-SMFJUwuvUFnhvcRWFmd9rD085nV6F8k_g5U6HKvAL20u5czSzMUUVmigSw1s6qkJGb_F4OH0nRDaj-mwCvDzE3GnhwU7nkamGyn-DI/s320/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291355741991466530" border="0" /></a>And the downstairs bathroom/laundry room. Note to self, get some of those childproofing cabinet latchy things. Get several.<br /><br />So...yeah, I'd like to think of it as the end, but really for me it's the beginning. Eli's part is coming to a close and now I have to start cranking out the curtains and home furnishings etc.<br /><br />Oy.Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-87238291791836225102008-12-29T07:13:00.000-08:002008-12-29T09:39:45.720-08:00And closer still...People keep asking me if we're moved into the house yet, and my sighs are getting more dramatic. We are SO CLOSE!! So instead of publishing our punch-out list, since every time I list it, it seems to get longer, I will do that concrete counter-top post I promised you.<br /><br />This is not really a how-to post, more like a how-we-did-it post. I think I first heard of someone having a concrete counter top about four years ago, and they seem to be getting more and more popular. If I understand correctly the most common way of doing them is to pour concrete into a mold, and then install the countertop as a slab after it's hardened. This gives you a nice flat finish, plus you can get a nice decorative edge from whatever mold you use. You can also set up a concrete form, and pour them in place, removing the form after the concrete has set. <br /><br />Or you could do what we did...and of the four or five countertops I've seen, none of them are done this way.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTAVc-d567olMCOl-ahJ8PVP44fjzhsKkL2ov9nUP_LflE87nteuqLT3RsharBT7u6v9CHlsgpzunnwQHAvVgZ_OoFJujlDILpfmtXuaj2k8a3s0pOo9LjxEHGq07aXkc6e-42iHWr4I/s1600-h/mesh+concrete.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTAVc-d567olMCOl-ahJ8PVP44fjzhsKkL2ov9nUP_LflE87nteuqLT3RsharBT7u6v9CHlsgpzunnwQHAvVgZ_OoFJujlDILpfmtXuaj2k8a3s0pOo9LjxEHGq07aXkc6e-42iHWr4I/s320/mesh+concrete.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285263834972513762" border="0" /></a>There is some wire mesh embedded in the concrete to strengthen and stabilze everything. Notice that the concrete is green. We mixed some pigment into it so that it didn't look as much like a sidewalk. The blue tape around the edge is masking off a wooden edge. Essentially our concrete form is the finished edge of our countertop, which is a piece of wood that matches the cabinet trim. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3hWFyYg1g8j9bVajNGn4i4HUkK6Qg-DbILRoo79SwxKtRu2wFp9WSqxUUGYbmnwMBuN_QMbQ3fzpIQG5ms5PP3xycqoYZM-2zBRrPYdIkPuEI5EKo24kM_B14g_aF3hFy-jKE6uLJvM/s1600-h/sink+counter.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3hWFyYg1g8j9bVajNGn4i4HUkK6Qg-DbILRoo79SwxKtRu2wFp9WSqxUUGYbmnwMBuN_QMbQ3fzpIQG5ms5PP3xycqoYZM-2zBRrPYdIkPuEI5EKo24kM_B14g_aF3hFy-jKE6uLJvM/s320/sink+counter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285263835752672946" border="0" /></a>After the "forms" are full of concrete everything is troweled smooth, which is actually a rather long process, smoothing and resmoothing as the concrete sets up. The hole in the middle of the countertop is were our sink is going to be, that wood is temporary and will be taken out before the sink is set into the counter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmUg5Y0xoQIdrtOXdqbZLq19F-ivg8bzGBTmcjSKpaQaGfkMDssQCCIulnUsdIc5nJku4q8if57-KHR7wnuhAha4WNd0qAqKw3y-EZPM99x9Px-GFm-nHNW4q_EPUy_2GUqkfbPV7bD8/s1600-h/tile+trowel.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmUg5Y0xoQIdrtOXdqbZLq19F-ivg8bzGBTmcjSKpaQaGfkMDssQCCIulnUsdIc5nJku4q8if57-KHR7wnuhAha4WNd0qAqKw3y-EZPM99x9Px-GFm-nHNW4q_EPUy_2GUqkfbPV7bD8/s320/tile+trowel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285263846220772178" border="0" /></a>The little blue squares are where some tiles have been set into the surface, the tape is supposed to protect them from getting covered in concrete.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRZ62E53951vqmInBRuccHnz0RZpzZIXgdsx4tPktcqfSbDMPdHI-Xqz8Zh08DFS1ENMafA_AKhEEITnqPCyRXOZUtXf7960Z0mXq8nk4U1klZUFd_VLLoa6klRtifd0DcJRX7BDfFb4/s1600-h/big+tiles.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRZ62E53951vqmInBRuccHnz0RZpzZIXgdsx4tPktcqfSbDMPdHI-Xqz8Zh08DFS1ENMafA_AKhEEITnqPCyRXOZUtXf7960Z0mXq8nk4U1klZUFd_VLLoa6klRtifd0DcJRX7BDfFb4/s320/big+tiles.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285263831732184626" border="0" /></a>And it more or less successfully did so. The tiles are from some artist friends, who's company, Earthen Craft Pottery, can be found <a href="http://www.ecptile.com/">here</a>. Click on over and give them some love.<br /><br />Now that everything has been poured and has had a chance to harden, Eli and Trevor have scrubbed it clean and ground the surface a little to smooth it out a bit more. Then they are going to seal everything so that oil and such can't soak in and stain the surface. Voila! Hey-presto, a countertop.Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-86220110351707180062008-12-08T10:52:00.000-08:002008-12-08T11:11:13.634-08:00So close....Things are cruising right along, in spite of some last minute challenges. We have paint, we have tile, we have carpet, we have light fixtures...Eli is on crutches. Actually Eli isn't on crutches anymore, that's how late I am in updating, but he was, for a month following knee surgery. Here is the family inspecting Isis's bedroom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6ZKkormZOegF6ooRrrNC64MzxefYZOws51ZMrPgMcJGL192yRMjnXzCwf9fKqkY3HCAMVuOaH7160YOFw3T7SMTO4iIpagylHg9W7pWTixd298vt7im0wkBQyf-Rjhhgq9nJAVKyx_U/s1600-h/094.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6ZKkormZOegF6ooRrrNC64MzxefYZOws51ZMrPgMcJGL192yRMjnXzCwf9fKqkY3HCAMVuOaH7160YOFw3T7SMTO4iIpagylHg9W7pWTixd298vt7im0wkBQyf-Rjhhgq9nJAVKyx_U/s320/094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277495948468179090" border="0" /></a><br />And this is the main floor, through the kitchen with the stairs in the background. Again, the picture is no longer accurate. Now we have a stair rail, the bamboo floor is laid, the baseboard trim is installed, and the kitchen is...more...complete. Our kitchen is being built by a friend who has a day job, so he comes in at night and does one or two things before heading home. It's sort of like having a kitchen that is built by elves. Everytime I visit the site I have to play "what's new in the kitchen."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbp24HZegl_64BAnLIHppl-5RVYbZtQWmuTqGCQtQq6occF8W23UWLj61RGF8gPJ-GNSg6eMcvnYS6ixl3WVlJz1M7IknDQNwuel7KKsymPhNY6LCJwVke1yZSWwK1F9Cjdd97ZEZ50ns/s1600-h/100.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbp24HZegl_64BAnLIHppl-5RVYbZtQWmuTqGCQtQq6occF8W23UWLj61RGF8gPJ-GNSg6eMcvnYS6ixl3WVlJz1M7IknDQNwuel7KKsymPhNY6LCJwVke1yZSWwK1F9Cjdd97ZEZ50ns/s320/100.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277495962574769218" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAj5oESO0SJQ7WpQPSvo9VdK0QwiHXlKn1Jtv0RxgPbQ1a9LrQL-c7lwL85VdGTxdRsz7G6kqGiyte6RHuJYCopVfdYg3NDv3Fjm-8qlD9EYgaLnkCWKGc_oehV1HSdS3fyeyhaZoCJM/s1600-h/099.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAj5oESO0SJQ7WpQPSvo9VdK0QwiHXlKn1Jtv0RxgPbQ1a9LrQL-c7lwL85VdGTxdRsz7G6kqGiyte6RHuJYCopVfdYg3NDv3Fjm-8qlD9EYgaLnkCWKGc_oehV1HSdS3fyeyhaZoCJM/s320/099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277495958802581810" border="0" /></a>Here's another kitchen view. You can see our lovely (cost effective) terra cotta tiles, and the beginnings of the cabinets and shelves. This is basically what you see when you walk in the front door.<br /><br />Next week: pouring the concrete countertops....and then, we move in!Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-67711504776714051512008-09-20T17:02:00.001-07:002008-09-20T17:49:11.509-07:00My blue heaven...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5Xdn52pCNxmZIN0kDfQrg8m1YJS-Bf9df6DGJxuSdGINRTNeLd_v5aXY-nz7C5H0FdaoO0WnomkqR_6oG487Avg8hP2O0OqpLAnWbdur1l9Fjc9Mzfzx6_-_8n_Xo8lY5femx7y6jNM/s1600-h/001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5Xdn52pCNxmZIN0kDfQrg8m1YJS-Bf9df6DGJxuSdGINRTNeLd_v5aXY-nz7C5H0FdaoO0WnomkqR_6oG487Avg8hP2O0OqpLAnWbdur1l9Fjc9Mzfzx6_-_8n_Xo8lY5femx7y6jNM/s320/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248259414766734274" border="0" /></a>We are porch people. The "new" house, as we are calling it, because at some point we realized that calling it the "old" house was just silly, has three porches. That's one porch for each bedroom, and one more than we have bathrooms. Okay, admittedly the third porch isn't really a porch, it's the flat roof outside our bedroom window, but we put in a sliding glass door so that we can use it like a porch.<br /><br />When we were looking at siding colors I was distressed that all the "colors" available were actually beige. They had grey beige and green beige and brown beige, but the available colors were not really colors at all. So I'm made up for our boring grey siding by picking rather outrageous colors for the porch railings and doors. Hence the blue porch. I love my blue porch. The porch ceiling is blue as well, so now I'm having fantasies of painting gold stars on it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4sXRnrKOJkxAfgOaWTk1x36MnyhOrQ0Ajjs6MrYuHmn0BthMni-TFSSkzaCH71Nb7p6LsraKCD1IFoK6rAYvPL2B1hkeFaJsZWssV01LZEmbLra1e3Y5sxbqZIXLHPXj9nWV-U02oiA/s1600-h/005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4sXRnrKOJkxAfgOaWTk1x36MnyhOrQ0Ajjs6MrYuHmn0BthMni-TFSSkzaCH71Nb7p6LsraKCD1IFoK6rAYvPL2B1hkeFaJsZWssV01LZEmbLra1e3Y5sxbqZIXLHPXj9nWV-U02oiA/s320/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248259416818217522" border="0" /></a>Wow...it's amazing how housey something looks after you get a lick of paint on it. This is just the primer...there will be color on my walls! At least some of them. Actually there's color on my ceiling already (yes, it does <span style="font-style: italic;">appear</span> to be beige, but it's not...because I would never paint something beige...it's, uhm...taupe. Yeah). I think our stairway turned out quite nicely, there is a funny blue triangle leaning against our bench (I also love our bench) which I could have moved before taking the picture...except that I didn't.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6D6sy9UqBQ0fRGhDnzUOc_XjwQx6RPTiSodZajTVbvZneJOdIjDxS508lpg4B8uyW6W7mAwepzGMD-_ZvOirvNzLwWF99lwBHSCQVC9Z4IePCch71N2x7oVE_N6zRxJhMS_tqRh2PaA/s1600-h/005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6D6sy9UqBQ0fRGhDnzUOc_XjwQx6RPTiSodZajTVbvZneJOdIjDxS508lpg4B8uyW6W7mAwepzGMD-_ZvOirvNzLwWF99lwBHSCQVC9Z4IePCch71N2x7oVE_N6zRxJhMS_tqRh2PaA/s320/005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248259419752567618" border="0" /></a>I have to slip in pictures of the baby of course. Walking and everything. I think he was walking around for approximately 3.4 seconds before he found something inappropriate to stick in his mouth, but one of the great things about getting this buttoned up is that we will have a house that is actually baby proofable to move into. No peeling paint, no splintery sills. Yippee.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaFhT5GupDIkps_d_gtV5mbbi3C_rCFYmR6BlKukRWRCuHaBx5bUfWgQfEpX9ORk_iWbXNA6VjztuUL4iGvga0ILVZoys8wC0G-bjQUkr8LmGNZveA2cc62C34vweICjX1ueESfJ5z7o/s1600-h/046.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaFhT5GupDIkps_d_gtV5mbbi3C_rCFYmR6BlKukRWRCuHaBx5bUfWgQfEpX9ORk_iWbXNA6VjztuUL4iGvga0ILVZoys8wC0G-bjQUkr8LmGNZveA2cc62C34vweICjX1ueESfJ5z7o/s320/046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248259422254187394" border="0" /></a>Eli wanted to make sure that I talked about the basement stairway. This was the big bugaboo that slowed things down so dramatically. I could go into great detail about why we couldn't build it the way that we wanted to (flush against the wall) but suffice to say that we just couldn't, so it had to wind. Michigan stair code is quite specific about winders, and fitting it in and meeting the code was quite the pain in the butt, but now we have the grandest basement stairway you could imagine.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjuCfbX2IljZht_4ojMVBOuQSFRH2YOtWnld_w_xSfmIODOE6NqcgndozxHDulkaS8DXkcr4j9uouUXFsC_opQ69d_mJO7F0PGZri5zdzeAwsFlOMA1FFOBQdP0olGXutJ7Kn-x98JKw/s1600-h/074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjuCfbX2IljZht_4ojMVBOuQSFRH2YOtWnld_w_xSfmIODOE6NqcgndozxHDulkaS8DXkcr4j9uouUXFsC_opQ69d_mJO7F0PGZri5zdzeAwsFlOMA1FFOBQdP0olGXutJ7Kn-x98JKw/s320/074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248259426587644082" border="0" /></a>And here's a shot of the exterior. It looks a little "boxy" but there was no room in the budget for any exterior frills. Basically we chose quality of life (porches!) over style.<br /><br />The home stretch! Here we come!Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-84104274641953645152008-09-05T09:52:00.000-07:002008-09-05T10:17:19.372-07:00Just call me a slacker...I could say something about how I'm really behind on updating the blog, except that everyone reading this has probably figured that out by now, so instead I'll just push right on to the part where I actually tell you all what's been going on!<br /><br />Going through the photos that <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38238185@N00/">have just been uploaded to our flickr site</a>, I realize that I don't have a good "outside" shot. So you'll just have to imagine for yourselves, the lovely siding (grey, it's the new beige) and the fancy shmancy porch railing. (if you click through to flickr you can check out a gratuitous amount of new baby pictures).<br /><br />But the really exciting stuff has been going on inside:<br /><br />Look! Insulation.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAY3gjwSQUf2LAtRioN_1hIYMfbCv-lMgD8Jhv8X1F7W648kyJ61H2dhDo_VUQK760Xz1WjQpVXJlShQgR1jgj8T-tIEva3aadb-Q98BQG7nKpuY5Pz1-pPhybyxCPwephT2cfN5JgTxY/s1600-h/018+-+Copy+%284%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAY3gjwSQUf2LAtRioN_1hIYMfbCv-lMgD8Jhv8X1F7W648kyJ61H2dhDo_VUQK760Xz1WjQpVXJlShQgR1jgj8T-tIEva3aadb-Q98BQG7nKpuY5Pz1-pPhybyxCPwephT2cfN5JgTxY/s400/018+-+Copy+%284%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242584731403844146" border="0" /></a>No, not that kind of insulation, that was the "bad" kind. The kind you could still feel in your armpits and behind your ears after taking three showers.<br /><br />I'm talking about the "good" kind of insulation.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesUJmgLnhxc-eFOQuZBU-Pc_phdz4-sh22WF4gk24XeVNM8m0F8jKQSx4fKtdpObfW7pAY6nT8GWqC1wngMUSbzp7YcTT1wVlXGiHoQz_E24h1x4Py6FRZ1mYeAcZeakBZZhA2zQwwNw/s1600-h/121.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesUJmgLnhxc-eFOQuZBU-Pc_phdz4-sh22WF4gk24XeVNM8m0F8jKQSx4fKtdpObfW7pAY6nT8GWqC1wngMUSbzp7YcTT1wVlXGiHoQz_E24h1x4Py6FRZ1mYeAcZeakBZZhA2zQwwNw/s400/121.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242583278928361618" border="0" /></a>And look! Drywall!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4320K8dGi0F9fw8pcoHYXRue-rY7AAjNXtnGlcHwIPyDRNRgFYKgAHDaUfIGy7oly9j9xpKTWhybRRuH3sS1csT0Uzy_LW3r3KCS46OGvSymSyCc9Xb3zyIatDgoW9XDA50hRu-qQVOA/s1600-h/132.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4320K8dGi0F9fw8pcoHYXRue-rY7AAjNXtnGlcHwIPyDRNRgFYKgAHDaUfIGy7oly9j9xpKTWhybRRuH3sS1csT0Uzy_LW3r3KCS46OGvSymSyCc9Xb3zyIatDgoW9XDA50hRu-qQVOA/s400/132.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242583288934472082" border="0" /></a>Freaky man. I have a bathtub, in a bathroom...with...walls. Whoa.Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-39547548572327736042008-02-20T20:32:00.000-08:002008-02-20T20:51:36.859-08:00Long time no Blog...We have had a busy winter here at ye olde house o' straw, but that doesn't mean that the house isn't getting worked on, oh no...in fact it looks like a house again. <div><div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169287633240875218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJIjnsDmuddfsItQoY6YEcg3zp0NraW5o0hLUdaUzqDYjcWxWYBdteBjO3dB_LONKxq5ZkjFKDqV7xK1jLoy30xV72RLrT5m-bEbuaNt96e3hMIO8TbOnWK4seoe-sZKd4TCaEQC6lpQ/s400/newbackdoor.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>Check it out, my new backdoor. A door with a weather seal so tight that you have to put a little grunt into it while pushing it open. And our siding. We picked the siding color long ago, when the house was still a house, before its brief stint as a hole in the ground. It seems like for weeks we were debating about different colors of beige...because that's the color that siding comes in. Sure you can get blue tinted beige, or green tinted beige...or as we picked grey-brown tinted beige...but really. You're fooling yourself if you think it's anything but beige.</div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169288715572633826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvO4mJsIvwl2LQX38TMIkp4mRxXdqJURvkt4UQNluFP4CyqzcYcrui1-nsIgDlvBLlptYTdsp8FV-e4AJaDV-cXd5abuOb7K0irYA3UATWZAAKhRCZjnksQ6tEpI7_KijqRtnYP3Ptzlg/s400/southsidehalfsided.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div><div>This is an old picture...months old in fact. I have been meaning to update for at least that long. The house is almost entirely sided now. We ran out, so there is a tiny corner of the northside, and one gable end left to be covered in lovely grey-brown beige...okay I'll stop with the b-word, sorry.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169289621810733298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRM_f1MJiYGCoVxDNwHcasUqOgmsI133iGXfqyXr633oK2juR9mDdD6LQMYmhX7maHEW_X5XdZIS_oFAjthwyZ6gqWVH_WexNphmjXl6_GMbTqfWNy71hQzZgaboPbPPaOo64Hw2BqEE/s400/074.JPG" border="0" />A rather drunken picture of our porch. I gave the camera to Isis when we visited the jobsite last week, since it's a little hard for me to manage both the baby and the camera. Isis has artistic vision, and as a result it's often hard to tell which way is up in her pictures. Maybe it's the fact that she's closer to the ground, but everything in her shots has a monumental quality to it.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169290871646216450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugsJFELfOJotVZ4MfDcJLr0Iw3irClq8Q7UX7vhvKOABoxyVrm-w9x1oKraImfafVnxxEYHo8ThPphFXIISmzkA-iPibohQ4OpNGSMdojqwCmv7iNN8inLUSEH239NhKUqLntyiHTiY4/s400/053.JPG" border="0" />We have plumbing! We have an electrical service box. This weeks project was finishing the framing on the stairs, and as soon as that is done we will have the "mechanical" guys in to run the ducts...then wiring, finish plumbing, insulation, drywall, trim, paint...move in. Gosh it all fits in one sentence. How cool is that?Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-17886313478197585472007-10-29T17:19:00.000-07:002007-10-29T17:39:54.520-07:00The week of pink houses.<div>If anyone besides me has been reading the comments (and I love comments by the way...) you'll know that our friend Ramsey has been putting up fan fold insulation on his house. By the way, three cheers for Ramsey who took time out from his busy schedule of remodeling and being a professional (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ie</span> one that gets paid) musician to come and work on our project. He didn't just come for the fun stuff either, here's the only picture I can find of him...bagging old nasty blown in fiberglass insulation.<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126921435932061058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0x0N_2_zpqRJCnhQIL8A6AFyl4C1-86i690XPGtI6te_YEReyg8AvKkqKooTBjylKAPlCY24uPhYh0wfY0daZfoc5ZP2Rx1cQUMs5j2irTtMqtH7jjyEjbn9SH8QL4iZZUf5yU4D_JHk/s400/P_00176.JPG" border="0" />This was one of the only jobs that I got to do (carefully <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">respirated</span> of course) before I became too pregnant to help out, so I know from first hand experience how much it sucks! But you have never had a better shower than the one you take after a day of dealing with that stuff.</div><br /><div></div><div>But we are not dwelling on things that have passed! We are looking towards the future, and the future is rosy indeed...or at least pink.</div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126922045817417106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT818f64905fasJ376tUOvEGxGbGIWiRAUj36G9n9mJ1bKH3q7NbKijuzBbl6Mm1u61ZKRFktpijy1A7bOpavolqPfm2nxhv3_j-vIJX5KPpGRS1b7McSxsB2LXreBFZNVR3uiLTtEwWk/s400/pink+house.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p>Because pink is the color that fan fold stuff comes in. Yes yes, we are also getting ready for siding.</p><p>First though we must have windows, which will start to be installed tomorrow.</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-86649011621662733632007-10-24T13:17:00.001-07:002007-10-24T13:28:13.405-07:00Plug it in baby...Electricity, it's what makes the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">jobsite</span> go round.<br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125000440633743330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDpN_T5AjMHYZCgXY-P5yTYtizHRXiMPct4J8ZDq_-VMMy65hHXXg9KaUMuugxFU6YoYQQyef6nqkxocO7dNhq6sy_p8nxNVHZcq40U_PDamvPbY7RqTBeA9ovzlu0dQ8cXEJOHmlmdo/s400/001.JPG" border="0" />And while you are admiring our new electric meter, you can check out the lovely window wells. This is the side of the house where the new foundation wall went in, so as you can see everything is buried back in.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125001711944062962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosT0T5_tvCEGWyGxvcGdKIyrBbOKCv7tgf3o0Ok0IQuHXYSSu4DJw72LPom2oatYwSgt1EYFiZ2m6t_LrBWy6Zr8mZvrOyyS7aVLk8K4bZMtwTlqTJNHFXcxM0adX32xUwlc6yCFjjZ0/s400/003.JPG" border="0" />And the new mast, waiting to be hooked into the grid. (In response to Layne's comment about the number of masts on a ship, our one master is a sloop).</p><p>And this week is all about plumbing.<br /></p><p></p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-34020691091959972582007-10-18T10:36:00.000-07:002007-10-18T10:53:08.280-07:00It's a bird, it's a plane...It's a house!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrjM7G3e4f-A9lEN-yK4SdeTqO-WCkcrX7b0OAhkTfcKhqNX3DSnPGJCCaq4pQ6iLRwixcdW_qYtNKruFMg8FQ4ESeB-3IEFkj3jUzkQ_pcakRHjkPnlF9pPRSWNgSofyJ2Cme90pZhw/s1600-h/front+porch.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrjM7G3e4f-A9lEN-yK4SdeTqO-WCkcrX7b0OAhkTfcKhqNX3DSnPGJCCaq4pQ6iLRwixcdW_qYtNKruFMg8FQ4ESeB-3IEFkj3jUzkQ_pcakRHjkPnlF9pPRSWNgSofyJ2Cme90pZhw/s400/front+porch.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122733001845151394" border="0" /></a>Or at least it's starting to look like one.<br /><br />I was sort of into the idea of an open air second floor, sleeping under the stars, cool breezes...but it was pointed out to me that we live in Michigan, which tends towards drizzle in the summer and slush in the winter. So a roof we have, as well as a porch, and as of yesterday afternoon, a new electrical service!!<br /><br />I was going to go and take pictures of our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">spanky</span> new fuse box, but I spent this morning at home waiting for the washing machine repair man...apparently our old clunker wasn't up to three loads a day. It's back and better than ever though, and the repair man didn't even have to unload the wet diapers in order to fix it. What a pro.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Petoh</span> is acting more and more like a person every day, so it might be possible for me to make it up to the wireless coffee shop more often...it's a goal anyway.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWHAuL10wFBgi3N9kSVB2dJXmridMYBqpNNyUA2slsRLkLDzBqdy6HT1qW5EeAOnsfIIil-yNR9lTcOm3ntmTjftj6QT0RwMsr1GZReVcjX2b3aFHUnGeXQISEXvBBdzSMvRK89F_bjs/s1600-h/Eli+n+Pete+1st+floor.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWHAuL10wFBgi3N9kSVB2dJXmridMYBqpNNyUA2slsRLkLDzBqdy6HT1qW5EeAOnsfIIil-yNR9lTcOm3ntmTjftj6QT0RwMsr1GZReVcjX2b3aFHUnGeXQISEXvBBdzSMvRK89F_bjs/s400/Eli+n+Pete+1st+floor.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122735596005398194" border="0" /></a>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-48854626954484054772007-09-24T06:51:00.000-07:002007-09-24T08:41:50.823-07:00Downside up and Inside out....<div><div>There are always surprises when you are remodeling, nay rebuilding a house. Usually they aren't pleasant surprises. As you've no doubt noticed there isn't much of the "old" house that we feel worth saving, but one of the things that we were hoping to reuse was the foundation. </div><br /><div>Surprise!! The north foundation wall just wasn't fixable, and even though we are well in to the second story, we had to go back to the bottom and replace it.<br /></div><div>This is the wall that had the chimney on it. This is what the first story wall looked like behind the chimney:<br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113786907090130498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizI5SBgHxyzXYsWfWGJon8ZRo-ww1mSOUKRJU2cx9RH7es2ILODjP02y5oR8elJ-O-mLZgPuoUqg848IS_SqbZXZHe5hvhzAnTz514EKRSMVsUIzKqam4XzqxV2Gr4CM94NgS1AiiF_pw/s400/Behind+the+Chimney.JPG" border="0" /></div>You can see where the wood is rotted away? Well that water went right down in to the foundation as well. Plus this wall is only a few feet away from the neighbors house, and neither house has an adequate gutter system, so all that water just soaked into the ground. I didn't get to the site in time to take a before picture, but here's the trench and the big gaping hole waiting for the masons to come and wall it back up.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113788719566329426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJ1QMCY0vk4LflQHAjUwcJVrlAN3T4aEGbQTmZY1D3vja1YhoURE9yr4PDCJVVBego3gfdKF0_izQroiw_l2grI9VqVUD9ZAorK_NZRFvf3cYSXmx74NIcW4zHhBtw1AcGB2_tEohB0I/s400/Trench+without+wall.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>And here it is the next day after it's walled back up again:</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113790995898996322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZylmqMCvxxIBeqs67MgrN_p3xNulndPEuSO22Mcra9Zb3x1CvFeuCReAnr7ducslST1Zj4_CElUgYL6YP5h-0UBwwEZQqVd79WQxtOhajkgCGgOQAhbW6CdD9Iv61-4AGCF6JQSw5BYg/s400/new+wall.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>Check out those swank glass block windows! In addition to the wall they squared up and enclosed the strange ledges around the outside walls.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113792469072778866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHeAwqrRL2AvdL6oxAnt2TtRinO9mh4Nc6URgsJFVEcAoUEHRxEL-Uzek-MvMF75OU0cEWHTAPO7z7ed93ld9tzjGJoM4EL44r6DiywsfRrMlp6eQmm485vlZzjcQAMWq-fRen1re4-w/s400/new+foundation.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>If you have a good imagination you'll be able to see that the basement is actually going to be a very nice space, which is exciting since it used to be a scary dungeon full of mold and funk.</div><br /><div>And another exciting development:</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113794573606753922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYE2-Q714IqBLBQEPHOk-0wCGstAaUCkUZBjHiQplAa8FOA_XP04zfslE6JgxaCB4x9wYxCRaL07d5VhOoiJgBXwU7TvF9UC7QXbJ-SjrYPpuqj2Kq9fNheyRqVY32eO7tkd9aSyVXw84/s400/The+Last+Dumpster.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p>A truly historic moment, the last dumpster being hauled away!<br /></p><p>We keep expecting a phone call to say that our trusses are here, but so far no word. We ordered them a couple of weeks ago, so they are overdue.</p><p> </p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-20957586096213731822007-09-13T07:53:00.000-07:002007-09-13T08:39:04.868-07:00Untimely post...<div><div>All of these pictures were taken over a week ago, so these are rather out of date. My excuse?<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109703008486996226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuSO2jxLka20-tXA_EZeFqpdyjcPY4l0edFrXgitSScGV8H4ttUxYLKVWmjhQg3mdtd7e1unOOpwCyCrf5w7zxlWdLnY9_5kAjESTd-MIuMgkuaXHdi4iWzv6v8AB-BvftOEZh8emrbw/s400/027.JPG" border="0" />Okay, that's a little unfair, actually he's a very sweet natured little guy. I've noticed that there are some silly questions that new parents get asked <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">everytime</span> someone new meets the baby..."is he sleeping through the night?" No of course he's not, he's only a month old. "Is he a good baby?" Is there such a thing as a "bad" baby? He is like all babies, he is a perfect angel as long as you are doing exactly what he wants to be doing. This is usually eating.</div><br /><p>The house is plugging along though, thanks to our crew of carpenters.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109704107998624018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIBk4_RNqmUhFp7dpsIrCPsAbvetWri0y-5m1h2KTaQpomtFwmRcVK8lWESgoekcMgnTxbEZQTEjW9XuIXS9-vkh5T9jJHOMJ2hM8iv3VPHzzSDM6bl7CYmZv_z7Jjv59e779qnFHFyE/s400/031.JPG" border="0" /></p></div>Here's the downstairs bedroom, the door is on an angle which will theoretically provide us with a little more space in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">livingroom</span>/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">diningroom</span> area. All of the downstairs framing is in, even the staircase.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109706895432399138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0m7x55r9ayXeOpqH5GVxFeXwrs8ATdor7_K5P92G1d_1h8eTBoDth-zx18XLe-GRb9G5BxYJ8z7p0Uc3Fk7BOM1UnA_gxjb9jdLJ673ZIzgDAEizCavGtFHK3C1UX3luJ98CB7WX0Eo/s400/020.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>It's really starting to look like a house, at least on the first floor. As the space is taking shape we are having to do some serious thinking about our layout. The staircases are taking up a lot more space than they did on paper. There is a strange shelf, or ledge running around the outside walls in the basement, possibly because the basement started as a crawl space and was excavated to make space for a furnace and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">waterheater</span>, and why dig more than you have to? The problem is that basement stairway has to run 12" in from the outside wall, so that's a lot of floorspace lost in order to make the headroom we need to pass code. So our "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">livingroom</span>" has become more of a living "nook." We're thinking "cozy," and keeping our fingers crossed.</div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109709846074931506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ESsgo_9BD4vaysF_yKQLO-FVoG9dAd_9Biemtj-I9AtZulrZ9bK81rZ-km4DSVDc2h7Yq-5JC6rCEVkvlcWulQnE2-Q_YHNHyGm_65Z7JC9D5K-XH1A123xjPFt9uiul9tufQWYLkQk/s400/025.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>The upstairs is shaping up as well. I haven't been on sight for awhile, so I understand that the interior framing is well underway. The other complication with our stairway is that it's taking up more of our upstairs bathroom than we had planned on, so we're trying to figure out if we can still fit a bathtub, or if we are going to have to go with a shower. </p><br /><p>The trusses are ordered for the roof, and we were thinking that they would be in this week, but they haven't arrived yet. Eli is using the extra time to work on the flat roof over the addition. There are some pretty rotten spots, after tearing off the asphalt it's surprising that it didn't leak more than it did.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109712234076748098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EJHA_dVQv507JPCB7SFadGfOrH-U3WzQr2kNNqwkaqFNn9DvgrCIiSO1fCosCIJuNoXavvPUASUySBGNf966Q1rh6QPR4C6uS-6eeHSDLCnxzByHtRlJSesYHERuUdNJs2NBJTbzKiY/s400/075.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>And it leaked, boy did it leak. Flat roofs tend to do that after awhile, but Eli is a retired roofer so at least we know that it will be done right this time.</p><p>I'm going to try to be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">onsite</span> (if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Petoh</span> cooperates, always a gamble) when they set the trusses, so look forward to that next week.</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-71650570197672594642007-09-08T17:16:00.001-07:002007-09-08T17:39:24.768-07:00Movin' on up...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOU-RtEwihhho3ZLm84kVmFjDDky2RDtf09q6yxR3ML-J8tHEr3asrQXF39Nz9NP4rWUMnKQYNIateNTniewgTPXROiVg2EsFENVVPUWxP1lncH-EUAW-RMb6YoNYv8mbdR0gPBsqvWUI/s1600-h/019.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107992491666339330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOU-RtEwihhho3ZLm84kVmFjDDky2RDtf09q6yxR3ML-J8tHEr3asrQXF39Nz9NP4rWUMnKQYNIateNTniewgTPXROiVg2EsFENVVPUWxP1lncH-EUAW-RMb6YoNYv8mbdR0gPBsqvWUI/s400/019.JPG" border="0" /></a> This is just a teaser post to show the progress that's been made since the last post. Look! A second story.<br /><br />Now that we are actually getting some walls up (the first floor is basically framed in) we are having to make some decisions about our layout. It's amazing how different 3 feet looks on paper vs. real life.Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-67417774168284070492007-08-26T17:36:00.000-07:002007-08-26T17:48:43.449-07:00A new addition.I have no new house pictures to put up, because nothing has happened on the house for the last two weeks. Quite simply we have had other things on our minds.<br /><div></div><br /><div>Things like this:</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103173435281012210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqO3bHw-zcXe-nx_44hRTZ1pCdSkYkZaewdug2_IA-ZbZg7zQ7QbKpnr6FSwvnpjnAOzAlDBBYH_js6RCz9z922EBdJ0nI5iwO4qE_p436IfhXs-OvAhMMJbhlp91ZsG3B8irekhp-Z0/s400/207.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p>Meet Petoskey "you can call me Petoh," the newest member of our family and crew. He's not that good with a hammer, except maybe to drool on, but we're keeping him anyway. </p><p>Eli was planning to take a week off to get me through the worst of the new mama days, although we weren't planning on my being in labor for almost a week (okay, 4 days...not really a week), but he's starting back to work tomorrow. I have to say that I'm a little anxious about being totally on my own with the new human, but the house we are staying in is only 10 blocks away from the job site so I can call him home pretty easily.</p><p>Once we get the whole sleeping, eating thing sorted out I think we'll be okay. I've heard that babies find the sound of the vacuum cleaner soothing, I wonder if the same is true of power saws.</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-38363388338950947012007-08-06T13:04:00.000-07:002007-08-06T13:25:58.017-07:00New first floor...Not first story, that's a little optimistic, just the floor. The part you walk on.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095681825711017922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityWDxhE5fEqFdk3_ljltIhR_xRk_H-OcA7YK4KSk05YmdmIYPoHyhL9cmSHIC7_V_O0AlT1Oth2hLBla5urC25yIT4GpetS3i2Nw_5RDbIoatnsUPxZw2GbJBjZgNW1b3T6CPFrL4pIY/s400/004.JPG" border="0" /> <div>Last week it looked like this, the first floor was in the basement, and unless you wanted to practice your joist walking skills then you were best off elsewhere. Luckily we are blessed with a crew of superlative <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">balancers</span>, and now it looks like this:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095681821416050610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtk3hCnf9DzWE0BDRKgvpL3GjfY2ixvSpTDEKO1ezx9THIUR4GnGpc8TJ6RZENH_Ku9ckZecbbXjAEHjrFXl6E5FW6KGUHYgjjarG0hPVz5NOGQ4JdXHg1GGjcTyttd5mID4LkkZ4o5vk/s400/044.JPG" border="0" />That divide is where the new first floor from the original part of the house meets the old floor from the addition. The new floor was framed with 2x12's and the old floor was framed with 2x6's, so this involved jacking the addition up 6 inches so that there's not a 6" drop between the two sections.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095682968172318674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicO9wFW1XYD7rzv9-MOe8HEXIdtB7owCBzvjZyHIbIQ46sY65fxL85v3lj7yX-XT3IsJqkNgEb7gBRR_tupxlwqauMEtuqWy-SlfPwq4i_xNBrN6wNGjgL3r9tVYSTo0eeoh9CMBhoPjQ/s400/demolition+003.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p>See the board running around the bottom of the house? That's the elevator board. </p><br /><p>Rumor has it that now that the first story is in order (mostly, there's still some leveling going on) that we will start to frame the second story.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095683891590287330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nf-JSZ_CYinLsShn3qGyaik13RXY6HdQpwYx9iUcdcKE8MAxEXXFkLr80P0Ki-5zeQ6YY1RxM3v9ek55eQhybZiePu9eR3Hfm7QxSule79Y2UU1J9F4RsniQDxhrGJTtlVOq1cotZvM/s400/048.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>You can see some of the new framing here. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">northwall</span> had to be rebuilt because of the chimney, which was holding moisture against the wall, so the wood behind it was basically <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nonexistent</span> (<a href="http://houseofstraw.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html"><span style="color:#006600;">remember our upstairs closet with the skylight</span></a>?). The odd corner sticking up on the left side of the picture is where the electrical service is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">attached</span>, so we are working around it for the time being. I went down to the code office to get an electrical permit last week, so we will be installing a new mast soon (today? tomorrow?) so that the electrical can have a more secure place to hang out.</p><p>We also have new window openings cut in the foundation for the basement, and framed into the upstairs walls, so things are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">definitely</span> coming together more than they are coming apart. This is quite an exciting turning point!</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-78832773894861805902007-07-24T09:23:00.001-07:002007-07-24T09:46:14.894-07:00Fresh wood.The fact that I'm getting all excited about a few new floor joists might be evidence that I've got some sort of house rebuilding (can't really call it remodeling at this point) psychosis. But seriously, up until this point it's been all about things going in the dumpster(s we are up to 6 at this point), everyday less and less house.<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090800513774735250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3bvjsRI3gX7ZfE0m4I90vwGsD2h6EY2n3MkgWQ4cSkI4-rCcAN6VQutc6ZgDc0S9xGD4-tsgbMKCgKM-HGLZj8QnOD5-6ieGNtvSlLW1k803w-CQGZrtpO6kV17dFbYRLEnRAeAueC4/s400/demolition+005.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p>And now things are being put into the house, it's like we're saying "we have faith in you little house." Isn't that pretty? I mean there are still big gaping holes in the walls, and the whole thing is supported on some spindly two by fours since we can't put in the real supports until we level the basement floor...but for now I'll take what I can get. It's so odd to see sunlight in my house, it's always been sort of cavernous and gloomy (I tried to have house plants, ha!). I guess taking off the roof is a guaranteed way to increase your natural light.</p><br /><p>Meanwhile we have run into our first set of design challenges. The basement stairs are going to be a problem, because it has these odd concrete ledges.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090803893913997218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiuimgVJugxqEIq3P7w2JNGoFhYrJyQ7ErE0_Pz-fK57lPM2gS7TuR1AagXco_5ZLV0hTb9lEDiCnanxg2blhHMskplVPFn_CdtCgFf79GLbnTd73FUhMhMr0aSjCJKHFPe_Zu9tRrSo/s400/basement+west+wall.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>This is pretty typical of Michigan basements, but it makes it impossible to run a stairway along the outside wall, since at about two feet from the ground you hit a concrete shelf. So instead we have to have a U shaped stairway into the basement, which will mean that we have to create headroom on the first floor for the turn....can we do?</p><p>Well we all know what Bob would say, and Eli's got some ideas, so stick with us and we'll see what happens.</p><p> </p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-45241008750466226932007-07-20T15:58:00.001-07:002007-07-20T16:21:19.731-07:00Destruction happening so fast....That's meant to be said is a Captain Kirk overacting sort of voice, but really, I can't keep up with those guys. Everyday I have less and less house, there are about 50 million pictures on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Flickr</span>, some of them with captions, and some of them waiting for captions, but if you want to see what a house looks like when it's been attacked with hideous <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">vengeance</span>, crowbars and demo saws, it's all there.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089417905398544114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgII7R9K0zcaqRU8kp_TVp9WZnx8ovtOK5am8DgUyuzn57ioAo29vsJho97C80aJOifbz_PERcTvfqJG9uP3_gFT8I9oGFXVJmtQtq_v7F5ieXlyqlzKxC1nSDpGPmVcQaXAaRLp62TQ/s400/demolition+014.JPG" border="0" />But Bob's optimistic about the whole thing so I guess I am too. <div><br /><br /><p>Now some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">sayers</span> of nay have raised the question "why didn't you just bulldoze it and start from scratch. Partially this is because we have to have it classified as a rebuild in order to play nice with the city. If it's new construction is falls into all sorts of other pitfalls, like the fact that our site is so small that a house doesn't really fit on it. But if it's a rebuild in the same foot print, then we don't have to reapply for all the variances etc. Partially it's a philosophy that Eli and I share. What can be saved should be saved, and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">in spite</span> of all the nasty things I've said about my house, the leaky roofs, the shoddily installed windows, I actually really like my house and I'm sort of sentimental about it.<br /></p><p>That being said, everyday I am told of more things that we thought we might be able to save, but turns out that we can't. Like today it was the first floor. We had been hoping to save the floor joists and "sister" them (that means nail another board to them) where needed for support. Turns out there's not enough worth sistering and they're all just coming out. But the outside walls are still okay to save, which adds a new level of complexity.<br /></p><p>I don't know, what do you say Bob? Can we cut the floor out from under the walls and build a new floor and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">reattach</span> the walls to it?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzsLOnfxdvmIeRJxtcvwupJe9GuMHn4Qdzd1rLNbxLdcOjaxJIGg6pxBYCg8NP-4fe04fIg-eK9iOmDE688BHM7MiE3WAk73brSQE3OPZok8gTFFGqXy7za-JxM5-6eGGEBsAx5e-GGY/s1600-h/005.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089419716148809586" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzsLOnfxdvmIeRJxtcvwupJe9GuMHn4Qdzd1rLNbxLdcOjaxJIGg6pxBYCg8NP-4fe04fIg-eK9iOmDE688BHM7MiE3WAk73brSQE3OPZok8gTFFGqXy7za-JxM5-6eGGEBsAx5e-GGY/s400/005.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>Apparently, yes we can. It's hard to tell from this photo, but look at the bottom of the wall, on the left side. See that yellowish stripey stuff that looks like clapboard siding? Well it is! It's the neighbors porch...through a foot wide hole cut in the bottom of the wall.</p><br /><p>I only get nervous about this when Joe, he of the huge saw, stands inside the house and wobbles the wall by pushing on it from the inside. It's sort of like watching a play at a small community theater, where the sets are cheaply constructed. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">villain</span> sweeps in and slams the door , and the scenery sort of trembles. Up until this point I've been thrilled to show up and document everything with my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">leetle</span> camera, but I am now officially nervous. </p><br /><p>There is a silver lining though, because new building materials have begun to show up on site. This is so very exciting that I can almost forget about the fact that the whole south wall of my house is basically floating in mid air.</p><br /><p>See, floor joists. New ones. Like from the store. Ready to become the new and improved first floor floor. </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089421790618013570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj070YAnPL2vKi84K9arVN3hO9TQbMs-vSJLAjhYit3QfxtwROPkw0SEPZWVzO5yfH29fHHnKUxvrEG8omCLcPG-LL5oYoGd3-i8wqH5Uqn2oKlyE3gjmBViw49zztT-DgCHIfXkAwL7Pc/s400/002.JPG" border="0" /></p></div><br />Now that's a beautiful thing.Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-54524570137453900182007-07-16T15:15:00.000-07:002007-07-16T15:57:10.844-07:00A man and his saw...So much has happened at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">jobsite</span> (we've stopped calling it a house, because it isn't one anymore) since the last time I posted.<br /><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087922565289801330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PEg9s5juL7fp4gmAIFUDZ7fshg8is3QSezke2O4tkU_ugOIvjTMEX-QZFawCKPkLZaOcojvnLC68IL4Aa91SiuLoL7Jt4aooTTk-bF1pj7il7g4d7lptd81DaRTFH7-z9jAFSzfNNpg/s400/019.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>The early part of last week was all about blown in fiberglass insulation. I spent Monday afternoon scooping it up with a dust pan and shoveling it into garbage bags. It was 95 degrees on Monday. When I took off my respirator sweat actually dripped out of it, but when I finally went home I got to take the nicest shower of my life. Since I was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">thoroughly</span> done at that point, I was surprised when Eli said that he was still working when I called him around 8 o'clock. I stopped by the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">jobsite</span> and this is what I saw: </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087924936111748738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeOq0gxsHrxv0QA4XNwWZXtfzbHnWTVC536XDJrYJ4GLo69ZyS8VdbcQBnFR0bXMVXzrHTYAW1tzaHUUd00FkLqdNKcsu3-8fkcIvCAxbLYP4u-R1ax5_t6edLqZkYu45qdvcAVTrjL8/s400/002.JPG" border="0" />That would be the porch...or rather what used to be the porch. Since we've owned the house we've been rather tentative about walking on the north half of it. Aside from the fact that it was visibly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">detached</span> from the house, it was about 6 inches lower than the south side of the porch, and bounced <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">noticeably</span> underfoot. Now that we've gotten a closer look at it we've found that the whole thing was basically held up with two <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">cinder blocks</span> that had been shoved in behind the stairs...ah home improvement. Here's Josh with our house number...<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087926018443507346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4l1TT2AvmWNtJXaNo70l-BuJlLs4Af4tORi0SApSekmBbf9vKVU1k1JAPXpI5ZFkbwRRui3KaboyA5Tf9AuGbLe7ZhnYAER2DEkm-hKrIjFX4YC5ABwuccc0T-Gzyqfvuk54MhYkNcc/s400/009.JPG" border="0" />We figured we'd have to start forwarding the mail, but our mail woman must have an adventuresome streak because the next day there was post in the mailbox. </div><br /><div>And the destruction continues:</div><br /><div>This is Joe. Joe comes with a saw.<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087927010580952738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63TwJtOZurqSTshdtrgEvksmzb_A3bwwXIsnSUgxYv9wxiWzoyRVVaZzvFtlttT7ERgjXc-Hee2_5lDoNZIPPYS8eTM0rOdAY9JD0soBjiHTitEVmuUUFkmKMmnijpQLRGb7VA-UxtLk/s400/024.JPG" border="0" />I always thought that Joe's saw was a concrete saw, but it turns out that when you fit it with something called a "rescue blade" it becomes a demolition machine. A rescue blade is what the fire department would use to cut through the side of your house if you were trapped inside and couldn't get to a window or a door. Since we are erecting a new second story there didn't seem to be any point in tearing off the shingles. Instead Joe used the rescue blade to cut our roof into strips, straight through the deck boards and through the four (!!) layers of shingles, that's about 2" of asphalt. Once they got the system down they went through the whole roof in less than 3 hours...not counting the 3 hours it took to find someone who could sharpen the blade and get it back to us on the same day. By <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">mid afternoon</span> Isis and I were watching as the east wall came down.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087929901093943010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwYsTz2nmoaKhfGuf-Nzd6mnEjmBrfnrbYGnVxuQU0TKX7O-N0BdjO1yWwOo8fnwrSrcEYB5_H4TRriyCTELv2ETN9_1djwG9poz5i3msNqC70l_UlKI_jX_znOBMrFNzByb3L46E_ZY/s400/048.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087929471597213362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4KkwDsF8KEu43N5U5q4d1Kya1leObuhP8XgA17ysf_KHFxUeTqaLNDlzOyAlHzN02mwENhK_iXx32Km0T2qouP9pboxugT8ggBtaWAC1JmEQU7eVmyX62owABVrkcMPr98oMce_ZtX4/s400/049.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087929475892180674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOB1LoOicWPsEW7LeCJtKWxjnimwsdqlvy7Yn-K_xTH4mlFOxza1Or-FyNQSSwHCU0FXhdZyYru2spYWgrR3sGnvy_dJYDcj_lv361Fd00W-fqujKV38S0QJqeRAlLVJVdB4GNodrOFQ/s400/050.JPG" border="0" />Going, going, gone.<br /><br />After that it's been all about filling up dumpsters. We will be getting our fourth one delivered tomorrow, and will need at least one more after that. Eli estimated 3 dumpsters for the whole job, so that will push our budget slightly, but it's worth it to see them haul away all of that debris.<br /><br />Since the roof came off it's back to interior demolition. If you're impatient you can check out the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">flickr</span> site, there's a permanent link on the sidebar that should take you right there. The best pictures are in the "demolition" set, of course. Otherwise I will update within the next couple of days and post some pictures of the inside....everything must go!Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-44553230888055903912007-07-10T08:05:00.000-07:002007-07-10T09:40:16.968-07:00Destroy, destroy....There's a whole lot of shakin' and bangin' and breakin' going on at our house. It's amazing how quickly things are coming down now that we're actually able to work on it. I have been taking lots of pictures, but unless you knew what the house looked like before the pictures probably all look the same, so instead of taking the time to upload them here, I'm going to put them all up on a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38238185@N00/">Flickr</a> (click on that link and it should take you there) page and anyone who's interested can go and look at the slide show.<br /><br /><div>Instead I'm going to tell my funny story about the windows. </div><br /><div>About a year ago a couple moved in up the block from us, and Eli was chatting with them one day and found out that they actually used to live in our house. Not just that they used to live in our house, but that the guy's mother used to own it, and that he grew up there and that until about 12 years ago or so he and his wife lived there. And I said "Oh are their names Joe and Judy Smith?" (not their real names of course, but when I said it I said their real names), and Eli said "Yeah how did you know?"</div><br /><div>Well the names Joe and Judy Smith (not really, but anyway) are sort of burned into my brain because about two months after I bought this house I got a letter from the bank saying that Joe and Judy Smith had defaulted on their Home Equity Loan and that because of this the Bank was going to foreclose on my house. I got this letter on the 3rd of July by the way, so everyone in the mortgage department was on vacation for the holiday, ditto everyone at my title company. When I did finally get to talk to real people about "what the heck is going on!?" they told me that Joe and Judy Smith had taken out a Home Equity Loan that was set up as a credit line, and that until recently they had continued to pay on it, even though they hadn't owned the house in over 5 years, there had actually been another owner in between them and me and (so says the genius at the title company) the lien had actually showed up in the title search, but because there hadn't been a problem with the previous owner they "assumed it was a mistake." Then when I asked them to send me a copy of my title insurance policy I was told that "it wasn't typed up yet." The closing was a month and a half previous to this, and I'm sure they weren't writing a special title insurance policy just for little ole' me, basically you just fill in the blanks and hit "print" right? Anyway, I was thoroughly P.O.ed with the title company. </div><br /><div>The happy ending is that the title insurance payed the bank and I got to keep my house, but needless to say the names "Joe and Judy Smith" are etched into my brain and not in the "happy place" part of my brain either.</div><br /><div>But I thought you said this was a story about windows? </div><br /><div>Oh right, the windows. Since we've moved into the house we have been fighting against previous "improvements" done by previous owners. Like the overhead light that plugs into a wall socket, and the wall sockets that are partially obscured because when new flooring was installed they just put it over them instead of moving the electrical box. And the wall sockets that smoke when you plug things into them. </div><div> </div><div>And the windows. </div><div> </div><div>The windows are all different sizes, and they have been sort of shimmed in place into holes that are for the most part much larger than they are. It's not uncommon to install windows into holes that are larger than they are, but usually you would patch the drywall around them instead of just shoving dirty fiberglass insulation into them and leaving big open holes in the walls. Usually. And it would be nice if they were installed plumb and level so that when you wanted to close the window it actually sealed. That would be especially nice in the winter time when it's convenient to have closed windows instead of windows with inch wide gaps at the top where they don't shut properly. </div><br /><div>Basically it would be nice to have windows which are not like this...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085590453462111250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNAk7ly4dqznr3PYb9hvkU9d-t0pLBOKX7P6kt-E_Co7AWT6PUcbb9pRVmZjNGkiL79G6-xKN6Do_ViiopSSQqYrvVw8WgIRsSwUdklQxmMkqbbLUJ2J6wR5NIaTvuNeECYo3uWYv39o/s400/006.JPG" border="0" />This is the window that used to be in our bathroom, until our friend Ramsey pried it out of it's frame and threw it in the dumpster. I guess they must have run out of dirty fiberglass insulation, because this one has a wadded up towel in the gap in the top of the frame, and that black line running down next to the toilet? That's where the drywall has gotten mushy and flaked off because the window leaks so badly. </div><br /><br /><p>Here's the view from the outside:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085591763427136546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MuYVMxddQBw2nH3reKj1-9RD4NMJZy0GVZayrC4875kZxVPx4IDIMfD6KRIYiTU7-11wtjAOuZnZALLUIfczVBJZdC3rrlvsqzoGr3rIbv4Ch40dvRPjTuCxkbJXaEZR1hxG3acueQE/s400/005.JPG" border="0" />Now granted, one of the reasons that the window leaks so badly is because of the hole in the roof directly above it, which had a piece of sheet metal nailed over it up until recently...but a piece of sheet metal is not a roof repair, and a piece of unfinished particle board does not substitute for siding.</p><p>So here's the punch line to the whole story. While talking with Joe Smith about his former childhood home, Eli mentioned that we were about to start a major remodeling project. "Oh" says Joe Smith, "I'm pretty handy myself. I did a lot of improvements to that house while we were living there. I actually put in all the new windows."</p><p>I think it says a lot about Eli's character that he didn't a). laugh in his face, or b). punch him in the nose. </p><p>I was telling this story to a couple of friends last night and Eli mentioned that he's seen Joe Smith glaring at us whenever one of "his" windows goes into the dumpster. Sorry buddy, thems the breaks.</p><p>I wonder what <a href="http://www.bobthebuilder.com/usa/intro.html">Bob the Remodeling Mascot </a>would have to say?</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-35035822395789416942007-07-05T19:46:00.000-07:002007-07-05T20:16:56.962-07:00Pictures, pictures....The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">internet</span> and the laptop are friends again! I'm so excited! And I'm so behind on updating the blog, so here goes.<br /><div><div><div></div><div>We are well into the destruction phase, it's got to get worse before it can get better, right? If you are terribly observant you might notice that some of these pictures were taken with Isis's digital camera, and some of them were taken with my crap cell phone camera, so if things seem a little blurry, it's not your eyes or your monitor.</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083910863551337394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohaU88wg3bvVRrbwW-mRhie_Ac76MHTo239ZFCwK2l6zuHGR5qVarsHfr6oFAjzVVQIW6gEjgAee7wvzk5bCavFNU_qWXhIs7-d_oIH1hTIwRajxGnT2EswoGpVK8YuoL-vovxyLlRag/s400/018.JPG" border="0" /></div></div>This is our old bedroom, as seen through the wall from the landing at the top of the stairs.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083910867846304706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGScUrKtD5ORkAiZSVrehsHtfAMMobyS16ql8ljHiBv_j_mku5OTIqYxHH7DQ5pJZw7e3BJsQQ-yAWYW5ow1Y9abM5x8Q-CkVjRkYeXRYPk0stBzvxIFUoEw0fgw1jz7jUQAXYAZYhUE/s400/047.JPG" border="0" />And this is Isis's room/My old studio, good-bye strange wooden paneling. It had a certain style I guess, but it also sort of made me feel like I was working in a hollow tree. It's gone now!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083911907228390354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTEpqyxZcmCY90g4Z4os_NJJimndYUQBioH1ap5esQQ4h11_Zc-PpQVbPWwewmB8uf3tvLf_Jcem-qKEO9rVDvQTpTeppJWlhPeHDSlPrSb2WplgM7A0ILfE10B8lKeLRKNsKNieLqP0/s400/016.JPG" border="0" />Isis is helping as well, here's her contribution to the drywall removal portion of the project. Notice how she stores her hammers while they are not in use...what a pro.</div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083912379674792930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gjaLbhGuhWkPP4XrwiA0ejV_kffqoOHHv6XGH6W-P9Fc5LQSOSA7CwNObwWfhqudKkjCe4DVhY_Sd-5ZWStk9j3ErB1A9An91Z_HByHzcVVDnUdTH58JplMvekoi8haAaeIAElo5O0g/s400/051.JPG" border="0" />Safety before fashion, although I look quite stunning in my flashy new respirator if I do say. And it makes me sound like Darth Vader, as a bonus. </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083913509251191794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JfBEA4q99e_LbcrKtBBxFVMcRrBdNzyTMShhBLs-NLQ2XmdIeX92pHMcUHMOZhD8Ii2imw9Ag5yEFQHVQj1l0hCOKESFavOS2HXNCAX6qG-CmzYQJBLtzhPDKiBZFOkF9MxnBda7lWY/s400/004.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>This is the first official before and after picture, and an opportunity to introduce you to our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">renovation</span> mascot. Bob is sitting in our kitchen cupboard. Bob has unflagging <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">optimism</span> and says "Can we fix it? Yes we can!" when you give him a squeeze. Sometimes we wonder about Bob, and whether he might need glasses at the very least. Here's the same corner after the cabinets came out...</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083913513546159106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hBQRqVKAqA0Pe2hxTtpgGsgB4QNKAr1tF-H-aE1RnaCTUMie-fJYTlGrbYWNirXZnC4dfYMNLEAf23cv7byuQtKW9sSuAHc5HTsdt3_WmtguCzvepuUKaQPD3O6w5i1ZWOTT1vlAWPc/s400/070+-+Copy.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>But if you ask Bob he'll tell you loud and clear: "Can we fix it? Yes we can!" Okay Bob, we're with you all the way. Good-bye yellow paisley counter top! Hello strange green tile board. It's like an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">archaeological</span> dig. We knew there were three layers of flooring in the kitchen, because we had to tear them out when we moved in so that we could lay a new floor, but who knew that there were at least that many incarnations of wall covering? There are wallpaper patterns back there that haven't been seen since the old homeowners bought the last roll off the sale table in 1932.</p><p>That's enough pictures for today, I don't want you to get spoiled. I do have a funny story about windows, though, that I will post as soon as I get another half an hour in front of the laptop...which is now happily online once more. In the meantime, think happy <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">destructive</span> thoughts in our direction. Once all the interior demo is complete it'll be time for the roof and the porch to come off, and then things will really get going.</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-14896027973634324662007-06-27T07:38:00.000-07:002007-06-27T07:55:56.388-07:00Ach!This is a quick and dirty post, because I realize that it's been over a month since I last updated the blog. The main reason for lack of updates is that I've been having trouble reconciling my laptop with the internet. They aren't speaking to each other at the moment, but I'm hoping it's one of those playground "you're not my friend anymore, until tomorrow," things.<br /><br />It seems to me that the fun thing about a publishing a remodeling blog, is showing pictures of the remodeling? Right? Well no laptop means no pictures. We are moved out of the house, and staying with a friend for a few weeks before we move into Eli's Mom's house (she has moved north for a great new job and the natural wonderfulness of it all and her house is standing empty). This friend is a computer geek of the highest order and his system is made up of left over server parts from his internet company. It is impressive in it's density of blinking lights and it's tendency to make odd cheeps and beeps...but it contains nothing so prosaic as a USB port. So I have internet, and I have pictures, but I can not have both.<br /><br />The big news is that we are out of the house, and the second big news is that the house is being reduced to a pile of drywall and paneling scraps. I bought a fancy new respirator at the Home Despot, which not only protects me from breathing 100 years worth of dust and mouse droppings, but gives me a certain apocalyptic chic. <br /><br />Next post hopefully with lots and lots of pictures....hopefully.Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-59598689797154459732007-05-23T12:37:00.000-07:002007-05-23T13:17:16.909-07:00There she is...<div><div>I don't know why I've decided that our dumpster is a she...perhaps because someone graffiti tagged the side and it says "mom" on it. But here's what it looks like to have a dumpster in a driveway that's barely wide enough for it:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067843148348809202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBPVwPhyGFWVx1TQvsBJwEcBNBfByDT_M_VCokZl0wjeUAPVrzUyn9RFGN6Ns74am5aS3B-8oQ63oLEeHZk6RrHTyHKxOlGQNEwgu90CEvhSuO7DkcDDBaQjoxGR85oXoRUNY3UT8dpY/s400/016.JPG" border="0" /></div></div><br /><p>Eli went and talked to the slum lord, er, home owner next door and she gave us the go ahead to park the not so wee beasty in the drive way.<br /></p><p>Now why isn't it full of porch? I must confess that we've been a little distracted around the old home stead of late. Something to do with an art fair. </p><br /><p>Yes, it was my first "real" art fair, and although I felt like I was pretty ready for it, it turns out there was about a million last minute details to be attended to, including driving to Grand Rapids to buy display materials. Mom and Dad came into town to help with the heavy lifting, the 11th hour display modifications, the sitting in the booth so that I could take potty breaks and spy on the other vendors...all the really important stuff, and I'm pleased to say that the fair went well. I think I'm breaking some unwritten artist's code in saying so, it was actually a lot of fun. I am pretty excited about the next one, which will be in two weeks down in Detroit.</p><br /><p>I do have a bundle of notes, things to do better next time sort of notes, that I need to go through, but since I just did a relatively successful show, I'm not especially concerned about getting every last one of them accomplished before June 8th. I am more concerned about getting the house project underway. Eli and Dad moved out most of the furniture on Saturday while Mom and I were schmoozing at the show, and we were going to move out the final load on Monday, but the breaks on Eli's truck (the Revenger...the Revenger is going to get it's own post some day, because it's a good little truck/van/box thingy and deserves it's moment in the sun) decided to go kapluoey and it spent Monday and Tuesday at the truck spa...uhm the repair shop.</p><br /><p>Instead of feeding my frustration at the speed of progress I'm going to concentrate on the positive things. We are through the bureaucratic mess, and we have the dumpster and we only have one more load of things to get out of the house, so this space should be updated a lot more frequently starting soon! (the eternal optimist, yeah I know, hush).</p><br /><p>And the picture for the day:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067850497037852674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYmoqj0te1bBNJbr2tjm1ZVRsA_plYg2_fgh0LGPtv-RgHC6feq8URvUAZvHClRZeJ1TjdbNPD6bwi6ue5a2H5r2y5Vxv_GttFmXgSn77M0In_wLgtbhJ0yZBCPynObuzTmungso4mzQ/s400/018.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>It takes a little exposition to explain what is messed up about this picture. See the switch box nailed to the inside of the window frame? That's the light switch for our overhead living room light. See the plug hanging out of the bottom of it and plugged into the wall? That's how the switch is powered. That's right, instead of wiring the switch into the rest of the house, they just decided that it should plug in. And the really messed up thing, is that there's that huge drywall patch between the window and the switch box by the door, so they obviously had the wall open at one point, and the switch for the porch light (by the door) is in a double box, so there's plenty of room for the other switch. I don't understand. The bolt cutter is just there for dramatic effect.</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-57943821420787976102007-05-02T08:55:00.000-07:002007-05-02T09:36:28.662-07:00Still playing the waiting game...The architect did actually call the next day, and we met with her again later that week to go over a few changes. Then there were some phone calls and then finally last Friday I came home to see this sitting on our living room/dining room table.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059993175678052194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebEg6eHYQDB9BOIByhaEH4nxn5C6NX3E0VhGA3ya3ohYSY8e3PWmu1_lrXadcO29XnJ7reZx_2CpV4xr_CD9NmFAjhBfaVlkYGU8kexbzJh8dW_OVFCLBvIM7lv7KcMuAUotNevJ8dt4/s400/houseplans.JPG" border="0" /> Yes! Our house, all three levels plus a site plan, cross section and two elevation drawings! Hurrah! But it was Friday, and planning offices aren't open on the weekend so we weren't able to take them down and exchange them for a permit until Monday. <div><br /><p>You can't just take your plans down to the planning office, lay them on the table and say "I'd like one of those magic yellow papers to hang in my window that mean that no one's going to show up and complain when I remove the second story of my house, please." It's just not that simple. </p><p>They really hold onto those little yellow papers, and they grumble a lot and make you agree to put smoke alarms in practically every room of your house. No problem planning office guy, we love smoke alarms. Then they look at your support beams and the grumble some more and say things like "We'll need the specs on these beams...grumble, grumble." and something about how our rafters were going to lose some of their raftering capabilities because the ceiling cut across them two thirds of the way up instead of at the bottom...blah blah, we need bigger rafters, which means we need a bigger ridge beam....etc. No problem planning office guy, you tell us what you want and we will be happy to oblige. "And we'll need to see the specs on these trusses for your porch roof." By this time I had gone out twice to put more money in the parking meter, and was bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet, repeating under my breath, "just give us the permit, just give us the permit." Which he finally did, after we passed him a big pile of cash. </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059998965293967218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TM1Xl6-ZTDf7kGlz7_wVybpXBlABjwNK9nfHxNvxy9y-OuMp-KM20jue42yXE74wcGFFl10pLmwkmh5nOnAEd5zPWk29COhwKoj1uH92NTB7nVaS4zfISFZJRh26k7U1KV8gNw_sLOU/s400/permit.jpg" border="0" />If we have plans, and we have a permit, then what the heck are we waiting for?<br /></div><div>We are waiting, for a dumpster.</div><br /><div>We have a very narrow (32 feet wide? something like that) lot and a shared driveway. There are wires over our front yard that would make it hard to for a trailer to drop a dumpster there. Eli met with someone from the city this morning about getting a permit to park the dumpster in the street. The answer? </div><br /><div></div><div>Not in your street, no way, no how, never.</div><br /><div></div><div>Which is fine ultimately since it was sort of an expensive permit, but I have no idea where we are going to put this dumpster. The alternative would be hauling all the debris away from the site in trailers or something, but there is going to be a lot of debris...did I mention, the whole second story of our house? So that's not an option. We need a dumpster! We shall have a dumpster. We may not have a front yard, but we will have a dumpster!!</div><br /><div></div><div>And here's a picture of something that will eventually go into that dumpster.<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060001757022709634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnZUgXsF0Uz3_lJ9OWuJTpoNLOAADughGBu_cHphJ9Cp8gbqKIBx57893OfKYeUuLbLB2M4vPFU6hsq4DbP19_s-criiUrI1fP6vMMBNYrA_-QDbTiocsg97LMWX6aI9fuNTn4RfE2tk/s400/016.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p>Wow that's awful looking in a photograph. That's the corner of one of our "closets" upstairs. Water runs down next to the chimney, and seeps into the wall. When we first moved in it was a moldy wet spot, and last summer it became a hole. Daylight should enter the house through windows, not through holes in the backs of closets. Part of the plan is to install a 90% efficiency furnace so that we can do away with the chimney so this problem won't come back. In to the dumpster with you moldy upstairs closet!</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-77017027010699326212007-04-16T18:24:00.000-07:002007-04-16T19:10:41.358-07:00Patience...not my strongest virtue.As I mentioned, this is a project that has been long in the planning, so when we finally decided to put pencil to graph paper and finalize our floor plan, we had very strong ideas about what we wanted. We decided to have the whole thing drawn up by a "real" architect though, so as to minimize our grief when we submit it at the planning office. She came over last Thursday, and (I'm so pleased) announced that there was "nothing" she would change about our plans. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Yay</span>!! It's so gratifying to get validation from professionals.<br /><div><div><br /><div>She took our home drawn plans, which were to scale and neatly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">labeled</span> with all sorts of measurements, capped off with cute little arrows, just like I learned in Jr. High Drafting class, and said that she had "way more" information than she needed, and that she could have the plans back to us "very soon." This was Thursday. Now it's Monday. The first thing I said to Eli upon waking this morning was "Do you think we should call the architect?" He laughed.</div><br /><div>Sigh.</div><br /><div>So we continue the preparation phase of building remodeling.</div><br /><div>When we first moved into the house I was sort of seduced by the idea that all this space (bigger than any apartment I'd ever rented) belonged to me, and I could therefore fill it with whatever I wanted. Eli does not have the garbage picking gene, but I think that even he went a little mad those first few years. When we decided to get serious about remodeling...you know, two years ago, the first thing we had to do was sort through our belongings and decide what was worth keeping and what we (okay, I) should never have picked up off of the neighbor's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">curbsides</span> in the first place. Not surprisingly we found that much of the clutter in our house was actually (gasp) garbage.</div><br /><div>And I thought we'd done a pretty tremendous job, so imagine my shock when I found that many of the treasured items that had managed to survive the first three or four <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">cullings</span> were actually very get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ridable</span>. In fact, the bulk of our remaining household goods fit into a stack of plastic storage totes that fit very nicely in one half of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">living room</span>. See?<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054205436579708722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rz9Y0-Cz758wfYS8No45yjeLw0cb2ppoRjoTYQrDbodcjmjTlq5VHXuXmDzYU2NNYkpe4so6xzrjPFrhczYhzz9D21Z1_ZzPmIGf5DMeSE-LJtwLuHrdztOCH0Ge2Qofqg_K77DEEzw/s400/packed+and+ready.JPG" border="0" />And actually that's sort of misleading because that garbage bag is full of old blankets that are waiting to be cut up to cushion the smaller and more delicate items.</div></div><br /><p>The problem is, that even though we own no fine china, and that our book collection fits into two medium sized suitcases, several of the items which are left fall squarely into the awkward and difficult to store <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">category</span>. Take for instance the painting in the background of the picture. It's 8 feet tall, and a little over 6 feet wide. Not too heavy, but where the hell are we supposed to store it while we're tearing the house down? We thought about leaving it there, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">after all</span> what could be more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">appropriate</span> than a larger than life portrait of Kali the destroyer? Unfortunately I'm rather fond, and the probability of her surviving is slight. Luckily we have sympathetic friends with large basements. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054207030012575554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuXGRB9p2DBoBioO2cCtBYz9RdEosTNacYe-_a1mc2mS21ud37fY9gWyZXrSPNZHyYWQ8GGl_o84qMonaOHonp3qEqTMyKY9sjH5wIqgTBWaGV3KcMpWdjXXZc_3APylXh5qA_-7ORbU/s400/Kali's+new+home.JPG" border="0" /></p>Forgive the blurry picture.<br /></div><div>When all was said and done the paintings, and boxes of sculptures made up the bulk of the items that were saved. Post <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">renovation</span> we are going to have a very minimal house, with few pieces of furniture, a bare minimum of dishes and kitchen equipment, but very full walls.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054207811696623442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6n2gBPiJ2xaYLs_6xUmdvVSwb9RDiEH0B91FkhPMgqJ6yPtxDFQOwauoX_RKoXsCFNaRKFFksrXFCPW3WMRnQswbME70Maq89QQD6ShYW0uqidSf8UYdnSFQEGEyrwwjPRkgfUahqRrw/s400/worldly+possesions2.JPG" border="0" />Our worldly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">possessions</span>, in a friends basement, where they will stay until the house is ready to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">receive</span> them. This is also rather misleading, since there's a washing machine, a large dresser and several foot lockers in this picture that belong to the basement, and the friend. I will probably try to claim the cut out of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Einstein</span> when we move it all back, but he's not ours either.<br /><br /><div></div><div>Reading over what I've just written, I have to in honesty confess that while the number of items mentally <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">labeled</span> "things to go in the house" is very small, the number of items which are mentally <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">labeled</span> "things to go to the studio since they are inherently creative and therefore worth saving" is growing by the minute. While we have donated and or hauled to the scrap yard many items of furniture that are no longer useful to us, I actually had to buy two more sets of library shelves for the studio to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">accommodate</span> yarn, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">unspun</span> wool, spinning wheels, and countless other items that got transferred over from the house. So I guess I'm not quite as virtuous as I thought. My inner child is saying "Yeah, but Eli's got the garage crammed full of tools and stuff. That's like my tools and stuff. yeah." </div><br /><div></div><div>But the important thing is that the house is practically empty, and the weather is finally cooperating. </div><br /><div></div><div>I was planning a post detailing all of the really awful parts of our house, but when I started thinking of what should go in it, I decided that seeing them all together would be too shocking, so instead I'm going to include them randomly at the end of regular posts. This is the stairway to our basement.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054211655692353378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA522EthlUh0xQ7x1xkRSr8U53KyAozvGbl0BSVPyLoo75MbJbRb5aR3qHEjpLWeSndpO3K1MHp9JiJoAd3_l_ghRnCOIAB02E27ZmV8EKTAw91fFx3gxtZsz1BlwikenU3hGwA7M7m0I/s400/very+scary+basement.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><br /><p>Shudder.</p><p>I wonder if tomorrow will be too soon to call the architect?</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5252744928780497343.post-1865415025356392992007-04-13T11:50:00.000-07:002007-04-13T12:22:42.075-07:00Well Finally...I asked Eli what I should call this blog, and he suggested "Well Finally." I didn't think it was catchy enough, but it definitely embodies the spirit of the project.<br /><br /><br />For those of you who aren't familiar with our house I'll give you the 30 second at-a-glance. We bought the house 6 years ago, it was in pretty awful condition, and the price reflected that. We did a few quick repairs (every joint in the plumbing was cracked and the floor in the upstairs bathroom was questionable enough that we didn't want to walk on it for fear of ending up in the kitchen) and have lived in it ever since. It has always been the plan to gut the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">interior</span> and rebuild it from the basement up, so other than building a back porch we haven't done any improvements since then.<br /><br />But the time has come! Well finally...I must admit that I'm pretty fed up with living in a house with leaky ceilings, holes in the wall and exposed wiring.<br /><br />So what you will find here over the next four or so months is the complete <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">renovation</span> of our house. It's going to be very "this old house" with me as Bob Villa...I will roam around and ask insightful questions like "Are those moldy 2x4's the only thing that's been holding up the living room floor?" and Eli will be the Norm Abram-capable-carpenter figure "Yes Jessy, they are, but have no fear we'll put it back together with 2x12 joists and a fancy-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">schmancy</span> beam thingy," except he won't say beam thingy, he'll say something technical and I will smile and nod like I know what he's talking about. I'm trying to encourage him to use a quaint New England accent, but so far have had no luck.<br /><br />As a good omen for the project let me leave you with a couple of pictures. This is the sink that I look at every day, wash my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">vegetables</span> and dishes in...it's pretty hideous isn't it? And this photo doesn't even show the counter top that it's set into which is yellow with (I'm not kidding) orange paisleys on it.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052991906455125778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZPrkMsNCza_sYPBP9Twjc6zF98C246-hZb4GyS6IlgqpHKXjN3DEYBhbYFdX23ff2QYkDp1aVyLXpuW4Sq_hyphenhyphennqmehlYwUZ1Fh2pKUyfAeHrcfAATUO28gcX7Dq_qVgU5FLKx03Gz-0/s320/Old+Sink.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><p>Wow...it looks even worse than it does in person...either that or I'm just used to it so I've stopped noticing...the other thing that you can't see in this photo is that the supports under the upper right corner have either rotted away or fallen off, so if you fill the sink with water and dishes it sags ominously, threatening to dump dirty dish water and pots and pans all over the kitchen floor.</p><br /><p>Contrast that with this beauty! She comes from the Habitat for Humanity Restore, which is sort of like a thrift store for building supplies. It's deep, it's made out of cast iron, and it's enamel is unscratched and lovely....and it was a third of what they cost off the shelf at the Home Despot. I think I'm in love:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052993379628908322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuLDLMkIS0BMhcxW4xKRI0U_ZdW9oNwW539MD90KN0ftIqKp_9eB_rCGJ-jaaskuCJWvNSouKENeQUT6MvZdol51Q1ou7G8bUTlcJC393iHMz-xTuIz9eR91OzKsoVFkYfDzE7C7U-RI/s320/New+Sink.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>Of course it will be installed in the kitchen eventually...but it the fact that it's on the porch makes it convenient for pointing out the cracked window in the downstairs guest room (it's been broken since we moved in), the sagging porch and the cracked cement board siding....all of which will soon be in a dumpster!</p>Jessyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097721439961918655noreply@blogger.com6